Need for a shovel?

fishEH

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2009
6,927
201
Lake Villa, IL
I'm trying to decide whether its worth carrying a shovel. In my (limited) off road experience I have yet to see an instance where I would need one. Anyone care to enlighten me on some situations where it would come in handy?

I don't mind buying one but I don't feel like spending the money and time to mount the shovel if its just going to be "posing". ;)
 
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2FUELS

Guest
Mandatory gear requirement in Utah's Maze district, although I didn't need it, I would not have gone without it...
 

az_max

1
Apr 22, 2005
7,463
2
Get a folding army surplus shovel and throw it in with your spare parts and recovery gear. Even if you don't use it to recover yourself, you could end up digging a fire pit or latrine with it.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Sometimes a shovel can be handy. If you get hung up on terrain (stuck bumper, high-centered, etc.) some landscaping might be necessary to free your truck if other recovery options (tow strap, winch) are not feasible. During my time in Botswana a shovel was attached to the hood of our Series 3, next to a spare wheel, too keep within easy reach. That shovel got lots of use digging our heavily-loaded overlander out of soft sand in the Kalahari.

Another, less obvious use for a shovel is in conversations where you are stuck listening to another driver who is going on and on about all the mods he has done/is planning to do to his truck, how badass his rig is, how intense some trail is, etc. and you have to excavate yourself from the bullshit.

If you haven't needed a shovel before now and you don't plan on driving in conditions where one would be needed, then I wouldn't worry about it.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
You use the shovel to dig trenches for the wheels, to dig out crap that may be grounding your vehicle somewhere, to move obstacles, to bury a spare tire, to dig a latrine, to dig a moat around a tent, to dig a hole if you don't have a tent, to pile dirt up one side of the vehicle to stop air from passing beneath it if you are sleeping on the other side, to dig a fire pit, and any number of things. They are very useful.

How can a man with a shovel be called a poser? I thought everyone had a shovel somewhere.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
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La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
I kept getting stuck nearly every time I left the shovel at home, so I carry it all the time.

An army surplus folding shovel is good, but nowhere close to a regular-sized thing when you really need one.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
When you have a shovel and don't need one, it's just in the way.

When you need a shovel and don't have one, you will drop to your knees and curse the gods.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

knewsom

Well-known member
Jul 10, 2008
5,262
0
La Mancha, CA
p m said:
An army surplus folding shovel is good, but nowhere close to a regular-sized thing when you really need one.

THIS. They are VERY easy to attach to a roof rack, mine LIVES on my rack, along with my axe. Like Kenneth said, they are very very useful, I would say necessary. Army folding shovels blow if you have to do a lot of digging, but will do if you don't have any other options.

Anther good used for shovels: Putting out fires without wasting water or other resources such as a fire extinguisher.
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
knewsom said:
Anther good used for shovels: Putting out fires without wasting water or other resources such as a fire extinguisher.

That's what a case of beer and your bladder are for. Why waste effort piling dirt on your campfire when you can douse it? ;)
 

knewsom

Well-known member
Jul 10, 2008
5,262
0
La Mancha, CA
Tugela said:
That's what a case of beer and your bladder are for. Why waste effort piling dirt on your campfire when you can douse it? ;)

Hey, you might need that pee if you run outta water, ask Bear Grylls. ;)
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
A big mistake people make when burning is too much water and not enough shovel. The shovel sedates the flame, the water finishes the job and cools the coals.

I've burned hundreds of piles, and I've never once had one get away from me. Not once.

I try to avoid it now, though. When something really dangerous has to be burned, I can be persuaded, but aside from that, I'm not going to do it. The biggest one I've ever burned was over a half acre of full grown timber all in one pile, twigs, leaves and all; in the middle of the woods, in the clearing it was cut from.

The fire department called me in to burn it. When I got there, I wasn't a happy camper, to say the least. It was hot as hell out, and the wood had been there for a few weeks. The fire department couldn't leave a truck if they weren't doing it themselves, and everyone refused to haul it off. As near as I can tell, they had lost their damn minds.

I had to do it. Someone else would have burned the whole damn forest down. I hauled more burning logs that night with my DII than I could count, keeping the pile dense and reducing it in size.

When I was done, there was a trench all the way round that damn thing where I was slowly smothering the area with dirt and clay as I closed the circle.

Not one damn drop of water was available. I made those fire buggers sign a form saying it was their ass, not mine, if something went wrong.

"Oh, we will come right back out."

"Dudes, if this fire leaps, you ain't gonna have the time."

I called in some help to manage the thing, but we got it burned. That fucking sucked. That's when I decided I wasn't going to respond to calls anymore. They were just getting stupid.

It takes a real jackass to make a pile of wood that big and then run off with the equipment that put it there. It takes a double-real jackass to call someone in to burn it because the weather conditions are making it a fire hazard...:banghead:

The conditions around that fire were horrible... And yet, somehow wonderful as well.

A little piece of hell broken off for a day. That should have been hauled off.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

Lake_Bueller

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2004
2,105
59
56
Beloit, WI
Brett....I never realized how handy it was until I had one. Maybe it's because there was always another person along that had one handy. I've used mine for a number of different functions. I have a 30" fiberglass handle shovel strapped to my ladder. I also carry a foldable shovel for those times when a trip to the woods is needed :D

BTW...I bought my 30" shovel at Fleet Farm for $5.00.
 

Rover Mac

Well-known member
Feb 7, 2006
634
1
Los Angeles
spaces.msn.com
Always carry a shovel (and perhaps a high lift )
After all you never know when you may to bury one of your traveelling companions when they become really irritating:)
Oh and of course makes a useful self defense weapon should you be attacked by zombies.


fishEH said:
I'm trying to decide whether its worth carrying a shovel. In my (limited) off road experience I have yet to see an instance where I would need one. Anyone care to enlighten me on some situations where it would come in handy?

I don't mind buying one but I don't feel like spending the money and time to mount the shovel if its just going to be "posing". ;)
 

KyleT

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2007
6,059
8
39
Fort Worth, TEXAS
shovel is prob the most used piece in my camping/offroad "kit"
highlift is the least used thing i own. it is a garage space saver as far as I am concerned, but i still take it with me if i head off pavement just in case you know...
 

flyfisher11

Well-known member
May 25, 2005
8,676
2
61
Wolf Laurel NC
I have needed and used a shovel many times. We've had to do some trail repair, especially in heavy rain where we couldn't stradle some big V ditches. I've had to use it to dig out from under a tire that I burst a bead on. Even with big rocks under the jack the ground was so saturated that it kept sinking. When it finally quit sinking I was able to use my shovel to dig under the tire to get it off and changed. I used to carry a small shovel but after having to actually use it a few times I feel it is better to carry a full size or near full size shovel, also one with a sharp tip no squared off type.
 

brianhoberg

Well-known member
Apr 16, 2007
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San Antonio, TX
www.brianhoberg.com
I use the shovel a lot at the beach when heading down into more of the undriven stuff. Last time (a month ago) I went to the beach with my father, he got stuck and I was trying to dig him out with a small foldable military shovel (circa WWII). The Ranger that drove by had a full sized shovel that defintiely made all the difference.

So, this last time that I went down to the beach, I had gone fishing Saturday night and finished up about 3:30. As I was driving back to the condo we were staying at, I saw a bunch fo drunk dudes trying to get their Saturn out of the drrp stuff. I hooked one of them up to the rear recovery point and dragged their ass to the camp site (60 feet away). While another guy stopped to look at what was going on, he got stuck when he tried to drive off, dug himself axle deep in an F-150 2wd. Needless to say, I had a full sized shovel at that time and helped this (non-drunk) guy out.

Got $15 from the guy as a thank you for having a shovel, got $60, some change, and a case of beer from the drunk fuckers that I pulled their ass back to camp.
 

Some Dude

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2009
1,590
0
Boise, ID
I carry a full size shovel and am constantly amazed at what things I find that need a good shoveling when I've got it with me.

The one time I didn't take it out I wound up buried up to the frame in mud. Some guys coming by stopped and had one of those folding pieces of crap. That thing was HELL to use trying to dig my axles out. HELL...
 

Blue

Well-known member
Mar 26, 2004
10,043
856
AZ
I always carry my dad's old folding shovel that he was issued in the military. I use it all the time. I've been thinking about getting a full-size spade with a short handle but I don't want to end the folding shovel tradition.