Shovel recommendations? Seems simple but....

silvercruiser

silvercruiser

Observer
Hi All,
My son and I were out at Hungry Valley OHV making sure everything is in working order before we run the Mojave Trail. He just got his learners permit and this would be a great place to get some miles in. Anyhow, I was teaching him how to use the Pull Pal...the earth was hard so I needed to do a bit of shoveling. Needless to say I broke my handy old collapsible cheap shovel. I'm considering the ARB Shovel/Axe/Sledgehammer do it all thing but don't know where to store it? I have room on my rack for a shovel. It seems simple to go to Home Depot and buy something...maybe I'm overthinking this like the rest of my gear? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
 
Clawhammer

Clawhammer

Adventurer
I bought an army surplus folding shovel (sometimes called an e-tool). It can be used as a short shovel or as a hoe/spade, depending on how you lock the shovel end in position. It also has serrated edges for sawing roots and it came with a case. I haven't used it a lot but for 20 bucks, I figure it's a good deal.
 
T

tgreening

Expedition Leader
If you've got a spot on your rack for a shovel, buy a real shovel. They come in handy a lot when off road, and way more so than an axe, or a pick, or whatever else gizmo comes with those multi-tool versions they sell. I would also pass on the E-tool. That's a a shovel for a person that needs to carry something to dig with (soldier), which you don't need to do. Your vehicle is going to carry it.
 
B

Bigunit

Adventurer
...well, there is always the Crovel extreme with the Z spike accessory for the impending Zombie apocalypse.
 
B

BPD53

Guest
tgreening said:
If you've got a spot on your rack for a shovel, buy a real shovel. They come in handy a lot when off road, and way more so than an axe, or a pick, or whatever else gizmo comes with those multi-tool versions they sell. I would also pass on the E-tool. That's a a shovel for a person that needs to carry something to dig with (soldier), which you don't need to do. Your vehicle is going to carry it.
Click to expand...

100% agree. Buy a real shovel. Put it on the roof. Forget it until needed.
 
AFBronco235

AFBronco235

Crew Chief
Keep it simple, either get a decent, full sized spade, (about 3 feet long with a D-handle) or get an e-tool. It just depends on how you're going to store it and how often you'll use it. If you have a rack with a spot for a shovel, get the real deal. If you only need one for rare emergencies, a decent e-tool will hold its own.
 
D

dlh62c

Explorer
When the soil is rocky and hard a shovel just won't cut it. A Pickaxe or Mattock would be a better tool for the job.
 
Kevin108

Kevin108

Explorer
As you saw breaking your shovel, 2 is 1 and 1 is none. I always carry a Vietnam-era mil-surp e-tool. My old one had rusted in place, so when got the new one, I disassembled it and coated everything with copper antisieze. When we go out, I put an axe and a 3/4 length shovel on the roof rack.
 
D

dumprat

Adventurer
I kept breaking handles, both fiberglass and wood. So cut the steel handle off a broken wheelbarrow and welded it to one with a broken wood handle. Has a nice rubber grip an ergonomic shape and won't break.
 
O

OCD Overland

Explorer
dlh62c said:
When the soil is rocky and hard a shovel just won't cut it. A Pickaxe or Mattock would be a better tool for the job.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Shovels are for loose stuff.

I learned how to shovel from guys who dig foundation footings by hand. (It's funny to think that someone would have to learn how to shovel.) They told me that a shovel isn't for digging, it's for moving. The way they work is one guy digs out with a pick or a sharpshooter, and another follows along and moves the loose soil out with a shovel. They work amazingly fast that way, and rocks and tree roots are rarely a problem. Using a shovel to dig is sort of like using a pair of pliers to tighten a bolt. It'll work, but you'd be much better off with the right wrench.

Anyway, we carry a couple of the cheapy lifeline shovels. They're super inexpensive, weigh nothing, can be stowed anywhere, and are surprisingly sturdy. If one were to ever break, you've got a spare, or two people can work at the same time.
 
T

tgreening

Expedition Leader
Guess it depends on the terrain you like to muck about in. My dad being in construction, my brother and I dug more than one foundation (slab) with spade shovels and never once busted out a pick-axe for anything. Got room for both, carry both. Got room for one, I'll still take the spade shovel. It might be for "moving" and not digging (?), but it will dig. And move. A pick-axe can certainly dig. Move? Not so much.
 
Whitecloud

Whitecloud

One day at a time
silvercruiser said:
Hi All,
My son and I were out at Hungry Valley OHV making sure everything is in working order before we run the Mojave Trail. He just got his learners permit and this would be a great place to get some miles in. Anyhow, I was teaching him how to use the Pull Pal...the earth was hard so I needed to do a bit of shoveling. Needless to say I broke my handy old collapsible cheap shovel. I'm considering the ARB Shovel/Axe/Sledgehammer do it all thing but don't know where to store it? I have room on my rack for a shovel. It seems simple to go to Home Depot and buy something...maybe I'm overthinking this like the rest of my gear? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Click to expand...

Check out this one......www.krazybeavertools.com Will work for everything. Has a removeable handle that you can actually store some emergency firestarting stuff in. On top of that the spade is actually twice as thick as a regular shovel and has been heat treated to remain hard. Just held a GB for them too. But check out their website and some of the video's that I linked in the GB for the durability of it.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/156642-***CLOSED***-Krazy-Beaver-GB
 
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