For ground that fights back. Hard-packed dirt, gravel, dry clay — the surfaces where a plastic peg folds over on the second hit.

Nail pegs are exactly what the name suggests: a steel shaft with a head you can drive. Ten inches is enough depth for real holding power without being so long that you are hammering all afternoon.

The head is the important part. You can hit these with a mallet or a rock without destroying the top, and you can get a hook or a claw under the head to pull them out — which is where most cheap stakes let you down. A stake you cannot extract is a stake you leave behind.

Four per pack. Good general-purpose choice for a truck kit where you do not know what the ground will be.