Don't Have A Camping Stove? How To Repurpose Tent Pegs In Case Of An Emergency

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

At its simplest, camping offers the opportunity to try things in new ways. You're sleeping outdoors, in a new space, cooking meals in ways far removed from your kitchen. A camp stove is among the essential gear for almost every camping trip. But with every trip, it's also possible you've forgotten something, and perhaps it's the stove. But there's no need to eat cold food or live on protein bars during your adventure. Instead, repurpose a few extra tent pegs or stakes to make an elevated cooking space that keeps your food up off of the coals, and that's functional enough to cook things in a can or even a DIY cooking vessel. The stove's design allows you to make things like mess-free bacon and eggs for a simple campsite breakfast, too. 

To function as a makeshift grill, extra tent stakes (and you should always carry extra pegs anyway, as they're prone to breaking or bending) should be entirely metal, since plastic or composite materials may burn or melt. The pegs should be straight with a 90-degree-angled hook-style shape on top, such as the Oligei heavy duty tent stakes. You'll be setting your can or a small pan on top of this makeshift surface. And of course, check your area for the latest information on burn bans and what sorts of campfires are allowed.

To turn tent pegs into a makeshift camp stove, pound one a couple of inches into the ground so it's vertical and secure. Place two or three more near it, forming a triangular or square shape, so their tops are at the same height and the angled bits point inward. The distance they are from one another depends upon what you plan to set atop them, such as a coffee pot, a Bruntmor 6-inch cast iron skillet, or a foil packet of food. Aim for about 2 to 2.5 inches equidistant from one another, in most cases (feel free to use more stakes as needed). Foil is the versatile cooking tool you need while camping, since you can create an impromptu pan or bowl to cook in.

Clear the area around your fire to avoid it spreading. Start with kindling immediately below the stove area, or transfer hot coals from a larger fire. Set the can, bowl, or pan atop the stakes when you're ready to cook things. Since this is a short stove, you may have to stoke the fire regularly and add fuel to keep it going. 

If you have a number of long metal tent stakes, you could craft them into a grill, too. Essentially you're resting stakes between two rocks or logs until you have a stable surface. Keep stakes fairly close together so if one shifts, it won't tip your cook pot or drop whatever items are atop the DIY grill grates. Alternating the angled ends helps with this stability, so that the hook ends aren't all on one side of the fire or the other.