Shovels......

Folks.... i would like to bring up something I haven't seen here, shovels.

After trying and going thru all the latest, coolest, super modern-tactical-bending- whatever...

This is the best I have ever used. It packs well and has never failed.

http://www.coldsteel.com/spshovel.html#

What say you?

the Swiss surplus one at Fleet Farm would work out fine,with a cover for $20..maybe less..shovels are one of those tricky survival items..too small they are worthless and too big,well just not packable.the only one i would have is in my trunk for digging out my stuck car and that would be a full size spade.in a BOB?i would rather carry food--but--being able to dig a shelter or dig out something could be a life saver..it would be handy to beat down a door or pry it open..or jam it closed..this is the "problem" with this site..in the first sentence i was writing it off and by the third i'm wondering how i would carry one-----

A cheap folding metal shovel is my campfire tender so it's always on trips. A folding Gerber is always in the car. And an assortment of shovels at home.

I keep a military folding shovel in my Tacoma. It is useful for campfires and digging when you get stuck. I have a fellow Scouter that has a fake military folding shovel, it is junk! The military shovels are great! I used one to dig fox holes in the Army.

You have chosen wisely. The CS shovel is an excellent, durable, non-weapon-like, hardcore tool.

Actually, there have been at least a couple of reviews of the CS shovel on this site. I can't find them using Search, but they're in there somewhere. I know; one of them is mine.

I own three of these tough little shovels. One in each car, and one alternating between woodlot and garden. If I could snag a dozen more at U.S. discount prices (like $15), I'd hand them out for Christmas.

Granted, they're not a finesse tool. Not an ideal knife, not an ideal prybar, not an ideal hatchet, not an ideal shovel. But like a Leatherman multitool, they do a whole lot of things passably well. And it's the versatile tool at hand that gets you through the tough spots.

I'm told (by somebody at zombieforum?) that the official, branded Boy Scouts of America shovel is a CS shovel with a badge attached. Outstanding. Real tools for real jobs, with none of the hoo-hah surrounding cutting tools.

I include a small file, or carbide EasySharp, with each of my CSS's. That way, it goes from shovel to machete to onion-slicer to zombie-whomper with a few well-placed strokes. I also wrap the handle in hockey tape (cloth tape that gives a slightly sticky, secure grip).

P.S., I think if C.S. came up with a slightly slimmed-down, 16 ounce, "Backpacker" version, they would sell a million billion zillion of them. They're just a bit heavy to hump around in a daypack without a specific need.

(Standard Disclaimer: no affiliation with CS. Me no shill, just happy customer re this tool.)

For camping, man pack, use an all-steel USGI tri-fold or a good knock-off is pretty standard. The 1941 equivalent, a longer wooden handle with blade and pick that are locked into various positions with a large nut are about as good, a little less compact when folded.

A D-handle spade is bulkier but a lot easier to use. The compact military/camping shovels are pretty miserable, downright back breaking, if you dig deep or for very long.

The full length shovels, roughly 46", are far more efficient and ergonomic moving dirt. Digging large holes is pretty tiring with full-sized equipment. The only reason the military can get by with dinky shovels is that faced with death by gunfire, and a lack of other options, people get by with what they have. Used to be the GI steel pot helmet made a functional entrenching tool, and wash basin and cook pot and stake driving hammer, in a pinch but they got rid of them in favor of plastic units. Sigh.

If a lot of digging is part of your plan, perhaps a contingency for rescue after an avalanche or mudslide, full-sized shovels are much more of an advantage than the compact versions. Glass reinforced plastic handles are stronger and don't rot or get eaten by bugs in storage but they are often a bit heavier and almost always more expensive than the wooden handle version.

I have a tri-fold as part of an urban rescue kit. Along with a saw, hatchet, pry bar, wrench, gloves, goggles, flashlight (rated for explosive atmospheres), rope, and few smaller items. All in a duffel bag with a stout shoulder strap.

I have one of those. The handle was too short so I took it off.
I have the taper cut on a longer handle. If you put the shovel head on the long handle and give the end of the handle a bounce against a rock it seats the sovel tightly on the taper.
To get the shove head off you need to hammer it off or drag it back against a rock hard. You don't need the handle bolted to the shovel.
The handle I use doubles as a walking stick, just a bit over 5 feet long 1.25" ash.

In the 'Special Forces' series on the Discovery channel in the UK there is an episode on the Russian Spetznaz. It shows how 'when push comes to shovel' (their pun) this shovel is a deadly weapon.
Also other crazy stuff: a kalashnikov shotgun anyone?
And how they do press ups using the kalashnikov rifle as a stand. Now that's a magazine that's built to last!
The Sock

I don't pack a shovel in my BOB, but there is a nice full sized one in my truck - in the winter I add a full sized snow shovel, and a big push broom (great for cleaning off a truck - not too worried about scratches - there are dents etc all over the truck)

The Cold Steel shovel is great at what it does, very durable, good for digging and a decent improvised hatchet. Better made than the original, however heavier and not as well balanced. Either way, much better IMHO than any folding military shovel.

BTW: http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.ph...true#Post130543

I dig shovels. Both as an archaeologist and as a wildlands firefighter, I have come to appreciate this common tool. Any vehicle I drive will always have one and I have a full assortment of different sizes around the house.

A sharp edge really makes a difference,even digging just plain dirt. Keep a small file handy.

just as a quick second thought this AM..i saw a bit on TV about Russian forest--read Taga- fire fighters.they went into remote places by aircraft and to save weight just took the spade part of the shovel and cut a handle on the spot.they were mostly digging fire lines in peat type soil as far as i could see.

When I Googled military shovels, I came up with this site that has quite a variety of military folding shovels:

http://www.fatiguesarmynavy.com/store/subcat/225/Military_Surplus_Shovels

+1 on the Cold Steel shovels. I have one in each of our vehicles.

I have my old army E tool in my jeep at all times. During the winter I throw in a collapsible avalanche shovel from Bolle. Compact, and moves snow quite nicely. The E tool is, well, built like a tank.

I say I've got one in the back of my truck- it is, IMHO, the best thing in Cold Steel's product line, and has been for a couple years.

However, I do carry real shovels when I can. For years I carried a cut down shovel in my trunk, and I had a grain scoop-type snow shovel that I cut down and remounted the D-handle on for camping. Right now in the truck I also have a square-tipped, straight sided spade- it works better for getting under the truck for digging out in winter.

Never had personal experiance with the cold steel shovel but have a friend who loves his.
For in the truck( behind the seat or in a tool box) the Max Ax is good. Check it out if you are not familiar with it.

http://www.maxax.com

While I quite enjoy my Cold Steel shovels, they do have their limits.

I would hasten to add that my car has a long-handled spade in the trunk all spring/summer/fall (for fighting grass fires and 'liberating' small pine trees under power lines), and a real snow shovel all winter.

FWIW, since the forum's search function didn't turn up the old CS shovel reviews, I went straight to Google. Google never sleeps, Google never forgets. (Yikes.) Here are the links:
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=130568
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=130591
http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=132166

I have ordered a CS Shovel a couple of times from Lebaron's Outdoor Store in Canada but they are always out-of-stock. It looks like a quality, multi-purpose item, I will buy one some day.

I keep a long handled round mouth shovel in my vehicles and also a full size snow shovel in the winter months. I once tried to punch through a drift in a remote location and ended up with all 4 wheels of the truck off the ground on top of the drift. I called for help (Sat. phone) but it would take 3 hours for it to arrive. So I used the long handled shovel and a large plastic snow scoop to remove the snow under/around the truck. By the time help arrived the tires were back on the road and we just used the tow to ensure that I did not slide off the road onto the adjacent lake.

Winter adventures are about to begin again!

Mike

/aside/

Yep, here we go. The sky's colours have gone pastel, and my DW complains that she drives to work in the dark and comes home in the dark. (She's a skilled and conscientious teacher, puts in insane hours, 11 hour day today, deals with fruitcake parents, bureaucratic BS, weekend obligations too.) Anyway, time to mothball the lawn mower, service the snowblower, and check that the winter tires-on-rims are holding air.

/back to the thread/

Nice.

I currently have a nylon gardening trowel in my gear, which weighs near-to-nothing and yet has been quite serviceable. I use it for digging cat-holes and putting out small campfires.

I also keep a compact snow shovel in my car from September until June, as I live where early or late storms can be rather unpredictable.

I am just checking some old posts on the Survival Forum.
Came across this thread.

The Cold Steel shovel is an outstanding piece of equipment. I try to carry one whever I am on travel in rough country (esp. when operating out of a vehicle). It has a multitude of uses and they are all good.

As you probably know, the Cold Steel design was directly developed from the shovel used by the Russian Spetznatz forces (spelling?). Those guys are very effective at what they do ... often considered to be some of the best spec. forces in the world. Cold Steel's implementation of their shovel is extremely tough and durable. It's well worth having one.

Pete