The surprisingly sturdy Solid Stake debuted in 1995, changing the history of tent pegs. This toughest of pegs are made by forging, a process of molding hot iron rods into pegs by heating them to high temperatures and beating them to spec. They are still made today in the Tsubame-Sanjo area of Niigata Prefecture where Snow Peak has its head office.
A year later, the Peg Hammer was developed as a tool for driving in the sturdy pegs, and just like the Solid Stake, the head was made by a forging process, which ensures the swinging power is reliably transmitted to the peg.
At the time its introduction, the Solid Stakes were durable and lightweight while boasting the strength to support the heavy tarps that were a major part of the Snow Peak product line at the time in a multitude of weather conditions. It came as no surprise that such a superior metal work process was a part of the Snow Peak story as Tsubame Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture has a reputation all throughout Japan as a metal town producing high quality products.
The high temperature treatment each Solid Stake and hammer head endures is a practice that has been passed down from generation to generation, each time perfected to an even higher degree than before. This kind of metalworking allows the steal to grow strong through a tapping process, a technique that has been used for centuries to develop ancient Japanese swords.
The shape of the Solid Stake has remained unchanged since then, because the designers really thought out how a peg works. The cylindrical head sustains the hammer blows; the large hook keeps the rope from slipping off; the hole at the head accommodates the hammer’s hook when pulling up the peg.
Solid Stake comes in four sizes, giving campers options based on ground conditions and the gear in use. Paired with the Peg Hammer to drive each stake into the ground, the Peg and Hammer combination has become an essential part of the camping experience.
