Ultralight Super Strong Tent Stakes Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)These stakes are hard almuminum, and take hammer hits well. Pulling out of most soils was easy enough. Their shape provides good holding power and easy removal. Where they fall short of Ground Hogs, is their bending point. Wall thickness is thinner, and they will bend even when driven up to their necks. To give the stakes credit, I was loading them very heavily; far more than I could have loaded wire stakes, and others.
Overall, I like them. For only $7 I had to give them a try. I am a recreational camper who doesn't need ultra-reliable stakes, and these were actually pretty good. Probably a good purchase for campers who don't really need eight Ground Hogs (like me).
Those who travel all over, and need reliable stakes to pound into concrete will need Ground Hogs, but for those who need good stakes for regular dirt, these work well.
P.S. I straightened my 2 bent stakes, and they will hold pretty much anything I tie on them. Just not the ridiculous load that originally bent them.
Update Oct., 2010
Just returned from a week-long hammock trip through Arkansas and Texas. I bent the stakes again, by stepping on the guy lines in the dark. Straightened them out by wedging them in between the slats of a picnic table, and bending back. The soil was hard sand, and compacted gravel/sand. They held up okay for the remainder of the trip. As both a tent camper and a hammock camper, I wouldn't choose these stakes again. They are too large for what they do. Spending the time and effort to pound several 7 inch stakes into the ground just to have them bend, isn't worth it. Extraction is easy enough, but they just don't have the strength-to-usefulness ratio right. I'm going to buy Ground Hogs.


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Atlas 2008 2-Part Poles Review

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(More customer reviews)I have yet to use this outside but it seems to be the same as a more expensive brand that I have.

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Enjoy better traction while on the snowshoe trail with these Atlas adjustable two-section poles. Offering a maximum length of 130 cm, the poles make it easy to establish a rhythm on your hike whether you're trekking through thick powder or navigating icy conditions. The poles are constructed of lightweight, seamless aluminum tubing, with alpine powder baskets and steel flex tips helping you find your balance in uneven and technical terrain. The poles are also easy to hold thanks to the gender-specific plastic grips and the adjustable hand straps. Best of all, the snowshoe poles collapse into a compact footprint for easy packing. The Atlas poles--which weigh 1.3 pounds total--carry a limited lifetime warranty.
About Atlas Snowshoes Winner of the American Alpine Institute Guides' Choice award since 1996, Atlas snowshoes are the performance choice for professional guides, outdoor enthusiasts, snowshoe racers, and even the Special Operations Forces of the U.S. military. The Atlas story began in 1990, when founder Perry Klebahn--who was looking to snowshoeing to help recover from a motorcycle injury--grew frustrated with contemporary snowshoe designs. Klebahn soon developed his own ideas and created a revolutionary new snowshoe as the theses project for his graduate engineering degree from Stanford University's product design program. Applying for patents on the original Atlas snowshoe, Klebahn was awarded the first patent granted for snowshoes in over 40 years. As development continued, innovations such as the dual crampon design and Spring-Loaded Suspension System became tenets of Atlas snowshoe designs and helped revolutionized the sport. Based in Seattle, Atlas has been awarded 19 patents, from heel cleats to contoured footbeds, SureClick buckles, frame-frame tail joints, and the company's latest--the elliptical cross-section tubing that provides the strength and durability of the company's 7075 ReactiV frames.

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MSR Overland Carbon Trekking Pole Review

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(More customer reviews)100% utilitarian and light as a feather! Mine have not seen "rugged" use (as of the time of this writing), but handle my weight (240) with ease under urban conditions. Based on over-all build and other observations, these trekking poles are "tough as nails"; I see no issues on the trail either. Although not cheap, if you're weight conscious when camping/hiking, they are worth every penny.

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Thanks to a full carbon-fiber construction, the MSR Overland Carbon Trekking Poles are lightweight and strong for your weeklong expeditions or day treks. These three-section hiking poles have anti-shock wrist straps so your arms don't feel like they're holding a jackhammer each time you pole. Collapse the Overland Carbon Poles and strap them to your pack once you hit level ground. These MSR poles' grips are at a seven-degree angle to lessen wrist-stress.Product Features
Shaft Material: Carbon fiber
Extendable Range: [Collapsed] 25in (65cm); [Usable] 25-55in (65-140cm)
Shock Absorber: No
Baskets: 1 Pair
Replaceable Tips: No
Protective Rubber Tips: No
Weight: 17oz (482g) per pair
Recommended Use: Hiking

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MSR Denali III Trekking Poles Review

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(More customer reviews)Okay, honestly, I would have given this product a rating of 5 stars except for one little thing: you have to attach the gaskets to the poles yourself, and if you don't do it correctly, you will lose them. I thought I had attached both of these properly, but on my first snowshoe trip with them, one of the gaskets was lost in the snow. My husband & I retraced our steps, but never found the missing piece.
I haven't called to see if I can get a replacement from the company, but I don't anticipate there will a problem. If there is, I will update this review.
For the record, the poles themselves are light & of great quality & I am looking forward to many happy treks together. Also, if you're looking for snowshoes, MSR Denali are the BEST I've ever used! Our scout troop uses them, my daughter & I have red ones, and my eldest son & husband have black. Eventually our other 3 kids will have their own too.

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MSR's Denali III technical snowshoe poles are ideal for snowshoeing, backcountry snowboarding, alpine climbing, hiking, and more. They're made of lightweight, 7000 series aluminum and feature dual-density rubber grips, a snowshoe-specific basket, and replaceable steel tips.

Length: 26 to 57 inches
Weight: 9.3 ounces each

About MSR Mountain Safety Research (MSR) designs, manufactures, and markets innovative adventure gear for outdoor enthusiasts. The ever-growing MSR product line is most popular with mountaineers, backpackers, and campers. MSR is the industry leader in reliability and quality with every product it focuses on--tents, stoves, water filters, snowshoes, cookware, climbing gear, fuel, and related accessories. All of MSR's products set the benchmark in performance throughout the specialty outdoor industry. MSR is also one of the most widely distributed brands in the outdoor industry and provides products to more than 1,200 specialty retailers in North America and export to more than 30 countries.

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