Favorite winter tent stakes

[Heavy Duty]

What's your favorite winter camping stakes to pitch your tent?

[Minnesotian]

I don't typically bring anything. Once I get to camp, if there aren't enough trees to tie off to, I will take a wrist sized stick and cut it to about a foot or two long (30 to 60cm). I will tie a loose taut line hitch to it and then bury the stick in the snow in the horizontal position. I will make sure to step on it and really get the snow packed on top of it. After about an hour, the snow will sinter real well and I am able to tension up the line.

If you end up using this method, make sure you do not tie directly to the stick. Once that snow sinters up, it is really hard to dig it out and get your rope off. With a taut line hitch or something like it, the knot is above the surface of the snow and once loosened, can be easily pulled out of the snow around the stick. Hope that all makes sense.

[MRaske]

More often than not I am camping right on the ice. 8" nails. Maybe called shank nails or bright spike. They need to be smooth otherwise they will get stuck in the ice.

[brianw]

More often than not I am camping right on the ice. 8" nails. Maybe called shank nails or bright spike. They need to be smooth otherwise they will get stuck in the ice.

I call those landscape spikes. Just a big long common nail. To help get them out, don't pound them in all the way. When it comes to remove them, give them a tap in a bit and that will break the grip the frozen ground has on them.

Cheers

Brian

[snapper]

When the ground is frozen and little snow cover I'm inclined to use spike nails like mentioned above. If there's plenty of snow, I'll make "dead men" or tie off to trees. I've even used my ski poles to tie out extra guy lines when necessary. Bottom line, they all work so it's just a matter of having what you need when you need it.

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

[MizMoosie]

Depending upon conditions, I use a couple of things. Frozen ground (no snow) I use 6 in. eye screws. I pound them in, let them freeze and they will hold up in very severe wind. To remove, simply unscrew them from the ground. In the last 15 years, I have never had one pull out after frozen in...
On ice they work if you use a small hand drill to tap a hole first. Cover with snow to prevent the sun from warming the metal to above freezing.

[Lonelake]

I use ice screws in the frozen seasons. Landscape timber spikes or steel edging stakes work well for softer ground, but usually use aluminum tent stakes. The army style tent stakes that Snowtrekker sells are pretty tough also.

LL