Shovels—do we need ‘em?

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DangerZone98

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Dec 7, 2019
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If this is the wrong place to post, my apologies.

I noticed that some of the big knife companies out there also sell uber tactical shovels: Gerber, SOG, Cold Steel (still waiting for the Spyderco shovel). Sometimes these tools fold or telescope to a more compact form. Have you folks used ‘em? Is it essential to have in your kit?
 
Everybody is different, some find a shovel important and some don't.

The AMES USGI tri fold is a well respected well proven tool, and some people like the US made Gerber ( if it's still made here I don't know ), but I wouldn't generally want to buy a shovel from a knife company any more than I'd buy a socket set hammer or screwdrivers from a power tool company.

The cold steel special forces shovel is very well respected but I've never had one, I have an original Russian shovel attached to my minibike that is a great tool and the cold steel copy is apparently much better made than the originals.
 
I keep a shovel in my truck, as does my dad, and grandfather. But we’re gravediggers…so I guess that explains it👍

Edit to add: I’ve looked hard at the cold steel spetznaz, and I want one for camp use, but they raised the price recently so it’s a no go for now.

We tend to break the hardware store shovels, so the heads get welded onto a steel pipe, honestly we use them as “multi tools” in our line of work. I can hammer a stake in, cut roots, leverage heavy objects, etc. that I don’t think I could do with a smaller survival shovel. This I think they are very limited in the effectiveness for the weight. I would not want to use one as an axe and the only real use I could see is in snowy country to help build shelter in an emergency, or MAYBE to help get unstuck if you end up sticking your vehicle in a gravel pit, though it’s not entirely the best solution.
 
I have a folding US shovel I found 20 years ago buried in sand. I keep it in a tough box with recovery gear.

I put one one these in a few of my trucks. They are useful, handy, and also really sharp when new. Keep that part in mind when stashing it, as you don't want young kids messing with it without supervision.

Totally worth it, and a no-brainer in my opinion.

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I have a cold steel shovel in my vehicle as well. Usefull in various tasks ( snow, sand, improvised light chopping) . I also have a WW2 german version ( kampfspaten) but the Russian version is stronger i think.
 
A folding shovel can be useful for many things, especially when camping. This is an old military surplus e-tool that I keep in my camping and emergency preparedness kit, it's useful for everything from digging holes for firepits and waste, to lifting the lid on a hot Dutch Oven and other camp cooking tasks. I took this picture after Hurricane Sally knocked our power out last year. We had no power for over a week, but we were still able to make fresh baked breads and cake. It was far better than letting all our milk, butter, and eggs go to waste with no refrigeration!

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I'll add on to my earlier post. If you have any sort of fire while you're camping, you should absolutely have a shovel. Not only is it useful for making a fire pit, moving around logs and coals, or moving any other cooking implements, it's also huge for fire safety. Dousing a fire with water when you're done with it is great, but a shovel will help you make sure it's out and suffocated. It can help you keep a fire under control far better than a bucket of water. You don't have to keep running to the nearest water source, there's always dirt or sand around that you can dump on the fire.
 
I keep a folding shovel/ pick in my pickup and it has been very handy more than a few times. Stuck in the snow, sand, mud or digging a hole for a pit fire. I also keep a hand shovel in my camp gear bag that works good around camp and digging for worms. It really saves my hands and it has a 12 inch sawsall blade in the handle that you can turn it around and screw it back in for a long reach saw. I use mine quite a bit.
 
While I like a stout folding shovel with a pick and tee handle and saw blade, I don’t care for the tactical multi tool type shovels. I’d rather have a simple tool that stays together and can handle rough work. I don’t want it coming from together and losing the critical pieces I need. I have a Leatherman mult tool for the other stuff. I also have a regular fixed 30 inch D-handle 10 inch round nose shovel for larger digging chores but the folding one that can lock set at different angles like a hoe or hook is nice. It’s a 7 inch wide by 7 deep semi round nose tempered steel. My folding hand shovel is a 4 inch wide triangle nose for digging in tight spots and also locks at different angles. Both folding shovels come with a cordura pouch for easy packing.
 
yup. get a shovel. i've dug myself out of the snow with both the cold steel shovel (twice) and an old school surplus E-tool. (once) didn't save any lives or behead anyone, but i sure saved myself a whole lot of embarrassment.
 
JoberSeven said:
yup. get a shovel. i've dug myself out of the snow with both the cold steel shovel (twice) and an old school surplus E-tool. (once) didn't save any lives or behead anyone, but i sure saved myself a whole lot of embarrassment.
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Those old school surplus e-tools can do what's necessary.
 
While I like the Cold Steel and other mini shovels, I keep a full sized shovel in my truck for digging it out of the snow. I grew up in snow country, it's a necessity in the winter.
 
I have a cold steel shovel in the back of the family car. havent needed it yet. I'll be glad to have it if I do ever need it.
 
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