Question Tent pegs: are they worth it?

[ali]

So, been camping out for a bit over a week now, and not once have i found a site where i could get more than one or two pegs in halfway.

The other night it was raining and i pinned my fly out with straps and some large rocks i found by the lake. Today there were no rocks around so i have one side tied out to a tree and another strapped to my bike frame. Most days i didn't peg anything out, just used the dome for structure and chucked my gear inside to keep it from blowing away.

I feel like carrying all these useless pegs is dead weight. Would it be better to just get some more paracord, or is this just a quirk of traveling through drought conditions?

 

[vajrabond]

It depends on where you are. It’s good you have something fairly freestanding it sounds like. Hard ground, especially in mountainous regions are terrible to use stakes. In rainy nearer to sea level area or the desert, they tend to work better.

Usually what I do is I carry two for opposite tent corners, then have gear on the other sides to hold it in place. Then I use 2 for the rainfly, with guylines I can attach to rocks or trees. Basically you could just use gear/ trees/bushes/ buildings/ heavy rocks, but the first time you can’t find big rocks or aren’t around trees in a storm the tent will not be as taut, so you could end up getting wet or the wind could rip it. You can carry a lot less, or get a few aluminum or titanium ones. The stock steel ones add way too much weight. Plus if you get used to figuring out ways to guyline it out in the environment, the original 6-12 tents come with is definitely overkill.

I‘d go more minimal, but definitely not get rid of them entirely.

 

[TheFreemanguy]

I Carry pegs but also cordage. I also arrange my kit off bike to "fill" my tent in mild/moderate wind anyway but I carry a "full" kit. Suffering is removed with adequate gear. Me on my bike I don't mind pounds...backpacking would be different of course. Anyway individual results will vary.

 

[Matt Derrick]

sounds like your situation is a good argument for completely freestanding tents, but i thought you got the lynx alpine (which is a free standing tent).

 

[Tony G]

I use a shelter half and a tarp for the floor so i use pegs but there mil spec alot bettet than cheap pegs pastic ones but i can see the argument about them ive also used sticks they work in a pinch

 

[wayward]

Im staying in a dome tent on the farm im working for and honestly the tent pegs are just a hassle. Set your tent up on a pile of rocks by accident? Now you have to take all the pegs out and go put them back in a diferent spot. No pegs just take the heavy stuff out and move it. Simple as hell. Unless you are like camping in a hurricane they are pretty pointless

 

[Tony G]

Im staying in a dome tent on the farm im working for and honestly the tent pegs are just a hassle. Set your tent up on a pile of rocks by accident? Now you have to take all the pegs out and go put them back in a diferent spot. No pegs just take the heavy stuff out and move it. Simple as hell. Unless you are like camping in a hurricane they are pretty pointless

Depends on the tent mine wont stand without pegs

 

[ali]

Update after camping in a hurricane - i'm glad i had pegs. Well, it wasn't a hurricane, but a shit-ton of wind blowing through the canyon, toppling full garbage cans, dropping chutney on my lap and making off with people's hats. I also happen to be camped in someone's yard, so there was enough topsoil to put the pegs, i would've had a very noisy fly overnight if i'd been on the standard dusty ground and had to strap it to my bike, because the connection points aren't low enough.

So far i think 4 pegs is the minimum i'll need, 2 to hold the fly and 2 for "extra", either for the base if i don't have enough heavy shit to put inside or to further tension out the fly if there are no trees or rocks around and it's a bad storm. I'll hold on to all of them for now until i've had a few more stormy nights just to be sure.

All that said, in calm and dry weather, no wind, no rain, i just let the dome stand where it wants, no pegs required. Definitely handy to have a freestanding tent.

 

[FearlessVampireKiller]

Guylines with tent pegs properly done will keep you dry. There are good, inexpensive aluminum ones out there, and 550 cord is cheap and light. Keep them in a small sack together and you're set. I don't see why they seem so cumbersome to some people. Im all down for keeping it simple, but they really come in handy.

 

[Tony G]

Guylines with tent pegs properly done will keep you dry. There are good, inexpensive aluminum ones out there, and 550 cord is cheap and light. Keep them in a small sack together and you're set. I don't see why they seem so cumbersome to some people. Im all down for keeping it simple, but they really come in handy.

Yup they are ive got a shelter half i need em but i don't understand why people Don't like them

 

[ali]

Now that i have spent a few more nights in very damp and soggy parts of the continent, i can see more use for pegs than i did in the arid and mountainous regions i was before. There was no way i was getting a peg to stay in the ground in parts of BC or the sun-baked prairies, but in humid areas it's no problem at all.

I'm still not really convinced i need a ton of them. Usually i just put two on the main tent and two for the fly. Never been in a bad enough rainstorm where i needed the guylines as well, although i suppose that could still happen. For now i'm still carrying them around since they don't take up a lot of space, but i could see myself losing a few of them at some point if i head back into the desert and need every available liter for water.

 

[Tony G]

Now that i have spent a few more nights in very damp and soggy parts of the continent, i can see more use for pegs than i did in the arid and mountainous regions i was before. There was no way i was getting a peg to stay in the ground in parts of BC or the sun-baked prairies, but in humid areas it's no problem at all.

I'm still not really convinced i need a ton of them. Usually i just put two on the main tent and two for the fly. Never been in a bad enough rainstorm where i needed the guylines as well, although i suppose that could still happen. For now i'm still carrying them around since they don't take up a lot of space, but i could see myself losing a few of them at some point if i head back into the desert and need every available liter for water.

Yeah the desert is a way different story im in the pnw so it rains hard and often you need the guylines so you don't blow away

 

[FearlessVampireKiller]

Im staying in a dome tent on the farm im working for and honestly the tent pegs are just a hassle. Set your tent up on a pile of rocks by accident? Now you have to take all the pegs out and go put them back in a diferent spot. No pegs just take the heavy stuff out and move it. Simple as hell. Unless you are like camping in a hurricane they are pretty pointless

Why would you "accidentally" set your tent up on a pile of rocks? That and your shit blowing away in a storm and having you and all your gear soaked is way more of a hassle to me then using pegs and guy lines. "Pointless"? Not hardly. Maybe if you don't know how to string guylines. Using the fly and guy lines keeps your shit dry from condensation as well, not just rain, ya know?

"Simple as hell".

 

[RoadFlower33]

Now that i have spent a few more nights in very damp and soggy parts of the continent, i can see more use for pegs than i did in the arid and mountainous regions i was before. There was no way i was getting a peg to stay in the ground in parts of BC or the sun-baked prairies, but in humid areas it's no problem at all.

I'm still not really convinced i need a ton of them. Usually i just put two on the main tent and two for the fly. Never been in a bad enough rainstorm where i needed the guylines as well, although i suppose that could still happen. For now i'm still carrying them around since they don't take up a lot of space, but i could see myself losing a few of them at some point if i head back into the desert and need every available liter for water.

There is also the option of making pegs out of material that is around when you set up. Not always an option but I use wood steaks often honestly. Until I got older I didn't carry anything but a tarp and cord.