beach tent pegs image
buckethead
I am shopping for a backpacking tent and I need some help.
Answer
A freestanding tent doesn't need guy lines. Normally the base is pegged out at the corners and there may be another peg half way along each side.
OK for casual use, on beaches for example, in calm weather. Can work OK for low super-lightweight tents for mountain running overnighters, ( 2 or 3 day long distance events) saving the weight of a few pegs and some rope. When you're inside your own weight stops it blowing away.
Most tents have guy lines to help with stabilty. Get the guys tight enough to keep the fabric taut.
Loose flappy tents wear out quicker as the wind slams into them instead of flowing around and over them.
They are also noisy and uncomfortable to sleep in.
Taut tents run water off easily, wear better, are quieter, and are more pleasing to stay in.
Lay a waterproof sheet on the ground and pitch the tent over that. In tent talk it's called a footprint. Any sheet big enough will do. You don't have to buy a specific one if advertised for the tent. Those just make more money.
Tuck the edges under when the tent is up so that water runs off outside the sheet and then the underneath stays dry and clean.
Store tents dry or they'll go musty.
Large canvas ones stored wet can actually catch fire and it was a constant problem in the army finding the space to dry a couple of dozen 160lb tents after manouvres in bad weather, before packing them for storage.
Bugs multiply as in a compost heap getting hot and the beeswax proofing smoulders, then flares up.
Have fun shopping.
A freestanding tent doesn't need guy lines. Normally the base is pegged out at the corners and there may be another peg half way along each side.
OK for casual use, on beaches for example, in calm weather. Can work OK for low super-lightweight tents for mountain running overnighters, ( 2 or 3 day long distance events) saving the weight of a few pegs and some rope. When you're inside your own weight stops it blowing away.
Most tents have guy lines to help with stabilty. Get the guys tight enough to keep the fabric taut.
Loose flappy tents wear out quicker as the wind slams into them instead of flowing around and over them.
They are also noisy and uncomfortable to sleep in.
Taut tents run water off easily, wear better, are quieter, and are more pleasing to stay in.
Lay a waterproof sheet on the ground and pitch the tent over that. In tent talk it's called a footprint. Any sheet big enough will do. You don't have to buy a specific one if advertised for the tent. Those just make more money.
Tuck the edges under when the tent is up so that water runs off outside the sheet and then the underneath stays dry and clean.
Store tents dry or they'll go musty.
Large canvas ones stored wet can actually catch fire and it was a constant problem in the army finding the space to dry a couple of dozen 160lb tents after manouvres in bad weather, before packing them for storage.
Bugs multiply as in a compost heap getting hot and the beeswax proofing smoulders, then flares up.
Have fun shopping.
Where can I buy extra long tent stakes for beach camping?
Glenn Beck
Some friends and I are camping at on the beach this summer. Every guide I've read about beach camping says that we must get extra long stakes because of the sand. I'm having a hard time finding these - does anyone know a good store to buy them at, or what terminology I should use to search for them online?
Thanks!
Answer
You need curved or v section pegs, not the straight rod type unless they are very long ....and then you find a rock buried eight inches down just where you're knocking the peg in. Beaches do that deliberate..
If you can find some pegs with a saw-tooth edge, even better.
You can get thick plastic ones like that or straight-edged, quite cheaply, or wide alloy pegs fairly cheap or stainless steel, even titanium...very expensive for those..
Wide pegs can be shorter than thin ones and then you get still more grip in the sand without having to go very deep.
Another trick is to put heavy rocks over the pegs. Bang or push the pegs right in to the sand so they're flush,and use big hopefully flattish rocks so they don't tip or roll, to put some weight on them. Same on snow. Pile some rocks over the pegs and build a bank of snow along the sides and back of the tent for better stability. Some tents have snow valances for doing that...very handy.
You can also use boulders to tie onto, scooping sand out from the base to get low. Sometimes handy for one peg at least to get a good fix in one corner and use the boulder for shelter or privacy. Put the cord through the peg loop and right round the boulder, then tighten up and tie it off. Put the sand over again and you've got a low fixing without using a peg.
Of course sands vary like soils vary. On the west coast of Denmark we drove a convoy of big Army trucks right along the beach for twenty miles on the hard sand ....as good as a road.
Even cycling on it on holiday later was a dream....not hard going at all..
Normal pegs were fine in it too.
Here are some sand and snow stakes...a lot of companies make similar ones.
http://www.buachaille.com/p1852-2-66/Tent-Accessories/Cotswold-Snow-or-Sand-Stake-Alloy.html . . . . . .
You need curved or v section pegs, not the straight rod type unless they are very long ....and then you find a rock buried eight inches down just where you're knocking the peg in. Beaches do that deliberate..
If you can find some pegs with a saw-tooth edge, even better.
You can get thick plastic ones like that or straight-edged, quite cheaply, or wide alloy pegs fairly cheap or stainless steel, even titanium...very expensive for those..
Wide pegs can be shorter than thin ones and then you get still more grip in the sand without having to go very deep.
Another trick is to put heavy rocks over the pegs. Bang or push the pegs right in to the sand so they're flush,and use big hopefully flattish rocks so they don't tip or roll, to put some weight on them. Same on snow. Pile some rocks over the pegs and build a bank of snow along the sides and back of the tent for better stability. Some tents have snow valances for doing that...very handy.
You can also use boulders to tie onto, scooping sand out from the base to get low. Sometimes handy for one peg at least to get a good fix in one corner and use the boulder for shelter or privacy. Put the cord through the peg loop and right round the boulder, then tighten up and tie it off. Put the sand over again and you've got a low fixing without using a peg.
Of course sands vary like soils vary. On the west coast of Denmark we drove a convoy of big Army trucks right along the beach for twenty miles on the hard sand ....as good as a road.
Even cycling on it on holiday later was a dream....not hard going at all..
Normal pegs were fine in it too.
Here are some sand and snow stakes...a lot of companies make similar ones.
http://www.buachaille.com/p1852-2-66/Tent-Accessories/Cotswold-Snow-or-Sand-Stake-Alloy.html . . . . . .
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