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That 2am rain fly failure in Silverton changed how I check stakes now | Camping Gear Reviews - Vivisector

That 2am rain fly failure in Silverton changed how I check stakes now

Last month I camped at about 9,500 feet near Silverton and the wind ripped two stakes out of the ground around 2am. The fly started flapping so hard it woke me up, and then a gust lifted the whole corner and dumped cold water right on my sleeping bag. I didn't have a backup tarp, so I tied the fly down to a nearby log with my shoelaces and paracord, then moved my pad and bag under the vestibule until dawn. It held until 6am but my bag was already soaked through, so I drove into town and bought a $12 tarp for the rest of the trip. Has anyone else had a fly fail on a windy night and found a better fix than just more stakes?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahgreen1mo ago

Man, that is a rough night and I feel for you. But here is something nobody talks about, the soil itself. Most of us buy those skinny stakes and just jam them in, but at 9,500 feet near Silverton that ground is often loose scree or decomposed granite, it is basically sand. A longer stake, like a 10 inch steel one, would have been the real fix, but only if you angled it back into the wind at 45 degrees. You can also bury the stake head with a rock or a boot heel, that lock in the dirt matters more than the stake type. Next time, ditch the tiny aluminum ones and bring a couple of big nails or rebar pieces, they grab way better in that loose high country dirt. Did you find the ground was more rocky or more sandy when you pulled the stakes?

samrodriguez1mo ago

That wet sleeping bag feeling is the worst, I have been there and it stays with you. What @noahgreen said about the soil is spot on though, that loose high country dirt around Silverton does not hold a standard stake worth a darn. Last time I was up around there, I switched to those longer steel pins and angled them like he mentioned, and the difference was night and day. Burying the head with a flat rock or stomping it deep is half the battle too, I started carrying a small rock hammer just for that. A cheap tarp as backup is a smart move, I always keep one rolled up in the bottom of my pack now, it weighs almost nothing but saves a whole trip. That 2am scramble with wet gear is a lesson you only need to learn once.