So, you’ve bought a canvas tent or other large tent, and now you’re wondering, “How do I pound those beefy, heavy-duty stakes into the ground?”
Whether you’re trying to hammer in stakes for a Springbar, Kodiak, or some other large tent, I tested several products and will show you the best tent hammer for the job.
You can watch my video I created after several years of owning a canvas tent and using 3 different types of hammers/mallets. I’m new to YouTube, but I did my best to show them in action.
And getting those large tent stakes into the ground is only the first challenge.
You also have to remove them!
If you have the budget, consider using lag bolts vs tent stakes.
How Do I Pound In and Remove Springbar, Kodiak, Or White Duck Canvas Tent Stakes?
I’ve used three different products in the past year.
The 32oz Tekton Mallet (purchased before I received my first canvas tent).
And the Beefoor Hammer, purchased as a specific solution to this problem.
Then a third hammer was recommended to me by a reader, a 3lb sledge.
Spoiler alert, the Beefoor Hammer is a superior product for this application. Order it and you’ll be happy you did compared to the other alternatives!
A great camping hammer for pulling out stakes. Pretty good at pounding them in as well.
I’m always skeptical of Amazon products especially in the outdoor space, but this seemed to be the best option anywhere online, and it had solid reviews.
A very similar style hammer to the one I like, but for 2x the price.
People love the copper head because it shows the history of the hammer. Replacement heads can be purchased as well.
So, what’s the big fuss about canvas tent stakes?
My stakes for my Springbar Outfitter are 12 inches long, and forged from galvanized steel. I’ve never had such a heavy-duty stake until I bought a canvas tent.
Removing these beefy heavy-duty stakes is just as challenging and nearly impossible without the proper tools.
Once you switch to a canvas tent, the days of using your foot, a nearby rock, or some other foreign object to drive down a stake are gone.
And the “right” solution just means it’s the best at this time.
I’m surprised one of the primary canvas tent providers haven’t created a hammer than can easily pound 12 inch canvas tent stakes in, but also remove them as efficiently as possible.
Springbar uses an awesome looking one in their photos, but they don’t sell it (update: turns out, it’s the SnowPeak hammer I linked above as the alternate choice).
The tent stakes included with Springbar tents are sand and snow stakes. I’ve successfully used them in the desert and colder foresty-dirt-type environments. They are not great in rocky terrain or very, very hard dirt.
These are your average stake.
I remember unpacking my Springbar and being like, “holy shit” when I held the stakes in my hand. They are substantial.
They say size doesn’t matter, but we all know that’s B.S.
Have fun trying to use some hammer from your garage or a random rock to drive these into the ground!
Should I Use a Hammer or a Mallet for Large Stakes?
You should use a hammer or a non-rubber-based mallet like I started with. I’ll explain why.
I’ve tried a 32 oz rubber mallet because I didn’t even know where to start. Then I tried a specifically designed hammer for my tent.
I started with a huge rubber mallet because that’s what we used when I grew up tent camping. I figured I just needed a larger mallet and it would work.
It kind of does, but it’s less than ideal for certain types of stakes. They work great for the upside down “L” stakes that come with most tents.
However, the Springbar stakes my tent came with have a circular metal point and the edge becomes rough over time.
The 32 oz mallet I used was definitely big and strong enough to drive down the stakes.
However, the face of the mallet is getting DESTROYED after each use.
The mallet also didn’t help to remove the stakes.
The Best Tent Hammer for Removing Large Heavy-Duty Stakes for Canvas Tents
Until Springbar or Kodiak make a better alternative (how have they not done this!?), you have to go with the Beefoor Hammer.
It’s a little less efficient pounding the stakes in than a larger mallet, but it does the job and it makes removing the stakes
The stakes for a Springbar tent will destroy even the best rubber mallets. You could get a metal mallet, but again, they are only great at pounding the stake in, not pulling them out.
And if you’re in a place for several days, pulling them out is the real challenge.
Each day that passes by while camping, it seems like it’s harder to pull out the stakes as the ground settles or it rains and the ground forms around it more.
In the desert, you’ll be thankful for the claw hammer to loosen up the ground and pull it out.
The Ideal Hammer vs Reality: Some Specs
The BEST canvas tent hammer would ideally be metal mallet-like face with a hook bar on the other end.
The closest I have found is the Beefoor hammer on Amazon.
It’s a little lighter than I would prefer and I wish the face was about 50% larger so I didn’t have to think about being accurate on each strike.
The Beefoor hammer is 2.09lbs and the 32oz mallet is actually 2.5lbs.
You can feel the difference in driving the stakes down.
There are similar designed hammers to the Beefoor on the market that I haven’t tested. For example, the Snow Peak Peg Hammer, but it weights just 1.4lbs.
With over a 25% reduction in weight, I’d think it would be much harder to drive in the stakes, and it’s also more expensive.
Conclusion
So for the time being, the Beefoor Hammer wins, easily.
A great camping hammer for pulling out stakes. Pretty good at pounding them in as well.
The Beefoor will not only drive the stakes into the ground pretty efficiently, it will also make pulling any normal stakes a breeze compared to alternatives.
Don’t get me wrong, it will still take some effort to remove 12 inch stakes.
I’ve had to use the pointed end to chip away some ground a few times, but overall, it’s soooooo much easier than any other alternative at this point.
If you have other tools around the house that can help pull them out, then maybe a metal mallet will be your preferred method of pounding in and then use something else to pull them out.
Reach out if you have found a better solution, I’d love to know!
But Wait, There’s More 🙂
Best large, Heavy-Duty Tent Stakes
All canvas tent-related articles.
