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Snow>TP
02-01-2012, 10:41
I've been backpacking for a fair amount of time and have had my share of poops in the woods. Lets call it a point of pride.

My question is for the thru hike is the shovel generally carried or do most people try to use their boot/rock?

The best way to avoid water contamination is to dig your cat holes 6 inches deep and well OVER 100 feet from water. Not always easy but the point is the noble hiker will always try. 6 inches isnt always easy to do when youre prairie doggin or 'touching cloth' as the kids say and especially hard with your boot.

SO to have a shovel or clench to the next privy?

Elder
02-01-2012, 10:46
The #1 Item dropped at Neels Gap....
Orange Plastic Poop Trowel!!
Pirate makes wind chimes to sell to the tourists.

Lone Wolf
02-01-2012, 10:46
no shovel necessary

Sailing_Faith
02-01-2012, 11:07
The beauty of simplicity....

or;

More fear = More gear (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?77710-More-fear-More-gear).

Grampie
02-01-2012, 11:25
Don't bring one. After North Carolina you will never see a thru-hiker with one.

peakbagger
02-01-2012, 11:43
Those little orange plastic shovels were a frequent unwelcome addition to hikers boxes down south when I was sectioning in the area. A practical reason for not carrying one is that after use a few times in rocky terrain they get scratched and "residue" gets in the cracks and its almost impossible to remove without running water which defeat the purpose of keeping waste away from potential water sources. The alternative is to leave the now aromatic shovel hanging from your pack but that will get old pretty quick.


Realistically, the vast majority of terrain encountered on the trail is rocky with some soil mixed in. Its rare that you will ever be able to dig a 6" hole with shovel without encountering a rock. There are also primitive digging tools all over the place which are called dead branches. They dig just as well as a shovel and can be buried after the fact if contaminated. In many places, the hiker finds an appropriate partially buried rock, flips it over and does their buisness and flips the rock back in place.

HiKen2011
02-01-2012, 11:57
No..............

seasparrow
02-01-2012, 12:13
Use your steel toed boots.mine lasted the whole trail.A lil bit of polish each day help keep your boot lookin nice.

QiWiz
02-01-2012, 13:19
Use your digging implement, whether it be a trowel or not, to make a hole to go in, not to manipulate your s**t. This avoids the aromatic and bacteria laden trowel problem. The red plastic trowels break easily when subjected to actual use in real backcountry. I personally always bring a really light titanium trowel. Not at all heavy, cuts through small roots easily, and nearly indestructible. A guy named QiWiz sells them. Really nice. He has a post about them in the Selling Used Gear Forum. ; )

Hoofit
02-01-2012, 13:26
Isn't that is where the term, "Shi() - kickers came from"!?

Rain Man
02-01-2012, 13:33
15055Why not go multi-function?

"Sno" tent stake (http://www.rei.com/product/358111/smc-sno-tent-stake)

They do make a shorter one.

Rain:sunMan

.

Doctari
02-01-2012, 13:51
Only time I carry a "Poop Trowel" is during Ramp season. Tried using my tent stake, & possibly my Groundhogs would do the trick, but the shepherds hook ones didn't. So now I add the Orange plastic trowel during ramp season. Still haven't tried my groundhogs.
Still don't use the Trowel when "taking care of business" my boot does just as well.

RevLee
02-01-2012, 14:49
15055Why not go multi-function?

"Sno" tent stake (http://www.rei.com/product/358111/smc-sno-tent-stake)

They do make a shorter one.

Rain:sunMan

.

That's exactly what I use. It's big enough to get a good grip, strong enough to dig, wide enough to actually move some soil, plus it's a spare stake if you lose one or the ground has a really soft spot.

WingedMonkey
02-01-2012, 15:38
Have had the same orange one for at least 20 years. It seldom stays home. I'm a bit of an explorer and use it to dig up rocks, or roots or plants or critters.
Or sometimes use it to destroy and spread those nasty fire rings that others leave in prime tent spots.
Get a lot more use out of it it than the swiss army knives and leatherman tools I have given away.

bamboo bob
02-01-2012, 15:51
Last I looked LNT rules say bury your poop 6-8 inches. Being a good dubie I always try to give it my best shot so to speak. But as others have said it is not so easy except in desert sand to just kick a hole in the ground. Save it for the privy.

lemon b
02-01-2012, 15:51
lol depends on your bowels and whose around.

bigcranky
02-01-2012, 17:56
Aluminum snow stake is what I use, too. It's light, digs well, and I use it as a tent stake when I need a spare.

Spokes
02-01-2012, 18:07
Unless you intend to plant flower bulbs along the way, no.

flemdawg1
02-01-2012, 18:54
I carry hiking poles and use it for cathole digging, and I also use for keeping my balance as I walk off trail to do my bizness. (sometimes hard to maintain balance when stiff after a few days of tough hiking)

NotYet
02-01-2012, 20:01
My "i-pood" is very light and makes it easy to dig a 6" cat-hole. I always have it with me on a hike, and to be honest, I'd prefer other hikers to bury their waste in a way that it doesn't end up exposed....makes the hiking experience much more pleasant. I NEVER use the shovel to cover the waste! Instead use a stick...keeps the waste separated from the shovel!!!


This piece of gear isn't about fear so much as it's about courtesy. The bootheel (or trail-runner heel) technique can work in an emergency, but holes dug with a bootheel are often way too shallow. I've come across some pretty nasty bathroom spots in the woods! I consider the weight of the shovel to be well worth it!!!!

Papa D
02-01-2012, 20:27
No shovel necessary - scout out a sturdy stick or rock which should do the job fine. You can also add some mulch over your cat-hole to essentially increase the depth a bit and stomp it down too.

Snow>TP
02-01-2012, 21:57
I dont think its a mrore fear more gear thing at all and I have heard "blah blah blah," is the most dropped item in the first 100 miles. Ive gone boot, stick, and rock and I know the shovel is the best at getting as close to 6 inches as the situation provides.

The most important thing is to dig and bury please. Ive worked as a ranger and thru hikers have gotten an awful reputation in some areas for not wanting to take the time to dig. TP flowers dont smell great and no one wants to stop and smell them. No excuse for surface poops 3 feet from the trail.


Also dont forget, when you done, before you cover, give the poop stew a stir. Really helps decomposition.

Smooth & Wasabi
02-01-2012, 23:40
I third or fourth the snow stake it is more functional for me than a plastic trowel. We have an i-pood too which works well but is a bit heavy for my tastes, especially on trails with so many privies,

TOMP
02-02-2012, 01:19
Should be a poll.

Papa D
02-02-2012, 09:18
I dont think its a mrore fear more gear thing at all and I have heard "blah blah blah," is the most dropped item in the first 100 miles. Ive gone boot, stick, and rock and I know the shovel is the best at getting as close to 6 inches as the situation provides.

The most important thing is to dig and bury please. Ive worked as a ranger and thru hikers have gotten an awful reputation in some areas for not wanting to take the time to dig. TP flowers dont smell great and no one wants to stop and smell them. No excuse for surface poops 3 feet from the trail.


Also dont forget, when you done, before you cover, give the poop stew a stir. Really helps decomposition.

I certainly agree about getting it deep, stirring the poop up a bit, and poking it down deeper in the hole. I also (usually) just wrap a little TP around some leaves - this gives you the soft sanitary feel and bulk in your hand without the extra wad of t.p. -- I think that all of this can be done equally (and sometimes better) with a sturdy stick or pointy rock. I keep a 1 oz piece of Dr. Bronners soap in my TP zip-lock too - just put a few drops or water on your hand from your water bottle and a scrape of soap - really much better hygiene than hand sanitizer stuff.

miami
02-04-2012, 03:33
I recently went hiking with a former thru-hiker and he laughed at me when I broke out the old orange shovel, saying that noone carried those on the trail.... and then proceeded to borrow it from me to perform his business. I don't know anything that does the job quite the same. As for touching poo with the shovel... seriously? I am never lending out my shovel again! lol Definitely do push the poo to the bottom with a stick. If you dug deep enough, covering with dirt and patting down should be no "risk".

TwoSpirits
07-28-2016, 11:04
Resurrecting this thread because I was looking for some info on using trowels. In the past, I have used sticks, my heels, and more recently my poles, and I think it's impossible to get a hole anywhere near the appropriate depth in less than what feels like an eternity. Sticks break, and even in nice soft dirt they can't get through the roots. Same for using the poles -- and I don't like bashing my poles into the hard ground and stones. Using my heel just ends up hurting my heel more than making an appropriate hole. So I want to carry a trowel. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm honestly considering buying a titanium trowel, because yeah I snapped one of the orange ones in my own backyard (no, I wasn't going poop in my backyard....) Also those ounces are starting to count.

So my question isn't whether or not to use a trowel, nor what kind of trowel to use...but where do you keep it? Just dangling off the back of your pack? That sounds irritating. Or in a pocket, assuming you have one? I suppose I'm smart enough to figure out some way to lash it to a pack, but I was curious as to what others do.

Mags
07-28-2016, 11:24
Take a trowel in high use areas at the very least.

There are too many TP blossoms in high use areas such as The Colorado Trail. Too many for the amount of people claiming a stick,pole or the back of their shoe is fine. Various trowels are now well less than an ounce...closer to a half ounce, really.

Here's the one I use FWIW (http://www.pmags.com/gear-review-deuce-of-spades). Small enough to fit into a ziplock. There are other similar ones for about the same price.

Feral Bill
07-28-2016, 11:37
Use your digging implement, whether it be a trowel or not, to make a hole to go in, not to manipulate your s**t. This avoids the aromatic and bacteria laden trowel problem. The red plastic trowels break easily when subjected to actual use in real backcountry. I personally always bring a really light titanium trowel. Not at all heavy, cuts through small roots easily, and nearly indestructible. A guy named QiWiz sells them. Really nice. He has a post about them in the Selling Used Gear Forum. ; ) So, would one of this characters trowels work as a tent stake?

Sarcasm the elf
07-28-2016, 11:58
Take a trowel in high use areas at the very least.

There are too many TP blossoms in high use areas such as The Colorado Trail. Too many for the amount of people claiming a stick,pole or the back of their shoe is fine. Various trowels are now well less than an ounce...closer to a half ounce, really.

Here's the one I use FWIW (http://www.pmags.com/gear-review-deuce-of-spades). Small enough to fit into a ziplock. There are other similar ones for about the same price.

TP blooms and digging implements are two separate issues.

It is quite possible to dig a proper hole with a stick or a hiking pole (I don't claim that most people are in fact digging a proper one, just that it is achievable with a little bit of effort.) I used a trekking pole for this purpose for years, though I recently switched to an REI snow stake which I will admit is much better at the task.

When you see a TP bloom from the trail you are seeing evidence of someone who couldn't be bothered to even move off trail an appropriate distance, and in my experience said TP blooms don't show any evidence of an attempt to bury them.

If the people leaving the TP blooms bothered to move 100/200 feet off trail like they are supposed to, then it is unlikely that the average hiker would notice them regardless of whether they were buried the proper 6-8 inches.

Sarcasm the elf
07-28-2016, 11:59
After I typed that last response I had to stop for a minute and ask myself exactly why it is that I am openly discussing pooping in the woods with a bunch of strangers on the internet.

Hikers are weird. :rolleyes:

TwoSpirits
07-28-2016, 12:27
"Hikers are weird"...probably why I feel so much at home with them.

Thanks for the link, Mags.

Mags
07-28-2016, 12:35
TP blooms and digging implements are two separate issues.

It is quite possible to dig a proper hole with a stick or a hiking pole (I don't claim that most people are in fact digging a proper one, just that it is achievable with a little bit of effort.)

Most don't.

Bring the trowel.

Please.

And, while much of the Appalachian soil is better for digging, a lot of places are not without some sort of digging implement.

On a CDT project, I had the great "pleasure" of finding someone less-than-diligent adherence to digging a proper hole. And it was decently off- to the side of the trail, too.

Sarcasm the elf
07-28-2016, 12:42
Most don't.

Bring the trowel.

Please.




Shoot, all this time I thought it was Don't forget to bring a towel!

(And to be clear, my comment was specific to the A.T. I have very limited experience hiking in more arid environments and would alter my practices as approproate.)

illabelle
07-28-2016, 12:59
So my question isn't whether or not to use a trowel, nor what kind of trowel to use...but where do you keep it? Just dangling off the back of your pack? That sounds irritating. Or in a pocket, assuming you have one? I suppose I'm smart enough to figure out some way to lash it to a pack, but I was curious as to what others do.

My pack has lots of pockets. I store my trowel in a plastic grocery bag, inside of a second grocery bag, stuffed in a vertical pocket on the side of my pack.

Off topic, it's been interesting watching TSA try to figure out what my trowel is for.

TwoSpirits
07-28-2016, 13:05
Now that's funny.
I think.
Maybe not....

Mags
07-28-2016, 13:14
Shoot, all this time I thought it was Don't forget to bring a towel!


I like this towel myself...

http://rlv.zcache.com/dont_panic_towel-ra808cb8d40ee41a68d80517962f631b7_2c8o6_8byvr_512. jpg

rocketsocks
07-28-2016, 16:25
My pack has lots of pockets. I store my trowel in a plastic grocery bag, inside of a second grocery bag, stuffed in a vertical pocket on the side of my pack.

Off topic, it's been interesting watching TSA try to figure out what my trowel is for.buryin' the body's o'coarse.

AfterParty
07-28-2016, 16:53
I will carry a clean trowel to dig my hole.

tflaris
07-28-2016, 17:14
There are many shovels
But this is my shovel.....



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lauriep
07-28-2016, 20:26
There are a variety of digging implements for every taste. Here is a photo of just some of the trowels in my personal collection. They range in weight from 0.3 oz. to 3.0 oz.

35587

The photo is a little deceiving. The orange trowel looks most used, but I haven't used one in ages, except in demonstrations. Some of the "trowels" are new (partly because I like to collect them), and I sometimes give my trowels away.

My old standby is the SMC perforated Snow Tent Stake, available at REI and elsewhere. But sometimes I'll carry a combo--my little luxury. I'll pair the Snow Stake with either the 0.3 or 0.6 QiWiz or the Deuce of Spades, depending on how anal I'm feeling about my pack weight on a particular trip. The snow stake can be inefficient in certain soil types that have a high sand content or are very wet, and one of the wider trowels is much better in those situations. I'm fairly lightweight (often under 20 lbs. w/4 days of food and 2 liters of water, halving the weight of shared items with my husband) but this is one area where I splurge.

On my thru-hike (before Leave No Trace became a thing), I used my bootheel or sticks. The holes I dug were wide and shallow. I didn't know there was any other way. Once I learned there was a better (more effective) way to dig a desirable cathole, I started carrying digging devices. In recent years, a variety of lovely implements have been manufactured just for this very thing. I can't imagine going back.

Some hikers who genuinely seem environmentally minded and considerate of their fellow hikers say they can dig a 6-8" x 3-4" cathole with a trekking pole. I want to believe them, and I'm in awe if they can. As for me, I'm all about reducing weight, but I'll happily carry 1.3 oz. or so of two lightweight digging devices to save time and energy while still digging a good cathole that does its job.

Billy Goat
07-29-2016, 09:29
I, personally, would rather carry a 3 lb trench shovel to bury my constitutionals than to just let it ride on the surface or just barely below. It truly saddens and, quite frankly, disgusts me that some folks don't quite feel the same. I do the bulk of hiking in the Ozark mountains of southern MO, and while the bulk of the trail gets little use, I still wouldn't want to ruin it for others. I even carry a small ziplock bag to pick up the odd cigarette butt or candy bar wrapper that happens to find its way onto the trail. I've broken plastic trowels just trying to punch through the duff, and once thats accomplished, the soil is about 50/50 rock and root with very little actual dirt, it seems. I am happy to carry an astonishingly light stainless steel trowel that I made, to easily cut duff, small roots, and pry up the gravel that populates the bulk of the range. Most people can't read a tape measure, and I doubt they can honestly say they have any idea what 6 inches even looks like, much less actually dig a hold that deep with a pointy stick they found or kick a hole in the ground. If they can AND do, more power to them. For everyone else, carry a trowel. Bury your poop. And for God's sake, don't use the shovel to poke the poo. That's what the sticks are for.

Cheers,
the Goat

tflaris
07-29-2016, 11:03
I, personally, would rather carry a 3 lb trench shovel to bury my constitutionals than to just let it ride on the surface or just barely below. It truly saddens and, quite frankly, disgusts me that some folks don't quite feel the same. I do the bulk of hiking in the Ozark mountains of southern MO, and while the bulk of the trail gets little use, I still wouldn't want to ruin it for others. I even carry a small ziplock bag to pick up the odd cigarette butt or candy bar wrapper that happens to find its way onto the trail. I've broken plastic trowels just trying to punch through the duff, and once thats accomplished, the soil is about 50/50 rock and root with very little actual dirt, it seems. I am happy to carry an astonishingly light stainless steel trowel that I made, to easily cut duff, small roots, and pry up the gravel that populates the bulk of the range. Most people can't read a tape measure, and I doubt they can honestly say they have any idea what 6 inches even looks like, much less actually dig a hold that deep with a pointy stick they found or kick a hole in the ground. If they can AND do, more power to them. For everyone else, carry a trowel. Bury your poop. And for God's sake, don't use the shovel to poke the poo. That's what the sticks are for.

Cheers,
the Goat

TP Zombie are the worst. I completely agree with your post.

Go deep!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

QiWiz
07-30-2016, 21:42
There are a variety of digging implements for every taste. Here is a photo of just some of the trowels in my personal collection. They range in weight from 0.3 oz. to 3.0 oz.

35587

The photo is a little deceiving. The orange trowel looks most used, but I haven't used one in ages, except in demonstrations. Some of the "trowels" are new (partly because I like to collect them), and I sometimes give my trowels away.

My old standby is the SMC perforated Snow Tent Stake, available at REI and elsewhere. But sometimes I'll carry a combo--my little luxury. I'll pair the Snow Stake with either the 0.3 or 0.6 QiWiz or the Deuce of Spades, depending on how anal I'm feeling about my pack weight on a particular trip. The snow stake can be inefficient in certain soil types that have a high sand content or are very wet, and one of the wider trowels is much better in those situations. I'm fairly lightweight (often under 20 lbs. w/4 days of food and 2 liters of water, halving the weight of shared items with my husband) but this is one area where I splurge.

On my thru-hike (before Leave No Trace became a thing), I used my bootheel or sticks. The holes I dug were wide and shallow. I didn't know there was any other way. Once I learned there was a better (more effective) way to dig a desirable cathole, I started carrying digging devices. In recent years, a variety of lovely implements have been manufactured just for this very thing. I can't imagine going back.

Some hikers who genuinely seem environmentally minded and considerate of their fellow hikers say they can dig a 6-8" x 3-4" cathole with a trekking pole. I want to believe them, and I'm in awe if they can. As for me, I'm all about reducing weight, but I'll happily carry 1.3 oz. or so of two lightweight digging devices to save time and energy while still digging a good cathole that does its job.

I am in awe of your trowel collection. I doubt there are many who can match it, or who have even tried digging a cathole with half as many implements as you have. Bravo!

Sir-Packs-Alot
07-31-2016, 10:35
So many folks talk of the boot heel method - which digs a shallow hole with a hiking boot. Try digging that hole with a pair of trail runners as so many wear now :). It wasn't a realistic idea then and it's less so now. Those orange plastic trowels that are sold everywhere are ineffective too. As folks earlier in this thread have mentioned snow stakes are good and the light (about 1 oz) titanium shovels are a better option as well (look for one called the "Deuce of Spades"). I've given that advice for years. BUT - actually if you carry stakes for your tent or a tarp - make one of your stakes a lightweight "groundhog" type (they are squared out a bit with 4 points). You can dual purpose that stake for a shovel. The main thing is that you actually DO dig a cathole when you need / can. With exploding numbers of folks on the trail nowadays - most folks don't want to listen to a Leave No Trace preaching - BUT - they ALSO - don't want to step carefully through a minefield of feces reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the poison darts. Be careful not to injure your hand on the edges of the titanium shovel or the stakes. The drawback is no handle. Anyone who actually digs a cathole knows what I'm talking about. If you DO decide to go the trowel route - go to Home Depot and get a lightweight black Fiskar plastic "transplanters trowel". It can actually pirece hard or rooty ground unlike the common orange variety.

MuddyWaters
07-31-2016, 10:51
A SHOVEL is most certainly not necessary.

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A TROWEL, on the other hand, can be very helpful.


There are a couple of things that can help a good job without one.
- boot heel and pole dont work well
- pole helps get things started though, scraping away leaf litter and identifying areas with rocks
- you really need a properly shaped rock

1. dont be in a hurry. You cant wait until its an urgent need.
2. Find soft loamy soil thats easy to dig in. This is often found under the base of bushes. But so are roots
3. there will be a maze of cross-roots. You will use your hand to grab and break them , or you cant dig
4. nothing wrong digging with hand, if you arent in a cat field. its washable, we dug in dirt with hands as kids without a thought.

If you cant wait, and must go.
Take time and dig hole after and move contents into hole
remediate the area.

Get at least 50ft off trail

Kaptainkriz
07-31-2016, 12:15
I use this titanium trowel I got off eBay, weighs in around 20g:
35634

TwoSpirits
07-31-2016, 13:33
Just got my Deuce of Spades off of Amazon yesterday. Didn't put it on the kitchen scale (because it just went directly to my daypack), but I doubt it weighs more than half an ounce. I can see that the handle could be challenging when it's wet or your hands are sweaty, but I carry a pair of light gardening gloves with a nitrile coating -- they've come in handy for a number of different things, and I'm sure they'll help keep a grip on the trowel, too.

Turk6177
08-02-2016, 23:06
I bought a deuce of spades for my JMT hike. It is so light, there is no reason not to bring it, just in case. http://thetentlab.com/Deuce/DeuceofSpadespage.html. Personally I like to try to time my business with a privy, but that can't always be arranged.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another Kevin
08-04-2016, 17:15
Bring a trowel. God says so. (Deuteronomy 23:13)

Uncle Joe
08-04-2016, 17:28
I have a plastic, collapsable trowel from REI. Hate it. Plastic is a poor excavator of mountain dirt. In the interest of not throwing it away I may end up sharpening it or better yet cutting teeth into it.

AfterParty
08-04-2016, 18:01
+1 for the black fisker brand trowl

Dogwood
08-04-2016, 20:11
Never carried a poop shovel my entire hiking career. Never carried a hammer to pound in tent stakes or a rattlesnake anti venom kit either. I like living on the edge. :D

Cat holes are usually universally easy enough to dig.

I've read in one book, "How to Shart in the Woods" I think is the title, that cat holes don't always let the excrement decompose as fast under some environmental scenarios. I read the book glancing through a library section one time. I was surprised how much I didn't know about the topic not that I ever wanted to major on it.

Mags
08-05-2016, 01:08
Never carried a poop shovel my entire hiking career.

Cat holes are usually universally easy enough to dig.



Considering what I found on a CDT trail project this past year...

What CT trail maintainers told me THEY found...

And what the PCTA put out last year:
http://www.pcta.org/2015/everybody-poops-straight-poop-from-ranger-john-about-number-two-on-the-pct-28709/

Most people should carry a shovel. And most don't dig a hole very well. It is really getting to be a problem on the more popular lettered trails.

As Laurie said, it is far easier to dig a hole with a .5 oz shovel than with the back of my heel or a pole.

Puddlefish
08-05-2016, 08:35
Even with my titanium shovel, there were some areas that were difficult to dig in. There are many sections of the trail, where you're just trying to get 200 ft off the trail, with a bit of privacy, that isn't seriously steep. No boot heel is going to be remotely effective.

I occasionally had to rush, and poop first, then dig the hole, find a stick, mix with dirt and cover it up. That's the preferred method on the AT, as it allows all the microbes to distribute throughout and makes for the fastest decomposition. That said, I never saw toilet paper blooms in any of these stealthy sites 200 feet from trails and water sources.

I did see absolutely disgusting privy fields, where multiple people made zero effort, and toilet paper was obviously just left on the surface with no attempt to even scrape a few leaves over it. I even saw some toilet paper blooms 5 feet from the trail. Seemingly many women didn't feel the need to bury their paper after peeing.

So, short answer, bring a shovel, or at least plan on packing out your toilet paper in a baggie if you're just peeing and don't feel like digging a hole.

Five Tango
08-05-2016, 09:40
Use your digging implement, whether it be a trowel or not, to make a hole to go in, not to manipulate your s**t. This avoids the aromatic and bacteria laden trowel problem. The red plastic trowels break easily when subjected to actual use in real backcountry. I personally always bring a really light titanium trowel. Not at all heavy, cuts through small roots easily, and nearly indestructible. A guy named QiWiz sells them. Really nice. He has a post about them in the Selling Used Gear Forum. ; )

The one I bot from that Quiwiz feller actually fits INSIDE a roll of toilet tissue and is virtually weightless.Yeah,use a stick to push things around with,it ain't rocket science

perdidochas
08-05-2016, 10:08
Those little orange plastic shovels were a frequent unwelcome addition to hikers boxes down south when I was sectioning in the area. A practical reason for not carrying one is that after use a few times in rocky terrain they get scratched and "residue" gets in the cracks and its almost impossible to remove without running water which defeat the purpose of keeping waste away from potential water sources. The alternative is to leave the now aromatic shovel hanging from your pack but that will get old pretty quick.
Residue of what? soil? I don't know about everybody else, but my trowel has never touched poop. That's not what it's for.



Realistically, the vast majority of terrain encountered on the trail is rocky with some soil mixed in. Its rare that you will ever be able to dig a 6" hole with shovel without encountering a rock. There are also primitive digging tools all over the place which are called dead branches. They dig just as well as a shovel and can be buried after the fact if contaminated. In many places, the hiker finds an appropriate partially buried rock, flips it over and does their buisness and flips the rock back in place.

Well, when you gotta go, can't always find sticks........

HooKooDooKu
08-05-2016, 12:43
I've never understood those that claim to dig cat holes with the heel of their boot.

In the Smoky Mountains, there's just too many roots you run into.
On my recent thru hike of the JMT, it was impossible to dig a hole without running into rocks.

But I would agree that the plastic orange trowels are a piece of junk.

I too have the iPood (which I guess Apple complained because the trowel is still sold by Sea to Summit, but it no longer carries the name). I like it because it has a rounded handle to hold it by compared to the flat handle with edges such as the Deuce of Spades and similer "flat" light weight trowels.
(Note that at least at one time, Sea to Summit made an aluminum version and a "nylon plastic" version. The plastic version was no better than the orange trowel).

Another Kevin
08-08-2016, 14:06
When I go out mapping trails, I upload raw GPS traces so that if others have their own traces, people can start averaging them out.

Sometimes the traces have little jogs coming off the side, as with the loop at the north end of http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/ke9tv/traces/2225855. Because I can never seem to remember to stop track logging when I get a sudden urge to take a Deuteronomy 23:13.

At least it shows that I do get 200 feet off trail. And GPS traces are the only sort I want to leave.