Shovel

[Stevie]

Greetings all :wave: I've been reading a lot here but not said anything before (my Nan always said "you learn more with your mouth shut" ) but I'm building up my kit and was wondering if any of you use a shovel when you are out and about? I've looked at various military and folding types but was wondering what the experts thought. Thanks :feedback:

[MartiniDave]

I keep an army surplus folding shovel in a sort of plastic holster in the back of the Disco, but seldom carry one otherwise, unless I know I'm off to do a digging job, going off-road, or there is the possibility of snow.

Dave

[greg2935]

I carry a small one for "number 2's", found the folding shovels weak where they fold, they broke so often on me (went through 3) I eventually cut the handle down on a small spade from B&Q.

[JFW]

If I am away for a few days camping I use a NATO folding shove to dig a latrine - they are not too heavy but you can always make do with a digging stick. The steel shovels can also be used to dig your fire or as a flat surface for cooking camp bread on the fire.

Cheers

JFW

[bambodoggy]

I keep an army surplus folding shovel in a sort of plastic holster in the back of the Disco, but seldom carry one otherwise, unless I know I'm off to do a digging job, going off-road, or there is the possibility of snow.

Dave

Ditto for me..... Mine is a genuin British Army one and I find them very strong...unlike the cheapy copies you get on Ebay etc...they are useless and break very easily!

I also take a small gardening trowel when out for a weekend to bury my....waste.

[arctic hobo]

The small Army entrenching shovels are very good, but I usually just use a digging stick as I don't use it enough to warrant carrying one. That said, they have a multitude of uses besides digging.

[Tony]

Cut yourself a digging stick!

[bambodoggy]

Cut yourself a digging stick!

Ahhh, but you can't bake bread on a digging stick! lol :rolmao:

(Oh blimey...now I'll get told I can bake bread on a wooden plater!!! I know, I saw the Roy Rodger's edition of Ray's show too! lol )

[TheViking]

Cut yourself a digging stick!

Second that. :-)

[RovingArcher]

I carry an E. German mil shovel in my pickup and when hiking, I carry a lite weight hard plastic garden spade in my ruck. When I can, I sharpen a digging stick to loosen the hard soil and the spade to clear the loose soil away.

[Viking]

If you are going to get a small shovel I can highly recommend the swedish army folding shovel, it will never break and can even be used to cut down tree´s.
But on the other hand it´s pretty heavy piece of steel.

[Ed]

If I have my billhook with me then that gets used for digging and scraping alot .... if I've only my knife.... then its a digging skick :biggthump

:-)
Ed

[Paganwolf]

Ahhh, but you can't bake bread on a digging stick! lol :rolmao:

(Oh blimey...now I'll get told I can bake bread on a wooden plater!!! I know, I saw the Roy Rodger's edition of Ray's show too! lol )

Oh yes you can! lol yep digging stick all the way, why carry a shovel when a digging stick takes very little time to produce, just harden the digging tip in the ash under your fire and bobs your uncle, and to cook your bannock you roll it into a long sausage and wrap it around the end if your stick and lean it over the fire give it a turn now and then and there you have it,twisty bannock :wink:

[Stevie]

Thanks to all for replying :uu: I've used digging sticks for " calls of nature" :wink: but when making a stone oven and covering with soil it's a bit of a pain trying to use a stick. I saw Ray Mears using a folding shovel on TV the other night and wondered if any of you also used one. :?:

[woodrat]

sorry guys, your not going to convince me that a digging stick is a good substatute for a shovel. I carry a shovel whenever I go to the woods. Its one of my essential 3. axe or bushknife, shovel, saw. like american express says , I don't leave home without it.if all you need is something small then heres a trick i've been using for years. thift stores and junk shops often have the old style alum.or s.s. commercial ice cream scoops, they are lightweight , strong, and take up very little room in your kit. i have a camp axe I made that has a pick blade on the back to which a shovel blade ,[small e.t. size], attaches.

[Wildpacker]

I just use the larger of my two knives to loosen the earth and tree bark to shovel it out.

[ChrisKavanaugh]

It depends on where I am. In deep snow country one of the large, aluminum shovels is essential. Out in my deserts it's almost a lost cause. Desert pavement can be tougher than concrete aggregate. For the rest it depends on how involved my adventure is. For a latrine the aforementioned scoop or U-Dig it folding trowel work well. There is even a japanese gardening tool worth trying. It looks like a MOD 4 with a curved shovel like blade serrated on one side and sharp edge on the other. For anything more involved any of the military type entrenching tools work well. Beware of updated inferior commercial copies ( read made in Red China)

[Carcajou Garou]

Like RA, I carry an WWII german entrenching shovel (edge ground) in canoe pack, or a plastic trowel in hunt pack, but use digging stick frequently otherwise.
just a thought

[Wildpacker]

For latrine use on surfaces resistant to digging, it may be worthwhile to consider the use of clingfilm.

[bambodoggy]

I just use the larger of my two knives to loosen the earth and tree bark to shovel it out.

Lol....sacrilege....digging with a knife!!!! lol

For latrine use on surfaces resistant to digging, it may be worthwhile to consider the use of clingfilm.

and that's just horrid....it'll ooze out...use several zip lock bags over each other if you have to pack it out... a mate of mine had one burst while hopping out of a Puma at RAF Odiham and believe me you don't want that happening to you!!!! Not nice.... nuff said! :shock:

[Tony]

sorry guys, your not going to convince me that a digging stick is a good substatute for a shovel.

He he :biggthump Not trying to mate. For some, in some situations it's good enough. Sometimes it's not appropriate and it's shovel all the way, but if you find yourself without a shovel, or if you're going into a digging stick friendly environment......I'd leave my nice little folding shovel at home.... :biggthump

[Gary]

Ahhh, but you can't bake bread on a digging stick! lol :rolmao:

(Oh blimey...now I'll get told I can bake bread on a wooden plater!!! I know, I saw the Roy Rodger's edition of Ray's show too! lol )

Yes you can Phil - you twist it around the handle!! :wink:

[leon-1]

I tend to use a digging stick, but as a little bit of information, if you are out in a short term camp (around a week) then the old british army shovel is a good bit of kit.

Latrines, the RAMC teach that the ideal size for the trench is the same depth as the blade and the handle, the same length as the blade and handle and has the same width as the blade of the shovel :-) , then after you have used it you use some of the spoil from the hole to cover what you have just done :wink:

[R-Bowskill]

I sometimes use a 'Black Ada' foot assosted trowel, bit of a mouthful I know but a great bit of kit. Designed for metal detecting it's got a narrow curved blade so can be used as a shovel, but is small enough to get around tree roots or rocks like a digging stick.

I've had mine about 15 years and used it on everything from wet beach sand to hard baked clay and as a lever on mine dumps so short of solid granite or reinforced concrete it will make a hole in most surfaces. I've not tried cooking on it but expect I could do a small fry up on the blade if I wanted to.

:super:

[Stevie]

Ditto for me..... Mine is a genuin British Army one and I find them very strong...unlike the cheapy copies you get on Ebay etc...they are useless and break very easily!

I also take a small gardening trowel when out for a weekend to bury my....waste.

Is there much difference from the British Army and the German Army ones apart from price? :?: The German ones come up at about £20 including carriage and the Brit at £25. The pictures are the same except the German come with a case. I've also found what appears to be the Rolls Royce version ie the Gerber NATO/USMC approved folder at £40.

[bambodoggy]

Hey Steve.... I'm afraid I really don't know as I've never used a German one. However, my british one does have a solid grey/green plastic case it was issued with.

My Mum and Dad bought me a cheapy one when they went on a walking trip a few years ago (bless them )...it's still in it's bag all spanking new... I might take it to Ashdown at the end of the month along with my issue one and have a dig off....see which fails first....(sweep stake anyone?) lol I'll need a partner to dig against....any offers? ): They are identical in desigh...but not in build!!!! :rolmao:

I've not seen the Gerber one and for some reason I don't like the sound of it...I dont' know why and have nothing to base my feeling on, odd really as I do rate Gerber gear very highly, I have two of their axes and 3 or 4 of their knives and find them very good...and very good value.

Hope that helps....

Bambam.

[alick]

Wouldn't suffer the weight of carrying one if I was on foot but the best I've seen is the folding shovel made by glock (Austrian).

[Stevie]

Wouldn't suffer the weight of carrying one if I was on foot but the best I've seen is the folding shovel made by glock (Austrian).

I've seen the Glock but I prefer either a "T" or a "D" type handle rather than just the straight stick type, they give you more control. :?:

[Kirruth]

One trick with the British Army entrenching tool is to fold the blade half way up and use it as a pick axe. It also has a saw edge along the side, handy for shifting blocks of snow.
It's worth keeping in the car at least: it weighs about three pounds and folds up to about the size of a couple paperback books.

[innocent bystander]

I've got the dutch version of the folding jobbie with case. Surely they are all the same : NATO shovel ? And the Gerber looks pretty similar as well . I wonder who makes them all ...