Trail Maintenance Tools

jimothy78

Some of the trails in the woods near me are in need of a bit of TLC, and I'm looking for some sort of digging tool that is small/light/unobtrusive enough to be stowed in a rucksack (if not a riding pack), as I don't feel the urge to go wandering through the woods brandishing a full-size shovel.

I'm not looking to be building massive earth ramps or anything, just cutting the odd drainage channel here or there to relieve some of the water build-up that leads to bad ruts developing, and maybe repairing the odd berm here or there.

There are plenty of folding "shovels" available (some of which convert into picks), but they all look tiny - about 40cm long - which is going to make them very uncomfortable to use for any length of time. Has anyone got any experience of these or preferably a recommendation of something better?

Antm81

Ive used a folding shovel, they aren't big and for me uncomfortable to use for prolonged periods (I'm 6'4 though). I doubt you'll find anything better though, most things designed to fit in a small pack tend to be for emergency use.

Mattharrier

You're going to struggle to find a tool that is both small enough to fit into a pack, and big enough to not suffer from being too small - anything that would telescope or fold enough to fit into a pack would probably not be all that strong.

One option might be to have the head from a folding tool that is ideal except for the handle length, and then somehow get a full size spade shaft down there. You can tuck that away fairly easily so it shouldn't get nicked, and then simply transport the head of the tool back and forth.

Another possibility, if you don't mind spending quite a bit, is an avalanche shovel - these are engineered to pack down very small for skiers to take into the backcountry, and are obviously very strong as they are lifesaving kit. Not cheap, though, and might not last long enough digging mud and stones instead of snow.

tangled_metal

I know you can get folding, metal snow shovels for back country hill use. Not sure how good with earth but might be an option to look at.

tangled_metal

Look at army surplus too. They might stock trenching tools. IIRC they're kind of rugged folding shovels that are portable.

Mattharrier

Trenching tools tend to be fairly short, but are probably the best option available as a compromise between form and function.

oodboo

Very expensive option:
http://www.trail-insight.com/trail_boss/

Mattharrier

That is expensive (although avalanche shovels probably aren't a huge amount less!), but boy does it look nice and shiny.

jimothy78

oodboo wrote:

Very expensive option:
http://www.trail-insight.com/trail_boss/

That looks like the mutt's nuts, but as I'm not getting paid or sponsored I might have to leave it on the shelf


As it happens, after writing the above post, I popped into my local "The Range" just to have a look at what they had available.
In the camping section they had one of the folding "shovels" (although "long-handled trowel" would be a more appropriate name, given the size). However, in amongst the builder's tools, they had something like this (albeit with a wooden shaft) for £2.99:


It's about 60-70cm long, and the head is probably about twice the size of the foldable one, so will hopefully be a bit more user-friendly. It will just about fit in my largest rucksack, but at such a low price I'll probably risk just stashing it somewhere after the first time.

Mattharrier

At £2.99, I wouldn't expect it to last forever, but at that price it doesn't really need to. Make sure there's no bright yellow on it and you should be good - wrap it up in a bit of plastic sheeting and wipe it down with an oily rag (some boggo vegetable oil will do) and half bury it under a log or something, and hopefully it won't take a walk.

The only downside to leaving a tool in situ is that it provides the perfect tool for some scallywag to take your berms apart with, so make sure it's well hidden (but not so well hidden you can't find it yourself )

jimothy78

Mattharrier wrote:

At £2.99, I wouldn't expect it to last forever, but at that price it doesn't really need to. ...
The only downside to leaving a tool in situ is that it provides the perfect tool for some scallywag to take your berms apart with, so make sure it's well hidden (but not so well hidden you can't find it yourself )

yeah, I know - will take proper precautions and leave it well away from anywhere people are going to stumble over it...