Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Camping It Up => Topic started by: Cudzoziemiec on 23 September, 2019, 08:20:03 pm
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I need some new tent pegs because my new tent is supplied without any, in the way that some new bikes come without pedals, to allow you to choose your own. I also need new pegs because all bar one of the 17 that came with my old bike are bent, at least one of them more than 90 degrees.
So what tent pegs do people use that are relatively light on both the grams and the pounds and incorrigibly straight? For use in various soils, often firm, but not rocky. Someone recommended me these: https://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/shop/?product=carbon-pencil-pegs
Which are apparently indestructible thanks to being solid carbon fibre. Blingtastic! Had a look at Alpkit, obviously, but reports are that their pegs, at least the ones in stock, are bendy. I just want something that goes in easily and doesn't bend...
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Titanium pin pegs (thank you Kim) with pull cords are quite good but often do not have an adequate neck for the guys. Inexpensive if ordered from China. However, having googled came across these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZEARE-Titanium-Lightweight-Outdoor-Camping/dp/B0799Q9TZP?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffsb-uk-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0799Q9TZP (https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZEARE-Titanium-Lightweight-Outdoor-Camping/dp/B0799Q9TZP?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffsb-uk-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0799Q9TZP)
These are nice, I picked one up in Honfleur which had been left on site.
https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/accessories-c10/tent-pegs-poles-c11/flash-pegs-5-pack-p2742 (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/accessories-c10/tent-pegs-poles-c11/flash-pegs-5-pack-p2742)
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For my Akto I've got some plain titanium pins from I-can't-remember-where, which serve to secure the lightly-loaded four corners of the tent. Lightweight, and I haven't managed to bend one yet, though they are prone to pulling out of soft ground.
The guy lines that do all the actual work get the standard[1] Hilleberg V-pegs, which seem to work reasonably well, if at risk of bending in stony ground. (So far I've managed to almost-straighten them in a vice.)
Not a fan of round aluminium pegs as generally supplied with mid-range lightweight tents. They seem to bend far too easily.
Terra Nova have some almost homeopathically thin titanium pegs which are only fit for turning sausages on a barbecue.
[1] Not the newer gold anodised ones. Gold is a stupid colour for tent pegs; it looks too much like grass.
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I’ve got some that look like these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KUNGIX-Camping-Aluminium-Reflective-10-Piece/dp/B01J7Q57TQ?tag=campingstyleuk-ms-21
Someone putting my tent up bent one >:( but for me they’ve been fine
I have some Terra Nova Carbon Fibre ones. These are extremely useful for making other people’s faces explode with wonderment. I’ve never used them. Also some of their thin Titanium ones. I haven’t used those either... they are all there to bring down the total weight of the tent as far as I am concerned.
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The best alloy ones I've got came with my Golite tent , but you can't buy them as Golite don't trade in the UK. The MSR ones are very good but expensive
https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/tents-shelters-c25/tent-accessories-c33 (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/tents-shelters-c25/tent-accessories-c33)
These are also pretty good.
https://www.cleats.co.uk/cl622-alloy-y-tent-peg-pack-of-6.html (https://www.cleats.co.uk/cl622-alloy-y-tent-peg-pack-of-6.html)
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Or, um, straighten them?
Sorry, wrong answer. ;D
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Not bendium should be the first rule of camping.
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Or, um, straighten them?
Not always easy to do with the tools you have available when camping (though a Mk 1 picnic table goes a long way), so if you have particularly bendy pegs, you end up needing to carry more spares.
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It depends on what you are nailing the tent to.
Sand: lightweight angle profile or the plastic x-section ones that Millets used to sell.
Loam: alloy skewers.
Cotswolds: Galvanised rebar works well for being smashed through the stoney soil.
Kent chalk: Rock pins into pre-drilled holes
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I have different pegs depending on what I'm using as a shelter, and how much weight I'm prepared to carry.
My lightest setup uses 6 of these pegs:
https://dutchwaregear.com/product/ti-hook-stake/
and 2 of the ali Y beams from alpkit.
For my big tent (well, it's a Lux Sil-Peak, but it's 7 times the weight of my tarp... so it's big!), I have 8 of the Y beams. I bent one on first use, complained to alpkit, they sent me a new one. Haven't done the same since.
J
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Mountain warehouse, cheap enough to buy two packs if you can't be arsed to straighten them
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Mountain warehouse, cheap enough to buy two packs if you can't be arsed to straighten them
Half the time it's not so much a question of not being arsed to straighten them, as being 3 days into a 2 week trip and you've just bent the last straight peg you brought with you...
I must admit learning to carve a tent peg was a very useful skill the time I realised I was a couple short on a camping trip. But then I also had a leatherman with a descent blade and a saw on it...
J
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My last trip had no bent pegs at all.
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More seriously...
I tend to have a few rock pins as well as miscellaneous galvanised normal ones.
That way you can stop it blowing away whatever.
The original alloy pegs that came with my c.1997 Quasar are pretty bend resistant, light etc. Quite thick AFAICR.
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If I straighten the pegs from my Hoolie and then use them with my new tent, where will they be when I want to use the Hoolie? Lost, only to turn up later with the Hoolie if I'm using the Phreeranger! Anyway, I think if I had a vice I might get around to straightening them, but I am pure as the driven snow. O:-) Oh rlly? ::-)
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Surprised to see that plastic pegs are a thing. However, "They are most suitable for soft ground, it would be very difficult to use them in hard ground."
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Surprised to see that plastic pegs are a thing. However, "They are most suitable for soft ground, it would be very difficult to use them in hard ground."
Given that peat bogs are generally suboptimal camping locations, and snow generally requires more surface area, I suppose they're mostly of use on bowling greens, golf courses, the lovingly-landscaped gardens of stately homes, and sand that's got just the right amount of moisture content.
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Surprised to see that plastic pegs are a thing. However, "They are most suitable for soft ground, it would be very difficult to use them in hard ground."
Given that peat bogs are generally suboptimal camping locations, and snow generally requires more surface area, I suppose they're mostly of use on bowling greens, golf courses, the lovingly-landscaped gardens of stately homes, and sand that's got just the right amount of moisture content.
Could be used for sending messages to Everyone's Favourite International Leaders?
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It's best to carry a variety, so you can put the most suitable pegs for the ground in the most highly stressed pegging points.
I would usually carry 4 pins, one of which is a 5 mm Ti Nail, 4 Y pegs, and 4 Ti V-pegs (gives me a couple of spares). I also carry a rubber walking stick ferrule to protect my hand when pushing them in. Using your foot is the commonest cause of bent pegs.
If it's hard and rocky, the Ti Nail can be bashed in with a big rock with little risk of damage, and I can then pull it out carefully and use the hole for one of the Al pins.
Y pegs are for regular grass, and the V pegs are for soft or sandy ground.
Cord loops in the top are worth having.
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Titanium pin pegs (thank you Kim) with pull cords are quite good but often do not have an adequate neck for the guys. Inexpensive if ordered from China. However, having googled came across these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZEARE-Titanium-Lightweight-Outdoor-Camping/dp/B0799Q9TZP?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffsb-uk-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0799Q9TZP (https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZEARE-Titanium-Lightweight-Outdoor-Camping/dp/B0799Q9TZP?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-ffsb-uk-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0799Q9TZP)
These are nice, I picked one up in Honfleur which had been left on site.
https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/accessories-c10/tent-pegs-poles-c11/flash-pegs-5-pack-p2742 (https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/equipment-c3/accessories-c10/tent-pegs-poles-c11/flash-pegs-5-pack-p2742)
I managed to bend one of my Zeare V pegs last night however I will be ordering some more of these, as they were much better!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0799Q4RWP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
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It does seem a good idea to have a mix of types. As the ones I've currently got are (in addition being bent) V-shaped, I reckon I'll go for some pin-type and maybe three-sided ones as well. Might even get around to trying to straighten them out too, though I don't really anticipate long-term success in that.
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We are mostly moving to Alpkit candy canes. They are tougher than the average aluminium pegs and hooked enough to get a proper grip.
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Alpkit don't seem to have any stock at the moment. Not just Candy Canes either. I hope they aren't going bust.
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Alpkit tends to be a bit like that normally. Presumably their purchasing is seaonally profiled.
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All my Candy Canes ended up like CurlyWurly's :(
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Doesn't anyone else use their SPD shoes to hammer in pegs? No, not stand on the pegs, take the shoe off and hammer the peg in with the cleat. Most shoes are hefty enough to get a good thump in.
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I tend to wedge the top of the peg under the cleat and slowly press it in using my heel as a pivot point. Doesn't completely eliminate sideways forces, but gives a decent degree of control.
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I managed to salvage 13 straight or straightened pegs. :) The remaining 4 when I tried straightening them went from sharply angled to sinuously curved in 3 dimensions. They look pretty and I'm tempted to repurpose them as earrings, maybe for domesticated elephants. I also ordered more pegs of two different types, which arrived today. Only on opening the packet did I realize that I had, through sheer inattention, ordered some which are plastic. :facepalm: Still, they have aluminium tips, weren't too expensive, are very light and if they prove too fragile will come in useful for pub games.