Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel

I took this shovel with me to the Boundary Waters as my main shovel as you have to bury your fish remains. On the first hole I dug I hit a root and the shovel snapped in half. Luckily I had a small trowel with me for the rest of the trip which held up but took forever to dig a hole.

Normally I would have my Army Entrenching tool with me but I was trying to save some weight. This is a perfect example of the problem I have with ultra light gear especially tools. When you really need a tool and depend on it you need it to be reliable. For this reason I would avoid this Gerber shovel like the plague. Get yourself a military grade E-tool if you need to have a collapsible shovel. It may weigh a bit more but it will be there when you need it. (Side note to people trying to shave off a few pounds here and there - instead of buying questionable quality gear maybe start by going to the gym and shaving the weight off your body while building muscle strength. This way you can handle carrying the extra weight of quality gear.)

This shovel was great, except for one fatal flaw; the handle keeps slipping off!! The shovel *is* heavy, which is a concern if you're going UL, but not so much on a weekend or car camping trip.

It was rather unsettling digging around other people and having the shovel head keep coming off leaving only the handle in my hands. Since it's a heavy shovel, there is very real potential for a serious injury. Not a good thing when you're in the backwoods.

I, too, did get this originally because it had a hammer head in addition to the shovel. Unfortunately, that hammer head is over rated. It works but an easier, near universal, and lighter option would be to just find a rock near the campsite (or a piece of a log to use as a mallet).

There are other lighter shovel options on the market now, so for backpacking purposes, I would say this shovel has become obsolete.

Bought this as a camp shovel. Expected uses... clearing debris, digging little poo holes, hammering in tent stakes, etc.

Broke on the 1st day of use. After some light-moderate hammering, the whole spade head just snapped right off. I was completely shocked...

I loved it when I bought it, it looked built well, and a nice upgrade from the cheap/rough brown 'military suplus' folding shovels I've always used in the past. Nope. Still have those, ugly and crude as they are, and minus a hammer point, but at least they don't snap in half like twigs.

I planned on using this product as a backpacking shovel, and took it on two trips before it broke. On the first trip, it worked effectively in loose soil, but on the first day of my second trip, it broke when I tried to dig a cat hole. The soil was fairly loose, but was wet and heavy. The handle broke where it connected to the blade. I cannot recommend this due to the fact that it is advertised as an "outdoors" tool, which I took to mean would be reliable in a backcountry context.

I bought this shovel knowing gerber usually makes good equipment. From the minute I opened the package, the handle locking pins did not work! The handle disengages and slides as you dig. While floating the river, the sand got in it and made in very difficult to unscrew the lock and fold the shovel.

I owned one of these and it turned out to be junk. The BCA's and Glocks are not bad but for a real workhorse, get your hands on a Cold Steel for a few dollars more than the Gerber and almost $20 cheaper than the Glocks. Trust me, you'll be glad you did!

Sturdy little shovel but way too heavy for its size. Not a good choice for extended backpacking.

It broke apart during first use. Peace of junk. Don't buy it.

For a backpacking shovel, this is a boulder versus a stone. This item may be durable, but it's only good for car camping.

I use it at campsites, and it works okay. But could be improved by removing what's not needed. Like the anvil style hammer head.

Which you cannot see to use, since you cannot see through solid objects.

I sawed it off, and Gerber mnay have it back. They can glue "it" onto the next shovel they sell some poor unsuspecting soul.

A rock drives in the tent stakes, so why the hammer / anvil head? To add unwanted weight, or because it's Nato approved.

If Nato wants to send someone to trail behind me when going uphill on a trek - they may, I won't complain in the least!

The head is too broad for agressive digging. The shape is improper for effective use.

In the West, the soil is not a clay formation - rather, it's alluvial sand like composition, with lots of stones.

I have feirce knives - camp style - 7 inches or longer, which will beat the proverbial pants off of this product.

Hardly does this product work. It looks cute, folds nice, and takes space.

Now what of the word: "Lightweight" ? For a minimalist / ultra light packer this is death in a hand basket.

For a run of the mill packer, this is a "stone" to be avoided.

For a car camper, the car is doing the carrying and not to worry too much.

Now what of the sheath for storage and carrying purposes?

The strap lets you carry the shovel one way, but but not the right way. Even if you are disposed to lug this albatross uphill, you can hardly secure it to the outside of your pack.

Better yet, use your phone, take a picture of this shovel, and you can impress everyone by showing them the picture and stating you own one of these shovels.

By doing this, you trully will be ""lightweight"".

REI carries better offerings, look carefully at what you will be using a shovel for. Otherwise, when you do need the shovel, you're going to be too tired to use it.

I bought this shovel because I didn't like carrying around my heavy, bulky military folding shovel while backpacking. I tried other lightweight shovel alternatives and destroyed them in rocky areas. So I gave the Gorge a try. I like how it can be used as a pick, hammer, or a shovel. I also like how it folds up quite reasonably for a shovel of it's size. What I don't like is that it is made of very heavy steel. I know that is what gives it the stregth, but I would happily pay more for another version made of a lighter, but still durable material.

Not bad quality, although not quite what I expected. It's a little small, even for a folding shovel. I can't see too many uses for this, other than digging a shallow fire pit or shoveling dirt to put out a small camp fire. Honestly I wish I had splurged on a larger folding shovel.