Yeah, that's pretty much right; not too much use for a shovel in the back country if on foot. Potty trowel is all I usually take. Like having shovel in the trunk when driving on dirt roads or in snowy conditions.

I bought my Glock shovel 'cause I wanted to do trail maintenance. The Forest Service hereabouts pretty much has abandoned regular trail maintenance. It's pretty much left up to the locals to keep the trails alive. I bought the Glock so I could easily hike it in to spots needing some work.

The only other thing I can see the Glock shovel being used for in the back country is for campsite leveling. A lot of the time, tent sites lose their levelness due to erosion. Nice sometimes to just level it out.