Australian Hiker

Rating

Teragon Gear Pioneer 1 Tent Stake Review

Late in 2023 I was contacted by Norwegian company Teragon Gear to test a newly released tent stake that is now called the Pioneer 1 Tent Stake. You might ask that with so many hundreds of tent stakes on the market, why would we need yet another one? Teragon market this stake as ‘revolutionary’ and as stakes go, it is certainly unique for so many reasons. So where to start and why would you choose this stake over so many other great options?

First up what makes this stake unique is that it is stake made from titanium, a not just any titanium, but 3D printed titanium. If you look online at the advantages of 3D printing there are many but in all honesty as an end-user do we really care? The key advantage of 3D printing tends to be a greater ability for creativity in design. That means you aren’t bound by traditional production methods of the past which meant that some ideas never made into production.

Where the Pioneer 1 Tent Stake really comes into its own is that when choosing gear for hiking we need to find a balance between weight, durability and price – at best we can have two of those but generally not all three.

What you get with the Pioneer 1 Tent Stake is one of the lightest if not the lightest tent stake on the market coming in at 5.12 grams (including the pull cord). When I did this review I couldn’t find a lighter stake on the market.

Typically when you start to get to this sort of weight the durability goes out the window but not in this case. I have often found ultra slim, ultra lightweight tent stakes I have used in the past tend to bend really easily but the Pioneer 1 Tent Stake  has held up over the couple of months I have been testing it. When I first started using it I was very careful because this stake felt flimsy but I soon realised that this wasn’t the case.

The other advantage of this stake is that many of the aluminium and titanium stakes on the market often have sharp edges – if you’ve ever kicked one of these in the night when you get up for a call of nature they can really do some damage. This stake is about as smooth and non threatening as a ‘Y’ stake can get; there just aren’t any sharp edges! The other thing that this stake has is a rough patterning along the faces of the stake that are designed to hold the stake into the ground and prevent it from pulling out.

At 150mm in length this stake is designed for a ‘typical hike’ (whatever that is) where you have firm ground. This stake isn’t going to be for use in gale force winds which usually require much longer stakes, or in sand. I would be able to get away with stakes these for nearly all of my hikes and so will the average hiker.

Now for try elephant in the room and that’s price. These stakes sell for USD $19.99 + freight which at the time of this review comes in at just under AUD $28.37 per stake + freight which makes them a very, very expensive tent stake; there’s just no hiding from this price.

So why would bother with this tent stake given most tents will require 6-8 stakes to hold them down?

The answer lays in the weight and durability factor. Without a doubt these are a very lovely stake that do the job very well, will last and last, and weigh almost nothing. If price wasn’t an issue then this is the tent stake that everyone should be using. If having the lightest weight tent stake possible is your priority, and one that is very durable and robust to boot, and you’re in a position to overlook the price (price be damned!), then this is one for you.

We like

• Lightweight at 5.12  grams each (most likely the lightest tent stake in the world at the time of review)
• Typical length at 15cm (6″) to bite into the ground
• ‘Y’ stake configuration which has great holding power
• Made from printed titanium so it is ultra lightweight, corrosion resistant and very durable
• No sharp edges! If you’ve ever kicked a tent stake at night you’ll appreciate that
• Robust pull cord

We don't like

• Won’t hold well in sandy soils or snow however that’s not what they are designed for
• At AUD $28.37 per stake + freight they aren’t cheap; far from it. They will however last for many, many years

Best Uses

• This is an all purpose tent peg that will work in all but the sandiest/snowiest of conditions. They are extremely lightweight, durable and don’t have any sharp edges

Buy One

You can purchase the Teragon Pioneer 1 Tent Stakes in Australia from Terragon Gear

Disclosure:  We DON’T earn any commission on this product if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations, or lack there of, do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

Investment

Around AUD $28.37 peg + freight (USD $19.99 + freight) as at 25 May 2024

Teragon Gear Pioneer 1 Tent Stake

Teragon Gear Pioneer 1 Tent Stake anatomy

Close up of the Pioneer 1 head and pull cord

Close up of the veining on one of the faces of the tent stake which improves holding power

Disclaimer

This review was done with product provided for testing by Teragon Gear in Norway

Last updated

25 May 2024

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