Non-stick snow stakes?

[TomD]

Someone (not me) on another site posted that he was going to try to make non-stick snow stakes by spraying his SMC stakes with polyurethane. Even if this works, it seems counterproductive to me. Sure, stakes that freeze in are a pain to take out, but to me, that's the point-they don't pull out.

Thoughts on this?

 

[cbcbd]

IMO, snow conditions are too variable to warrant use of a non-stick tent stake... I honestly don't remember the last time that I used a tent stake in winter in the same manner as I would in summer - most times in winter I have used my tent stakes as deadmen... which to me it doesn't really matter if it is slippery or not, and actually a little more friction would be good.

 

[Remix]

IMO, snow conditions are too variable to warrant use of a non-stick tent stake... I honestly don't remember the last time that I used a tent stake in winter in the same manner as I would in summer - most times in winter I have used my tent stakes as deadmen... which to me it doesn't really matter if it is slippery or not, and actually a little more friction would be good.

I thought it was SOP to poor some water over the buried stakes to make them into better anchors...never needed to do that myself due to lack of wind.

 

[Chip]

I thought it was SOP to poor some water over the buried stakes to make them into better anchors...never needed to do that myself due to lack of wind.

Water is a scarce commodity in winter. My S.O.P. is to bury what ever kind of anchor I'm using as a deadman, stomp it down and let it harden before I tension the guylines, and then hope I can hack it out in the morning.

Setting up above tree-line in the wind would be different and I carry some rock climbing blades to help with that, if I'm ever in that sitch.

 

[DougPaul]

I thought it was SOP to poor some water over the buried stakes to make them into better anchors...never needed to do that myself due to lack of wind.

Only as a last resort... I agree Chip on this one.

If you truly freeze the pegs in, you are likely to need an ice axe to chop them out.

Once we had a few inches of fresh light powder over solid ice. I was able to lay the stakes down on their sides (ie deadmen), pack snow over them, and then set up the tent within an hour. The tiedowns might not have held in a high wind, but they were adequate for below timberline.

BTW, I was using plastic snow pegs. (They can freeze in too.)

Doug

 

[cbcbd]

Only as a last resort... I agree Chip on this one.

If you truly freeze the pegs in, you are likely to need an ice axe to chop them out.

Yep, also with Chip.

It is already hard to free some stakes when the snow is work hardened, could only imagine in pure ice!

Plus, I try to avoid excessive axe swinging near the tent... one miss and now you have a new window!

 

[TomD]

I'm not keen on freezing them in either, but I do stomp them in. I'm in CA, so the snow tends to have high water content-Sierra cement-but last time in Yosemite, it was several feet of powder, so setting stakes was a problem. I have a freestanding tent and there was no wind, so once I dug out and stomped down a pad, it wasn't much of an issue. I've got some SMC stakes-curved aluminum with holes in them. Snow flukes work nice, but they are a bit heavy and expensive. SMC makes some little ones called a TAnchor, but they are still a bit heavy. 4 of them cost about $22 in a package.

 

[DougPaul]

Plus, I try to avoid excessive axe swinging near the tent... one miss and now you have a new window!

If it is too close to the tent, one may be able to untie the guy before deploying the axe. Might be a bit hard to do for one of the floor edge loops, however...

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I use snow stakes when conditions warrant - they're concave with big holes punched in them. They're made from a hard aluminum, and I think you can get them in 6" or 8" lengths. Work pretty well, and I would never paint them.

I usually carry poles as well as an ice axe, so if it's really windy, you have 3 good anchors right there. Also, you can carry small stuff sacks, fill them with snow, and bury them. They make pretty good anchors once they're stomped in. And if you can't get them out you're only out a buck.

 

[MichaelJ]

I have "snow stakes" that are nylon squares with straps coming off all four corners. Bury and use them like a fluke, but at a fraction of the weight. They also can be weighed down with rocks above treeline, or even sand at a beach. I believe they came from Campmor.

 

[cbcbd]

I usually carry poles as well as an ice axe, so if it's really windy, you have 3 good anchors right there.

If I have my 3 section poles with me I can/have taken them apart and used each section - 6 stakes/deadmen right there.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

If I have my 3 section poles with me I can/have taken them apart and used each section - 6 stakes/deadmen right there.

That's a good point. Have not tried that.

 

[DougPaul]

If I have my 3 section poles with me I can/have taken them apart and used each section - 6 stakes/deadmen right there.

Multi-use...

The only problem that I can see is if snow/ice gets inside the pole sections. Might make them hard to assemble or adjust.

Doug

 

[cbcbd]

Multi-use...

The only problem that I can see is if snow/ice gets inside the pole sections. Might make them hard to assemble or adjust.

Doug

I guess I should put a disclaimer... my poles are BD flicklocks, so there isn't a fragile inner screwing mechanism that could easily get damaged in hard snow. The bottom section of the poles have no mechanisms or moving parts at all. The middle section has a flicklock on the outside on one of the ends and nothing on the other end. The top section has the handle and a flicklock on the outside of the other end.

Haven't had issues with the flick locks freezing up or snow getting stuck inside, yet.

Another disclaimer - my poles are carbon fiber, which might be more slick and more non-stick than an aluminum or titanium pole.

The point is... there are plenty of things you could use as deadmen without having to take extra gear just for that purpose.

 

[jfb]

Someone (not me) on another site posted that he was going to try to make non-stick snow stakes by spraying his SMC stakes with polyurethane. Even if this works, it seems counterproductive to me. Sure, stakes that freeze in are a pain to take out, but to me, that's the point-they don't pull out.

Thoughts on this?

It took a little experimenting, but I found a simple and effective way to use the SMC snow stakes. First, prepare your guy lines by tying loops at the ends with overhand knots. Doing this before a winter trip is preferable. When you get to the tentsite, pack down the snow with snowshoes and let it set for at least 15 minutes. Then when setting up the tent, take a SMC snow stake and with the convex side facing the tent, thread a loop through the second big hole from the top, over the top of the stake and pull snug. Push the stake into the firm snow and let it freeze into place. If you need to adjust tension on the guy line, do it at the tent end. When it's time to take out the stake, just kick the top down a bit and it will break free. Pull on the guy line and it comes right out.

 

[DougPaul]

It took a little experimenting, but I found a simple and effective way to use the SMC snow stakes. <snip>

If you need more holding power, tie the cord to the center of the peg, bury it horizontally and sideways to the direction of the pull, pack the snow down, and wait a while. (ie use it as a deadman.) You will have to dig it out next morning.

Ice axes, skis, snowshoes, poles, and occasionally ice screws all make good tent guy anchors.

Doug

 

[jfb]

If you need more holding power, tie the cord to the center of the peg, bury it horizontally and sideways to the direction of the pull, pack the snow down, and wait a while. (ie use it as a deadman.) You will have to dig it out next morning.

Ice axes, skis, snowshoes, poles, and occasionally ice screws all make good tent guy anchors.

Doug

Been there, done that. Your way is much more work and provides extra holding power that is unnecessary.

 

[DougPaul]

Been there, done that. Your way is much more work and provides extra holding power that is unnecessary.

Depends on how windy it is...

The bit that I described in post #5 was a variant of the deadman scheme. There was no hope of getting a peg into the ice--laying the peg horizontally and packing snow over it was the only practical method of anchoring.

Be flexible--have a variety of techniques and use whichever is appropriate for the current situation.

Doug

 

[jfb]

Depends on how windy it is...

The bit that I described in post #5 was a variant of the deadman scheme. There was no hope of getting a peg into the ice--laying the peg horizontally and packing snow over it was the only practical method of anchoring.

Be flexible--have a variety of techniques and use whichever is appropriate for the current situation.

Doug

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I was trying to only address the concern presented in the original post.

 

[DougPaul]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I was trying to only address the concern presented in the original post.

No problem. Threads drift... And a narrow question frequently brings up broader issues.

Doug