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A good survival shovel is just about one of the most useful multi-tools you can take along on an outdoors trip. It will help you set up camp and un-set it, make your way through the wild, get ahead if climbing rough surfaces, open up cans and bottles, get rid of nails, handle the fire, fix up your car or small appliances etc.
This can all vary depending on the exact features of the tool you choose, but there’s no denying your need for one if you’re planning a camping or hiking trip. To help you get the best survival shovel for your needs, we’ve prepared this list of the top-rated folding shovel options. Take a look and pick the best one for your needs.
IUNIO Military Portable Folding Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- The perfect camping shovel for multi-tool needs
- Military-grade, very durable
- Includes a pouch for storing and carrying on your belt
- Compact and lightweight
US GI Military Original E-Tool Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- Made from heavy-duty steel and aluminum
- Will outlast most other portable shovels
- Suitable for heavy duty jobs
- Genuine issue of the US Military
SOG Entrenching Tool Folding Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- Mini folding shovel perfect for camping
- Small and light, but durable and suited to hard jobs
- Guaranteed to last for life (SOG will repair or replace)
- Includes a wood saw edge and rotating spade
- Military design
Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade, Serrated Edge Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- Perfectly suitable to digging in hard areas
- Serrated edge ideal for cutting roots
- Perfect for gardening, camping and hiking
- High durability due to top-notch steel
- Safe to use (locking mechanism)
Smittybilt 2728 Matte Black Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- A great companion for off-road adventures
- Helps get your car out of tight spots
- Folds to 9 inches, comes with a pouch
- Also great for setting up camp
- Very durable and tough
Cold Steel 92SFS Special Forces Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- Strong handle, but easy to remove and replace
- Axe-like edges can be sharpened further
- Medium carbon steel, heat-treated for extra strength
- Ideal for winter camping trips
- Portable on a belt hoop
Gerber Gorge Folding Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- Very light and easy to carry
- Ideal camping shovel
- Can be used in hammer mode (including for tent stakes)
- Comes with drawstring bag for carrying
- Ergonomic handle with rubberized grip
Cold Steel 92SF Special Forces Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- Inspired from the classic Soviet army model
- Very strong and durable steel
- Hardwood handle, easy to remove and replace
- 2 mm thick edge, can be sharpened often
- Sheath available separately
Military Survival Folding Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- Can be used straight or at a 90 degrees angle
- Very affordable for its multi-functions
- Portable in its pouch on a loop
- Ergonomic handle
- Suitable for many kinds of outdoor trips
United Cutlery Kommando Tactical Survival Shovel
- What Makes This Survival Shovel Stand Out
- Very sharp edge that holds well
- Highly durable material (steel and fiberglass mix)
- One serrated edge and one concave edge for chopping
- Doubles down as a self-defense weapon
- Comes with a belt pouch for carrying
How To Choose A Survival Shovel – Buying Guide
Now that you know how the best 10 survival shovels look like and have an overview of their features, here’s how you can decide which of those features you need and how to choose the best folding shovel for your needs.
Related Review: Folding Shovel
Use
First of all, think of answering yourself the most basic question, that should be at the beginning of your buying process: what are you going to use it for? If you tend to go mostly on winter camping trips, you need a tactical shovel that will be able to dig through frozen ground and which doubles up as an ice pick. If you go on light camping trips with minimal luggage, you could probably benefit more from a survival multi-tool shovel that can also help you create a fire, open bottles and so on.
Shovel Head
When shopping for the best survival shovel for your needs, pay attention to the material the head is made of. You’re looking for something extra durable, like reinforced nylon or heat-treated stainless steel (such as the one used for the Soviet-style military tactical shovel). If the shovel head is made of metal, it’s heavier and easier to use for entrenching, but it will need sharpening from time to time, whereas the nylon-based ones won’t.
Also, the edges of the shovel head can have different features. A serrated edge has an all-round usefulness so you should look for this regardless of your specific needs.
Handle
A sturdy wooden handle can carry the weight needs to help you operate the camping shovel more effectively. However, a folding handle means you get a portable shovel which can come in handy when packing light. Usually, folding shovels make up for the minus weight they sometimes carry through increased sharpness.
Size And Portability
As far as size goes, any survival shovel is not as big as a regular shovel. Usually, a standard backpacking shovel is around 16 inches long. They are all meant to be portable, so regardless of whether they are compact and folding or not, you can carry them on your belt with a pouch and a loop, protected by a sheath. All of the models featured on our list qualify for this kind of portability.
Weight
A reliable tactical shovel shouldn’t be too heavy, since the whole point of having a good portable shovel is to be able to carry it around easily. A standard weight to expect from such a tool is between 6 and 8 ounces.
Extra Tools
As mentioned above, some survival shovels come with a variety of extra tools incorporated. If you’re looking for an all-round useful camping shovel, then it would be worth looking into such a survival multi-tool shovel. Bottle opener, fire starter… you name it. If you already carry these separate tools around (for instance, if you go adventuring with an off-road car), then maybe look for a tactical shovel which can be more useful for digging your wheels out when they’re stuck in the ground or which can be used as an ice pick and so on.
Durability
All of the best survival shovels are built to last, but some (the ones made of stainless steel) should also be sharpened from time to time. Depending on how often you use it and for what kind of jobs, the sharpening will need to be performed more or less often. The nylon-based type of tactical shovel won’t need to be sharpened and may keep its edge better. All great brands guarantee a lifetime use of their products, so if you go for a model featured on the list above, durability won’t be an issue.
FAQs
Q: What Is a Survival Shovel?
A survival shovel is a tactical tool originating in military history, with a design which has proven its usefulness in a variety of outdoor situations. It’s great for camping, hiking, gardening and other survival-related situations, and it can even come in handy for industrial purposes. Its edges are perfect for chopping roots while digging and trenching, for setting up camp, for helping your car get out of a tight spot during off-road adventures and so on.   Â
Q: Why Do I Need a Survival Shovel?
If you like adventuring in the great outdoors, a reliable camping shovel is about the best survival tool you can have on hand. It’s relatively small and easy to carry around (compared to a regular shovel), but really sturdy and helpful in a variety of situations you will encounter while hiking, camping, climbing etc.
It will help you set up camp, dig a fire hole or a sanitation hole, help move your car or tent, chop through cumbersome vegetation, do minor repairs on your equipment, fight wild animals and so on. Few other tools are as needed during outdoors adventures, to take a look at your top of the best survival shovels above and pick the best one for your needs. You’ll thank us later.
Globo Surf Overview
We hope our guide with survival shovel reviews has helped you understand better the different features of these tools and how to choose one that fits your needs. There’s no such thing as the best folding shovel for everyone, since it all depends on the types of outdoor adventures you are likely to go on. Now that you know which tool will help you make yourself at home anywhere, you’re ready to take on the wilderness. Happy camping!
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Have you used a tactical shovel so far, and if so, what for? Do you use a survival shovel around the house for yard work or do you use a camping shovel only when you go on a trip? What’s a fun situation in which a compact shovel helped you get out of a tight spot? Do you have any advice for our other readers looking for a best pick? Share your thoughts with everyone in the comment section below!