New innovation in tent pegs: the Titan Ground Anchor

By Emily Woodhouse
last updated

Mark Turnbull creates and manufactures a new type of tent peg, after frustration with substandard pegs

The Titan Ground Anchor tent peg
The Titan Ground Anchor - the hook goes into the ground (Image credit: Mark Turnbull/Titan Ground Anchors)

It’s not often you see innovation in areas like tent pegs, but Matt Turnbull from Plymouth has developed a new take on the humble peg, called the Titan Ground Anchor. Unlike the long, thin spikes we’ve come to expect from tent pegs, these look more like hooks that dig into the ground and keep holding. Fed up of bending tent pegs, Turnbull set out to design the most efficient shape to produce a hold against line tension. The design seems similar to DMM Talon Steep Ground Anchor, used by Mountain Rescue to anchor stretchers when no classic features are available.

“These are the best tent pegs available,” says the description on the Titan Ground Anchor page. “They are stronger than standard pegs and will hold more force in a blow (especially repeated pulls that loosen other vertical pegs-these dig in more!). Sitting in the shallow top soil they can be pushed in with your foot, thus eliminating the need for a heavy mallet to drive an overly long spike in the ground. Due to its design directing the pulling force down to the tip and not the top it will out-hold any conventional peg in all ground types and is primarily designed for the guy ropes which take most of the force in windy conditions but can be used on all points on the tent.”

Each peg is made by laser cutting 2.5mm anodised aluminium and weigh only 26 grammes each. “The weight saving cutouts are structurally placed and not just aesthetic additions. The cutout on the top 'shank' of the anchor also serves as a finger hold to retrieve back out of the ground. Round holes assist drainage in wet conditions so it doesn't trap water causing some pegs to slip out. Every curve, edge, angle and hole has been designed for a reason.”

The Titan Ground Anchor is still very much in cottage industry phase. It began life as a Kickstarter in 2019 and has developed to sales in batches through Ebay. However, they’re quickly selling out.

Emily Woodhouse
Emily Woodhouse

An adventure writer based on Dartmoor, England, Emily is an active member of Mountain Rescue and a summer Mountain Leader, but loves all things adventure – before her third birthday she had lived on three continents. Founder of Intrepid magazine, she works to help break stereotypes about women in the outdoors. Her expeditions have included walking all Dartmoor’s 119 tors in a single two-week outing, cycling to Switzerland and back, and riding the Rhine from source to sea.