The Shovel

StG58

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Orygun, the wet side...
Along the same vein as the axe, you see a lot of shovels along for the ride.

Like the axe, you will rarely use it for more than digging a cat hole, or preparing a fire pit. Maybe leveling out a place to sleep if you're out over night. My shovel gets used most often by someone else when they bog their Subaru down in the sand and need to dig out. Other people have used it way more than I have. But it comes in handy if you do need it.

I have found that those folding military surplus shovels are next to useless for any real digging. You can work up a pretty good sweat and not get very far. Being basically lazy, I carry a real shovel. Got it at the garden section of Lowes. It's good quality, and fairly inexpensive. Fits right behind the front seats of the TJ along with the axe and two 80' hanks of 10mm Dacron spinnaker sheet. It's handy to get to and not in the way.

Now the shovel that I carry is a round point D handle shovel about 48" long. It's big enough to actually get some work done with and small enough to pack around. It's an honest wood and steel contraption. Sharpen it up and dig away!

It really shines in the sand, as it's big enough to actually throw enough sand around to make short work of unsticking a rig. I have an attachment for my farm jack that allows me to lift a tire out of a hole if hte wheels will allow it. It's pretty fast and easy to lift a tire, fill in the hole and drive out of the predicament.
 
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Just wanted to post up on a shovel that i've been using for over a year now in case anyone is looking for a solid Jeep shovel. Its all steel, compact at 32" long, lightweight at 2 lbs, and made in USA. I would also say its priced pretty good too. Highly recommended!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IDV2GQY/?tag=wranglerorg-20
 
No criticism intended...not much sand here.
I carry a USGI trifold in all the vehicles Its plenty enough shovel for me; If I need to dig in rough soil I get out the USGI mini pick mattock or the matt-ax (depending on which vehicle is being used).
The only time that I carry a full sized spade or sand shovel is if we are going snow wheeling to see how stuck we can get.
About the only digging that gets done since I got the porta-potti is to clear out fire pits.
so no need to carry a full sized pioneer rack of tools... mini (backpackable) tools work well enough when rarely needed and are easier to store.

Enjoy!
(Edit); The mini pioneer rack tools;
USGI trifold shovel
USGI matt-ax (combination ax and mattock.
Large Svensaw (folding bow saw)
 
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No criticism intended...not much sand here.
I carry a USGI trifold in all the vehicles Its plenty enough shovel for me; If I need to dig in rough soil I get out the USGI mini pick mattock or the matt-ax (depending on which vehicle is being used).
The only time that I carry a full sized spade or sand shovel is if we are going snow wheeling to see how stuck we can get.
About the only digging that gets done since I got the porta-potti is to clear out fire pits.
so no need to carry a full sized pioneer rack of tools... mini (backpackable) tools work well enough when rarely needed and are easier to store.

Enjoy!
(Edit); The mini pioneer rack tools;
USGI trifold shovel
USGI matt-ax (combination ax and mattock.
Large Svensaw (folding bow saw)
Lol, no issues! I (we) end up doing a fair amount of "terraforming" on the trails and skid roads to get back into the wilder places. A full size compact shovel saves a lot of back ache and time. So does a real axe...but that's a different story.
 
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I carry a 12 dollar 30 something inch shovel. I use it almost every time I go out for something or another. I carry an axe as well. It's just a good idea to have some basic tools like that where I end up on the weekends.
 
Just wanted to post up on a shovel that i've been using for over a year now in case anyone is looking for a solid Jeep shovel. Its all steel, compact at 32" long, lightweight at 2 lbs, and made in USA. I would also say its priced pretty good too. Highly recommended!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IDV2GQY/?tag=wranglerorg-20

I like this one. Looks like it could fit on the bottom of the tailgate with a couple Quickfists.

I have the typical military fold up shovel in my recovery gear, along with a Gerber ax with saw in the handle.
 
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I carry a military trifold in my Jeep but I live in the desert and it can move a lot of sand. I have used it to dig my Ram out of a sand bog before. I also carry a lowes D like you are talking about but I got it at home depot, but that is mounted on my trailer. It has a wood handle and it starting to rot. I think I may upgrade to @EJD's shovel though.
 
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I like this one. Looks like it could fit on the bottom of the tailgate with a couple Quickfists.

I have the typical military fold up shovel in my recovery gear, along with a Gerber ax with saw in the handle.
It would fit on the tailgate, those Quickfists would be perfect too. I planned on mounting it on there but haven't gotten around to it. Right now I have it attached vertically on the rear roll bar in the back. Along with a Gerber machete on the opposite side.
 
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Heres my winter shovel. In winter, there is usually some gear packed against it. Nothing better than a big grain shovel in deep snow.

DSCN0755.jpg


And my summer shovel. I never carry it unless I know I will need it. I've often considered a D Handle cuz it would allow the tailgate to swing mounted. But when I need a shovel, the straight 5' handle just works better. After 40 years in construction I hate all the gimmicky trendy expensive compact shovels.

DSCN0753.jpg


This is what gets carried camping or .. Nothing better than a chainsaw after a wind storm on your way home from that remote lake in the forest.

DSCN0756.jpg
 
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