Ground Puppy® Screw In Pegs with Cap

Update: September 2024

 

The Last Pegs You Ever Need

One thing we have struggled with over the years is finding a tent peg for all occasions.  It doesn’t matter if you prefer a caravan, motorhome, tent or camper trailer, at one stage you will need to use a tent peg to pin something down.  Whether it’s for the tarp, or to stabilise the awning, chances are, you will probably have struggled with the right tent peg for the job.  One that will cover all types of ground, from soft sand to hard ground.

Many a peg has ended up bent from hammering, they slip out of the ground when you need them most, or they end up rusting.  Often getting a tent peg out of the ground is just as much of a challenge, as getting it in the ground.

That is why we were so happy to have come across the Ground Dog screw in pegs™ range.   They are a simple and very effective screw in tent peg that can be used to anchor anything almost anywhere, and they are just as easy to get out of the ground as it is to put them in.  The pegs can be bought singularly or in a variety of kits, that are designed to anchor caravan, motorhome, RV and 4×4 awnings, as well as tents, gazebos, outdoor shelters and more…

Watch our Demo on how easy it is to set up your awning with the Ground Dogs Rollout Awning Anchor Kits

The original Ground Dog screw in pegs™ were developed by avid Aussie camper, Paul Pont.  While helping a friend take down a caravan annex that had been in place for 3 months, Paul became frustrated by how long it took him to get the old rusted tent pegs out of the ground, because the pegs were rusted into the ground, and then they bent when coming out, to the point that they could not be used again.  Thinking there must be a better way, Paul searched for an alternative to hammer in pegs.

“Having tried a range of other screw in pegs I realised that none of them were durable enough or suited to a wide enough range of ground types. They would either wear out, strip the thread, snap the heads off, not penetrate the ground, or they pulled out too easily.  I started playing around with my own designs and realised the only way was to make a quality peg from quality materials”

This is when he came up with original Ground Dog screw in peg™.  A purpose built tent peg for all occasions. It is a very simple design, and the concept is not new.  Essentially it is a very large stainless steel screw in peg that is just the right size, length, and shape that will drill in and out of almost any ground surface.

Range of Ground Dog screw in pegs™

The Ground Dog screw in peg range is growing! They’ve now got the 120mm stainless steel Ground Puppy pegs, the 180mm stainless steel Tuff Dog pegs, 250mm stainless steel Ground Dog pegs, 350mm Aluminium Alloy Big Dog pegs, and the 450mm Glass Reinforced Nylon Sand Dog pegs to cover all your needs.

Features of the Ground Dog screw in pegs™

19mm Hex Head

The full Ground Dog screw in pegs range, has a 19mm hex head which means you can use the same socket on all the Ground Dog screw in pegs.  In most cases, that is the same fitting required for adjustable stabilisers on caravan legs .

19mm Hex Head & 19mm Socket & Drill Adaptor

Ground Puppy® screw in pegs – 120mm

The Ground Puppy screw-in pegs are perfect for keeping ground mats secure while you’re out caravanning or camping.  At 120mm, these stainless steel pegs fit just right in 10-12mm eyelets on your ground sheets. Plus, they come with a fun, paw-shaped orange cap that not only helps prevent stubbed toes but also makes setup more fun for the kids—encouraging them to join in when it’s time to set up or pack down!

Tuff Dog Screw in Pegs™ – 180mm

The Tuff Dog Screw In Pegs™ are designed to work with the 4×4 Anchor Plate to securely hold down 4×4 awnings. They are ideal for securing privacy screens and more.  These 180mm stainless steel pegs are super tough, with a strong shaft and aggressive thread that holds tight.

Ground Dog screw in pegs™ – 250mm

Ground Dog screw in pegs™ are made from high quality stainless steel, so no need to worry about rust after a few uses. They’re tough, won’t bend, and super easy to screw in and out. At 250mm long, they’re the perfect size for any type of ground—so you don’t need different pegs for different jobs, meaning less to carry! The tapered design with special threading helps them drill in and hold firm, even in tough conditions. Plus, they’ll stay put during strong winds. The thread stops 20mm from the head, so the Hook Collar can move freely for ropes or springs.

Big Dog screw in pegs™ – 350mm

The Big Dog Screw In Pegs™ are fantastic for setting up in soft, sandy, or muddy conditions. The Big Dogs are made from aluminium alloy and 350mm long, the tapered end makes it super easy to get the peg into the ground.  If you don’t have a drill handy, just pop a thin rod through the hole at the top and twist it in by hand – works like a charm!

Sand Dog Screw in Pegs™ – 450mm

The Sand Dog screw-in pegs™ are a must-have for anyone who loves the beach, camping, or spending time outdoors in sandy areas! Whether you’re setting up an awning for shade or pitching a tent at the beach, these pegs are designed to keep everything secure in the sand. The Sand Dog pegs are 450mm long with a strong, wide thread that grips the sand tight. Made from tough, glass-reinforced nylon, they’re built to last and won’t rust!

Adjustable Hook Collar Locking Nut

The Hook Collar is a great feature for securely attaching a safety spring or guy rope. If you can’t get the whole peg into the ground, no worries!   Screw the peg as far down as you can, it doesn’t have to go all the way in, and then just wind the Hook or Wing Collar down to ground level for a secure hold. Super convenient!

The adjustable Hook Collar

Self Drilling Notches & 20mm Thread Clearance

The stainless steel screw in pegs™ have a thick tip with 2 self-drilling notches, making it easier for the the peg to grip whilst drilling into the ground.  They have a 20mm clearance from the head to the start of the thread, to allow free movement of the Hook Collar to rotate freely around the peg.  This makes it easier to position the Hook Collar for the Safety Springs (or guy rope of your choice).

Self Drilling Notches & 20mm Head Clearance

Comparisons

Yep, there is always someone with a better idea or way of doing things, and during development of the Ground Dog screw in pegs™, many of the alternatives were tried and tested.

Ground Dog Screw In Peg™ -vs- Tent Pegs

The traditional hammer-in tent pegs have been around forever and will work in quite a lot of cases, but let’s face it, it can be hard work to hammer them in, and in some cases even harder to get them back out.  You also need a different size peg for different applications, meaning you need to carry around a whole lot more pegs.  Many of us end up with a collection of bent pieces of steel.   If the ground is extremely hard, you will be hard pressed to even get them in at all.  Watch the video below to see Paul & Judd in the Tent Peg Challenge.  Filmed at a Caravan show, the boys show how hard it is to hammer in a traditional tent peg in comparison to the Ground Dog screw in peg™.

The Tent Peg Challenge

Ground Dog Screw In Peg™ -vs- The Batten Screws

Batten Screws or even Coach Bolts are great, but they are designed for Wood.  The shaft is smaller in diameter and not tapered.  The threads are very narrow and although they come in varying lengths, they are just not quite long enough to get enough traction in the soil.  Yes, they will work some of the time in some types of ground.  Typically they are better in harder ground, but if the ground is too soft they will pull straight out.  Even if they held originally, after a bit of rain and the ground becoming softer, they will more than likely lose their grip.  Also after a few uses, the thread was found to start wearing and they started to rust over time, meaning they have to be replaced constantly.

The Ground Dog Screw In Pegs™ are designed for soil unlike Batten or Coach Screws

Ground Dog Screw In Peg™ -vs- Plastic Screws

The plastic bolts work similar to the Ground Dog screw in pegs™, but after a few uses, the head will start to wear to the point where they became unusable.  The thread is not as deeply cut, so this reduces their holding effect.   Depending on the hardness of the ground, on many occasions, they would just snap.

The Ground Dog Screw in Pegs™ -vs- Plastic Bolts

Tried & Tested

An awning blowing in the wind can place extreme forces on the hold-down point, so you want something you know will hold to avoid awning damage.  The Ground Dog screw in pegs™ have been tried and tested by Paul and some extreme campers.  There are also many other happy users who have purchased the Ground Dog screw in pegs™, here is what some of them had to say:

We bought the caravan awning anchor kit at our local market in Strathalbyn SA. I must admit I wasn’t sure how the Ground Dogs were going to work. We are heading to Uluru for two weeks so thought we better take the van for a trial run; and what a perfect time to roll out the awning and test these guys out. WOW I’m amazed at how well they work! So easy to put in the ground and remove, and the strength of the ground dog is crazy. I’m totally onboard and will be showing and telling everyone. 10/10

Matt Crist – South Australia

These are the bee’s knees. As a newbie, the awning anchor kit saved my bacon by holding down the awning of a rented camper during a huge storm at Dungog – could have been and expensive lesson for me. Thanks, fantastic product.

Rob Kerr – Sydney

Paul was also telling us about a recent show they went to,

 We were at the Toowoomba caravan show and got hit by a massive storm, the winds were up to 170km per hour and our gazebo stayed pinned down.  In fact, the gazebo actually bent, and the pegs still didn’t let go.  There were tents either side of us with 20kg weights on their legs and they just went flying.

20kg Weights -vs- Ground Dog Screw in Pegs™ 

Tie Down System

Tie Down Straps

The Ground Dog screw in pegs™ can be used independently as an anchor point for any camping application that requires something to be tied down.   However, many campers with caravans or motorhomes will use them with awnings.  To assist with the easy setup of using the Ground Dog screw in pegs™ with awnings, Paul has designed a simple and effective tie-down system that compliments the Ground Dog screw in pegs™ and is very easy to fit.

The Ground Dogs Tie Down System

The Tie-Down Straps will suit most awnings on the market and can be used with the awning legs either pined back onto the body of the van, or for those that prefer the legs pinned vertically to the ground, there is also a special anchor plate that will slot straight into the bottom of the awning foot.

The Tie-Down Straps can be attached to the rubber Safety Springs that are included in the Awning Kits.   It is highly recommended that any tie down system used for awnings has some form of giving in it to allow some movement to avoid damage to the awning mechanism.   The Ground Dogs system Safety Springs achieve this as they are made from hard wearing High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).  This means they will not perish and are very durable which will allow for adequate movement to your awning. It will eliminate the use of large springs which are bulky and can rust over time. Each strap also uses a ratchet system built in which makes for easy adjustment and tension.

The Tie Down Straps with Safety Springs & Ratchet

Awning Leg Anchor Plate

The Rollout Awning Anchor Kit contains a specially designed plate that will fit most rollout awnings. It effectively acts as a clamp that will fit into the base of the awning leg. Also, it will hold it securely in place.   The Ground Dog screw in pegs™ with the Wing Collar is then used on either side to hold it firmly on the ground.  You can then attach the straps as shown above for added security.

The Rollout Awning Anchor Plate secures awning legs vertically

WARNING:  While tying down of awnings in any conditions is highly recommended, this should just be as a precautionary measure.  It is highly advisable that in all cases where strong excessive winds prevail awnings should be wound in.

What We Thought

Very impressed.  Up until the Ground Dog screw in pegs™, we have just been using standard straight shaft tent pegs that we hammer in.  In most cases, they have been ok, but we have certainly gone through a few tent pegs.  They almost always bend, and you can’t use them again.  Most become rusty only after a few uses.  We also found we had to carry lots of them in various sizes. This is to suit all types of ground that we were on.

With the Ground Dog screw in pegs™, we found they were just so versatile for all conditions. They lasted without going blunt or rusty.  They were easy to use and held much better than the straight shaft pegs.

Another great benefit we found was getting the pegs out of the ground.  Previously, I had to get another tent peg or claw hammer out to try and pry out stubborn pegs. But found it easy with the Ground Dog screw in pegs™ just to put the drill in reverse and out they come.

HOT TIPS:

Tip 1. If in Extremely hard ground, unlike all other pegs, Ground Dog screw in pegs™ do not need to be forced all the way in for them to work, drill it in, when it stops its binding, its doing its job – simply turn the locking nut & wind down to the ground level to anchor your awning or gazebo!

Tip 2. Sometimes the ground can be extremely hard, don’t worry here is an easy solution.  Make sure you carry a 12mm masonry drill bit, simply pre-drill the hole! The Ground Dog screw in pegs™ have a tapered shaft so even if you were in extremely hard ground they will still lock in.

Notice something? The Ground Dog screw in pegs™ have been made with security in mind, a left-hand thread!