Tent Stakes for Tent Platforms
I currently have the Zpacks Tiplex tent and hoping to get Hyperlite's version soon. For most backpacking trips I love that I can use my poles to set it up and that staking it out well gets a perfect pitch. BUT, with trekking pole tents/shelters, I'm concerned about getting a good pitch on tent platforms or rocks. Does anyone have suggestions on how to make it work when camping on a wooden platform or on a slab of rock?
It seems harder to stake out well using only rocks since there are no poles to hold the tent in place. Do you have suggestions on how to stake this kind of a tent when you don't have dirt to push stakes into? What do you do when on a wooden tent platform?
I've seen some tent stakes on amazon that are made for wood platforms, but wondering if they really work/are worth the weight? Or, if there is an easier way or something I can do with my normal stakes...
Best Answer
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I ran into this problem while hiking the “O-Circuit” in Patagonia. There’s a couple of campsites where platform camping was absolutely necessary and this is how we managed:
- Utilizing the hooks on the side of the tent platform.
- Extending the lines to the dirt around the platform.
- Tying a slip knot in the end of the line and looping it around the end of the deck planks.
- Tying the line around a tent stake and fishing it it in between the deck planks.
- Wedging sticks in between the planks as a stake.
- Tying the line to a tree/root/shrub near the platform.
It typically required a variety of these tactics and some creativity to get a stable set up. I did see others using the “Fishbone” style stakes and they definitely streamlined the process, but they weren’t a must have imo.
As far as a rock set up goes the only option I’m aware of is to tie your lines to weights (other rocks) or to surrounding trees/roots. The best option is to avoid that situation all together when possible. Happy trails!!
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Answers
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We had this issue walking the dry stone route in mallorca with our tent, unfortunately as above we had to combine the tactics of extending lines, using Rocks as weights and tie lines to trees! Although it can be a pain to set up done right it can work pretty well!
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@operationadventure that's what we're doing! Haven't slept on wood platforms before but are doing all camping on the O this February. Thanks for the tips!
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I have camped on the tent platforms here in the Whites fairly often and I agree with all of the tips that @operationadventure mentioned!
the hooks or eyebolts on the edges of the platform will be the best way to secure the corners of the tent in my experience. If there are large rocks available, I have used those often to wrap a guyline around and use that as an anchor and that works well if the rock is heavy enough.
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@skyestoury That's awesome! It's truly one of the best backpacking experiences of my life! Enjoy!
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