Why take a shovel?? Well, you’re going to need to dig in the ground at some point. How are you going to do that? Well the best way is a purpose made shovel, of course.
So which one is the best one to take?? That really depends on what you need,the purpose of your pack load, and a host of other variables. I’m not here to tell you what shovel is the best. They’re shovels, they all do exactly the same thing. Only you can decide what is best for you and your expected needs.
I’m only going to tell you about the ones I use. And I’ll give you my opinion on each of them. The 3 main shoves I use while hiking or camping are as follows:
- Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel
- Folding Stainless Steel Trowel
- Coleman Folding Shovel
Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel
The Cold Steel Spetsnaz’s shovel is, in my opinion, remarkable. It is a shovel, it will do exactly what you think it should, yet it is designed and balanced so well, you can throw it. The edges come sharp enough that you can definitely injure yourself if not careful, yet leave them dull enough that you can put a razor’s edge on them if you choose.
My experience with this shovel has mainly been in throwing it at my log target in the backyard. And let me tell you, I would not want to be on the receiving end of this. Coming in at 1.38lbs, if you get hit with it, you will not have to 2nd guess if you were. Against my log target at about 15ft away, I am in no way close to throwing this as hard as I could, and yet I can hear the impact as well as see the target and stand move a little.
The Cold Steel Spetsnaz’s shovel is a fun shovel to own. And I have to give thanks to my buddy Dwayne Wallace for gifting me this remarkable tool to own and play with.
Folding Stainless Steel Trowel
This little shovel is the smallest and lightest of the ones I take. It doesn’t take up much space in my pack and weighs in at a whooping 0.3lbs. I can’t really speak much on this shovel right now, as I have really only carried it in my pack so far and never needed to use it to date. Maybe one of these days I will get into a situation where it will be needed, but so far its been a safety net kinda thing.
Coleman Folding Shovel
This style shovel has been a staple for me since I was 18 and in the Marine Corps. It’s definitely one of the heavier shovels I have, weighing in at 1lb with out the case, but it’s also the most versatile one.
It can be fully extended to be a shovel or the head can be set perpendicular to the handle to act like a hoe or pick axe. In addition, the sides are “serrated” to cut, be it they’re not really sharp or designed well for that task.
But as a straight up shovel it does exactly what you want and expect it to do. It will dig. I have use this style shovel throughout my military career to do everything from build a small levy around my tent to dig fox holes large enough for 2 grown men to get in comfortably. I used that serrated edge to saw, with some difficulty, a walking stick for my youngest son. I always say I am not going to carry the extra weight of it, and yet I almost always do.
Final Thoughts
So which shovel is the best one to use? I don’t know. That’s going to depend on you and what you’re expecting your needs to be. Your trip variables are going to be different from mine, and hell, mine change from trip to trip. However, for myself, I will switch between these 3 as my expectations of my planned trip are forecasted. As I am currently looking to cut as much weight out of my pack as possible, I have been carrying the folding trowel. If I am car camping or overlanding, then weight is not a concern so it really doesn’t matter, but I will take the Cold Steel. All three shovels are, at the core, designed the same with the same purpose, to dig a hole in the ground. Some like the Cold Steel or the Coleman have multiple functions built into their overall feature design, but first and foremost, they are shovels.
The Wandering Leatherneck 