Trowels
Saw this on Massdrop, http://dro.ps/b/oVUYALQ
Looks decent, cheap and light. Thoughts?
Save wt and money use trekking pole, stick or rock....
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Deuce of Spades is cheaper (what I carry)
I am an Ultralighter by the way, but still feel the very small weight penalty is worth it.
These trowels are much more effective than using a stick/rock/trekking pole.
With a weight of 0.5 oz it barely makes a difference!
I believe Walmart has lightweight plastic garden trowels for around or under a buck and they pretty much weigh nothing.. they also have a " hanging hole" in the handle that a carabiner would go through..Originally Posted by trailmercury
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IMHO, I can pretty much guarantee that a plastic trowel that weighs nearly nothing won't stand up to the first hole dug. I have yet to see soil that isn't laced with rocks and roots. Cat holes requires a sharp, tough implement such as the deuce of spades or QiWiz' Big Dig. Sharp Titanium.
Can you seriously dig a 6 to 8 inch hole in the Georeigis mountains with s trekking pole, rock, or stick? It's even tough to do with a tool designed for task. When it's cold it gets really difficult. But I don't speak from much experience.
I dug many a 8" cathole in Georgia using my trekking pole, including the middle of a few rhododendron thickets. That said it was definitely a bit of work to get it done, and I've recently converted to bringing a better implement with me.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
I'd like to know where these people go camping that suggest just using a stick or rock (or others claim to just use the heal of their boot).
Most places that I've been camping (primarily GSMNP and JMT), you're supposed to dig a cat hole at least 6" deep. I have a fairly sturdy trowel (Sea to Summit Alloy Trowel... used to be called the iPood!). I have often had difficulty (and it some cases found it impossible) to dig the required 6" deep cat hole in due to rocks (JMT) or roots (GSMNP).
So if I'm having problems with a sturdy trowel, I don't see how someone could expect to always be able to dig a legal cat hole using just a trekking pole, stick, rock, or heal of their boot.
Because of the rocks and roots I've encountered while digging a cat hole, I've often found that a little extra force is needed to get the task accomplished. That would be my one concern about a thin trowel like this... is there enough of a handle to get a good grip when a little extra force is required? That's at least one thing I like about the Sea to Summit trowel... it has a tube for a handle.
Keep in mind that if you look at Sea to Summit trowels, they make two... the one of metal like I have, and one that weights less made of nylon. The nylon version usually gets panned because it just can't handle the abuse that is often required in digging a cat hole. Same thing can be said about those cheap orange plastic trowels you often see. I tried using one of those on my 1st ever camping trip about 20 years ago and found it totally useless and have been using my STS ever since.
I felt that way for years, but this year I switched to a $3 REI snow stake and have to admit it is a heck of a lot easier to dig with than it is to use my hiking pole.
https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...FU5WDQodxFYDyA
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
I am also a snow stake user. It is a dual purpose item in that it is also a regular tent stake even when there isn't snow.
My tent is not free standing, but if I need to deliver a food baby after I have pitched my tent, then the vestibule will just have to be not pulled out until The Browns have been buried.
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Oh man, for some reason I thought Duce of Spades was $30, but you're right $22 on Amazon with prime.
Skurka is an advocate of the heel method. It might work in areas covered with years worth of pine needle duff, but not so much in soil with tree roots and stones. I carry the Deuce of Spades and it works well, in situation of really tough digging, I will put on my Mechanics gloves since the edges are thin.
its also hell on the knees.
From my small section hikes I can't see how he was able to do it with a heel. I used a wide tent peg and for Christmas was given a Deuce of Spades. The specialized tent peg (which is aimed at use in sand and such) was barely adequate, I can't see how anyone is able to get through the hard dirt in places with a heel or a hiking pole.
I also carry the Deuce of Spades and I recommend it for terrain in GA/NC/TN.
"Though I have lost the intimacy with the seasons since my hike, I retain the sense of perfect order, of graceful succession and surrender, and of the bold brilliance of fall leaves as they yield to death." - David Brill
I managed to wear away the tip of a pole, just hiking, managed to tear the sole of my boots, just hiking. I'm not going to abuse expensive hiking gear for the sake of .6 of an ounce.
Most sticks found on the ground, are on the ground because they're dead, dry and brittle.
I found the Deuce of Spades worked well. Cut through small roots, was able to get around larger roots and rocks, efficiently moved sandy soil. One edge was sharp when I bought it, I smoothed it out with a knife sharpening stone prior to the hike.
With patience I "got by" using the 'dig with a stick or a rock' method for about forty years. But, even while otherwise lightening my pack load substantially, I now enthusiastically carry one of Qwiz's "Big Dig" six tenths of an ounce titanium trowels. Digging and cutting through roots is much easier using that small wonder. (Disclosure-- Other than being a customer of his, and also a fellow White Blaze member, I have no connection to Qwiz.)
http://www.qiwiz.net/trowels.html
Last edited by Siestita; 11-17-2016 at 13:50.
I have the smallest QiWiz trowel. Weighs absolutely nothing and can slice through soil in a jiffy.
The thinner the trowel, the better it digs, as long as it is STRONG. Just sayin' . . .
Gotta love the trowel luv.
Find the LIGHT STUFF at QiWiz.net
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I use QiWiz's Big Dig trowel. Very light. I too have some deep reservations about using your heal or a stick to dig a cat hole.
2013 AT Thru-hike: 3/21 to 8/19
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