The Best Tactical Shovel
Shovels are one of the oldest and most useful tools known to mankind. They allow us to do everything from planting crops to building skyscrapers. Without one, moving dirt is near impossible – our hands are ill-equipped for the purpose. Despite their usefulness, how often do you have a shovel with you? Sure, you probably have one if you’re on the way to a construction or landscaping project. Otherwise, not so much.
That’s a shame because there are plenty of highly portable shovels on the market right now. Tactical shovels, as they’re known, fold up or break into sections to keep them small enough for everyday carry. Many are equipped with tools that go beyond earth moving and a few even have sharp edges that they can be used as a defensive weapon. These shovels are meant to be strapped to a pack or thrown in the bed of your truck, or behind your seat, ready to go at a moment’s notice. Tactical shovels are the tool you never knew you needed.
Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade
The best tool for the job is often the simplest and the Gerber is as simple as they come. The E-Tool is just a well-made shovel with a sharpened edge for chopping.
Best Overall Shovel
The best tool for the job is often the simplest and the Gerber E-Tool is as simple as they come. There are no extra attachments or tools to deploy from the handle; the E-Tool is just a well-made shovel with a sharpened edge for chopping. It’s nearly unbreakable and is made by one of the best companies in the survival business.
Best Survival Shovel
If you could only bring one tool into the wilderness it would probably be a knife, but a close second is the Fivejoy Military Folding Shovel. If you’re lost in the woods, this one tool can take care of most of the survival tasks you’d need to carry out until help can come. The shovel is incredibly lightweight at just over a pound but comes packed with paracord, a whistle, a fire starter, a food cutter, and a knife.
Best to Shovel Keep in a Vehicle
When weight is the least of your concerns, the Banores is the best tool for the job. Yes, it weighs over four pounds, but with all of its handle extensions attached, it’s also over three feet long. That’s a lot of leverage gained and back pain avoided. As the Boy Scout motto goes: Be Prepared; the Banores comes with a wrench, saw, ice piton, hoe, bottle opener, screwdriver, compass, fish scaler, whistle, fire starter, and cutter.
Best for Shovel Self Defense
Few tactical shovels are as outright menacing as the Zune Lotoo Annihilate. Not only does the spade ship razor-sharp (for chopping wood), but it also comes with a hidden three and a half-inch tactical knife. Should you encounter an attacker while carrying this shovel, you’ll have a much better chance of coming out on top.
Best Shovel for Backpacking
When you’re hiking several miles into the backcountry nothing is as important as weight. The Boyisen Okoolcamp comes in at just over a pound, which is half or even a third of what many tactical shovels weigh. That’s quite impressive for something that contains a pick, saw, bottle opener, and nail extractor in addition to a shovel. To keep it featherlight, remove one of the handle extensions.
Why Do I Need a Tactical Shovel
Having an everyday carry knife seems reasonable, but why would someone ever need an everyday carry shovel?
- A shovel is a very useful tool. It can be used to dig latrines, smother a fire, or pry rocks from your campsite. Don’t underestimate how useful a digging implement can be – your hands are near useless at some of the tasks a shovel is specifically intended for.
- A tactical shovel is far more than a shovel. For one, a sharpened shovel blade can chop wood very effectively. Some tactical shovels have a serrated blade for sawing wood too. In a pinch, a tactical shovel is an effective defensive weapon (army’s around the world train their soldiers with entrenchment tools). Most tactical shovels also come with a few extra hidden in the handle, like a firestarter or compass.
The Best Tactical Shovels
1. Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade with Serrated Edge
Gerber is one of the biggest names in everyday carry knives, so it makes sense they’d also produce one of the best everyday carry shovels. The E-Tool is a basic entrenching tool that doesn’t come with a lot of bells and whistles. The only feature on this folding shovel is a serrated edge on one side of the spade that helps it slice through weeds and hard soil. It’s incredibly well built, using high carbon boron steel. Since it’s not loaded up with accessories though, it weighs just 2.33 lbs; that’s less than average for a higher-quality shovel.
It’s biggest downside is its length, extending to a paltry two feet long. You’ll definitely be bending over to do any kind of digging with this tool and it won’t give you much leverage either. While Gerber could have added handle extensions, it would have compromised the structural integrity of their product. Longer handles with multiple sections aren’t very strong, but the E-Tool is near unbreakable. It’s a design tradeoff that will disappoint some, but please those that want an ultra-durable tactical shovel.
Gerber is also one of the only major companies that are manufacturing their shovels in the U.S. Specifically, they’re designed and built in Gerber’s Portland, Oregon factory.
Gerber’s e-tool might be right for backpackers and survivalists that desire a very strong and foolproof method for digging holes. There aren’t really any extras packaged in with this, just a highly qualified tool ready to do the job.
2. BANORES Camping Shovel
The Banores camping shovel certainly looks like it can do a lot. Inside the handle is a cutter, saw, screwdriver, bottle opener, whistle, fire starter, ice piton, fish scaler, and compass. The shovel blade has a slightly serrated face for chopping wood along with multiple angled positions. All of those accessories add up though, and the shovel weighs close to four and a half pounds.
The nearly six and a half-inch wide blade on the Banores is made from 3Cr13 stainless steel and it really shows. The edges of the shovel shine bright and will stay that way even if you don’t do any maintenance on it. Though the edges will dull with time and using a sharpening stone is recommended to keep it tip-top digging condition.
The Banores has one of the longest handles of any tactical shovel, extending to thirty-seven and a half inches. It’s able to do this using three extension tubes that attach to the much shorter shovel handle. The tubes are made from aircraft-grade aluminum and are plenty strong enough for most camping tasks. However, any time you introduce attachment points the metal is weakened. Given how much force you can exert with such a long lever, there’s always the chance of bending the handle or wrecking the shovel’s pivot point.
This is an excellent shovel, especially for the price. Equivalent models usually cost twice as much, and some have fewer accessories. The Banores is one of the better choices if you’re looking for a very long-handled shovel, but its higher weight and possible failure points make it a poor option for backpackers and survivalists who need their gear to work perfectly every time.
3. BOYISEN OKOOLCAMP Foldable Camping Shovel
Finally, a great tactical shovel for backpackers! So many of them are loaded up on accessories and have extra long handles, it’s no wonder hikers rarely carry an entrenchment tool. The Boyisen Okoolcamp though is not bulky or overbuilt. It weighs just over one and a third pounds, making it one of the lightest tactical shovels on this list.
It’s able to be that light because it’s not asked to do too many things. This is a shovel, a hoe, and a pick – it’s made for digging. There’s no superfluous survival gear hidden in this one. The pick is a nice addition though, especially if you regularly camp in dry climates with intense hard pack.
The digging implements are made from some high-quality alloy steel though, an improvement on carbon steel. It takes carbon’s positive attributes like hardness and durability and does even better. The tools are also powder-coated for some initial corrosion protection. The handle comes with a rubberized coating along the shaft to give its user a better grip.
This shovel isn’t without its faults though. It’s compactness and lightweight design necessitate a smaller shovel blade. It’s a little less than four inches across, which is going to make digging with it a lengthy task. The Boyisen Okoolcamp is also hard to operate since it’s only sixteen inches long when unfolded. You’ll need to be close to the ground, presumably on your knees, to do any digging. The handle can be shortened even further by removing the extension tube – a great idea for multi-night trips where every ounce counts.
The Boyisen Okoolcamp folding shovel is clearly designed for backpackers and others that need the lightest possible tool. It’s too small for big tasks and has too few accessories for survivalists, but might be just right for the average backcountry camper.
4. FiveJoy Military Folding Shovel Multitool
The FiveJoy really is the jack of all trades when it comes to tactical shovels. It’s there to do any job and do it well. First off, it has one of the most impressive collections of accessories for a camping shovel, including a shovel blade, a hoe, an ax, a saw, a hammer, a rescue knife, a fish scaler, a can opener, an emergency whistle, a bottle opener, and a firestarter. With the exception of food, you’ve got everything you need for a camping trip right there.
It’s no slouch in the quality department either, the shovel blade is constructed from high-carbon steel that is both ultra-durable and very sharpenable. As with all carbon steel blades, this means a little more maintenance compared to stainless, to prevent it from rusting. The blade is a full five and a half inches wide, which provides ample surface area for earth moving. Holes will get dug a lot faster with something like the FiveJoy. The handle is made from aluminum and comes with anti-slip foam handles to prevent it from flying out of your hands with vigorous digging.
The shovel is twenty-one inches long with the extension tubes removed and thirty-three when they are attached. This gives you a lot of flexibility for how it’s used – removing the tubes for more detailed work and adding them when you want to stand upright. With the tubes removed, it weighs around two and a quarter pounds, which is light enough for backpacking. Should you need them, you could bring the extension tubes and they’ll only add a few ounces to your pack weight.
That packability comes at a cost though – the FiveJoy is a screw-in style shovel, with two points of attachment for the extension tubes. Although the handle is well-made and even has some gaskets on the interior to keep moisture out, it’s just not going to be solid as a shovel with a one-piece handle. Every attachment or pivot point is a place where the shovel can fail, and the FiveJoy has a couple more than its competition.
One could also argue that the bevy of accessories is more than any camper would need. If you don’t see yourself using at least half of the included pieces you’d be better off by a dedicated version of the tool, which will undoubtedly be better made and more functional. The Swiss Army style shovel is much more useful when you don’t anticipate a need for the accessories. For that reason, the FiveJoy is an excellent shovel to keep in your bug out bag or vehicle.
5. PATHWAY NORTH Camping Axe and Survival Shovel
If you weren’t a fan of the FiveJoy’s maintenance-heavy carbon steel and overload of accessories, this is an excellent alternative. Rather than being packaged with a dozen or so extra doodads, the Pathway North has just a few: a firestarter, a whistle, a screwdriver set, a couple of hex bolt wrenches, and a glass breaker. You can also detach the shovel blade and replace it with an ax blade. That last feature makes it one of the better options for camping shovels.
Another great feature on the Pathway North is its 3Cr13 stainless steel blade. It’s five inches across and almost completely maintenance-free. Unlike the high-carbon steel models, this one requires no wipe downs or oilings after usage. Under most conditions, it will never rust. That being said, it’s not as durable and won’t take abuse like its high-carbon counterparts. It also doesn’t sharpen very well, which will be a detriment to your wood chopping.
The shovel also comes with an extra-long handle, folding out to a lengthy thirty-three inches. This is accomplished by screwing in two handle extensions, both made from durable aluminum tubing. When fully assembled, it weighs a little under three pounds and even less if you’ve got the ax head attached instead of the shovel. That’s not bad for a shovel of its size – the shovel blade is actually five inches across and can move some serious dirt.
Beyond the ax head though, some of Pathway North’s accessories just don’t seem that useful. The included wrenches are three hexagonal holes drilled into the shovel face. I can’t think of any time when it would be comfortable to use these to turn a bolt. The screwdriver set and tactical knife aren’t terrible, but these are items that deserve dedicated tools, not add-ons to a shovel.
The Pathway North is an excellent choice for campers that want a great shovel and an ax. It’s fairly lightweight while still having a long enough handle that your back isn’t screaming by the end of the day. The price is a little higher than most folding shovels, but since you won’t need to purchase a separate ax, it’s really not that bad.
6. Iunio Portable Camping Shovel
Iunio has created a great folding shovel for budget-minded consumers that walks the line between overbuilt survivalism tool and simplistic camp ware. The shovel’s blade is made from high-carbon steel that is less well prone than stainless but requires some care to prevent rusting. Though the blade also has a matte black coating that will protect it for the first couple of seasons before wearing off from use. The iunio’s blade face is one of the larger ones too, being just over six inches across. If you’re digging deep or moving a lot of dirt, this is a huge advantage.
Where this shovel shines though is its leverage. The iunio offers the longest handle of folding shovel at thirty-eight inches, along with one of the widest shovel blades at six inches. If you need to move a big rock or even work to get your vehicle unstuck from the mud, the extra leverage could prove very useful. However, that extra length is the result of three extension tubes attaching to the handle – three weak points in the shovel’s design.
You’ll definitely want to ensure that the extension tubes are fully tightened before exerting much force on the handle as the loose sections are likely to get bent. All those extra tubes add some weight too, with the iunio coming in at nearly four and a half pounds.
However, as far as tactical shovels go, it’s kind of light on the accessories. It includes a whistle, a glass breaker, a bottle opener, and a saw and pickax built into the shovel. It also has four handle sections to extend its length to thirty-eight inches – the longest of any model on this list. If you don’t need the length though, you can just use the handle that’s attached to the shovel blade and save on space and weight.
The Iunio doesn’t really stand out from its competitors except that it’s an inch or two longer than a few. It’s priced well though, costing just a little more than the cheapest tactical shovels on the list. It’s too heavy for backpackers and doesn’t have enough tools for prepper-types. It does come with a nice carrying case though, one that’s MOLLE compatible for easy pack attachment. It’s also just a really solid camping tool and can stand up to several weekends of abuse each year, which is all you can really ask for.
