A guy at REI told me my tent stakes were wrong for the desert

I was buying supplies for a 5 day trip in Utah and this random dude said my cheap aluminum stakes would just bend in the hard ground there. Switched to those heavy MSR Groundhogs and they held up way better in that rocky campsite near Moab. Anybody else run into gear advice from strangers that actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_garcia5616d ago

Random dude at REI said your stakes were wrong, huh?" Man, that's basically a rite of passage. I've gotten some solid advice from strangers in parking lots, like the guy who told me to stop using a cotton sleeping bag liner in the rain. Saved my back and my tent from a world of hurt.

jamesc7915d ago

Actually I think you might be mixing up two different things there. A cotton liner would soak up sweat and moisture but it's the sleeping bag itself getting wet from condensation or rain that causes the real problems with down insulation. The real issue with cotton liners is they dont dry fast and add weight, not that they'll wreck your tent or your back.

sandragrant15d ago

Haha "rite of passage" is EXACTLY right. I had a guy at a gas station in Montana tell me my camp stove was gonna blow up if I didn't level it right, and he was totally right. @jamesc79 might have the gear theory down, but sometimes you just gotta listen to the guy who's been there.