I’ve been using disposable stakes for a good 15 years and am not convinced I’m further ahead over rebar. Cost, including materials and construction time comes out to between 60 cents and a dollar each if I buy the disposable stake heads by the dozen. Or, I can buy them ready to use for ~$1.00 each from a trapping supplier. It would be different if I retrieved more of them but due to weather and circumstances, I typically leave close to 50% of the disposables in the ground and just cut the cable.

With rebar, I use a block of 4”x4” and a pry bar to get them out. I don’t recall more than 1-2 incidents where I left them in the ground until the ground warmed up. Our laws prohibit leaving a fired trap in place after the closed season so I have to get them out.

With rebar and our local soils, cross staked 18-inches of 3/8-inch holds everything. I can buy 18 to 24 inch rebar stakes for less than $1.25 each and they’ll last my lifetime, which at this point could be another 20 years.

I’ve gotten away from hiking very far to make canine sets. I typically drive within 100 ft of the set location for canines. Carrying 3-4 traps and 8 pieces of rebar isn’t the deal breaker it was when I was walking everywhere. If carry-in weight is an issue, I can always walk back to the truck to get more of what I need.

Has anyone switched back or just stayed with rebar while the rest went to disposables?

I just stayed with rebar, had a ton of them made up in the 80s. I don't walk far trapping fox so weight isn't much of an issue. I'm not against disposables, just never started using them.

Been at it 25 yrs and have never used a disposable

Started out with rebar. I made two dozen cable stakes in the fall of 2016 to try, put about a dozen in the ground that season. Used maybe 3 this year, everything else was rebar or drags. I must not be holding my mouth right because even though I drive them until the chain is below ground, when I pull up to set the wolf fang I wind up with 4 to 6 inches of cable above ground alot of times . Even though they probably would have held it just didn't seem right having that cable sticking out of the ground, so I would dig them out and redrive.

I went back to rebar for land sets, much easier to extract from Rock solid frozen ground. I like disposables or rebar both for water sets.
Jim

The only time I use disposables is when I'm out of state trapping. Helps cut down on weight. Otherwise it has always been rebar for me.

I have poured concrete my entire working life so rebar is easy to come by. I tried the cable stakes, but in the end free
scrap rebar is more cost effective for me.

I will continue to use disposables for drowning sets. Getting them out is much easier if I pull straight up. In fact, we pull the disposables out to retrieve the catch and slide the trap to the setting position. The river bottom sand holds well at an angle but is retrievable straight up when pulled.

I ran earth anchors side by side against rebar on land for several years. I went back to rebar. It's cheaper...and YES...faster. Rebar also requires about zero maintenance and will last a lifetime (or until you lose it).

The only place I'd run earth anchors again would be if I were in pure sand country.

I only use anchors where theft is a concern. Without tools, they aren’t coming up in my soil, and I’d rather dig them out than lose equipment to thieves. And how someone tampers with traps can be an indicator of intent. Destroying traps is a hallmark of the anti, johnny sneakum steals to use it.

I use rebar for water sets and double stake in sand and gravel for K9s. Chained super stakes for the rest. With a puller they as easy as 2x rod.

Tried disposables one season, didn't like leaving behind and didn't like digging them out. So all rebar for me. 2 crossed

I like both. And I'm getting all my earth anchors made for nothing.

I just made up 125 wolf fangs for my trip to TX this year. Fingers are sore now!

For snares, I rig mine with a swivel/extension/earth anchor. It’s so nice to be able to put 12 in a canteen pouch on my belt and only carry wire and my driver setting beaver snares. For traps, I keep about 18 rebar stakes for setting next to the truck and for top ends of drowner rods and cables. Everything else gets an earth anchor.

The nice thing about cable or chain stakes is the suppliers get to sell you all kinds of earth anchors, cable, chain, ferrules, swaging tools, drivers, and most importantly a good puller....Nice for them that is!

I use about 75% rebar anymore. Again.


I use wolf fangs in high visibility areas, loose or soft ground (rare here), or places I know I’m probably gonna set again next year (leave it in).

I’m my country though, a single 24-30” piece of rebar is all that’s needed.

Chained supers or fangs and a good puller last forever! Without a good puller there disposable! If I could use one 24" rerod here I'd be in heaven..

I have been trapping for 29 years . Ran re-bar for about 15 of those. Then I started making my own with conduit and bolts . But last 10 years I have used fox hollow stakes. I can honestly say, I dont miss hauling around 100s of rebar stakes. I use over size chain and a 1500 lb top Quick Link and pull the out with 2012 tacoma 4x4

I started with rebar, used disposables for 10 years. Now I run chained superstakes on traps. Disposables on snares