SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 88: Produce a Set of Wooden Tent Pegs From Suitable Deadwood

Wooden tent pegs are a simple example of how traditional outdoor skills can turn a natural material into something useful. With suitable wood, a sharp cutting tool and a little patience, you can shape a peg that demonstrates your ability to select materials, work safely and understand what makes equipment effective.

For this challenge, you’ll produce a small set of wooden tent pegs from suitable deadwood. The aim isn’t to replace the reliable pegs supplied with modern tents in every situation. Instead, you’ll learn how to assess wood, shape it into a practical form and recognise the limitations of homemade camping equipment.

Your Challenge

Produce a set of three wooden tent pegs from suitable deadwood. Each peg should have a pointed end for entering the ground and a shaped head or notch that helps retain a tent guyline.

Your finished pegs should be reasonably consistent in length and thickness, free from obvious structural defects and suitable for demonstrating how a traditional wooden tent peg works.

You don’t need to use them to pitch a tent. If you decide to test them, do so in suitable ground with an appropriate shelter, and never rely on homemade pegs where failure could put you or others at risk.

What You’ll Need

• Three suitable pieces of deadwood, or one longer piece that can be divided into three blanks
• A suitable fixed-blade carving knife or bushcraft knife, if you are trained and competent to use one
• A folding pruning saw, where necessary and appropriate
• A stable work surface, such as a secure chopping block
• A first-aid kit
• A way to photograph your finished work

Choose tools you know how to handle safely. A sharp, well-maintained knife is generally easier to control than a blunt one, but even a sharp tool can cause serious injuries if used carelessly.

You do not need to cut living branches. Collect deadwood only where you have permission and where gathering it is allowed. Some woodland, nature reserves and protected sites prohibit the removal of deadwood because it provides important habitat for insects, fungi and other wildlife. If collecting isn’t permitted, use suitable deadwood from your own land or another location where you have explicit permission.

Take the Challenge

1. Understand What Makes a Good Tent Peg

Before collecting any wood, consider what the finished peg needs to do.

A tent peg must resist the pull of a guyline without bending, splitting or pulling easily out of the ground. It needs enough length to provide useful holding power, sufficient thickness to withstand the load and a shape that allows the guyline to remain attached.

For this challenge, aim for pegs approximately 20–25 centimetres long and around 2–3 centimetres thick at their widest point. These are useful starting dimensions rather than universal specifications. The ideal size depends on the wood, the ground and the shelter being secured.

A peg that is too thin may split under pressure. One that is excessively thick can be difficult to drive into firm soil. A very short peg may pull out easily, while an unnecessarily long one can be awkward to carry and make.

2. Find Suitable Deadwood

Look for naturally fallen branches or pieces of deadwood that are reasonably straight and have a sound, solid structure. Wood from a fallen branch is often easier to work than a heavily twisted piece.

Suitable wood should be firm rather than spongy, with no obvious signs of extensive decay. Avoid pieces that are badly cracked, brittle, hollow, insect-damaged or covered in loose, crumbling material. A branch that looks solid on the outside may still be weakened internally, so inspect it carefully.

Hardwoods can produce durable pegs, but a suitable, sound piece of a less dense species may be easier to shape. The condition and grain of the individual piece matter as much as the tree species. Avoid wood that splits readily along its length or has large knots where the peg needs to withstand pressure.

Do not assume that all fallen wood is available for collection. Check local rules and landowner permissions, and leave deadwood in place where it supports wildlife or forms part of a conservation area.

3. Select and Prepare Your Blanks

Choose three pieces with enough length and thickness to make your pegs. If you have a longer branch, it can be divided into suitable sections with a pruning saw, provided you can do so safely and legally.

Inspect each blank before carving. Look for cracks at the ends, weak areas around knots and changes in grain direction. Reject any piece that appears likely to split as soon as pressure is applied.

If the wood is very damp, you can still shape it, but remember that freshly worked wood may shrink or split as it dries. For a straightforward challenge, sound deadwood that is already reasonably dry is often easier to assess.

Trim away loose bark if necessary, but don’t spend time making the pegs look polished. Your priority is a sound, functional shape.

4. Set Up a Safe Carving Position

Find a stable place to work, away from people, animals and trip hazards. Sit or kneel in a comfortable position with the work supported securely on a block or other stable surface.

Keep your hands and legs out of the cutting path. Never carve towards your body, hold a small piece in your palm while cutting towards it, or try to catch a slipping blade. Use controlled cuts that move away from your body and maintain a secure grip on the tool.

If you are new to knife work, seek instruction from a competent person before attempting the carving. Young people should work under appropriate supervision, with tools and techniques matched to their experience.

5. Shape the Pointed End

Choose one end of the first blank as the ground end. Gradually remove small amounts of wood to form a tapered point.

The aim is a strong, gradual taper rather than a long, needle-like point. A thin point may break when it meets a stone or compacted soil, so leave enough material behind it to support the peg.

Rotate the blank as you work so that you remove wood evenly from different sides. Check the shape regularly instead of trying to achieve the entire taper in a few large cuts.

The point does not need to be razor-sharp. A sturdy taper is generally more useful than a delicate tip that is easily damaged. Repeat the process for the other two blanks, aiming for a similar shape on each peg.

6. Shape the Head and Guyline Retention Feature

The opposite end needs a feature that helps prevent a guyline from slipping off.

One option is a shallow notch near the head. Carefully remove a small amount of wood to create a groove wide enough to accommodate the cord. Keep the notch modest in depth because a deep cut can weaken the narrowest part of the peg.

Another option is to leave a slightly wider head above a narrow section where the guyline can sit. The important point is that the line should have something to rest against rather than relying entirely on friction against a smooth surface.

Avoid cutting deeply across the grain, particularly near the top of a thin peg. This can create a weak point that breaks when the guyline pulls against it.

Work slowly and compare the three pegs as you go. Consistent shapes will make it easier to assess your finished set.

7. Finish and Inspect Each Peg

Once the main shapes are complete, remove loose splinters and rough projections that could snag a guyline or cut your hands. Don’t remove so much material that the pegs become unnecessarily thin.

Inspect each peg from several angles. Look for cracks, deep cuts, weak knots and areas where the grain runs sharply across the peg. Check that the point is strong enough to withstand ordinary contact with the ground and that the head or notch is properly formed.

If a peg develops a significant split, discard it rather than trying to repair it for use. A visibly damaged peg should not be trusted to secure a shelter.

Repeat the same process until all three pegs are complete. They don’t have to be identical, but they should share the same basic design and be suitable for comparison.

8. Consider How They Would Work in the Ground

Before testing the pegs, think about the conditions in which they would be used.

Soft, loose soil may provide little resistance, while very hard or stony ground can damage a wooden point. Wet ground may allow a peg to loosen, and strong wind can place substantial force on a guyline. Even a well-made peg can fail if it is unsuitable for the conditions.

If you choose to test your pegs, use a safe, level area of suitable soil. Keep your fingers clear while inserting them, and don’t strike them forcefully with a heavy object. Stop if a peg begins to split or bend.

Attach a light guyline and apply gentle tension to observe how the peg sits in the ground. Do not conduct a high-load test, use the pegs to secure a person, or depend on them to protect a tent in strong winds. For actual camping, use appropriate, purpose-made pegs suited to the shelter and conditions.

Check Your Results

Set the three pegs together and assess your work against the following points.

Material selection: Is each peg made from sound deadwood, without obvious decay, major cracks or weak sections?

Shape: Does each peg have a sturdy taper rather than a fragile needle point?

Guyline retention: Is there a shallow notch or shaped head that can help keep a cord in place?

Consistency: Are the pegs reasonably similar in length, thickness and overall design?

Finish: Have you removed loose splinters and checked for structural weaknesses without carving the pegs unnecessarily thin?

Safe working: Did you use a stable work position, controlled cutting movements and appropriate tools?

If one peg doesn’t meet these standards, improve it if enough sound wood remains. If it is cracked or structurally weak, make a replacement. Knowing when to reject an unsuitable piece is also part of the skill.

Complete the Challenge

Your challenge is complete when you have produced three wooden tent pegs from suitable deadwood and inspected each one for shape, consistency and obvious weaknesses.

You should also be able to explain why you selected the wood, how the pointed end helps the peg enter the ground, and why the head or notch is important for retaining a guyline.

You don’t need to prove that the pegs can secure a tent in difficult weather. The aim is to demonstrate your material selection and carving skills, not to take unnecessary risks with camping equipment.

Remember that homemade wooden pegs are an exercise in traditional outdoor skills. Their performance varies with the wood, the ground and the forces involved, so treat them as experimental items unless their suitability has been established for a particular use.

How to Submit Your Challenge

To have your achievement verified, share a photograph of your finished wooden tent pegs on your Survival Guides UK member profile.

Submit your evidence

1. Log in to your Survival Guides UK account.
2. Open your member profile and go to Social Activity.
3. Upload a photograph showing all three finished pegs clearly.
4. Add #SGUKChallenge88 to your post so your submission can be identified.
5. Share the post for verification.

Your photograph should show the finished points and the notches or shaped heads. You can also include a photograph of the wood before carving if you want to demonstrate the transformation, but this is optional.

Do not put yourself at risk to obtain evidence. A clear photograph of the finished work is enough; you do not need to pitch a tent or test the pegs in challenging conditions.

Challenge 88 Checklist

Use this checklist to review your progress before submitting your evidence.

Want to Push Yourself?

Once you have made your first set, try refining your technique.

Compare different woods. If you have permission to collect suitable deadwood from more than one species, make a peg from each and compare how easily they carve and how well they retain their shape. Identify the wood only if you can do so confidently; don’t guess at a species based on a single feature.

Improve consistency. Make another set and aim for more uniform lengths, points and notches. Consistent dimensions can make a set easier to pack and use, but don’t sacrifice strength just to make every peg look identical.

Study peg placement. Learn how the angle of a peg, the direction of the guyline and the condition of the soil affect holding power. You can explore these principles with suitable commercial pegs in a controlled setting without putting your homemade examples under excessive strain.

Design for your intended use. A lightweight tarp, a small tent and a larger shelter may require different peg shapes and sizes. Think about the forces involved before deciding that one design will suit every situation.

The more you practise, the better you’ll become at judging materials and recognising the difference between an object that looks finished and one that is fit for its intended purpose.

What’s Next?

Continue developing your practical outdoor skills with SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 87: Learn the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. This challenge helps you practise clear communication by learning the standard words used to spell letters over radios and other communication systems.

You can complete SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenges in any order, so choose the next activity that interests you and keep building your skills through practice.

Once you’ve shared your evidence and it has been verified, the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 88 is complete and the completed challenges figure will be updated on your profile.