For years I've kept a folding entrenching tool type shovel in my car. I went to college in Vermont and lots of people carried full sized snow shovels in their cars. My feeling was always that a snow shovel is great at home for clearing fresh snow, but if I'm off the road someplace, or trying to get over a mound of snow at the curb, it is likely that my car will be high centered on packed snow and a plastic or even metal snow shovel wouldn't be up to hacking away at the compacted snow.

What does everyone think? I've never needed my entrenching tool, but I'm working on getting my girlfriend's car in shape and she looked at me funny when I showed her the cold steel shovel I ordered. I explained why I went with it and she seems to get it now.

Am I doing the wrong thing and leaving my girlfriend poorly equipped? Also, I ordered the same shovel as a gift for my brother, to keep in his Suburban. Back when that truck belonged to my dad we got it high centered and didn't have anything to get it off!

I'll concede that having both might not be bad, but space is somewhat at a premium, so if you had to pick one...

You are absolutely right in your choice of a shovel. A small conventional shovel, compared to a snow shovel, is far more versatile.

I don't know if the Cold Steel shovel comes sharpened, but a good edge adds to its versatility, particularly when you are hacking away at something just at arm's reach beneath the vehicle.

I keep a small shovel in my vehicles, year round, even here is So Cal.

I also keep mine year round. I do enough dumb stuff in the summer to warrant it.

I'll probably put an edge on my bro's, but I may not on my gf's. We'll see how comfortable she is w/it.

Thanks!

I use two:

One of those small, flat collapsible showels sits permanently in the spare wheel drum. It is similar to this one:
Gerber NATO shovel, but a different maker.
It is about a foot and a half long, folds in 3 segments (showel head + shaft + D handle). The shovel blade is solid steel, about 4-5 inches wide and a bit longer. The blade can be mounted at 90 degrees, so it will also serve as a small picket . The purpose of this showel is threefold:
- I always have SOMETHING (too small to be really effective, but much better than nothing).
- It is very good for clearing ice and hard snow.
- It is a makeshift "entering" tool for smashing wind screens and the like.


The other one is a cheap knock-off of the Ortovox Pro shovel
Ortovox pro shovel
It packs flat enough to sit under the passenger seat in the winter time - easy to get and big enough to be effective moving that fluffy pile of snow.


I won't have the heavy steel NATO shovel in my passenger compartment - but it resides permanently in the spare wheel drum. Most of the time, most task can be solved with the bigger plastic Ortovox copy, which is easy to reach. The NATO shovel is too small to be effective in snow, but will work on ice, hard snow and also on mud, dirt and sand - and also smash windshields if need be.

I vote for a snow shovel. Mine moves more snow, even hard packed, faster and more easily than an entrenching tool.

I keep a NATO e-tool in my car year round, but have a collapsible handle snow shovel for winter. It is a standard snow shovel with large steel reinforced scoop and D handle, but the shaft telescopes. The scoop carries a lot more snow each load than any standard shovel.

Got mine at Tru-Value for about $15.

Doug
Former USMC Mountain Warfare instructor(76-77)

full size--you can move more faster and have some leverage with it.like most people in the midwest i moved a lot of snow yesterday,the snow blower got the big stuff bit i still had to work around steps and narrow spots with a shovel and looking back using a e-tool would have been a lot of bending over and getting small scoops.if you don't have room for a normal snow shovel at least get a coal shovel--a bit shorter with a D handle and a flat edge..i used one yesterday in the real tight spots the are made well and won't bust.

Army shovel year around, add a sturdy aluminum snow shovel
for winter.

When it is cold or wet and you may be stuck in a hazardous
spot along the road, you don't want to spend any extra time
shoveling.

For moving snow in snow season I vote for an avalanche shovel, I have a Voile, like this (D handle) http://www.rei.com/product/716239. I throw mine in the back, it came in handy for shovelling out a couple stranged motorists and also a stuck dunderhead who slid off the road outside my house last winter. It moves alot of snow quickly, is durable, and I also use it for winter hiking and camping.

Paranoia is good right?
I have both in my trunk tear round. An old Oak and Steel ET that I picked up somewhere and a collapsible snow shovel. (New England) It may be overkill but the wife and I spend enough time away from civilization that I just leave that kind of stuff there, along with a wool blanket, first aid, duct tape etc....after all, that is what a trunk is for right?

I have snow shovels at home, of course. As I expected everyone is basically saying both

I may keep a snow shovel in my car, but I doubt my gf would be willing to carry both.