Just a peripheral comment...In many locales, like the Channel Islands, 25 mph winds, gusting up into the 35 mph range, are routine and just another component of a nice day. Rig accordingly...

for permanent staking of a high wind load object ... we had a temporary tube frame, gray tarp sun shade we wanted to permenently place on a shooting range...go to a wrecking yard and get some scrapped out automobile axles, remove the threaded wheel studs, and a couple of guys to swing a 16# hammer...

[quote=MDinanaAs an aside.... do rocks really "decompose?" I'm sure there's a correct word for the process of them breaking down. Anybody know it? [/quote]

Decomposed Granite (DG for short) is the commonly used term in Geology and Soils Engineering for granitic (and often other similar igneous rocks) that has lost the bond between the individual grains. The process of weathering is responsible for the loss of bond.

Respectfully,

Jerry

> Questions to the ETS brain trust. What do you use in a similar situation? Has
> anyone found the ultimate tent stake?

As you've found, there's no one stake right for every condition. Here's a photo of part of my collection:

Obligatory link to the page. The ruler on the right is 24 inches.

The worst ground for me is rocky ground, when I'm driving in a stake and hit a rock that won't break. Just pull out the stake and reposition, hoping the rock is small enough I miss it.

I camp regularly in an area that's very alkaline, so it's eating my stakes as you can see from the corrosion. The top of the surfaces is dry and crumbly, and you don't get any purchase from the ground till you're about a foot down, so you need long stakes.

If I'm in a nice grassy place with reasonably moist soil, the small stakes work fine, which I like. Pulling out a two or three feet of rebar can be a pain.

(And wind? You want wind?
You got wind.

Thanks Jerry!

I bet most of us can visualize the type of rocky/gravely terrain he's in, but I've never heard a good description of that rock.

On large well organized camp sites it wasn't uncommon for someone to have an old rail-type car jack to pull up stakes.

This observation was made back in the 70s. A local company that specializes in large tents for receptions and such used steel form stakes, about 3/4" diameter, for hard soils like limestone and asphalt and shop-made stakes of what looked like 1" x 1" angle iron in two and three foot lengths for sand and soft duff. From solid limestone to beach sand the combination seems to work.

For very soft sand, what we call 'sugar sand', they put a stake in deep and tie it off to a second stake in-line behind the first or, in extreme, cases a third. When all else fails, for key anchors, they bury a length of 2by6 with a piece of rope drilled through the flat and a knot backed by a large washer as a deadman.

As of last year, the last reception I went to, most tent companies seem to use the steel form stakes for hard soils and hydraulically driven spiral anchors, mobile home anchors, for everything else. That's for very large, near circus sized, tents that have to put up with thunderstorms and high winds.

None of that is light or compact. They pretty much had one truck which carried nothing but stakes, jacks, ropes, hammers and drivers.

on sand, a short stick / branch / limb / driftwood tied off and buried out a few feet and down a foot works well. size and depth of anchor depends on wind speed expected. can also use two anchors at each corner as previously described, if you want a really, really good night's sleep.

Phillip,

Now that is a good stiff breeze!

It happens too frequently for my taste. C'est la vie.

550 cord and a sandbag. Filled. If you dig a small hole for it, all the better. The tent ain't moving.