Best Ultralight Tent Stakes for Backpacking & Thru-Hiking 2026

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On a wet night on the Continental Divide Trail, with the wind ripping off the Rocky Mountains, a bent tent stake is the difference between a dry sleep and a collapsed shelter at 2am. I have pitched tents and tarps with more than 15 different stakes across the PCT, the AT, the CDT, and bikepacking trips in between, and the right peg for ultralight backpacking is not the heavy steel hook.

All the Best Ultralight Tents, 4 Season Tents, and Ultralight Tarps on the market can be held in place safely with quality lightweight tent stakes. This guide covers the best ultralight tent stakes for backpackers and thru-hikers in 2026, ranked from years of field use across mud, sand, rocky alpine, soft loam, and snow. My current top pick is the MSR Mini Groundhog, with the ZPacks 6″ Ultralight Titanium Tent Stake as the lightest serious option for ounce counters

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Quick Picks – Best Tent Stakes

• Best Overall: MSR Mini Groundhog – best balance of weight, strength, and price for ultralight backpacking on the trails I actually hike.
• Best General-Purpose Thru-Hiking Stake: MSR Groundhog – the full-size Y stake when you need a bit more holding power in harder or windier ground.
• Lightest Strong Tent Stakes: MSR Carbon Core – 0.19 oz of carbon and aluminum for gram counters; bring a few mixed with titanium.
• Lightest Tent Pegs: Pachallama 2 Gram – at 2 grams, 7 of these weight the same as 1 MSR Groundhog: the low weight comes at the price if durability, they will break; bring titanium stakes as a backup in difficult terrain.
• Best Titanium Shepherds Hook (Most Packable): ZPacks 6″ Ultralight Titanium – the lightest titanium hook I trust on a long trail.
• Best for Rocky and Root-Filled Ground: Vargo Titanium Shepherds Hook – slim profile slots between rocks where Y stakes refuse to go in.
• Best V-Stake for Holding Power: TOAKS Titanium V-Shape – nests flat, grips well in soft soil, comes with a stuff sack.
• Best for Snow Camping: MSR Blizzard – the curved aluminum snow stake I use in winter and shoulder season.
• Best Budget Snow / Sand Stake: REI Co-Op Snow Stake – same idea as the MSR Blizzard at a fraction of the price.
• Best Plastic Budget Pick: Coghlan’s ABS Plastic Tent Pegs – good for car camping and as a few cheap spares, not for serious backcountry use.
• Best for Soft Sand and Beach Camping: Orange Screw / Neso Ultimate Ground Anchor – screw design that buries deep in sand where everything else pulls out.

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Tent Stakes Comparison Table

Brand	Weight	Length	Type	Material
MSR Mini Groundhog	0.35 oz	6 inches	Y-Stake	Aluminum
MSR Groundhog	0.5 oz	7.5 inches	Y-Stake	Aluminum
MSR Carbon-Core Tent Stakes	0.19 oz	6 inches	Tube Stake	Carbon, Aluminum
Pachallama 2 Gram	0.07 oz	6 inches	Nail /Tube Stake	Carbon
ZPacks 6″ Ultralight Titanium Tent Stake	0.19 oz	6 Inches	Shepherds Hook	Titanium
Vargo Titanium Shepherds Hook	0.3 oz	6.5 inches	Shepherds Hook	Titanium
TOAKS Titanium V-Shape	0.4 oz	6.5 inches	V-Stake	Titanium
MSR Blizzard Tent Stake	0.95 oz	9.5 inches	Snow Stake – Curved Concave	Aluminum
REI Co-Op Snow Stake	1 oz	9.6 inches	Snow Stake – Curved Concave	Aluminum
Coghlan’s ABS Plastic Tent Pegs	0.3 oz	6 inches	Star Shape	Plastic
Orange Screw / Neso Ultimate Ground Anchor	3.9 oz	9.5 oz	Ground Screw	Polycarbonate

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How We Tested

The tent stakes in this guide are researched and where possible field-tested by an experienced long-distance hiker and former outdoor retail store manager. Across thru-hikes on the Te Araroa, the PCT, the AT, and the CDT, plus shoulder season trips and bikepacking expeditions, I judge tent stakes on weight, holding power across mud, sand, rocky alpine, soft loam and snow, durability under foot and hammer, packability, and value for serious backpacking. Some of the items in this review were supplied by the manufacturer and some were purchased by the author for testing. For more on how we research and review gear, seethe Review Policy for further details.

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Best Tent Stakes for Backpacking 2026 – Detailed Reviews

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For most ultralight backpacking trips I have done, the MSR Mini Groundhog is the stake I reach for first. It hits the best balance between weight, strength, and price of anything in this review, and the Y-beam construction holds well across the soils I actually hike on, from the wet loam of the Te Araroa to the harder packed dirt of the PCT desert section.

I have tested these in hard soil, soft soil, rocky areas, and muddy terrain. The shorter 6 in length is the reason I prefer them over the full-size Groundhog on most trips, they are easier to drive in by hand or foot because you can keep a stabilising heel on the ground, and they pack down smaller in my tent stuff sack.

The thin neck at the guyline notch is the obvious weak point. It is also what locks the guyline in place, which is appreciated in wind, but you do have to stop short of stomping with all your weight or you will bend or snap the neck. In hard, firm ground they can be tough to pull out by hand even with the paracord loop. I give them a light sideways kick first to loosen the soil around them before pulling.

Trade off: Slightly more bend risk than the full Groundhog in exchange for less weight and easier hand-foot installation.

Best for: General ultralight backpacking and thru-hiking on mixed soils where you do not expect deep sand or deep snow.

The full-size MSR Groundhog is the stake I switch to when I expect rougher conditions: high alpine wind, soft loamy soil that needs more length for grip, or rocky ground that the Mini cannot quite punch through. It does everything well and if you do not want to think about which stake to buy, this is the one.

I have used these in hard soil, soft soil, rocky areas, and soft mud. They handle rocky ground better than most stakes in this review because they are slightly larger and stronger than the Mini and can wedge between or break through gravel. They also perform well in everything except true loose sand or saturated mud.

The Y-shape provides better strength than shepherds hooks, and the aircraft-grade aluminum is the right balance of strength for the weight. They are slightly heavier than my preferred Mini Groundhog, but for thru-hikes that cross alpine sections or for any trip where I expect storms, the Groundhog earns the extra few grams. I like to pack a couple of these even when I’m using the Groundhog mini, it gives me better options in bad weather or softer soil.

Trade off: Heavier than the Mini in exchange for more holding power and durability in rocky and high-wind ground.

Best for: General-purpose thru-hiking stake, especially if you only want to carry one set of stakes for the whole trail.

The MSR Carbon Core is the lightest serious tent stake I have used, and the only carbon stake I trust enough to put in my kit on a long trail. At 0.19 oz per stake, they are roughly half the weight of a Mini Groundhog with a fatter shaft for better surface area than a titanium needle.

I have tested these in hard soil, soft soil, rocky ground, and soft mud. They work very well in all of those except truly hard rocky ground, where the wider shaft has trouble finding a way in.

The bright red head is easy to spot at camp and the wide top means you can apply real hand pressure when driving them in. The trade off is that carbon snaps rather than bends. Stomp on one wrong in rocky ground and it is finished. Having said that, I’ve tried to break them with excessive abuse and failed, they are strong.

Trade off: Lowest weight in the review, but carbon will break instead of bending and the wide shaft struggles in hard rocky terrain.

Best for: Gram-counting ultralight backpackers and thru-hikers who already understand how to read soil and want the lightest functional stake available.

The Pachallama 2 Gram Tent Stakes are the lightest in this review and also the most breakable. They are not as strong as the other carbon stakes from MSR but at 0.07 oz / 2 grams, they are less than half the weight, in fact, 7 of these will weigh the same as one Groundhog.

They work very well in most conditions but not well in rocky ground or hard soil. If the ground is so hard that you need a rock or hammer to get them in then there is a good chance they will fail. If they are prone to damage then why are they on the list. Because with care, an ultralight thru hiker will find a way to take care with these ultralight tent stakes and make them work. Can I recommend them to everyone, no. Please, use with care and understand the limitations and enjoy the weight saving.

Trade off: Lowest weight in the this review. These carbon tent stakes will break, not if, when. Only for use in the best conditions and with extreme care.

Best for: Gram-counting ultralight backpackers and thru-hikers who are prepared to take extreme caution when using these tent stakes and carry spares.

The ZPacks 6″ Ultralight Titanium is the lightest titanium shepherds hook I trust on a thru-hike. It is the same weight as a Carbon Core but it bends instead of breaking, which matters when the ground is harder than you expected and you are 200 miles from the next gear shop.

I use these in compact and rocky soil where their slim profile slips between rocks and roots that wider Y or V stakes cannot get past. Holding power in soft sand or loose snow is poor — that is not what they are built for. In moderately firm soil to rocky alpine, they pull their weight every day.

They pack incredibly small, and the bright orange head means I do not lose them at camp. They will bend if you stomp them into rocky ground carelessly, but titanium tolerates a lot of bending and re-straightening before it actually fails.

Trade off: Lightest titanium hook in this review, but limited holding power in soft sand or loose snow.

Best for: Ultralight thru-hikers on trails with mostly compact, rocky, or rooty soil.

The Vargo Titanium Shepherds Hook is the rocky-ground stake in my kit. The titanium has a natural flex that lets the stake bend with the direction of pull and then return to its original shape when removed, which is genuinely useful in shifting alpine soil.

The hook design makes them easy to remove even from hard ground. The narrow profile means they slot in around rocks and roots where Y stakes will not go. The Vargo Ti Stakes are thicker, longer, stronger, and slightly heavier than the ZPacks Ti hook.

The downsides are familiar to anyone who has used a shepherds hook. The cylindrical shaft does not have the holding power of a Y-Stake or V profile in soft soil, and you have to be careful not to stomp too hard when breaking into hard ground. They also do not come with a stuff sack, although most ultralighters will leave a stuff sack at home anyway.

Trade off: Lower holding power than Y or V stakes in soft soil, in exchange for better performance in rocky and root-filled ground.

Best for: Backpackers in rocky alpine terrain, granite trails, and root-heavy forest soils.

The TOAKS Titanium V-Shaped pegs are the V stake I keep in my soft-ground kit. The V profile gives them strong holding power in soft and loamy soil and they work reasonably well on harder ground too.

They nest together flat, which makes them the most packable stake in this review by volume, and the included orange stuff sack saves a real amount of fumbling at dusk or in a dark pack.

The weakness is hard rocky ground. The V profile is wider than a shepherds hook and harder to wedge between rocks, and the neck above the guyline notch is the part most likely to buckle if you smack it with a rock. Once they are in, holding power is genuinely good. Just be careful getting them there.

Trade off: Best-in-class packability and good soft-ground hold, in exchange for trickier installation in rocky ground.

Best for: Ultralight backpackers on mixed soft and moderately firm soils who want V-shape holding power without the weight of an aluminum Y.

The MSR Blizzard is the snow and sand stake I prefer on winter and shoulder-season trips. The concave aluminum profile and the cutout holes along the shaft create enough surface area to hold in soft snow and loose sand where any standard backpacking stake would pull straight out.

In snow, drive them vertically in firm snow and switch to horizontal placement (deadman style, with the guyline tied around the middle and the stake buried) when the snow is soft. The cutout holes are the key, packed snow fills the holes and locks the stake in place.

They are heavier than ultralight backpacking stakes at 0.95 oz, but they are lightweight for a snow stake, and on any winter trip you would carry them as a dedicated kit alongside your normal stakes.

Trade off: Heavier than backpacking stakes and limited to soft ground / snow / sand; useless in hard rocky soil.

Best for: Winter backpacking, ski touring, shoulder-season alpine trips, and beach camping where holding power in soft substrate matters more than weight.

The REI Co-Op Snow Stake is the budget snow stake. It is roughly the same idea as the MSR Blizzard, a long aluminum stake with a wide profile for holding in soft snow or loose sand, at a fraction of the price.

For most weekend snow camping or shoulder-season ski touring trips, a set of REI Snow Stakes is all you need. They are also useful in soft sandy soils, and a few testers I trust use one as a cathole-digging trowel in summer, which is a fair argument for carrying one as a multi-use item.

The shape makes them impossible to drive into compact or rocky ground. Treat them as a specialist tool and pair them with a normal backpacking set on any trip where soil might vary.

Trade off: Cheaper than the MSR Blizzard, but a touch less polished and still limited to soft snow / sand.

Best for: Budget snow camping and shoulder-season ski tourers who do not want to spend MSR Blizzard money.

The Coghlan’s ABS Plastic Peg is the cheapest stake in this review and one of the lightest, which is a strange combination. The yellow plastic is bright enough to find at camp, and they hold up surprisingly well in firm ground when you can get them in.

The problem is everything else. On truly hard ground they are almost impossible to drive in by hand or foot, and a hammer just splits them. They are too wide to be efficient in soft ground and they are not as strong as any of the aluminum or titanium stakes here.

I include them because they are a legitimate budget option for car camping, festivals, and as a few cheap spares in a vehicle kit. For serious backpacking and thru-hiking, spend the extra on a Mini Groundhog.

Trade off: Cheapest and one of the lightest stakes here, in exchange for poor durability and difficult installation in hard ground.

Best for: Car camping, festivals, kids’ camping kits, and spare-stake bags.

For beach camping and anywhere with deep soft sand or loose sediment, the Orange Screw, also sold as the Neso Ground Anchor, is the best out there. The screw design buries deep into sand without a hammer, and once seated it holds against more wind than any standard tent stake I have used.

Installation is easy. The plastic tube that comes with the set threads through the top of the screw to give you leverage, and you can twist them in by hand. Even when only half buried the screw and the natural flex of the plastic combine to give a strong hold.

They are not a backpacking stake. They are too heavy and bulky for thru-hiking, and they are useless in rocky or compact ground. For bikepacking on the coast, car camping with a tarp or canopy, and family beach trips with a sun shelter, they are a good answer.

Trade off: Heavy and bulky for backpacking; limited to soft, loose substrates.

Best for: Beach camping, sand camping, bikepacking on coastal routes, and anchoring tarps or canopies in soft ground.

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Ultralight Tent Stakes – Buyers Guide

Stake shape – what actually matters

• Y-stakes (MSR Groundhog family). Strongest practical hold for the weight. Three fins create real surface area in soft and firm soil. They are slightly bulkier and slightly harder to slot into rocky ground than a shepherds hook. Y stakes are the right default for most ultralight backpacking.
• V-stakes (TOAKS). Almost as much hold as a Y in soft ground, and they nest together flat for the smallest packed size. The neck above the guyline notch is the weak point in rocky ground.
• Shepherds hooks (ZPacks Ti, Vargo Ti). The thinnest profile, best for slotting between rocks and roots. Lower holding power in soft loam or sand. Easiest to install one-handed.
• Nail / needle stakes (Pachallama 2 Gram). Lightest of all. Designed for hard, packed, or rocky ground. Limited holding in soft soil and easy to bend or snap if abused.
• Tube stakes (MSR Carbon Core). Hollow shaft or carbon fibre shaft, wide-ish diameter. Good in soft ground for the weight, fragile against hammering.
• Snow / sand stakes (MSR Blizzard, REI Snow Stake, Paria Sand and Snow). Wide concave aluminum, often with cutouts. Specialist tool for winter and beach. Not optional for serious snow camping.
• Screw stakes (Orange Screw / Neso). Best holding power in soft sand or moderately compact soil. Too heavy and bulky for backpacking.

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Materials

• Aluminum (7075 alloy). Best general-purpose material. Best balance of cost, weight, strength, and how it fails — it bends before it breaks, and you can usually bend it back enough to keep going. This is what most premium tent stakes are made of.
• Titanium. Lightest practical bending material. Bends easily but tolerates a lot of bending before failing. Slightly more expensive than aluminum. Best in shepherds hook and V profiles where strength-to-weight is critical.
• Carbon fiber (with aluminum tube, MSR Carbon Core or Pachallama 2 Gram). Lightest serious option. Snaps instead of bending, you cannot rescue a broken one in the field.
• Steel. Strong and cheap. Heavy. Reasonable for car camping, almost never the right answer for backpacking.
• Plastic (ABS, polycarbonate). Cheap. Lightweight. Brittle on hard ground. Polycarbonate (Orange Screw) is a special case and works well as a sand anchor.

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Holding power vs ground type

The right stake depends on the ground:

• Rocky alpine, granite trails, root-filled forest: titanium shepherds hooks (ZPacks, Vargo) or MSR Mini Groundhog.
• Soft loam, wet mud, peat: aluminum Y stakes (MSR Groundhog) or titanium V (TOAKS).
• Sand and snow: dedicated snow / sand stakes (MSR Blizzard, REI Snow). Screw stakes (Orange Screw) for the beach.
• Mixed conditions on a long trail: carry two types. Four to six Y or V stakes for general use, two titanium shepherds hooks for rocky placements, two snow stakes only in winter / coastal sections.

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Weight

Almost all tent stakes nowadays are lightweight, but when you have all the best ultralight hiking gear and want to cut some grams here and there,e they are a good option.

I would recommend buying the best you can afford only when you are replacing broken ones, rather than buying new ones and throwing the old ones away. If you want the lightest Pachallama 2 Gram tent stake then be prepared to treat them with care.

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Durability

All the tent stakes in this review will bend and break. Try to hammer them into hard ground or use your Hiking Boot to put pressure on them in an attempt to sink them into the ground, and they may bend. Stakes like the Pachallama 2 Gram cannot be hammered into the ground and should only be used in soil where they can be pushed into.

I like to buy a couple more than I need and use them as replacements when I bend them out of shape. You can bend and straighten them if needed, but usually, they will never be the same again when they have been bent once.

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How to place a tent stake properly

• Drive the stake at roughly 90 degrees to the guyline, leaning slightly away from the tent, so the pull is sideways through the soil rather than straight up out of it.
• Drive the stake fully into the ground. A half-buried stake has a fraction of the holding power and tends to lever itself loose.
• In sand or snow, place the stake horizontally (deadman style), with the guyline tied around the middle, and bury the whole thing. This is far stronger than vertical placement.
• Use a flat rock as a hammer if needed. Aim for the head of the stake, not the neck.
• Do not stomp ultralight stakes into rocky ground with full body weight. That is how necks bend and carbon snaps. Use a rock to start the hole instead.

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When to upgrade from the stakes that came with your tent

If your tent shipped with steel shepherds hooks (most entry-level tents do), the single biggest weight saving in your kit is replacing them. 10 stakes at 0.7 oz each is 7 oz / 200 g. MSR Mini Groundhogs cuts that to 3.5–5 oz, saves a few hundred grams, and significantly improves holding power. If your tent already ships with MSR Groundhogs, or NEMO Y stakes (Big Agnes Copper Spur, Durston X-Mid, Nemo Hornet, Sea to Summit Telos), you are already in good shape, keep them and only upgrade if you damage them.

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Conclusion

The best backpacking tent stakes for 2026 are:

• Best Overall: MSR Mini Groundhog
• Best General-Purpose Thru-Hiking Stake: MSR Groundhog
• Lightest Strong Tent Stakes: MSR Carbon Core
• Lightest Tent Pegs: Pachallama 2 Gram
• Best Titanium Shepherds Hook (Most Packable): ZPacks 6″ Ultralight Titanium
• Best for Rocky and Root-Filled Ground: Vargo Titanium Shepherds Hook
• Best V-Stake for Holding Power: TOAKS Titanium V-Shape
• Best for Snow Camping: MSR Blizzard
• Best Budget Snow / Sand Stake: REI Co-Op Snow Stake
• Best Plastic Budget Pick: Coghlan’s ABS Plastic Tent Pegs
• Best for Soft Sand and Beach Camping: Orange Screw / Neso Ultimate Ground Anchor

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Frequently Asked Questions

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