Let’s Learn How to Stake a Party Tent Correctly
It’s arguably the most important safety lesson a party tent owner can learn. Knowing how to stake a tent the right way—the safe way—is crucial. And thankfully, there isn’t really much to it. Staking a party tent correctly is a simple matter of understanding angles and how to use the proper tools for the job.
First, let’s tackle a common misconception about using tent stakes. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t want to drive them into the ground at an angle. Your party tent stakes need to be driven into the ground vertically (straight down).
The idea is to get the tip of the stake as deep into the ground as possible, providing more resistance. When they’re at an angle, force applied to the guy ropes tied to your tent stakes tug them through the soil easier. So always drive your tent stakes straight down.
Also, make sure you’re leaving six inches of your stake exposed above ground. Party tent stakes are designed to maximize their hold while still leaving plenty of space to tie on your guy rope or attach a ratchet strap, so always leave those six inches above. This also makes it a lot easier to extract your tent stake later on, too.
IMPORTANT: Call 811 Before You Dig!
Here’s another very important note on how to stake a party tent: watch out for underground utilities! Before you drive tent stakes into the ground (or do any type of digging or post driving, for that matter), make sure you contact utility companies in your area so they can map out your yard for dangerous underground obstructions.
Thankfully, there’s a national hotline you can and should call in the United States to help this process along. Dial 811 as early in advance as you can so they can send utility companies to your location. They’ll put flags in your lawn and explain to you where you can and can’t put your tent stakes.
Most yards should be safe, but you really need to call first just in case. Driving a tent stake into a utility line can cause costly damage and a whole lot worse … serious injury. So definitely take this step seriously and call in advance. If you just ordered your party tent and you’re waiting for delivery, this is a great time to dial 811 and get your whole yard checked well in advance.
How to Drive Tent Stakes Safely
We’re almost done, but let’s take a quick moment to talk about the act of driving tent stakes.There are right ways and wrong ways to do this, and some simple ways to reduce the manual labor involved as well.
First, let’s talk about the two tools you might use to drive a tent stake. The first one? A sledge hammer. Tried and true, sledge hammers are the most popular tool for driving tent stakes. They’re easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and just about anyone can use one.
Driving tent stakes with sledge hammers is a simple but exhausting process. Unless you’re an Austrian bodybuilder turned movie star, your arms are going to be tired by the time you’re done, and your back might hurt too. That’s especially true if the ground is frozen or hard. But don’t worry, there’s a workaround for this!
Tent stake drivers are motorized devices that pound tent stakes into the ground with ease. You just hold the tent stake driver above the stake, and let the driver do all the work. These are especially useful if you’re setting up on frozen ground or asphalt. And if you’re prone to back pain, they’re an absolute must-have.
Now that you know how to stake a tent, it’s a good time to tell you that Party Tents Direct carries everything you need to get the job done right. We’ve got tent stakes, guy ropes, ratchet straps, sledge hammers, tent stake drivers, frame tent jacks, and a lot more. Give us a call today at 1-716-566-5804 and we’ll gladly help you find everything you need for your party tent!
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