MSR Groundhog Tent Stakes vs Sea to Summit Ground Control Tent Pegs

The Groundhog wins because the Y-beam is the best general-purpose shape at a weight nobody has to think about, and MSR states the range of soil it covers. The Ground Control is the one to take if you often pitch on ground that will not accept a full-length stake, because its multi-height guy points are built for exactly that.

MSR Groundhog Tent Stakes

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The Y-beam that most other stakes are measured against, at a stated 14 grams and 19cm, sold six to a kit.

• MSR states 0.49 oz or 14 grams per stake and 7.5 in or 19cm of length.
• The three-sided Y-beam resists twisting in the ground, which is what separates it from a round pin.
• MSR states it penetrates and holds across a wide range of soil conditions, so it is the one to own if you pitch in varied places.
• 7000-series aluminium with a reflective pull loop, sold as a kit of six.

• At 19cm it is shorter than MSR's own sand and snow models, so very loose ground still defeats it.
• Aluminium bends if you hammer it onto a rock, and a bent Y-beam is hard to straighten.
• The reflective loop is cord, which eventually frays where it passes through the head.

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Sea to Summit Ground Control Tent Pegs

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A three-sided anodised peg with guy points at several heights, which is the only design here that plans for ground it cannot fully penetrate.

• Anodised 7075-T6 alloy, which is a stronger grade than the general 7000-series description most makers use.
• Multi-height guy points let you attach lower down when the peg will not go in to full depth, which reduces leverage on it.
• Sea to Summit states great holding power in soft or hard ground, so the shape is not specialised to one.
• Reflective cord and a luminescent pull tab, which matters when you are breaking camp before dawn.

• The stated 99 grams is for the Regular set rather than per peg, so per-stake weight takes arithmetic.
• Anodising scratches off the business end within a few pitches.
• A three-sided profile is harder to pull straight out of clay than a round pin.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the MSR Groundhog Tent Stakes - The Y-beam that most other stakes are measured against, at a stated 14 grams and 19cm, sold six to a kit. Choose the Sea to Summit Ground Control Tent Pegs instead if campers who regularly meet rocky or compacted ground where a stake cannot be driven all the way in.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Tent Stakes: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).