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Why does nobody seem to know how to stake a tent properly anymore?
I was out at Lake Tahoe last weekend and watched three separate groups set up their tents with the stakes barely an inch in the ground. Within an hour, the wind picked up and two of those tents were flying across the campsite like kites. I remember when we used to pound stakes in at a 45-degree angle, right through that tough ground, and they'd hold solid all night. Has anyone else noticed folks skipping the basics like this, or is it just me getting old and cranky about gear setup?
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mila_campbell2511d ago
Went camping with my nephew last month and showed him the 45 degree trick, plus how to use a rock to pound them in when the ground is hard. He looked at me like I was performing some kind of magic ritual. I also always carry a few extra heavy duty stakes for when the wind picks up, saved our tent at Big Sur when a gust hit around 2AM and everyone else's shelters were flapping wild. We ended up helping two other groups re-stake their tents the next morning, and they were genuinely surprised you had to push them in all the way. It's like camping basics just got lost somewhere.
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grace_campbell11d ago
That bit about people being surprised you have to push them in all the way really gets me. I was out at Joshua Tree last spring and watched a guy try to stake his tent into pure sand by just dropping the stakes on top and standing on them. I had to walk over and show him how to dig a small trench first, then bury the stake at an angle with a rock on top. He genuinely thought stakes were just for decoration. The 45 degree trick with a rock is gold, I always keep a flat river stone in my daypack specifically for that. Its wild how many people never learned the basics, but I guess if you grow up with youtube tutorials instead of a parent yelling at you in the rain, you miss out on the real tricks.
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Oh gosh, that Joshua Tree story just made me cringe so hard! I had almost the exact same thing happen at the Painted Desert last fall. This young couple was setting up right next to me and they just laid their stakes on the ground and tried to balance rocks on top of them. I felt so bad watching them struggle. I ended up showing them the trench method too, and they were shocked that you actually have to put some muscle into it. The flat river stone trick is genius, I usually just use my boot heel but that can be hit or miss on really packed dirt. It breaks my heart a little seeing people give up on camping because nobody taught them these little things that make all the difference.
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