Lost my tent stakes in a creek in the Smokies and it made me rethink ultralight gear

I was on a 5 day trip through the Smokies last October and on day 3 I crossed a fast moving creek near Clingmans Dome. My whole stake bag slipped out of my pack pocket and sank in about 10 seconds. I ended up using rocks and sticks to hold down my tent that night and it was a real mess. Now I'm stuck deciding between carrying heavy aluminum stakes that won't float away or sticking with the lightweight ones that I can afford to lose. Losing the stakes also made me question if I'm too focused on shaving ounces when a storm could wreck my setup. Those cheap titanium stakes cost me $30 to replace and I still worry they'll vanish again. Has anyone else had a gear failure in a remote spot that made you change your whole packing philosophy?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscar3901mo ago

Honestly I used to be all about shaving every gram off my pack but losing my water filter in a river in Wyoming changed my mind real quick. I had to boil everything for two days and it made me realize that reliability beats a few ounces every time when you're deep in the backcountry. I still carry a lightweight bag but I beefed up on stakes and a backup filter now even if it adds a bit of weight. That lost night with rocks and sticks must have been brutal but at least it forced the lesson early.

faithbarnes1mo ago

Yeah but you can always just boil water. Sounds like extra weight to me @oscar390.