My $12 tarp stake trick saved a windy night at Lake Almanor

Last month the wind kicked up around 2am and my cheap aluminum stakes kept pulling loose from the sandy soil. I tried burying them deeper and weighing them with rocks, but nothing held until I hammered them in at a 45 degree angle facing the wind. Has anyone else found that angled stakes work way better than buying those expensive spiral ones?

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lily_sullivan827d ago

Hang on, you're giving the 45 degree angle way too much credit. That trick works in SOME dirt but sandy soil is exactly where it fails the worst. I've had angled stakes just wiggle out sideways the second the wind shifts to the north, because the sand gives zero grip no matter what angle you hammer them at. Spiral stakes might cost more but they actually twist INTO the ground and hold their spot, which is why every serious camper I know swears by them. Plus your method leaves you kneeling in the dark hammering like a maniac while everyone else is still asleep. If you want to save money, bury a long rock or log over the stake foot, that works better than any angle. But calling angled stakes the answer? That's just survivorship bias from ONE lucky night.