You may think that a tent peg is a tent peg and that they are simple.
But I urge you to check out your local camping store, when you do you will see all the various types on sale and you will wonder where to start.
Steel tent pegs are by far the strongest, but they are also the heaviest.
They can also have sharp edges and it is all too easy to cut yourself if you are not careful when pulling them out of the ground.
I find that steel tent pegs are best for hard rocky sites as they are rather like long masonry nails.
Plastic pegs are very light, cheap and easy to clean.
However they can be very bulky to pack and some of them are cheaply made and break easily.
The favourite which is what you get from most good quality tents are pegs made from a light alloy as they more durable than the plastic equivalent and lighter than the steel pegs.
If you are camping on hard ground though they can easily bend or if you are a bit over eager with the mallet they can also bend and even snap.
Most experienced campers build up a collection of various pegs as you will find that depending which site you go to, it is often prudent to have the right form of tent peg applicable to that sites ground surface.
Always carry some spares, as when you purchase your tent they do give you pegs but there is never enough as some will fall by the wayside, and it seems that however careful you try and be some will stick in the ground or get lost.
A good tool is the tent peg extractor which is essentially a reinforced tent peg with a plastic handle on the end.
This enables you to easily pull out your pegs with the minimum of fuss and leaving them intact.