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  1. #41

    Default Trowels for every taste

    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.

    Trowel collection.jpeg

    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.

  2. #42

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    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

  3. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Goat View Post
    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!


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  4. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lauriep View Post
    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.

    Trowel collection.jpeg

    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!
    Find the LIGHT STUFF at QiWiz.net

    The lightest cathole trowels, wood burning stoves, windscreens, spatulas,
    cooking options, titanium and aluminum pots, and buck saws on the planet



  5. #45
    Registered User Sir-Packs-Alot's Avatar
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    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.

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    A SHOVEL is most certainly not necessary.



    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
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 07-31-2016 at 10:56.

  7. #47
    Registered User Kaptainkriz's Avatar
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    I use this titanium trowel I got off eBay, weighs in around 20g:
    TitaniumTrowel.JPG
    Plaid is fast! Ticks suck, literally... It’s ok, bologna hoses off…
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  8. #48
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    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.
    fortis fortuna adjuvat

  9. #49

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    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.


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  10. #50
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    Bring a trowel. God says so. (Deuteronomy 23:13)
    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

  11. #51
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    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.

  12. #52
    In the shadows AfterParty's Avatar
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    +1 for the black fisker brand trowl

  13. #53

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    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.

    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.

  14. #54
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    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-p...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.
    Paul "Mags" Magnanti
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    The true harvest of my life is intangible...a little stardust caught,a portion of the rainbow I have clutched -Thoreau

  15. #55

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    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.

  16. #56

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    Quote Originally Posted by QiWiz View Post
    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

  17. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by peakbagger View Post
    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.


    Quote Originally Posted by peakbagger View Post
    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........
    Time is but the stream I go afishin' in.
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  18. #58
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    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).

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    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.
    I always know where I am. I'm right here.

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