When one thinks of tools that are essential to our survival, shovels do not immediately spring to mind. However, it’s not until you start to think about the jobs that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to complete without a shovel of some kind, that you start to realize just how important a survival shovel could be!
Digging graves, construction work, gardening, camping, and a whole host of other projects would be impossible or not as feasible without the use of a shovel.
Survival shovels have generally never been given the same consideration as other specialist survival tools, so the following post will aim to highlight their importance and assert why you should definitely have one in your best bug out bag or emergency kit, and exactly what you should be looking for when selecting the best survival shovel for your specific needs.
Best Survival Shovel
| Best Folding or Collapsible Survival Shovels | |
Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade
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US GI Military Original Issue E-Tool Folding Shovel
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Iunio Military Portable Folding Shovel and Pickax
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SOG Folding Shovel "Elite E Tool"
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Fivejoy Military Folding Shovel Multitool (RS)
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Schrade SCHSH1 Telescoping Folding Shovel
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| Best One Piece Survival Shovels | |
Cold Steel 92SFS Special Forces Shovel
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M48 Kommando Survival Shovel
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What is Your Intended Use for the Shovel?
There are many jobs for which a survival shovel will prove to be an invaluable piece of emergency equipment; helping to level an area where you want to pitch a tent, digging a shelter, a rain trench, a latrine, or a fire pit, digging out stuck vehicles, or even cutting wood, so before you start searching for the perfect shovel you will need to think about what its intended primary use will be.
If you’re intention is to use your new shovel on building projects in or around your home, or for general use in your garden, then this post is not for you!
If however, you are looking for a tactical entrenching tool, or a shovel for use on a camping or backpacking expedition then you’re definitely in the right place!
What to Look for When Selecting a Survival Shovel
Narrowing down on what you actually want your survival shovel to excel at will help you hone in on the most suitable, and therefore the best, survival shovel for you.
Apart from the obvious requirement of being a digging tool, survival shovels will often have sharp cutting edges for chopping wood, and some even have serrated edges for sawing, and many have been designed with self defense in mind.
Here are some things you should consider whilst looking for a Survival Shovel:
- If you need your shovel to dig large holes such as those needed for shelters or trenches, you will need a military-style sturdy shovel with a longer handle with thick blades that will cut through thick roots.
- If you believe you may be carrying the shovel for an extended period of time, as will probably be the case should you need to bug out in a hurry, then whichever shovel you decide upon will need to be lightweight preferably with a sheaf or carrying case of some kind.
- If you will mostly be digging small holes (for sanitation, etc.), then a smaller shovel should do.
- If you will need to dig through snow or make a snow shelter, then you will need a snow or avalanche shovel.
Once you have figured out the best combination of uses you will have a much clearer idea of what kind of shovel you will need.
Keep in mind that, as with most other tools, the more generalized your survival shovel is, the less effective it could be when performing the primary task it was intended for. As such, it would seem that getting different shovels, tailored towards specific tasks, would be the most effective and efficient option. Unfortunately, when you are on foot and carrying a substantial amount of survival gear you haven’t got the luxury of being able to carry a selection of shovels so choosing a shovel that performs all tasks well, that is both lightweight and portable is by far the best and most sensible option. Thankfully, there are some pretty awesome multi-purpose shovels that have been designed specifically with survival in mind.
If you need an entrenching tool, a military shovel is your best bet to get the job done. It is a collapsible shovel most commonly used by military forces and is good for a variety of purposes.
The best military shovels are usually collapsible and are made using aluminum, steel, or other light metals. High carbon steel is the most durable material used for an army shovel; while it is stronger than regular stainless steel, it does need to be covered with oxide paint to prevent corrosion, this may need to have a re-coat every so often because the paint will often chip off with regular use.
Stainless steel will not corrode but it is heavy. Meanwhile, aluminum has the benefit of being lightweight but it is not as durable as the previous two materials that were mentioned.
In short, a shovel made with high carbon steel will not break with prolonged use and it is a shovel that will last you many years of use. Because of its quality, durability, and effective use as an entrenching tool, this shovel will also be great as a camping shovel.
Because of its compact design and ease of use, the most popular shovel is always going to be a collapsible shovel which has a folding handle. With these types of handles, you can just flip it open and it is ready to use.
To ensure the ease of use, be sure to get a handle that is not too short. You could also get a shovel with a handle that screws together; this type of shovel usually features a longer handle but it does take time to screw the parts together and you also need to be careful not to lose any of the parts!
Lastly, when it comes to all of the shovels, avoid plastic shovels at all costs! Although they are cheaper and lighter to carry, the major downside is that they break easily and are FAR less reliable. If you have been tempted into buying a survival shovel with a plastic handle, it is highly likely that you will end up having to replace the shovel sooner than you would like which could end up eventually costing you more than it would have done if you had bought the more expensive but vastly superior and much more reliable, metal shovel.
A tactical shovel is possibly the most versatile of all the shovels because it is for the adroit planner who wants to account for any number of possible survival scenarios.
A tactical shovel is usually made with high quality materials and some of them are made with a high-quality injection-molded nylon handle made of nylon with fiberglass reinforcement, this material makes this shovel virtually indestructible! The shovel head is also very strong and will often be made with tempered stainless steel.
Some great features can include: a pointed edge that is sharpened and has a serrated edge for sawing and a concave chopping edge. It will be well-designed and can be used for camping, militarily, and for a whole host of other outdoor activities. Without any hesitation, it is a shovel that can be used as a defensive weapon in any emergency situation.
Many campers use multi-tool shovels to meet the various needs of wilderness camping. The multi-tool shovel features saws, picks, and blades which are all built into the one tool. Some multi-tool shovels even feature handles that unscrew to reveal a wide range of extra tools hidden inside such as a screwdriver, a multi-function saw knife, a bottle opener, an emergency whistle and a magnesium rod to help start fires.
The purpose of these multi-tool shovels is to add functionality without adding too much weight. However, as great as these shovels sound, in practice they are not so!
In truth, most manufacturers consider this shovel to be something of a gimmick to draw in novice shovel buyers, knowing fine well that many of these multi-tool shovels will break once they are put through some rigorous use. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t the odd one or two multi-tool shovels that are half decent, but the only thing we at Alpha Survivalist agree on is that if you are tempted, then be very careful in your selection.
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