Which shovel?

[MadPlumbarian]

I ended up using that one I made for something and then when done I walk right over to a small branch that was bothering me and hacked it off in about three hits!
JR

[Vidar]

The general design of portable shovels for wintertime look a bit different around here. The Fiskars below is a typical example. They are good for building shelters and digging down on trips, and nice to have in the back of the car or snowmobile. Not so great on ice or icy snow - old shovels of this kind will often develop a rip in the aluminium after a lot of such use. The main benefit of a shovel made for snow is that it gets the those kinds of jobs done much faster due to the shape and size.

Personally I have a middle of the road option for the car. A bit smaller, and with a pointy steel blade - though not so small as the collapsible ones. The weight difference matters less in the car, and it will handle ice as well. (That thing is supposedly made for digging in steep uphill areas - thus shorter handle than normal).

[kkokkolis]

For our tropical wintertime it proved enough.
Apart from removing snow, I put it under the wheel and stepped on it over slippery soil.
The handle got very wet but the grip remains firm.
And it doesn't freeze my palm, as the all steel other shovel/multitool I used all these years (that's Soviet too).
So far, so good.
Thankfully, they stole my Surge and Swisschamp from my car, but they didn't consider this valuable.

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[Gareth]

Well, you have now officially shovelled more snow this year than I have.  We're having a relatively mild and damp winter so far. 

[Rostovsky]

I've already shown these photos, but I'll repeat them in the relevant topic. The Soviet Army. The stamp is correctly called "Three Spruces" instead of "Three Trees." Many such shovels were manufactured, and they are still used in the army. For some reason, shovels manufactured in 1984 are particularly valued.

[Farmer X]

 

[Jack the Zipper]

Continuing on the superior Soviet shovel and answering the original question: I have the capitalist Cold Steel copy in my car all year round, because it is indestructable. No task is too dirty or too heavy. I also keep a saw, an axe, a crowbar, rope, tarps, foam mat, wire, tape, reflective vests, winter boots, thermal blanket, rain poncho, etc, in addition to what counts as regular car tools. Basically ready to set up a roadside camp if stranded in a storm or a pileup. The kit is packed into a backpack so I can become foot mobile.

For snow, I have a lighter polymer shovel, because I don't want to scrape the paintwork. But I highly recommend the og spetsnaz shovel or a copy to everyone. It doubles as an axe, to an extent, and is a fearsome and totally legal weapon. Baseball bats and batons have nothing on this spade. And you can't dig with them

[Rostovsky]

They say that a Cold Steel shovel is very good, but a Soviet army original can be bought in Russia for 5-10 dollars. And if you're lucky, then in the original tarpaulin cover. The steel on the Soviet shovel is quite soft, the shovel should not break under any circumstances. It should bend. If I can bend the shovel, I can straighten it back and continue digging.
And you can always tell the police that you were going fishing with a shovel to dig worms, but two strong guys came up, saw the shovel and asked to see it. But since the shovel is sharpened quite sharply, they cut themselves. It's not my fault. I'm just a fisherman.

[Jack the Zipper]

So, my snow shovel is a Fiskars, one piece polymer item. Easy on glass and paint. My second CS shovel is in its sheath so it doesn't do damage to the rest of the kit - I keep one edge very sharp for chopping. I have another one for gardening that is much more used. The handle had to be sanded and oiled, the factory finish is way too slick. A beater knife and warm work gloves, said tool bag, and a multi-part first aid kit with the bleedout kit marked with red tab. Everything packs nicely under the floor of the trunk, where I keep the jack, puncture kit, compressor, tow line, and other necessary items.

[Farmer X]

  Everyone should have such kits and gear in their vehicle, if you ask me.

[Gareth]

So, my snow shovel is a Fiskars, one piece polymer item. Easy on glass and paint. My second CS shovel is in its sheath so it doesn't do damage to the rest of the kit - I keep one edge very sharp for chopping. I have another one for gardening that is much more used. The handle had to be sanded and oiled, the factory finish is way too slick. A beater knife and warm work gloves, said tool bag, and a multi-part first aid kit with the bleedout kit marked with red tab. Everything packs nicely under the floor of the trunk, where I keep the jack, puncture kit, compressor, tow line, and other necessary items.

Love that Fiskars car shovel.  I'll need to see if I can find one.

[kkokkolis]

I still love mine.
I also keep a Bahco Mora clone in the glove compartment.
And an Eastwing geology hammer with a couple of heavy duty stone chisels.

[Jack the Zipper]

So my other other military shovel is vintage, I hear Hungarian postwar entrenching tool, near identical with Imperial Austro-Hungarian ones. It's not very valuable and the riveted construction probably couldn't take my weight behind it, so it's my muck shovel. Literally, for emptying the (now mandatory) compost. Excellent and rich growing material for the garden, and totally free.

It's marked with a stylized "S" and numbers 41893 which apparently means it's not Imperial, but postwar commie copy.

[Gareth]

So my other other military shovel is vintage, I hear Hungarian postwar entrenching tool, near identical with Imperial Austro-Hungarian ones. It's not very valuable and the riveted construction probably couldn't take my weight behind it, so it's my muck shovel. Literally, for emptying the (now mandatory) compost. Excellent and rich growing material for the garden, and totally free.

It's marked with a stylized "S" and numbers 41893 which apparently means it's not Imperial, but postwar commie copy.

That's a great looking shovel Jack. 

[Farmer X]

  I just have to wonder how well mandatory composting would go over in my area.

[Jack the Zipper]

I just have to wonder how well mandatory composting would go over in my area.

Think Home Owners' Association rules, but state and municipality sanctioned  Either you have a separate bin for biodegradable waste, and pay for someome to empty and maintain it, or you must compost it yourself. I'm ok with the idea itself, but like any other normal person I dislike the coersive nature of it. I'm afraid many people only do the right thing if they are forced to!

By sorting, recycling, and composting our waste we do things the right way. There's less waste, less rats, and we get free compost for the garden.

[Farmer X]

Being mandated by the HOA makes a little more sense. And truthfully, I'm in favor of anything that'll keep four-legged rats and other such vermin away.