What Is the Best Entrenching Tool for Backpacking And Survival?

TAC9ER COLLAPSIBLE E-TOOL

The TAC9ER Entrenching Tool takes the number one spot on our list of top e-tools. We put this shovel through the wringer and it aced each one of our tests. What really impressed us, in particular, was how solid its build is despite it being compact.

Safe to say, this e-tool is the best bang for your buck.

Our Review

There’s a lot to love about this tri-fold shovel from outdoor and survival brand TAC9ER, but what eventually won us over was the unique balance between its portability and strength. At 9.5 inches when folded, you can bring this compact e-tool wherever you go. It comes with its own hard carrying case, making it easy to stow away in a bug out bag or backpack.

One can fold and extend the tool without a hitch as its threaded lock system is easy to use from the get-go. It doesn’t need additional lubrication and can be used directly out of the box.

Weight isn’t an issue for the TAC9ER Collapsible E-Tool Shovel — the entire thing just clocks in at just a little over 2 pounds. It feels great in the hand, but it’s not too bulky, either. While it’s very portable, the TAC9ER e-tool doesn’t cut corners when it comes to durability and strength.

Made from carbon steel, this shovel is made to be used and abused. Its open D-handle has a matte finish and offers an easy, ergonomic grip. If you’ve injured one hand, you can easily use the handles to swing the e-tool and still do some serious digging. It can dig through packed dirt and rocky terrain and can handle a lot of pressure.

You’ll see the black oxide coating chipping off after moderate use, but this doesn’t affect the shovel’s performance in any way. The shovel head is quite versatile, too. While this e-tool doesn’t incorporate a hoe or pick, it’s got a pointed shovel-head that’s capable of heavy-duty entrenching. Simply configure it at a 90 or 45-degree angle, and you’re good to go.   Looking closer at the shovelhead, you’ll see that it’s got a serrated side for cutting and chopping small pieces of wood. The shovel’s edges do a good enough job, but if you need to do some heavy cutting and chopping, make sure to sharpen it before use.

The threaded lock system is pretty secure as well. We found that the locks on the other e-tools in this list loosened up after some rigorous testing and activity. TAC9ER’s threaded lock impressively held its ground against the pressure.

Overall, the TAC9ER Collapsible E-Tool Shovel checked all of our boxes. It’s durable yet compact and it’s got a versatile design that makes it great for any situation.

Best of all, it comes at a friendly price point for its quality, making it an excellent choice for preppers, outdoorsmen, or regular joes looking for a reliable entrenching tool.

GERBER E-TOOL FOLDING SPADE

The Gerber E-Tool Folding Spade is a great e-tool overall. Its serrated edges are nice and sharp, which is more than what we can say about other entrenching tools on this list.

The downside? It's one of the pricier entrenching tools on the market.

Our Review

Next up, we’ve got the Gerber E-tool Folding Spade. This robust, foldable e-tool came with details like a unique locking mechanism and a more angular handle which made for a smooth performance.

Like most e-tools in this list, the Gerber folding spade is a tri-fold device. It’s compact enough, but its carrying case is sold separately. Instead of having an all-metal construction, the manufacturers opted for a lighter, glass-filled nylon handle and an aluminum shaft. This combination makes the Gerber light yet sturdy enough for heavy-duty tasks.

Don’t be intimidated by its textured, angular handle. It doesn’t look it, but it’s got a surprisingly nice grip and is actually quite comfortable in the hand, albeit having a squarish shape.

Looking at the Gerber, you’ll see that its head isn’t as sharp or pointed compared to the other e-tools in this list. This is great if you need to cover a wide area, but it may not be the best for functions that need hoe or a pick. It’s a little less powerful than the TAC9ER shovel as far as digging and entrenching are concerned, too. What we loved most about the Gerber are its serrated edges. Some e-tools’ serrated edges were all bark and no bite, but the Gerber took care of small shrubs, roots, and branches without a hitch.

Perhaps the biggest downside to the Gerber is its price point. At $58, this costs almost twice as much as the TAC9ER e-tool, which offered the same performance. Overall, the Gerber E-tool Folding Spade passed our testing with flying colors. We just wished it came with a sheath for that price.

COLD STEEL SPECIAL FORCES SHOVEL

Thanks to its hardwood handle and carbon steel shovelhead, the Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel can take on heavy-duty jobs without a problem. What sucks, though, is that it's not very compact.

If you're looking for an e-tool to include in your bug out bag, you might want to skip this one.

Our Review

The Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel is one sturdy piece of gear. Its fixed, hardwood handle and robust shovelhead are made for insanely tough jobs. Unfortunately, these features also make the Cold Steel relatively difficult to store and pack in a bug out bag.

Portability is important for us, so we had to put it on our number three spot. First things first: the Cold Steel Special Forces shovelhead has wicked sharp edges straight out of the box. It’s great for cutting sticks, roots, wood, zombies—you name it, the Cold Steel can cut through it without a hitch. It’s like a tomahawk and a shovel in one.

That being said, make sure to store this shovel with a sheath or cover at all times, because you can seriously hurt yourself or through your gear if you’re not careful. It’s just too bad that the sheath has to be purchased separately.

Next, the fixed hardwood handle. This has obvious pros and cons in itself. The biggest advantage is that it’s insanely sturdy. It feels solid in the hand and is well-balanced. There aren’t any hinges or any other moving parts to be wary of, so you can dig and entrench all you like without fear of damaging the device.

Despite the handle’s smooth finish, though, it can still chafe your palms after extended use. Be sensible and make sure to wear gloves. The disadvantage is that this design isn’t the most ideal if you’re looking for something portable. There’s no way to fold this shovel into a smaller, more compact size.

You can remove the screws and disassemble the whole thing, but that would just make things more complicated. Another thing about having a straight, fixed handle is limited grip options. Open, D-handles tend to distribute the force of your digging between the two prongs and can still be used even with one arm out of commission.

Straight handles, on the other hand, are quite limited. In conclusion, if portability is the most important factor for you, you might want to skip Cold Steel and opt for the folding shovels mentioned in this list. On the other hand, if you need a trusty shovel with wicked sharp edges that can double as a hatchet, the Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel is a solid choice.

SOG FOLDING SHOVEL

Small and compact, the Folding Shovel is best for light tasks around the campsite. Don't expect it to be of much help for cutting and chopping.

But all in all, it's a decent shovel for emergencies.

Our Review

Aside from the full-sized e-tools, we also included a couple of smaller e-tools in this list just to see how they would hold up against the bigger kids on the playground. Calling the SOG a “military shovel” would be pushing it, because it’s really tiny compared to the full-sized shovels.

The good thing is that it can hold its own—as long as you set the right expectations. Made from an all-metal construction, this tri-fold shovel has a threaded lock mechanism and an open handle like the other full-sized e-tools. It’s also equipped with a rather sharp pick on the other end of its shovelhead.

The only difference is that it weighs about half a pound lighter. While it doesn’t come with its own case or sheath, storing or clipping the SOG folding shovel in a bag is no problem at all. What we had a slight problem with was its locking mechanism.

It appeared stuck at one point. We eventually resolved it, but with that said, you might want to keep some oil nearby to lubricate this folding shovel’s joints before and after use. Using the SOG to dig through sand and loose dirt was okay, but its locking mechanism did loosen up a bit when we tried to dig through some packed dirt and rocks. It is quite small, so bigger folks who want something heftier may not like this tool’s make and material. It can also be a literal pain in the back after extended use as you have to bend quite a bit to gain better ground. You mostly gotta work on your knees with a shovel this size.

Despite its serrated edge, cutting and chopping remained to be a weak point for the SOG. It couldn’t cut through small roots and shoots. Overall, the SOG performed okay up to a certain capacity. With its smaller build, you can’t expect it to do heavy-duty tasks, but it will do well for light to moderate work around the campsite.

FOBACHI MILITARY SURVIVAL FOLDING SHOVEL

We won't beat around the bush: the Fobachi Military Survival Folding Shovel didn't impress much.

It's light and compact, we'll give it that. But that's about it.

Our Review

Another small e-tool on this list is the Fobachi Military Survival Folding Shovel. Its black oxide coating and sharp edges make it look formidable, but it’s actually quite smaller than we initially expected. It also didn’t impress us much when it came down to functionality.

Instead of a tri-fold design, the Fobachi can be disassembled at the handle and folded at the head. You can stow it away in the accompanying pouch. Nothing special about the sheath’s material; in fact, it looks kind of flimsy. Fobachi’s shovelhead has a more defined edge to it, but it’s markedly smaller than the SOG.

Ironically, the sharpened and serrated edges didn’t do great in cutting branches, sticks, and the like. If anything, it was actually quite dull. We also saw some rust and oxidation along the spade’s edges and around its hinges after use.

As for digging, the Fobachi can penetrate deeper than the SOG, but we found its handle quite disappointing. First, the rubber grip chafes your palms after extended use. Second, the handle tends to loosen up and twist off, so it’s not the most secure shovel out there. All in all, the Fobachi was indeed portable, but it was a bust in every other aspect. It can dig, but the fact that its handle kept on loosening up was both disappointing and hazardous. If you’re looking for a smaller shovel, we recommend the SOG instead of the Fobachi.

US GI Military Entrenching Shovel

The US GI Military Entrenching Shovel is last on our list for a couple of reasons. Right off the bat, we had a tough time folding and extending the shovel. When we did assemble it, it didn't feel sturdy at all and we were afraid it would come apart.

Our Review

We didn’t expect to rank the US GI Military Entrenching Shovel at the bottom of our list, but here we are. Based on the customer reviews we found all over the internet, this was supposed to be the e-tool to beat all others, so we had high expectations for this military-issue shovel. Sadly, its clunky build and rough hinges didn’t make for a great experience.

One of the few good things about this shovel is its casing. Made from tough plastic material, the sheath is a good place to put this entrenching tool. But that’s really about it. Out of the box, the US GI shovel was unlubricated—we had a lot of difficulty folding and extending the entire device at first use.

Compared to the TAC9ER and the Gerber, the US GI shovel’s hinges did not feel smooth at all. The rounded open handles felt good enough in the hand, but the rest of the shovel felt like it was going to come loosely apart, even if the threaded lock was already securely screwed in place.

The shovel head is pointed and can be used as a pick when configured at a 90-degree angle. It also has serrations along its edges, but they weren’t as sharp as we would have wanted them to be. They’re not very useful when you’re out cutting and hacking at stuff. During our digging and entrenching test, the US GI Military Entrenching Shovel performed poorly; it kept loosening up, and again, its hinges didn’t feel secure.

Overall, the GI’s performance was disappointing. It could be possible that we got a fake because it seems like the GI Military shovel that people raved about and the shovel that we used were two completely different things.

Regardless, we can only give conclusions based on our testing and experience, so you might want to skip this one and opt for the more reliable, full-sized e-tools on this list.