Tent pegs for soft ground?

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FerlasDave

Full Member
Jun 18, 2008
1,794
560
Off the beaten track
Hi guys.

Im doing a trek later in in the year across a trail in Iceland but the problem is the ground will be very loose and sandy but the wind can get pretty bad. So I was wondering if any of you guys have any reccomendations for tent pegs? Or just a different way of pitching normal pegs?
 

Imagedude

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 24, 2011
2,004
46
Gwynedd
You could use oversize sand/snow pegs but they are heavy and I don't find them to be very effective. Ideally you'd have a freestanding tent but failing that, if you really need to use guy lines try burying sticks or sand filled bags in the sand and tie your lines to them.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,011
4,660
S. Lanarkshire
I have some of the long, ridged, plastic sand pegs. They're good but they're bulky to pack and carry.
If the ground really is so loose, make up bags from almost weightless nylon ripstop and do as Imagedude suggests.
99p a metre stuff would work fine for the bags. You could make them with a double draw cord and tie the loops from that to your guylines.

cheers,
Toddy
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
normal wire pegs anchored in some sort of fancy interlocking way ? 2 or three per anchor point ???
If you find anything please post back as it quite intrigues me

edit:

how sandy ?

thoughts of interlocking ice axes, special contraptions that get drove deeper in, or peg the pegs with rope somehow.
 
Last edited:

Bumbler

Nomad
Feb 22, 2013
256
0
Norway
www.bushcraft.no
What the others said. A bag filled with sand and then buried. Or like you would use in snow, a burried stick...i.e you take say a nmeter length of stick, dig a trench paralell to the tent, tie your guy line to the middle, bury it in the sand, it should hold.
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
If its sandy enough, ie. beach you could try a large stiff plastic piece , of thin plastic, pegged with 2 wire pegs through as support and buried at an angle to make a sand anchor. you won't have to take any special pegs too then. Trying to think of cheap plastic. Like a sea anchor on a boat !
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
If its sandy enough, ie. beach you could try a large stiff plastic piece , of thin plastic, pegged with 2 wire pegs through as support and buried at an angle to make a sand anchor. you won't have to take any special pegs too then. Trying to think of cheap plastic. Like a sea anchor on a boat !
 

treefrog

Full Member
Aug 4, 2008
650
35
South Yorkshire
Alpkit - £15 for 4 posted ?

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16627&category_id=253

pi_16627.jpeg
 

ex-member BareThrills

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 5, 2011
4,461
3
United Kingdom
If your going to get sand/ snow pegs the MSR ones are better suited to using as dead men as they are drilled with holes unlike the alpkit ones

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
 

oldtimer

Full Member
Sep 27, 2005
3,219
1,838
82
Oxfordshire and Pyrenees-Orientales, France
I tried burying pegs horizontally with the guys attached to the middle when pitching on sand in the New Mexico Desert.Bit like Bumbler's suggestion with snow. It worked fairly well, but I didn't encounter wind. The buried bag trick sounds a better bet. This also works when pitching on shingle.
 

FerlasDave

Full Member
Jun 18, 2008
1,794
560
Off the beaten track
Thanks for that guys and sorry about late reply too. Not sure how sandy really as I've never been there, I can just imagine a loose volcanic ash type sand is what it would be?

The idea of using bags is a good one I never thought of I think I might give that a go in the beaches this summer failing that those alpkit pegs look good. Already going to get some alpkit spikes so might be with investing.

Oh and the tent is a luxe mini peak 2.
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
please keep us posted dave on what works, even if you don't use it, I quite fancy camping on nice dry sand. Get round the school and utilise the long jump pit!

Another thought, with it being iceland, I'm thinking no wood but rocks ???? And plenty of !
 

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