Silly little folding shovels- what good are they?

[Gareth]

This thread cost me some money as well.   I decided to go down a slightly different path and got myself a compact shovel rather than a folding one.

Not my pic, but you get the idea.

[firiki]

After both my front wheels got stuck in a dune, I got a Glock entrenching tool. I haven't really tested it yet but I tried it a little and it works well and feels quite solid.

I also keep a mat in the trunk now.

[Smashie]

After both my front wheels got stuck in a dune, I got a Glock entrenching tool. I haven't really tested it yet but I tried it a little and it works well and feels quite solid.

I also keep a mat in the trunk now.

I've got a small folding shovel in the car and I don't think I've ever had to use it

[jcs0001]

Smashie - if you have the kind of luck I have, the day you leave it at home will be the day you need it.

John.

[Smashie]

Smashie - if you have the kind of luck I have, the day you leave it at home will be the day you need it.

John.

That's why I have a big winch. not much sand or snow here so in mud the winch is the way to go lol

[Grant Lamontagne]

Smashie - if you have the kind of luck I have, the day you leave it at home will be the day you need it.

John.

You too huh?

 

Smashie - if you have the kind of luck I have, the day you leave it at home will be the day you need it.

John.

That's why I have a big winch. not much sand or snow here so in mud the winch is the way to go lol

Assuming you can find something to winch off of.  It's always a bit of an embarrassment when you have to explain to a neighbor how his car ended up in a hold with your Defender!

A friend of mine with a Jeep like mine, but lifted, thought he would play a joke on one of his paintball friends.  When the other guy was distracted, my friend snuck up and hooked his Jeep winch cable to the other guys FJ Cruiser then snuck back to his Jeep.  Using the winch remote he attempted to look as innocent as possible then started reeling in the cable.

Both vehicles were on ice at the time, but the FJ weighs a lot more than the JKU, and the Jeep started crawling across the lot towards the FJ.  The FJ owner looked up and saw the Jeep coming towards him, with my friend laughing his ass off so hard that he dropped the remote.

Low speed collision with both vehicles in Park and neither engine running....

Def

[styx]

After both my front wheels got stuck in a dune, I got a Glock entrenching tool. I haven't really tested it yet but I tried it a little and it works well and feels quite solid.

I also keep a mat in the trunk now.

Glock e-tool is one of the best on the market

[firiki]

After both my front wheels got stuck in a dune, I got a Glock entrenching tool. I haven't really tested it yet but I tried it a little and it works well and feels quite solid.

I also keep a mat in the trunk now.

Glock e-tool is one of the best on the market

I should think so, if it's half as tough as their knife sharpened prybar.

The design is well thought out. For instance I dig (pun intended) the groove in the spade's middle; it allows the whole to become even more compact when folded but, more importantly, it helps remove more material with each stroke.

The added woodsaw is nice to have on it's own right, the fact it doubles as a lever or screwdriver to help tighten the knob is just great.

[firiki]

After both my front wheels got stuck in a dune, I got a Glock entrenching tool. I haven't really tested it yet but I tried it a little and it works well and feels quite solid.

I also keep a mat in the trunk now.

I've got a small folding shovel in the car and I don't think I've ever had to use it

Ahh, but you drive an off-road beast with a winch I drive a 1.4lt essence Citroen C4.

I wasn't really off-roadind when we got stuck in that dune. It was on a dirt road inside a pine forest on the way to the beach. My car can handle a dry dirt road but I had to make way for another car to pass and I didn't realise there was an actual dune on my right.

I had to ask my wife to keep pressing on the hood  as I couldn't find large enough rocks and we got out eventually but had I been able to remove enough sand quickly we'd be out much easier. That's where I decided I needed a folding shovel.

I'd been meaning to get one anyway and hope I never have to use it for an emergency. There are a few cases where one might be needed, summer fires for example. It could be used to put out a fire or clear the area of combustible material.

In conclusion, a folding shovel is one of the tools I feel belongs in a car's trunk

[Grant Lamontagne]

I agree with that completely even if you aren't an off roader.  There has not been a winter in my adult life that I haven't had to help push a car out of the snow, and I can't help but feel that these people may have been able to solve their own issues if they'd been able to dig it away from the wheels a little bit.

Def

[Smashie]

I agree with that completely even if you aren't an off roader.  There has not been a winter in my adult life that I haven't had to help push a car out of the snow, and I can't help but feel that these people may have been able to solve their own issues if they'd been able to dig it away from the wheels a little bit.

Def

Or ever carry a couple of bits of old carpet, works wonder

[Grant Lamontagne]

This is Multitool.org- carry both. 

Def

[Don Pablo]

This is Multitool.org- carry both. 

Def

Or all. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

We were out in the woods today testing a new stove (more on that later ) and the SOG Entrenching Tool performed excellently.

Mind you, there wasn't nearly as much heavy pounding as I subjected the Gerber to, but still it came in extremely handy.

Def

[Syncop8r]

Mind you, there wasn't nearly as much heavy pounding as I subjected the Gerber to, but still it came in extremely handy.

pfrsantos should be along shortly....

[Sea Monster]

Pfft, only three years old, this thread is still good.

I just used one of these dicky things to dig...ten holes.

It did the job well enough, I suppose, but whatever one I have is missing something in the "shock absorbing" department. Every hit on anything other than soft loam went strait up for my forearms, and finished at my teeth.

(I would have used a "Real" shovel, but thanks to the Plague, I am currently somewhat separated from my things - and I have no interest in being the man who walked five hundred miles to be the man who walked five hundred miles to be arrested and detained for breaching our new and improved state borders, now with ∞% more police patrols and armed thugs than ever before in my country's history....)


Now, the holes are dug, and I don't many more planned, so going out to buy a new shovel *now* is a bit pointless.
However, for something to while the sweat cools on my back, I decided to do some internet searching....and I was NOT disappointed!

Look at this bloody thing! It's insane! It's ridiculous! It's just silly!

https://zunelotoo.com/product

[cody6268]

Not my pic, but you get the idea.


[/quote]

I have one of those, a True Temper. Much better to use than any of my folding shovels. Cheaper too.

[Mechanickal]

Last vacation, my parents had a camping spot right next to us.
It rained heavily when we arrived and both our spots turned into puddles.

Some time later, a thunderstorm passed over.
My dad prepared his spot by using his folding shovel and made a 1cm/0.5inch chanel in the sand from his spot down to the lane.

Sure enough, when the storm passed you could see the water flow through his chanel and they stayed feet-dry.

[pomsbz]

Soldiers use these because they have to carry them and they're carrying a whole bunch more stuff in addition. As such it doesn't seem to make sense to me for any situation where you have the space for the real thing. Such as in a car. As an emergency "I doubt I'll ever need it" tool then perhaps but if you're dealing with terrain and weather which certainly would require a shovel and have a car trunk, I would just get a proper shovel. For the sake of your hands and knees.

[Don Pablo]

A car trunk isn't really weight limited, but more space limited. can't put your shopping in there if it's full of dirty shovels.
And as such, I wonder if anyone makes a good full-size folding shovel?
Not useful for soldiers, because it's as heavy as a full size shovel with a bit extra (for the folding mechanism). But you can put it in a bag so your shopping stays clean!

[Sea Monster]

A car trunk isn't really weight limited, but more space limited. can't put your shopping in there if it's full of dirty shovels.
And as such, I wonder if anyone makes a good full-size folding shovel?
Not useful for soldiers, because it's as heavy as a full size shovel with a bit extra (for the folding mechanism). But you can put it in a bag so your shopping stays clean!

On imagines you could replace the handle on some of the existing options with a longer one...You may still have an undersized "head" but at least you've got more leverage and heft....

[Mechanickal]

Depends on the use obviously.

Driving 1000km with a shovel in the trunk just because you might have to make an inch wide gap over a distance of 4m doesn't make any sense, size/weight to use ratio wise.

Where do you draw te line? Instead of a small axe, take a full size one.
Instead of a folding chair, take a comfy one from the dining room you'll end up taking the kitchen sink, without room to spare for some fresh underwear.

[Sea Monster]

Depends on the use obviously.

Driving 1000km with a shovel in the trunk just because you might have to make an inch wide gap over a distance of 4m doesn't make any sense, size/weight to use ratio wise.

Where do you draw te line? Instead of a small axe, take a full size one.
Instead of a folding chair, take a comfy one from the dining room you'll end up taking the kitchen sink, without room to spare for some fresh underwear.

You have a problem, consumerism has an solution: https://inteletool.myshopify.com/

It looks neat, in a "Senior year technology project" kinda way - it does appear to be silly expensive though, I could probably just buy a box trailer to carry my tools in for the cost of a single telescopic handle and a selection of tool heads from these guys....

[Mechanickal]

You have a problem, consumerism has an solution: https://inteletool.myshopify.com/

Yup! That's it!

[Sea Monster]

Even better!

Although what led me there was their adjustable handle range (https://www.fiskars.eu/products/gardening/shovels-spades/smartfit-telescopic-garden-edging-planting-spade-1000620)

Fiskars have gone to the next logical step - a shovel that FLOATS

https://www.fiskars.eu/products/gardening/shovels-spades/safety-camping-car-spade-1001574

NOW we're getting somewhere!

Need to dig a hole in the WATER?! Look no further!

[Mechanickal]

NOW we're getting somewhere!

Need to dig a hole in the WATER?! Look no further!

Obviously that's because it can also serve perfectly as an oar

[Edi]

I  have a military one from the romanian army. It's on the heavy side indeed, but it can handle everything. Breaking ice, digging a hole in compact soil... no problem whatsoever. And it can be used as a small pan over the fire. Perfect for a car. No issues with the locking mechanism.

[Barry Rowland]

I've an old '60's era wooden handle US issue.  Not as good as the later all steel models like I was issued, but more comfortable.  It's rode with me in the trunk of various cars I've had.  It's better to have a minimally good shovel than no shovel

[G-Dizzle]

I have an old shovel that was issued to a family member in Vietnam and passed down to me. Those things are stout! It cuts through hard soil, roots, and rock like butter.

[Barry Rowland]

I agree.  That folding pick is no slouch either.