Gerber Gear Military Style Tactical Folding Spade E-Tool, Heavy-Duty All Purpose Camping and Emergency Car Shovel with Serrated Edge, Compact Survival Gear, Black

Great quality, great size, great value, comfortable to use, very durable.

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.

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.

It's smaller than your typical folding trench shovel. Well suited for backpacking, takes up less space. Feels good quality, but only time will tell. It's eh. I have an older rusty trench shovel, think I'll keep this for backpacking and use that for the car after servicing it.

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.

This was some grunt's issued e-tool. It's been well used but pretty well cared for. Someone spray painted the blade of the shovel to cover up the wear and tear but it's the same one I have dug many a fighting hole and filled many sand bags with.Pros: Sturdy little shovel. Folds up and is compact. Locks in an L position that makes for a good pick or hoe.Cons: It's a little heavy. Compared to my hardware store shovel it's heavy, I've never tried out the Cold Steel shovel but I think it's a little bit heavier than that one.

Hey I cheaped out and bought the used version for just about half the price. I'm going to say "Very Good" is a bit of an exaggeration, with rust and significant chipping of the edge.The version I recieved had no serrations, even though it was stated in the description.I imagine this maybe an earlier model. I had seen some earlier models with a pick. This does not have one. So I imagine this falls odds in between.Hey i don't expect "Very good" to be spotless, but the fact that the articulation of the spade from the folded position is very difficult, no serrations, rust and a pretty beat up edge. I would hate to see what they consider Good or even field grade.If I were to buy another I would definitely strongly consider the full price. Especially because it doesn't not come with a sheath (which i knew in advance). It will take a bit of time to reshape the edge, clean, repaint and oil.My complaint is solely about the condition. I have no doubt it will function properly, it does have quite a decent reputation as a respected model.