NEMO  Airpin Stakes - Package of 4

Finally got my hands on the new Nemo Airpin tent stakes. I was mainly interested in using them in my Poncho tarp setup. I think they are the perfect answer to have a simple and lightweight setup for my MyTrail Poncho.

Recently used these on my Nemo Hornet 2p on rocky terrain. Finding a good spot for a stake is always hard on rocky terrain...but these little guys found the holes...and did not bend of take any damage outside of a little paint removal and slight marring at the head. (using a rock to drive them....) I will be buying another 4 pack...as 4 stakes is not enough to set up most tents with a fly attached. Several good places to attach tension cords with ease and tie off points.

I was excited to get these hybrid-esque stakes. I liked the concept at first, but then came the disillusion when I tried them. Yes, they're light, but so are my titanium shepherds hooks. The weight is a pro but not an advantage. That's as far as the pros go. The con: These stakes attempt to function somewhat like a Nite Ize "figure nine" rope tightener fashioned to the head of a stake, but they have a design flaw that, in my opinion, render them not truly useful. The problem is that the first turn is upwards, meaning that you can't pull too much to get tension on the rope without pulling the stake up out of the ground, so you have to hold the stake down and pinch the cord before completing the second loop. The second loop is a downward force so it works to force the stake down, which is good, but the last loop, the one to lock it in, is again an upward force, so you have to hold down the stake again. To do all of this you end up losing some tension. You might as well coil the guy line around the stake, then stick the stake in the ground. This way you can make it as taught as you like by where you place it. But, if I'm going to be wrapping my guy line around a stake to gain true tension, why not just buy cheaper stakes and do the same? Yes, after several trials and error I managed to get an ok (verging on decent) tension on my line, but I feel I can do better with regular stakes and regular line tensioners; or, if I'm the "bush-crafty" mood, I can do just fine with a taut-line hitch. For the price, I don't think they're worth it. At $2 each, maybe; I think I would keep them. For now, I'll be returning them. Like I said, I wanted to like them... PS- I'm no engineering genius to be giving advice, but if the loops were placed horizontally, you could exert a whole lot more force a lot easier. I'm talking to you NEMO R&D team.

I purchased two packs of the Nemo Airpin stakes as back up for my new Nemo Dagger 2P. The stakes were fairly easy to use, and I like how lightweight they are however they bent on the first day of use. I used these camping on a flat, dry camp site with no rocks up in Big Bear in Southern California. I used only the force of my hand to place the stakes in the loose dirt ( I'm 5'7 and 135 pounds) and sadly I have no super hero powers! I brought them back to REI and the nice young guy at the shop informed me that "stakes always bend". I've been camping for over 35 years and this was a first for me. I can understand wear and tear from use but warping on day one doesn't give me a lot of confidence in this particular product. The young guy took the stakes back to the bike shop put them in a vice and bent them back for me. I'm going to give them a second chance and hope they will work out.

Know what you're getting into. These stakes are worth it if you need to on-the-fly pitch and want to ignore knots and tensioners but this is the only real value I've seen in these. You will bend them... I would recommend these for guy lines, I wouldn't recommend these for tent stakes.

Easy to push in the ground. Easy to get just the right tension. I just pull the cord as tight as I want then do a quick twist- up down up. Wah-Lah - perfect tent tension.

Finally got my hands on the new Nemo Airpin tent stakes. I was mainly interested in using them in my Poncho tarp setup. I think they are the perfect answer to have a simple and lightweight setup for my MyTrail Poncho.

Trying to get my pack lighter. Was recommended these by my SAR leader and picked them up. They work great and are a little lighter than the ones that came with the NEMO Mayfly tent. Just used them on a two day trip on the Oregon Coast. I already bent one of them. Overall, they are a good addition but not sure they were really necessary for the weight reduction. If you are trying to shave off every gram then these are great.

I am replacing all of my tent stakes - with the exception of sand and snow - with the Airpin ultralight stakes. These things are so light, yet sturdy and well designed enough to avoid bending when they're being driven into the ground. The only downside is that they're a little bit expensive - but they're well worth it!

I have purchased these multiple times for spares and replacements. They are good to have as lightweight backups. They don’t hold in the ground as good as the triangular shaped stakes, but they don’t take up as much room either. I wouldn’t recommend them anyway.