Which folding/compact shovel is for me?

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Kirk_Ferentz

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
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I want something that is compact and somewhat light to bring on camping/hunting trips. For my camping equipment, I like to think that I could depend on it in a survival situation, and I like the idea of buying something and being able to use it for decades to come. So toughness is a top priority.

It looks like a lot of people like the cold steel special forces shovel. The gerber e-tool doesn't look too bad. I'm not a huge fan of either of these manufacturers for knives, however, so I'm wondering if there are some other recommendations out there...

Also see my very similar post about machetes...
 
Maybe not the toughest but HF has a small folding shovel with pic that I just picked up for 3.99

The head is about the size of my hand and total length about 16in. Folds down too a very small size, to heavy but it could fit in your back pocket. I tested it by digging a small hole in some rocky soil and clay, worked prefect. Unless you NEED bigger I think its a perfect camp shovel for under 5 bucks.
 
I love my CS Special Forces Shovel, its a great size, very versatile, comes with an extremely rough edge but very easy to clean up with a file or diamond hone.
 
Kirk_Ferentz said:
I want something that is compact and somewhat light to bring on camping/hunting trips. For my camping equipment, I like to think that I could depend on it in a survival situation, and I like the idea of buying something and being able to use it for decades to come. So toughness is a top priority.

It looks like a lot of people like the cold steel special forces shovel. The gerber e-tool doesn't look too bad. I'm not a huge fan of either of these manufacturers for knives, however, so I'm wondering if there are some other recommendations out there...

Also see my very similar post about machetes...
Click to expand...

There are tons of military surplus folding shovels, from lots of different countries. I have a Russian surplus shovel, very heavy duty, emphasis on the heavy. I never pack it, but it does ride in my vehicle.

Andy
 
The Glock entrenching tool is one of the the leaders in the lightweight and compact entrenching tool category, but unfortunately its price has gone way through the roof. Cabelas has them if you want to check out the prices. I got one years ago when the price was much more reasonable, but have not used it enough to give any meaningful report about durability; so far so good. I have never seen anything comparable in lightness and compactness.

http://www.glock.com/english/outdoor_entrench.htm
 
I have thrashed the heck out of many an issued e-tool. They aren't light, but I never found a reason to bring anything other than a small "toilet trowel" on backpacking trips. The Gerber e-tool looks basically the same, but it has a plastic handle.
 
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