Lost my tent stakes in the middle of nowhere and used rocks instead

I was hiking the Lost Coast Trail in California last month and my bag of tent stakes fell out somewhere on the beach. Ended up using big rocks and driftwood to hold down my tent through a windy night, and honestly it held up better than my old stakes ever did. Has anyone else had to MacGyver their camp setup with whatever was lying around?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_palmer4425d ago

My buddy once used a log and his hiking boots instead of tent pegs. Worked a charm.

jennifer83324d ago

Improvisation like that is honestly the best kind of camping wisdom. It is so reassuring hearing someone else had that same nervous feeling all night but their setup held strong too. Glad your buddy’s boots and a log saved the trip, that is real backcountry thinking right there.

robins8325d ago

Three nights on the Olympic coast I had the same thing happen. Lost two stakes in the sand and just grabbed a bunch of heavy driftwood chunks and wedged them against the corners. Tbh it actually held better than my stakes in that soft sand since the wood just sunk in a bit and locked everything down. Ngl though I was paranoid all night that a big gust would flip my whole shelter, but it never budged.