Struggled with tent stakes for years and then learned the 45-degree trick

I spent like 5 years pounding stakes straight down into the ground (you know, like a normal person) and wondering why my tent would shift in the wind. A random guy at a campsite in Moab last fall pointed out that stakes should go in at a 45-degree angle pointing toward the tent. Has anyone else had that moment where a simple angle change fixed everything?

2 comments

2 Comments

robinmason2d ago

and then you realize you've been doing it wrong your whole life and it's like a whole new world opens up lmao. I had a similar moment but with staking out a tarp for rain shelter. I used to just shove stakes in at whatever angle and hope for the best, then I watched a dude who looked like he lived in the woods set up his whole camp in like 4 minutes and every stake was angled perfect. Turns out putting them at 45 degrees away from the tarp pull actually makes the whole thing bomb proof in wind. Now I'm that guy at campsites trying not to sound like a know-it-all but wanting to help people out lol.

gavin_mason312d ago

Yeah that Moab wind is brutal, it'll teach you quick. I had the same wake up call a few years back at a festival in Colorado. I was pounding stakes straight down like a total newbie and my tent collapsed on me at 2 AM. Next morning my neighbor showed me the 45 degree angle thing and I felt like an idiot. Now I carry a small mallet and make sure every stake is angled right toward the tent. It's wild how such a small change makes your whole setup feel solid in any weather. Do you find it helps more in sand or hard dirt?