ensure the tent does not get blown away in the wind (these are the pegs used at each corner of the tent)
for non-freestanding tents, they provide structural support to allow the tent to stand
they can be used with guy ropes to support an awning or tarp pole
they can be used with guy ropes to provide structural support to the tent frame in strong winds - the less the tent frame gets moved in winds, the less likely it will break
the more solid pegs (especially the tri-beam pegs) can also he used as the “spike” for the Marlin spike knot which is used in the Trucker's hitch and other knots to create high tension in ropes
the size and type of peg best suited for a purpose depends upon:
the expected forces likely to be applied to the peg
guy ropes in windy conditions will generally apply far greater forces than the forces applied to a peg holding the corners of the tent down
the type of soil / sand the peg is being used in
the cost, weight and size constraints if hiking
a claw hammer is really useful as the claw can be used to pull out very hard to remove pegs such as in hard clay soils
a sledge hammer is even better if you have large heavy duty angle iron pegs for sandy areas
hikers can generally just push their small pegs in and can use a rock for more difficult ones
a tent peg remover is small and light and will save you a lot of back issues if you are using larger pegs but will fail on very tough pegs to pull out in which case, a claw hammer is a better option, especially for car campers
stakes should be pushed or hammered all the way into the ground otherwise you lose effectiveness and increase the risk the top of the stake will bend
stakes should be placed vertically in the ground for maximum stability when using guys at 45 degrees angle
many people teach the stakes should be placed at 45deg angle and whilst this generally works in hard ground, it is NOT efficient in softer soils or sand
this results in:
reduced depth the peg is in the ground, and importantly, the less access it has to the deeper layers of soil which tent to be harder and provide more resistance
less soil between the stake and the soil surface to act as resistance assuming the bottom of the stake becomes the axis of rotation towards the guy line direction of pull
assuming the line of pull on your stake is 45deg, the most soil in front of your stake that is creating resistance will be attained by a stake going straight down into the ground, and the wider and deeper the stake, the better
if the line of pull is only 30deg, then the stake should be angled at around 15deg to maximise the resistance
if your stake is not adequate for the soil resistance needed and you don't have a wider or longer stake, you may need to either:
add an extra stake at an angle to the first stake, or,
add an extra stake along the guy line (the closest stake should be the longest and widest stake), or,
place a heavy rock on the guy line next to the stake, or,
use a heavy rock or wood as your stake, or,
bury the guy line attachment to the stake “deadman stake”
a key factor in stakes coming out of the ground is the repetitive wind gusts wiggling the stake
you can minimise these variable forces by either using a spring on the guy rope or bungey cord
most hiking tents don't use these as they add weight and nylon tent fabric has some inherent elasticity, but they should be considered on larger canvas or polyester tents
Hiking
weight becomes very important, and fortunately, most hiking tents are low profile, light and aerodynamic and thus forces on the pegs even in strong winds is lower than with larger tents and thus smaller, lighter pegs can be used
campers often strengthen the ability for these small pegs to hold in the ground by placing a large rock on top of the guy rope just next to the peg
there is a wide range of pegs available
popular types are the 6“ and 8” aluminium or titanium tri-beam pegs and “ground hog stakes” which provide much better stability than simple rod-type pegs which have a tendency to rotate and allow the guy rope to fall off
in rocky ground where it is impossible to drive a stake into the ground, use the double rock technique:
wrap the end of your guy line several times around a reasonable sized smooth rock, then place a large heavy rock on top of the guy line next to the other rock
use a tautline hitch on the guy to make it easier to adjust
ps.. in rocky ground, there are usually rocks around to use for this purpose
Car camping with larger tents, awnings or tarps
weight is no longer such an issue
if very hard ground
screw type drillable Hex pegs which can be rapidly screwed in or out with a power drill (preferably not an impact drill) using their hexagonal bolt at the top
if ground is too hard even for this, you can use your drill with a drill bit first to make an initial hole
guy rope is attached to the peg below the collar - NOT directly onto the plastic collar wing only
250mm long stainless steel screw pegs with self drilling tip and 19mm hex bolt top; the plastic hook collar guy holder can be screwed down the shaft so it will still work even if can't screw the peg fully into the ground
but they are expensive at around $AU16-19 each!
expensive flat top stainless steel 15mm hex pegs for awning pole anchors
Oztrail Hook Top Hex drillable 15mm hex bolt $AU13-20 each
expensive aluminium alloy 17mm hex screw pegs
these may have a 17mm hex bolt
150g 30cm length screws with a ABS Guyrope Holder Clip costs around $AU22 ea
PetPeg (HP62) 33cm long designed for holding dog leashes costs around $AU27 ea
less expensive galvanised steel 13mm hex screw pegs (these will corrode much more rapidly)
usually about 70g per 8“ peg and tend to have 13mm hex bolts and 7.4mm diameter screws and cost around $AU2 each
Oztrail 16 piece screw in kits
noctilucent glow in the dark plastic collared pegs
plastic hex screw pegs for sand or matting
usually have 17mm hex bolts but 31cm ones can be ~$AU15 each and weigh around 250g
often used without collar for anchoring floor matting
if camping is sand or sandy soils with strong winds expected then you should have a very strong peg which will resist pulling through the sand or rotating
large 450mm, heavy (650g ea) steel angle iron pegs are fantastic for this if you have a large tent or suspended tarp and can save your trip and your tent but will need a sledge hammer to drive into the sand
large 280-410mm plastic sand pegs can also be used, one can get glow in the dark versions however, these can break
wide aluminium sand pegs are probably the best choice for most smaller tent or tarp set ups but they need to be driven completely into the sand otherwise they risk bending in half
230mm galvanized iron (zinc-plated) angle pegs
most other purposes
good solid galvanised steel pegs generally suffice but in coastal regions will rust within a few days of use and a selection of sizes is useful:
12mm x 300-450mm for guy ropes
5mm x 175-210mm for less stressful areas such as pegging out the sides of a tent fly or the windows
light, small aluminium pegs
for less stressful areas such as pegging out the sides of a tent fly or the windows
these do bend easily! Don't be lazy and use your foot to push them into the ground!