Noticed a weird trend with people reviewing tent stakes

Honestly, I've been seeing a ton of folks online saying titanium stakes are the best thing since sliced bread. But last weekend on a trip up near Lake Tahoe, my buddy brought a set and they bent like crazy trying to get them into rocky soil. Meanwhile my cheap steel ones held up fine after 3 days of wind. I think people are just repeating what they read without actually testing gear in real conditions like rocky ground or hard packed dirt. Has anyone else had cheap gear outlast the expensive stuff in a real tough spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

emmag406d agoMost Upvoted

Grabbed a pair of those fancy carbon fiber poles from a brand everyone raves about and snapped one on the second day in the Smokies. My old aluminum ones from a garage sale have been through five years of abuse and they're still going strong. Swear half this stuff is designed for people who camp in their backyard or a perfectly manicured campground, not real dirt and rocks. Gets a bit frustrating when you drop good money on something that can't handle what you actually throw at it.

oliverbailey6d ago

Is it just me or are these companies secretly testing how much abuse their warranty department can handle, @emmag40? I swear half the gear on the market is designed for Instagram photos, not actual rocks and roots. My beat-up aluminum poles have outlasted two relationships and still won't quit.