Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade – Compact Entrenching Tool with Serrated Edge, Glass-Filled Nylon Handle, and Anodized Aluminum Shaft

Perfection in all-purpose E-tool camping shovel, digging foxholes, and latrines. Polymer handle with squarish crisscross outer design. Appears easier to handle than its predecessors "Ames" or "LHB" aluminium bar handle design. Built solid and needs sheath to protect sharp edges. Sheath is not included. Using, "Molle II Entrenching Tool Pouch" for sheath, sold separately, and made with Cordura nylon. Predecessors "Ames" or "LHB" green olive drab rubbery, smelly sheath with holes is too small to latch and fit securely. Using Molle II sheath instead as described above. Handle with gloves to protect from sharp edges especially serration areas, Packed in an ordinary untaped cardboard box labeled, "Assembled in USA of USA and Poland Parts." Outstanding warranty.

I never write reviews but this shovel worked so well I felt compelled to say something about it. I used this shovel to dig 225 feet of trench for a drainage system in my 30 inch crawlspace. The trench was 14 to 16 inches deep and 12 inches wide. I was on my knees or belly for most of the work. The shovel was perfect for the job. Once locked into position it stayed there-no constant resetting and retightening. It's light. It remained sharp throughout the work and in addition to digging I used it to hack out roots from nearby oak and camphor trees that had spread under the house. A great shovel and solidly made. If you need something like this is the one to buy. And, it folds up into a very small, manageable size and combined with its light weight it would work well for camping should you need it for that.

I was looking for a folding shovel to take on hikes and was stuck between varying criteria: - Wooden handled shovels are both light and durable, but cumbersome to pack - heavier folding shovels are durable and semi-compact, but heavy - lighter folding shovels are....lighter and compact, but lack durability. The Gerber 30 falls under the second category, and it can certainly take a beating. Compared to lighter shovels I've picked up in other places, like the Coleman tri-fold, or ones at Home Depot. The Gerber shovel plate is a heavier thicker steel, resists torque well, and can cut through roots and clay. Lighter shovels don't have that ability, and wear down much more quickly. Having said that, I do believe that for backpacking, the Gerber 30 is just too heavy. It's only 2.9lbs, but when every lb counts, dropping 1.5lbs and getting a 1.xlbs light duty shovel would still be a huge improvement over trying to dig holes with your hands or a knife. Either way, having a shovel of some kind in backcountry hiking seems smart, if only to dig campfire and bury waste. While the Gerber 30 could be taken backpacking as it does fold up and isn't excessively heavy, it's really be a better addition to car-camping, or as an emergency shovel to leave in your car (next to your emergency crowbar and axe, of course). m For some details...the steel shovel piece is thicker than most folding shovels you'd find in hardware stores, won't bend easy. The rear of the shovel plate is bent, making it easy for you to put your foot on it when digging tough soil/roots/clay. One side is serrated, but it's not really a saw. There are basically two notches, one straight for digging and one angled for hoeing. The notches set deep into the screw handle, so once set, you won't have to worry about movement. The great thing about that is long term strength for the locking mechanism. When the locking mechanism is merely tightening, or a shallow gear, you have to worry about wear and tear over time with lots of use....the locking mechanism would stop working after a while. With the deep notched system, the locking mechanism on the Gerber 30 won't wear down....in fact, it's a tough enough system that I imagine other parts of the Gerber 30 will break before that part does...The disadvantage of this two point notch locking mechanism is...you only have the two points. If you want to lock at any other angle...well...you can't. The triangular handle is what allows for the tri-fold, but while this is helpful in a lot of situations, I imagine it's not always necessary and sometimes in the way. At the end of the day, I'd say there are two ultra-durable folding shovels on the market today. There's this one, at an expensive but semi-reasonable price, and then there's the Glock folding shovel, which is ridiculously expensive for what it is. So if you need something semi-compact and tough enough to last for several years, and...you don't worry about shaving off that extra 1.5lbs cuz you're backpacking, then this is probably the perfect shovel for you. Use it, abuse it, and it'll keep on ticking.

This is a great and useful pack shovel and I've been really happy with it. It packs down extremely small and comes with a nice, heavy bag with drawstring and cord lock. You could easily stow this thing under the seat of your car or truck. The folded dimension is approx. 4.75" wide X 8" long. Unfolded, it becomes 15.75" long, so it really is a small tool and the handle gives you limited leverage. It is heavy for its size and is well made. Though the handle is plastic, it seems durable enough. The blade is stout and is not likely to deform from use. (anything is possible, of course!) The blade is not sharpened, but I prefer this anyway; the edge of the blade can easily take an edge from a large metal file, grinder, or grinding wheel, if that's your preference, but I find it just dulls too quickly anyway and makes it unnecessarily dangerous. The dimensions of the blade itself are about 4.75" X 6". It is tapered to a nice point, is slightly cupped, and has a folded-over edge at the top in case you wanted to give it some oomph with the heel of a boot. It has a hammer function for use on tent stakes and such and is actually capable of performing that task without distorting or otherwise breaking the tool, unlike some other camp shovels I've used in the past. This one is heavy and well-made. That said, this is an excellent and useful tool for car camping, camping with larger groups (where you have more backs to carry heavy little goodies like this), and for winter or desert duty with your vehicle where you may find a small shovel useful. (It's small enough to leave under the seat and forget it until you really need it, versus forgetting to take a larger shovel that you wouldn't otherwise carry all the time) When I'm backpacking, however, this baby is way too heavy. Instead, I take along a much smaller, lighter plastic trowel for sanitary duties.