Widely regarded as the best ultra-light tent pegs available, Helinox 'J-Stakes' by DAC Featherlite are standard equipment on the world's the best lightweight tents.
J-Stakes give you a lighter backpack, zero rust stains and superior holding power.
Formed from TH72M alloy via high pressure extrusion for incredible strength (yield strength exceeding 84,000 psi) with minimal weight. Bet your macho friends – see if they can bend one!
Small J-Stakes - 160mm long
Small J-Stakes are sold in packs of four with USA made stainless split rings and come in two different widths:
- Standard version (HJS). Length 160 mm, width 11 mm, weight 10 grams
- Wide version (HJMS). Length 160 mm, width 13 mm, weight 15 grams
Large J-Stakes (30t) - 300mm long
Large J-Stakes are great for supporting higher loads or in loose ground. In sand, the pegs can be buried completely for maximum resistance. Sold in packs of four with USA made stainless split rings.
- 300 mm long, 20 mm wide, weight 62.5 grams each
The key to tent peg holding
Simulated field testing confirms that considerable force is required to completely dislodge a tent peg from reasonable holding ground with a steady direct pull on the tent guy line.
In practise, however, the important issue is NOT the maximum force that the individual tent peg can withstand before it is completely dislodged from the ground. The critical stage is reached much sooner – when the first tent peg in the system initially flexes or bends (normally well within the elastic limit).
With conventional tent pegs, that can occur with quite low forces (moderate winds). Even a small amount of this "flexing" introduces "slackness" into the entire tent support system.
Whereas a taut guy line system will sustain against substantial wind, buffeting of a slackened system causes fluctuating forces in the guy lines of greatly increased magnitude.
Other pegs are then subjected to higher loads and they also flex, creating even more slackness. Guy lines begin to “flog” and the magnitude of the forces applied can rise above a tent peg's capacity to resist – resulting in a deformed and/or dislodged tent peg. Tent collapse follows soon after.
A bend resistant tent peg dramatically improves the tent’s security by substantially increasing the amount of guy line force required to create the initial flex. The "stiffer" tent peg is much less inclined to flex. Guy lines remain taut in conditions of much greater wind velocity – the tent is significantly more secure