How to Properly Place Your Tent Stake

Tent Staking

The holding power of a tent stake is directly related to the surface area of the tent stake. As a result a thin tent stake has less holding power than a wide tent stake. A wide tent stake has more surface area to grip the soil. Therefore in general larger tent stakes have better holding power than smaller tent stakes.

Related Post: Why You May Want to Paint Your Tent Stakes

different tent stakes in the ground showing their holding power at different angles

No Angle

For the best holding power place the tent stake straight into the ground. Therefore you should not put the tent stake in at any angle. This is because just a slight angle of the tent stake reduces holding power. Tent stake holding power was reduced by about 25% when it was placed at a slight angle. If the tent stake isn’t fully placed into the ground holding power is drastically reduced.

Angling the tent stake with the tent line is the worst stake placement method. This is because the tent stake will lift up the least amount of soil. The tent stake holding power was reduced by about 75% when the tent stake was angled this way.

The tops of the tent stakes should be easy to see. To make the tent stakes more visible you can paint the tent stakes.

Tent Stake is a Tiny Shovel

You can visualize the impact of tent stake angle by imagining a shovel. A tent stake is a tiny shovel. If you angle a shovel into the soil it will be easier to scoop up the soil towards the tent. This is because you are scooping up less soil. And as result of less soil it will take less force. If you put the shovel straight into the ground it will be more difficult to scoop up the soil towards the tent. This is because you are lifting more soil. Because more soil translates to more force. Therefore you want to place the tent stake straight into the ground so it has the maximum holding force.

Summary

For maximum holding power from your tent stake place the stake all the way into the ground with no angle. Placement of the tents stake at any angle you will reduce the holding power. It is important that you properly place the tent stake into the ground to maximize holding power.