MSR Needle Stake Review

MSR Needle Stakes are lightweight aluminum tent stakes with square-shaped shafts, a wedge tip, and a hook at the top. Weighing 9.6 grams each and 6 and 3/8″ long, they're ideal for staking out tents and tarps that use cords as guy-lines. You can also use them to stake out webbing, of course, but there's nothing better for staking out cord. The square stake shafts hold best in packed earth or mineral soil, but won't break if you hit a rock when you pound them in. They're not good for use in sand or snow, which require a wider stake or deadman for more purchase.

I've been using these Needle Stakes since 2016. For a while, they were hard to come by and you could only get them if you bought an MSR tent, which is where I got my first set. But they're more widely available again and are usually sold in packages of 4 or 6 stakes. I never use the tent stakes that come with the tents I buy or manufacturers send me to review because they deform to easily, they're too heavy, or the heads have sharp edges that tear my hands when I try to pull them out of the ground.

The red color of the MSR Needles stakes makes them hard to lose.

I've never broken one of these MSR Needle Stakes, although I have bent a few, by stepping on them accidentally. The soil where I backpack is usually soft enough that I can insert them into the ground by hand since the points are thin enough that they slide in with a little pressure. I have hit them with a rock in denser mineral soil, but they've stood up to the abuse without any issues.

However, you don't want to push them (or any other tent stakes) into the ground with your foot. That's a good way to bend a metal tent stake. If you need extra force, find a flat rock and pound them in at a 45 degree angle instead. To pull them out, simple grab the guy-line and pull it out by the cord. That usually does the trick.

MSR Needle Stakes are great for staking out tents that use cords for guy lines

I've probably used every tent stake you can name at one time or another including MSR's ground hogs and mini ground hogs. but these MSR Needle stakes have stood the test of time. Most of the ultralight tents and tarps I use have cord for their guy-lines and the hooks built into these stakes are great for anchoring them down.

Compare 5 Prices

• 

  CampSaver.com

  $1.99 $1.95

  View
• 

  Amazon US

  $14.95 $11.95

  View
• 

  Sunny Sports

  $11.95

  View
• 

  CampSaver.com

  $14.95 $14.89

  View
• 

  Moosejaw

  $14.95

  View

Last updated: 2018-09-20 19:51:58

Disclosure: MSR gave me these stakes long ago when I reviewed one of their tents.

SectionHiker.com receives affiliate compensation from retailers that we link to if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. This helps to keep our content free and pays for our website hosting costs. Thank you for your support.

The post MSR Needle Stake Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog.

from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog https://ift.tt/2DfwUcV