Blog - Page 9 of 17 - Upgrade Camping

Are your tent stakes stuck in the ground?Do you struggle to get your secure stakes out of the dirt?Camping trips are fun, but the hassle of figuring out how to remove tent stakes afterward is not.Tent stakes are essential to keep the tent fastened to the ground, but they are pretty hard to remove.No need to worry!I have just the right techniques to help you learn how to remove tent stakes.There are several different methods used when trying to pull a stake from the ground: Simply PullUse A HammerSledgehammer TrickSpecial Pullers Check out the rest of this article for details. The Simple Method When removing a tent stake, you must consider the ground's texture the stake is driven into. Keep in mind; if the stakes were hard to drive into the ground, it would be even harder to remove. If you do need to drive your tent stakes into hard ground, find the right ones. Check out these best tent stakes for gravel. Place the stakes into loose, wet dirt. It's the easiest to remove. Just use your hand to move the stake in all directions. Repeatedly rocking the stake to each side will make the hole around it bigger as the dirt becomes loose. If this proves more difficult than you expected, get a piece of cord or rope. I like this Bengku Paracord for outdoor use. It's affordable and tough. Use this to wrap around the stake. Wrap the opposite end around your hand to gain a firm grip then pull. Be sure to shake the stake in the ground as outlined previously to make this method a lot easier. Using A Hammer Tent stakes on hard grounds are much more difficult to remove. For these stakes that are harder to pull out, a hammer helps avoid any potential back injuries. You probably already have one in your toolbox, but if you don't check out this Spec Ops Claw Hammer. It's tough and shock-absorbent which makes it less painful on your hands. A hammer is an excellent tool to both insert and removes a stake. The hard metal head of the hammer is useful when driving a stake into the ground. However, it also has claws. The claws extract the stake from the ground. Ensure that the extraction claw is firmly placed into the eyelet of the stake or under the hook. Get a good grip on the hammer. You may want to learn about how to hammer in tent stakes. Avoid Back Injuries Pay attention to the way your body is positioned to avoid back injuries. Believe it or not, a back injury is the most common camping injury. It is most times the result of pulling tent stakes from the ground. Your feet should be placed firmly on the ground with your knees bent. This position is like when lifting heavy objects. You should make sure that your back is straight to avoid straining your back muscles. Lean back with your arms extended fully, then rely on your leg muscles to stand up. Once done correctly, this method should not pressure your back. The Sledgehammer Method Some methods require a lot more strength and skill. My favorite is the Estwing Mini-Sledge and mallet. Hitting the stake on all sides with a mallet or sledgehammer is one of such practices. Though very common, this strategy is not the best to use. I would not recommend this if you have never done it before. It can result in injuries if you are not properly prepared. Using a mallet or sledgehammer requires the use of protective gear. You must get things like gloves, glasses, and steel-toed boots. The PPE protects you from getting hurt if you miss or something flies in your eye. The glasses will prevent metal fragments from entering your eyes and causing severe damage. You'll need strength and hand-eye coordination to hit at the stake in just the right way without causing injury. You must hit the target as accurately as possible. Repeatedly hitting the stake from all sides with force will loosen it and make it a lot easier to remove. I don't prefer this method; it damaged the ground and tends to cause more injury. The aim is to remove the stake with minimal damage to the stake itself and the earth. Using A Special Tool I know not many people are fans of doing so much manual labor, especially not after a camping trip. Manufacturers are continually improving tools to serve specific needs, like these tent pullers or hammers. There are various types of tent stake pullers on the market. Once again, I must emphasize the importance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to avoid injuries. The stake puller's C-shaped mouth should be connected to the tent stake. This pulling mouth also works effectively with double-headed stakes. All you have to do is grip between the rung and top. It will help if you put the puller in a position where it is slightly leaning away from the staking in an almost vertical manner. While standing behind the puller, you should position both of your hands near the handle's top. Once in this position, using short strokes, pull the top of the handle towards your chest. The puller will rotate on the rounded base while it's mouth grips the stake. The stake will emerge from the ground almost vertically. The Redcamp Hammer and puller is a useful tool that makes extracting tent stakes easier. These tools remove tent stakes from the ground without the hassle. These stake pullers work on any surface, even those hard ones like asphalt and concrete. They pull the stakes right out without damaging the ground or bending the stake. Despite being made of tubing and heavy gauge steel plate, they are lightweight and easy to use. One of the best benefits of using stake pullers like these is the mechanism minimizes the risk of back and shoulder injuries that often result from the other methods. Conclusion While figuring out how to remove tent stakes can be a tedious task, there are several methods to choose from to make this easier. Some ways require more strength and skill than the rest. Using a cord or rope to pull is the simplest and easiest method, for the most part, but it won't work on really stuck stakes. Avoid the whole problem by considering the ground you drive the stake into in the first place. Determining this helps to know which method and tools are best to lower the risk of injury.