As crazy as it may sound - we shouldn´t go anywhere without shovel. Yes, that sounds a bit over the top. Of course, we are not talking about every situation and about the standard shovel. We are talking about trips to nature for several days, expeditions and so on. So instead of shovel, we should say small shovel. Such shovels are smaller versions of standard, normal sized shovels. However, they hide certain modifications and specifics that are worth mentioning.

Field shovel into the field 

We could see a small shovel with a wooden shaft in the hands of soldiers since the First World War. Thas was actually field shovel. It is practically a smaller version of standard shovel but with same mobility and functionality. Yes, the smaller shaft won´t accommodate as much material, but it is all compensated by compactness and mobility. This huge advantage makes it an ideal friend for a soldier. Of course, there was some progress over the years. Today, wood is replaced by either plastic or steel. The entire design has been changed as well - the shovel can be folded and therefore become even smaller. After that it can be stored in carry bag which we can attach to our backpack or waist for example. Have you ever thought about the shovel itself? It would be great if we could do more things with it, right?

More options, greater success

Someone has definitely thought about it and said - why it can not meet more requirements? Why it can not be multifunctional ? And probably thanks to this question we now have so called multifunctional shovels. It also consists of shaft and blade, which is much more sophisticated in this case. It can be locked in several positions and serve for example as a pickaxe. We can used it for gardening, sawing, chopping and many more. Do we know how is that possible ? The blade is two-sided. The first one has plain edge and second one is serrated - hence saw/ axe. Such multifunctional shovel can get us from many troubles. Just as normal field shovel, it can be folded and stored in carry bag. But what if we just want a shovel for snow shoveling ? 

There is beauty in simplicity 

We've gone a little overboard here with the multi-functional options. This category is even for those of us looking for a shovel that can be stored in our car. Such shovels have longer shaft and bigger blade. Since we carry them in the car, we don't even need to save much space. But what about materials ?

Aluminium again 

Whether we like it or not, aluminium is once again the ideal material. Thanks to it the shovels are lightweight yet durable. Field shovel, however, can not be from aluminium. The main role here must play steel, which is stronger and harder. It is also better processed and not so expensive. Handle and shaft is ideally in combination plastic/metal, to keep strength along with lightness. When making a selection, we need to realize, what do we need it for. Multifunctional shovel can be stored also in a car, but for example for camping trip we will definitely not carry large snow shovel.