Last Updated on 31/01/2024
What are the Best Tent Stakes For Sand and Soft Ground?
When camping on sand, snow, or soft ground, your standard tent peg might not work very well. And unless your tent is free-standing, then you might be in for a restless night of replacing the pegs. In this guide to the best tent stakes for sand and soft ground, we explain the different types of tent anchors to use for different ground types.
If you already have a tent suitable for sand camping, some standard tent pegs will be included in your kit. These tent pegs are generally a good allrounder for all types of medium to hard ground, but what about when the ground gets too soft?
If you have ever pitched a tent on sand, snow, or any other loose material, you will know that it can be hard to get a solid grip. If the wind picks up in the night, you will no doubt find yourself constantly getting up to reinsert pegs that have come out of place.
- Check out these Top 8 Tent Stakes For Hard Ground
The best tent stakes for sand and snow often have a much wider surface area or do not even peg at all – they are anchors! You can either bury them or fill them with anything weighted to secure your tent and flysheet. So if you plan on camping at the beach this year, this guide will help you get a good night’s sleep.
8 Best Tent Anchors For Sand and Snow
MSR Blizzard Tent Stakes
The MSR blizzard Tent Stakes are made from 7000-series aluminum which is very lightweight but strong. Weighing just over 1 oz per peg, these are incredibly lightweight for their versatility. The wide profile gives this stake superb holding power in soft ground where others struggle to get a grip, and the V-shaped profile easily pushes into harder ground.
With seven holes down the center of the stake, you can also use it as a deadman anchor where you bury it in sand or snow. Because it performs so well in both soft and sandy ground as well as hard ground, this is a great sand stake to keep in your tent bag. So, if your tent came with some heavy steel pegs and you want to upgrade to something more lightweight that will work in the sand, then these are our number one picks.
Mountain Hardwear Snow/Sand Anchor
The Mountain Hardwear Snow/Sand Anchor is our top-rated fabric ‘tent stake’ because we find the two longer loops easier to use than four shorter loops. The material is extremely durable and won’t rip when you use jagged stones, and can be buried without degradation.
You can use snow, sand, rocks, and other debris to create a weight capable of holding down your tent. To get the best results, you should bury the anchor at least a couple of inches underground or use small boulders instead of piles of pebbles. Weighing just 4 oz/112 g for a pack of four, these are a very lightweight tent peg alternative that can be used in a variety of ways.
Terra Nova Sand or Snow Stakes (SOS)
The Terra Nova SOS Stakes have an extra-wide surface area which is what you need for sand and snow and are nice and long to get a deep grip. Like the MSR Blizzard stakes, these can be buried horizontally in sand or snow to provide a sturdy anchor for your tent or shelter.
Made from aluminum alloy, they weigh just 56 g per peg and come in a pack of ten, which is enough to secure most small tents. Tough enough for firmer ground as well as soft ground, these are a great addition to any tent bag if you plan on camping on sand or snow.
MSR Snow/Sand Fabric Tent Anchors
The MSR Snow/Sand Fabric Tent Anchors are made of high-strength material designed for filling with snow, sand, rocks, and rubble. The four loops make sure you get an excellent hold on larger rocks and provide more attachment points if you are using hooks or clips.
Using the weight of materials you find on the ground allows you to save valuable weight in your backpack. This keeps the weight to just 10 grams each and is sold in a pack of four. It is easy to see why many lightweight hikers and backpackers opt for these over traditional metal pegs.
Big Agnes Blowdown Tent Anchor
The Big Agnes Blowdown Tent Anchor is the perfect way to secure your tent when camping on beaches, sand dunes, deep snow, or any other place where regular ground stakes aren’t effective. Simply fill the non-skid fabric with sand, snow, and rocks, or even secure it around tree branches to give your tent or flysheet the tension it needs to stay taught.
What I like about these top-rated tent anchors is that the guyline comes from the ground instead of above the fabric, which reduces skidding. Coming with four anchors and four reflective guy lines, that should be enough to cover all the corners of a traditional dome tent, or you can combine these with more anchors or a few stakes for tents with more than four corners. These are a great choice for camping on the ground where no tent stake can be driven, like loose sand or even solid rock.
ToughStake Snow and Sand Tent Stakes
The ToughStake Snow and Sand Tent Stakes is designed specifically for these soft materials and has ten times the holding strength of regular tent stakes. With a unique design, a steel cable is used through the lower slot, which actually digs deeper into the ground the more pressure that is placed on it.
Made from aircraft-grade aluminum, which is incredibly light and strong, the spade head design really locks into place in loose material. At 5.3 oz for a pack of 2, this isn’t the lightest stake, but you do get the security of steel cable lines (which can be removed to reduce weight. If you are looking for one of the best tent stakes for sand or snow, then this is a good way to go. However, they are ridiculously expensive.
Tent Tools Sand & Snow Anchors
The Tent Tools Sand and Snow Anchors work just like the others but also includes a metal carabiner for easy attachments. The best thing about these sand and snow anchors is the price. They are great value for money and come in a pack of four. The attachment loops are long enough to allow you to bury the anchor fairly deep in the sand or snow as well as around boulders and branches.
Greenfield Sand Hog Tent Stakes
The Greenfield Sand Hog Tent Stakes are probably the most heavy-duty stakes on this list, which means they can also be used in the hard or compacted ground as well as sand. The steel stake has a triangular wing welded to it for a large surface area as well as a hook at the top for attachments and removing the stake from the ground.
At 12 inches long and weighing 11 oz per stake, these are not the kind of tent pegs you want for lightweight backpacking but for things like gazebos or camper van awnings. They are pretty handy to keep in the van. When using these in sand or snow, it is important to come in at around a 45-degree angle to get the maximum grip.
Things to Consider when Buying Tent Anchors and Stakes for Sand or Snow
Beach camping is growing in popularity, and there is nothing quite like waking up to an ocean sunrise or watching it set on a night. Pitching a tent on sand can prove tricky to beginners or even experienced campers who have never camped on the sand before. While having the right kind of tent stake is all you really need, there are other ways to overcome the challenge in an emergency.
Size
If you are using tent stakes in sand or loose ground like snow, then length can make a big difference in increasing the holding power. Width also plays a role as a larger surface area will have a better grip; however, this does increase weight. If you are using fabric anchors, then you need to make sure they are big enough to secure your tent. This depends on the size of the tent, but a good rule to work by is that if they hold a soccer ball, they will be large enough for most tents.
Shape
As mentioned above, wide and long stakes have a better grip in sand or snow, but the shape can also have a positive (or negative) impact. If the stake has a wide spade-shaped bottom or boat anchor-type shape, this means that when it is buried, it will have stronger resistance to being pulled out of the ground. V-shaped stakes also increase the resistance as they will typically pull away from the tent and not want to move the opposite way.
Weight
If you are into thru-hiking or just simply like to minimize the weight of your camping gear, then getting lightweight sand anchors can easily shave a couple of ounces off your pack weight. Fabric sand anchors are typically at least three times lighter than metal tent stakes, even if they are made from titanium or aluminum. That being said, tent stakes are more versatile, so if you may need to pitch on firm ground without access to sand or rocks, then go with stakes vs anchors.
Material
If you plan to use fabric tent anchors, then the material should be a strong synthetic blend of nylon or polyester, which is resistant to rips and tears. Because wind speeds can pick up at night, you should also look for reinforced stitching that won’t break under pressure. For metal sand or snow stakes, you want to find a good balance between weight and durability, so hardened aluminum or titanium should be at the top of your list.
Durability
Although it is very unlikely you will ever bend a tent stake when using it on soft ground like sand or snow, flimsy pegs are never a good idea. Just in case you ever need to use them on the harder ground, you should choose a reliable stake design that has some good reviews on Amazon. As mentioned above, fabric anchors should have good build quality, and the best tent stakes for sand will be double-stitched to resist strong wind.
Pack Size
Be careful to make sure you check how many stakes or anchors are included in the pack and match that to the number of attachment loops on your tent. Some anchors annoyingly come in packs of two which is no good for any tent, so you have to buy multiple packs.
What Kind of Tent Stakes Are Best for Sand?
For camping on sand specifically, I actually think that anchors work far better than pegs and often weigh much less. Anchors come in many shapes and sizes but typically rely on a piece of material with attachment loops that use the weight of the sand to create a sturdy tie-off point on the ground.
What Kind of Tent Peg Is Best for Soft Ground?
I believe that soft ground still favors the tent stake over a snow/sand anchor, as filling a bag with dirt you have to dig up isn’t ideal. Traditional tent pegs will work on the soft ground if you insert them at around a 45-degree angle; otherwise, look for wider stakes with a larger surface area. We have tried to include some soft ground tent stakes on this list, which can also be used in the sand with success.
What Are Some Alternatives to Carrying Tent Stakes?
If you don’t want to carry some tent stakes for sand as well as your regular pegs, then you could learn a few tricks that can be useful as a last resort. The first and most obvious one is to find some big stones or branches, but this isn’t always possible in the desert. You could fill a bag with sand to create a weight – dry bags work very well for this in an emergency. Another technique is to tie your guy lines to a decent-sized stick before digging a shallow hole and burying it.
What Is the Difference between The Shape of Sand and Snow Tent Stakes?
Hard-ground tent stakes need to be streamlined and strong so that they can be driven into hard-packed dirt, whereas tent stakes for sand will have no problem going into the ground. This means that the emphasis with sand tent stakes is a large surface area that will have a better grip in the loose material. Sand and snow anchors do this very well and have a massive surface area-to-weight ratio.
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