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  1. #1
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    Invisible shepherd hook

    So I was setting up my hammock for the first time and tying untying the Glowire guylines as I learned what worked.

    I unattached the guy line from the Lawson HD shepherd stake in the ground. Buried in some long grass I realized how quickly you can lose a stake.

    I know the aluminum stakes have reflective cords tied into them, anybody have an effective way to do the same with shepherd hooks?

  2. #2
    alt.thomas's Avatar
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    Invisible shepherd hook

    I use red nail paint and slather multiple coatings on the top ends. Still loose a few but I find more than I loose so a win, I guess?

  3. #3
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    As @alt.thomas mentions, some sort of paint or tool dip is a common solution. I suppose you could tie on some cords but obviously having no closed orifice in the stake structure would lead to them slipping off... unless glued or some such.

    I don't use paint or cords to keep track of them but rather depend on my method of deploying and collecting them when I break camp. I tie the guylines to the cord with a clove hitch (loop-behind-loop technique) and my first step when taking down the tarp is to pull up the stakes, using the guylines themselves to do so. With these stakes, the clove hitch slides right off the stake and the knot automatically disappears, and the stakes go straight into the ziploc freezer bag that I use for storing them. Very efficient.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  4. #4
    Phantom Grappler's Avatar
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    I have Walmart shepherd hook stakes (would be better to have stakes with a nail head style top)
    I tie a hitch (not for everyone) around stake.

    Multi wrap pile hitch, always wrapped from top of stake towards bottom of stake. About five or six wraps, since cord is doubled, this gives ten or twelve coils! Once tightened, multi wrapped pile hitch will not release its death grip on stake.

    When breaking camp, stake is pulled up and brushed off with leaves. Pile hitch unties easily or can be slid off pointed end of stake and whole knot-hitch disappears!

    Stakes are packed in a crushed plastic water bottle to prevent puncturing my other gear. Plus helps keep clean from any dirt that was still stuck to stake.

    If I get nail head type stakes, I might use marlin spike hitch rather than multi wrapped pile hitch

    I show multi wrapped pile hitch and other more useful camping knots-hitches on YouTube
    Phantom Grapplers Recommended Ties part one and part two

    Almost all knots-hitches shown are tied in the bight, that is tied in middle of the rope, without needing access to either end of rope. This saves time while making knot, and most knots tied in the bight readily come untied when breaking camp.

    Also by being faster to tie, knots tied in the bight have a reduced chance of being tied incorrectly, because you don’t lose your place while fishing cord from end for each step or turn of knot!

    Good luck

  5. #5
    Senior Member oldbiker's Avatar
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    As others have said, I pull mine up then slide off the line. I either bag them then (most time) or lay them by the tree @ the head of my hammock to be collected & bagged all @ once.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Rolloff's Avatar
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    I use the MSR Carbon Core. Nail shaped head, tops already bright red, won't chip off. Expensive but I only need (4).

    Shepard's hooks never worked well for me. Most I own are pretty bent up. More on me and the ground around here than the stakes.

    Either stake I use the tie-out line larks headed to the stake to pull it out of the ground, then slide the cordage down the stake to clean it off and pop the stake in it's zip-lock.

    I also noticed when I started paying more for stakes I'm not nearly as prone to losing track of them
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by cmoulder View Post
    I suppose you could tie on some cords but obviously having no closed orifice in the stake structure would lead to them slipping off... unless glued or some such.
    I attach a loop of cheap reflective cord to the crook using a common whipping knot. Grips well and doesn’t slide off. Got the idea from here I believe


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  8. #8
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by possum daddy View Post
    I attach a loop of cheap reflective cord to the crook using a common whipping knot. Grips well and doesn’t slide off. Got the idea from here I believe


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Not a bad idea. If you use enough wraps in the whip it won't, or will resist, sliding around the curved portions.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by alt.thomas View Post
    I use red nail paint and slather multiple coatings on the top ends. Still loose a few but I find more than I loose so a win, I guess?
    I know many a golfer who have the same approach to finding their ball in the woods!

  10. #10
    Senior Member JollyRoger70's Avatar
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    FWIW, I was able to find bright red coated aluminum shepherd hooks on Amazon; I use them for my ground sheet, since I don’t want to step on a y-stake or the plastic (aluminum-tipped) MSR straight ones I use for my tarp. For lighter-weight applications, I just try to keep track of my titanium hooks, and hope for the best. Our soil is so sandy it’s hard to get a good grip with hooks, anyway.


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