Pitching a tent on soggy ground, tussocks, peat and heather to name but some of the culprits is challenging to say the least.
My upcoming trip to backpack Scotland in May had me thinking about “the what if’s”. Be prepared i thought and i have been thinking of some fancy alternative methods of keeping the tent grounded.
Numerous sketches have been drawn and discarded of all sorts of fancy regalia. My mind was wandering to methods so ridiculous that i daren't even list them here.
As it was just a simple tent peg is was trying to change that would cope with soft, boggy ground, i decided upon a cheap and cheerful upgrade that wouldn’t weigh to much, fit in my pack and would be cheap and pretty easy to make.
So here is my peg which should give me a decent nights sleep in the wilds.
The bottom peg is a standard “Y” aluminium extrusion that is provided with lots of backpacking tents and very good they are too.
The top peg is my “T” section Big Daddy peg.
I thought a “T” section would give the peg more resistance to being pulled inboard than the “Y” section. The extra length hopefully would be able to reach some firmer ground. The additional pull chord is necessary to remove the peg.
I am taking two of these pegs with me as i think two will /should provide the extra support i may need.
My peg weighs 36 grams. Not too bad. The alternative material titanium is too difficult to work with in my shed. I just don’t have the toolage to work with titanium so ally it has to be. The cross section is 15mm x 15mm and 1.5mm wall thickness.
So i got to thinking that some readers may fancy this peg, but don’t have the facility or time to make them for themselves. As far as i can tell, these pegs are not available off the shelf.
If anyone wants a couple then i can make some for £3.50 each. Plus Postage and packing.
Or you can make them yourselves.
MSR Blizzards are hard to beat, 24g, 24cm long. Broad crisis section.
ReplyDeleteCrisis= cross
ReplyDeleteAutocorrect!
A good heavy rock on every peg does it for me. ..
ReplyDeleteA good heavy rock on every peg does it for me. ..
ReplyDeleteMy winter pegs include a few Easton alloy pins, also I make sure the pegs are rammed in tight, that and a few rocks on the pegs.
ReplyDeleteWhereabouts are you heading for in May Alan?
Hi Peeps. Yes the blizzard stakes are good and hard to beat as you say. They are made for snow mainly and to be locate horizontally in a snow hole and then compacted with more snow. They are probably the nearest on the market to what i wanted. However, i think my peg will work better on soggy ground and on those extreme windy nights.
ReplyDeleteLaura, what happens when the wind starts up in the middle of the night and its pitch black.
Hi Dawn, We are starting at Glenelg the week after Challenge starts and walking to Spean Bridge and maybe return via the Great Glen and Glen Gary and get the bus at some point back to Shiel Bridge, then walk the coast back to Glenelg. We only have a week available which is a pity otherwise we would be doing the challenge.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment we are contemplating a two week backpacking trip starting the week before the Challenge but before finalising I need to bash my knee through some rough stuff to confirm all is well.
DeleteI think the sort of pegs you've made have much merit though I have to confess to not carrying this type. Might have to review that.
Sounds like a plan. What route are you contemplating? The peg might be a little long but that is easily rectified. I went of my gut feel. I have other ideas also.
DeleteHi Alan. Maybe from Dornie to the east coast but we might just sling the gear into the car and do several 2-3 day trips with the tent to finish off the Corbetts instead. Knoydart, Rum and Fisherfield would be on the cards if the weather was reasonable. Not asking much.
DeleteDornie to the East coast. Now that sounds like a challenge. I enjoy Knoydart because i used to stay in the Old School house on the south shore of Loch Hourn for a couple of weeks during the summer. Special place.
DeleteFantastic Alan, enjoy your trip. You are heading to a lovely area.
ReplyDelete