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+--- Thread: How to Straighten the Bent Tent Pegs? (/Thread-How-to-Straighten-the-Bent-Tent-Pegs)
How to Straighten the Bent Tent Pegs? - Pomoly Xian - 04-26-2022
Why do tent pegs bend
There are two main reasons for tent pegs to bend. Unskilled operation on hard ground when injecting tent pegs can easily cause tent pegs to bend. Then there are the rocks hidden underground and recklessly entered at the wrong angle.
What to do with bent tent pegs
Tent peg bending is a common phenomenon. In this article, we share how to straighten tent pegs of different materials while camping. Bent tent stakes will still work, but broken tent stakes will not.
How to straighten bent tent pegs
Steel tent pegs
Steel tent pegs are the most forgiving type when it comes to bending and straightening. As long as you work slowly and efficiently, the steel will not soften, and once it is straightened it can be used again many times. They are the cheapest tent stakes and also the heaviest. You can usually get away with just applying enough incremental pressure with your hands to straighten the bend and the nails look almost as good as new. If you can't use your hands, try to find something hard to push and use your body weight to correct the bend. It's best to do this gradually with lots of checks, rather than going too far in one move and then having to bend it again, which will eventually weaken it even more.
Aluminum tent pegs
Aluminum tent stakes are lightweight and stronger than steel. Because they don't bend or bend like steel, they are harder to bend. You can usually feel the pressure in the tent pegs as you push them into the ground before any damage occurs. To straighten the aluminum tent pegs back into place, you need to be extra careful not to go too far. If the aluminum tent peg is bent more than 90 degrees, I'd say it doesn't make sense to even try to bend it back. You will rarely be able to fold back 100% or even 80% because the risk of breaking is so high. When this happens, you have to straighten it out as much as possible, then replace it before your next camping trip.
Titanium tent pegs
Titanium is similar to aluminum, but slightly better when straightened after bending. Even high-strength titanium is much more expensive than steel or aluminum, and I don't feel the same degree of intimidation when bending it back to where it was when using aluminum. With titanium, I actually try to heat the flex a bit before flexing it as far as I feel comfortable. Again, you should straighten it out as much as possible, then reposition it at the next opportunity.
Plastic tent pegs
Plastic tent stakes rarely bend and stay bent. While bent plastic tent pegs do weaken them significantly, they have a memory that will eventually bring them back into place on their own. You can use plastic that is rougher than steel because the type of plastic used is not brittle at all. Just bend it back into its place and make sure it's straight. mission completed.
How to judge if your tent pegs are bent beyond repair
If your tent peg is bent more than 90 degrees, we'd say there's a good chance it will break if you try to straighten it. This happens because the metal is stretched when it is bent and therefore has a lower density, which makes it weaker. If it feels like it's about to unravel in your hands when you start to straighten it, then that's a sign that your tent pegs can't be repaired.
How to keep tent pegs from bending
The best way to stop a bent tent peg is to bend it at a slight angle and use a hammer instead of a foot. Beyond that, if the ground feels hard or rocky, then proceed carefully and slow down so that if you hit an unexpected rock it doesn't instantly bend your nails in half.
Enter at a 45-degree angle
This is done for two reasons, the first being that it's actually more secure. A tent peg at a 45-degree angle to the tent will provide maximum grip and tension, keeping your tent securely in place in strong winds. The second reason to do this is that if you only penetrate the top few inches of the ground, you are less likely to encounter any rocks.