If you have thought about having to survive in the wilderness then you know that having a good shovel can make your life magnitudes easier. Often an overlooked part of someone’s survival equipment, a good survival shovel has a lot of different features and can come in handy in a lot of different situations. From building shelters to digging latrines, the survival shovel can be used for a variety of different things.
What Makes A Good Survival Shovel?
The best tactical shovels (also known as a spade) are ones that are made with good metal and material, have several functions, have some kind of limited or lifetime warranty, and come with multiple accessories so you don’t have to worry about losing or forgetting anything because it’s all in a single tool.
Good material usually consists of:
- stainless or tempered steel blade
- aluminum shaft (makes them lightweight)
- nylon handles (many are glass filled)
On top of that, they have to be compact in order to free up space for things that might be more important in your survival/bug-out bag. Here are our top ten picks for the best survival shovels on the market today!
The 5 Best Survival Shovels
The Gerber E-Tool Folding Shovel

The Gerber E-Tool Folding Shovel is one of the best tactical shovels on the market. It is made with tempered steel and has an easy to use grip handle. The shovel also folds up to 9.25 inches so that it can be easily transported or stored away in your bug-out / survival bag. Gerber in general has very great products and they didn’t cut any corners on this product either.
The Schrade SCHSH1 Shovel

The second shovel is the Schrade SCHSH1 shovel. This is a full-tang shovel that is made with carbon steel and has a powder coat finish. The shovel also comes with a ballistic nylon sheath for storage and transport. If you want to make sure that you have the heavy duty shovel that is ready to take on anything then this is the one you want to get.
The SOG Entrenching Tool Folding Shovel

The third pick on our list is the SOG Entrenching Tool Folding Shovel. This particular shovel is made with stainless steel and has an ergonomic design. It is also very lightweight and easy to carry. The deeper serrations on this shovel make it easier to cut through roots than the previous two shovels, making it ideal for woodsy environments.
VIVOSUN Survival Shovel

The fourth pick on our list is the VIVOSUN Survival Shovel. This shovel is made with high carbon steel and is foldable at two points making it extremely easy to pack away and transport. It also has a pickaxe feature that makes digging in tough ground easy. The price is also unbeatable for a relatively decent survival shovel.
Behandy Folding Shovel

Then finally we have the Behandy Folding Shovel. Another one that comes in at a great price, this survival shovel is one of the few that offers a lifetime warranty on the product so you know you are getting a high-quality item. At only 1.6 pounds this item is one of the best you can have in a lightweight survival / bug out bag!
Conclusion
Overall, having a good survival shovel can make your life magnitudes easier in any survival situation. It might even make it luxurious compared to many survival situations if you are properly prepared in the fundamental areas as well.
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