Atak Outdoor Lighted Tent Stakes

Okay, I admit...lighted tent stakes are a bit silly. But for those of us who are nocturnally visually challenged, they are an easy technique to avoid tripping over tent lines, rocks, or stumps during dark hours. They also provide a nice little glowing ambiance to the tent site!

I had seen lighted tent stakes in an outdoors magazine, and thought it was kind of a neat idea…but did not want to invest too much money, since I was not sure how much I would actually use them, nor how long they would last. I purchased the ATAK stakes online, since the set of stakes was only $14 incl. shipping. I have been pleasantly surprised with this purchase.

As tent stakes, they are only marginal. They are stubby and wide, and are not easy to push into some soils. They are only 6" long, and are made of plastic; the tie down hook seems as though it would not sustain much pressure. 

So we use the stakes adjacent to primary stakes, and I usually only use two. When illuminated, that allows me to avoid tripping over lines, or they can mark tricky roots or rocks near the tent stake-out points.

The stakes can be turned on with a simple slide switch; they can be used with the LED bulb projecting, for a brighter white light, or the light can be nested inside the orange plastic head of the stake, providing a softer orange glow. They stakes have held up well, after both modes of use. This is how I usually use them. Sometimes I leave them on all night, other times I turn them off once we are settled into the tent for the evening.

Each stake uses (4) LR41 watch batteries. I only recently replaced the batteries on two of the stakes (at cost of $1.60 per stake), after using them for at least 20 nights, with illumination for 4-8 hours each night. The manufacturer makes no claims as to how long the batteries may last, but I have found them to last much longer than expected, even having been used during rainy nights.

So I would recommend these lights, as an inexpensive way to illuminate your camping experience.