Best Tent Stakes in 2023

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When you think about camping prep, tent stakes might not be the first thing to come to your mind. However, once you get to the site and pitch the tent, if you find yourself short a stake (or relying on low-quality ones), you’ll wish you’d thought ahead. Tent stakes are designed to attach your tent firmly to the ground. With sufficiently heavy-duty stakes, no amount of wind or rain will blow away your sleeping arrangement.

There are tons of options out there, and though they all look pretty similar, they won’t perform equally. To help you find reliable, effective tent stakes, we’ve crafted a list of the top selections along with some tips on making the right pick.

SE Metal Tent Pegs

Hoople Tent Spikes

Pinnacle Mercantile Tent Stakes

Coleman ABS Tent Stakes

ABCCanopy Tent Stakes

Sahara Sailor Tent Stakes

Why you should trust us

Equipped with more than five years’ experience as a product reviewer, I focus on outdoor supplies, survival gear, and automotive items. Using my academic background in sciences and career experience as a news correspondent, I conduct thorough research and objectively assess each product. Analyzing items by focusing on the facts, relying on expert wisdom, and drawing from personal experience, I supply reviews that readers trust. My work can be found on Car Bibles, Narcity Media, and The Drive. Some of my recent pieces for Task and Purpose are reviews of wall tents, camping showers, and hiking pants.

How we chose our top picks

Tent stakes are all about the physics of anchoring, so we started with the science first. Armed with an understanding of what features are most necessary, we proceeded to track down suitable candidates. Shortlisting those made out of durable materials, with enough reach to anchor well, we then moved onto the design. Aiming for affordable selections that are compatible with most tents, we whittled down the list to only the best. The final criteria was ease of use, narrowing our list down to only the best tent stakes. Incorporating user reviews, the companies’ history, and firsthand experience, we completed the roundup. The result is a series of stakes that will keep your tent in place.

Types of tent stakes

While all tent stakes are meant to achieve the same goal, there are differences between them. Some are meant for lighter tents, made from lighter materials and short in length. Conversely, those with thicker metal (or plastic) and more length are able to secure larger tents better. You can find tent stakes with a polymer stopper at the top or those which angle to stop them from sinking into the ground. While those with a stopper are easy to install, they tend to be less durable than other models.

Key features of tent stakes

Shaft: The shaft is perhaps the most significant feature of any tent stake. It is the part that actually goes into the ground. Because of this, the tip of the stake needs to be pointy enough to break ground. Generally, the longer the shaft of the stake, the more strength it will offer.

Material: Another factor is what the stake is made out of. The most frequently used materials are iron, steel, and ABS plastic. Each has their own benefits: while metals are the hardest, polymer is actually the most resistant to long-term corrosion and damage from moisture.

Stopper: In order for the stakes to not sink into the ground itself when you hammer them down to anchor a tent, you need some form of a stopper. There are two approaches to stopping the shaft from going too deep. The first is a separate part (usually PVC or ABS plastic) at the top, which provides a larger surface area to hit and stops the stake where you need it. Another way to achieve this is with the stake itself bent at an angle at the top. You use this part to hammer it in and, because it angles outwards, it catches on the ground to stop the stake.

Durability: Since the point of tent stakes is to resist the force of wind and the movement of those inside the tent, it needs to be pretty sturdy. This is all the more important when you’re using the stakes in harsh environments. The stakes need to be resistant to both heat and cold without compromising their grip in the ground. Additionally, they need to resist corrosion. To ensure that they keep working over the long term, be sure that the stake has a good level of rust-resistance.

Benefits of tent stakes

There are a lot of advantages to having a good supply of tent stakes. The main one, naturally, is the ability to reliably anchor your tent in place when you’re camping. Especially if you travel light and don’t want to leave supplies in the tent, stakes stop the wind from blowing it away. When used in conjunction with rope, you can use these stakes to keep just about anything in place. Many use their tent stakes to hold down yard decorations and gardening supplies. Plus, when you camp for long enough, you’re likely to misplace a stake or two. By keeping extra on hand, you don’t have to worry about running out mid-trip.

Tent stakes pricing

Depending on how many stakes you plan to purchase, and how heavy-duty they are, the prices vary. You can get lighter-duty models, made out of metal with an angled top, for around $15. If you need something that can perform in more intense environments, you can expect to pay somewhere in the range of $25. The good news is that tent stakes tend to be interchangeable, meaning you can use just about any model to replace your missing ones. Plus, since packs of stakes come with several individual pieces, the sets offer good bang for your buck.