The stakes work as expected under the conditions they’re expected to (they’re 4” stakes, they won’t hold in extremely soft soil or snow). This review is more about Appalachian Outfitters as a company. I’ve purchased from them twice. Both times I had an order confirmation almost immediately, a shipping notification within 24hrs, and my order in hand within 72. Obviously if you live further away it’s going to longer, but the point is from an organizational and logistical perspective, they _move_. None of the receiving a shipping email that sits in your inbox for 4 days while the status is “USPS has received a shipping label”. This is a company that either sincerely cares about their customers or just has a well ironed out process, I don’t know for sure, but as a consumer, I’m happy with the service, and this is the first place I look for gear because I know I won’t have to deal with any nonsense.