Author Topic: Tent pegs?  (Read 5430 times)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Tent pegs?
« on: 23 September, 2019, 08:20:03 pm »
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...
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #1 on: 23 September, 2019, 08:30:42 pm »
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

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
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Tent pegs
« Reply #2 on: 23 September, 2019, 08:31:40 pm »
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.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #3 on: 23 September, 2019, 08:32:10 pm »
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.
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #4 on: 23 September, 2019, 08:34:14 pm »

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


These are also pretty good.

https://www.cleats.co.uk/cl622-alloy-y-tent-peg-pack-of-6.html


Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

IanN

  • Voon
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #5 on: 23 September, 2019, 08:38:17 pm »
Or, um, straighten them?

Sorry, wrong answer.  ;D



Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #6 on: 23 September, 2019, 08:40:07 pm »
Not bendium should be the first rule of camping.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #7 on: 23 September, 2019, 08:51:44 pm »
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.

Vince

  • Can't climb; won't climb
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #8 on: 23 September, 2019, 09:22:30 pm »
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
216km from Marsh Gibbon

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #9 on: 23 September, 2019, 09:27:43 pm »

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
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #10 on: 23 September, 2019, 09:47:32 pm »
Mountain warehouse, cheap enough to buy two packs if you can't be arsed to straighten them
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #11 on: 23 September, 2019, 09:52:07 pm »
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
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #12 on: 23 September, 2019, 09:53:18 pm »
My last trip had no bent pegs at all.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

IanN

  • Voon
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #13 on: 23 September, 2019, 10:27:32 pm »
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.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #14 on: 23 September, 2019, 11:05:58 pm »
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?  ::-)
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #15 on: 23 September, 2019, 11:07:29 pm »
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."
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #16 on: 23 September, 2019, 11:53:39 pm »
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.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #17 on: 24 September, 2019, 08:34:15 am »
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?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #18 on: 24 September, 2019, 11:32:11 am »
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.

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #19 on: 24 September, 2019, 01:42:40 pm »
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

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

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
Regards,

Joergen

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #20 on: 24 September, 2019, 05:03:03 pm »
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.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #21 on: 25 September, 2019, 10:35:43 am »
We are mostly moving to Alpkit candy canes. They are tougher than the average aluminium pegs and hooked enough to get a proper grip.
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #22 on: 25 September, 2019, 10:53:06 am »
Alpkit don't seem to have any stock at the moment. Not just Candy Canes either. I hope they aren't going bust.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #23 on: 25 September, 2019, 11:16:12 am »
Alpkit tends to be a bit like that normally. Presumably their purchasing is seaonally profiled.
Get a bicycle. You will never regret it, if you live- Mark Twain

Re: Tent pegs?
« Reply #24 on: 25 September, 2019, 11:17:32 am »
All my Candy Canes ended up like CurlyWurly's  :(
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark