The 8 Best Off Road Shovels (and What Makes Them Great)
It's always nice to have the right tools for the job when you go off road, isn't it? When you're wheeling in mud, sand, or snow one of those tools to have is an off road shovel. Sometimes you just gotta dig.
While you can use any old shovel, there are a number of options now that:
- Thrash hardware store shovels in strength
- Have blade designs that destroy hard ground
- Last longer out in the sun and rain
- Use multiple attachments
So:
In this article, we'll take a look at what makes a good off road shovel and show you the 8 best off road shovels and axes for different needs.
- The Best Hi Lift Jack Accessories
- 6 Reasons Tow Straps with Hooks Will Kill You
- The Winch Recovery Kit Comparison Guide
- Clear an area for your tent.
- Dig a poop hole.
- Dig a fire pit.
- Put out a fire.
- Do trail maintenance.
- Fiberglass: Fiberglass is lightweight, durable, and has proven itself for use in outdoor tools and off road recovery tools.
- Steel: Steel shovel handles are made of round tube. They are durable and could be used to shore up a damaged part in a pinch. Since they're tubular, we'd want one that was 100% sealed (probably not possible with typical production processes) or that's easy to drain. If stored on the outside of your rig, any water that gets in during the winter can freeze and split the handle.
- Wood: Wood is pretty light and cheap. However, if you leave your shovel strapped to a roof rack or somewhere else on the outside of your 4x4 it'll deteriorate in the sun and rain. Frankly wood can last a pretty long time, but the expansion and contraction of the wood along with water inundation can make the shovel handle develop splinters pretty quickly. The shovel handle also only has one purpose - as a shovel handle.
- Aluminum: Aluminum is plenty lightweight and very durable. It doesn't rust like steel or rot like wood, so it would probably outlast both if stored on the outside of your 4x4. Downsides? Like steel, it'll be cold in the cold.
- Folding: Most of the off road folding shovels we've seen simply aren't suitable for serious off road recovery operations, except for the one from DMOS Collective. They have small blades, short reach, and a short throw distance. But if you're like us, you have two off road recovery kits: "everyday" and "4x4 trip". The everyday recovery kit gets a folding shovel and the 4x4 trip recovery kit gets big shovel.
- Short: Normally, these shovels have a D handle on the end. This type of shovel is probably the best for off road shovels. We often prefer a long handle, but this shovel can get under your rig when you're in a serious pickle.
- Long: Yes, a full length shovel handle is the best for serious digging. But it's length means it's usually harder to store and that it's hard to maneuver under your rig when you need to do some serious earth sculpting.
- a shovel
- an axe
- an 8 lb sledge hammer
- a pick axe head
- The handle can be slippery: Use gloves or some hockey stick handle tape if that's a problem.
- The tools ship dull: You'll need to learn how to sharpen your shovel and axe sooner rather than later.
- 24"
- 37"
- 51"
- Straight (like a normal shovel)
- 90 degrees (like a hoe)
- Collapsed
- Shovel
- Axe
- Machete/Saw
- 8 lb sledgehammer
- Axe
- Shovel
- Pick
- Mattock
- Hoe
- Rake
- The axe head is permanently mounted: It weighs 3.5 lbs, so if you're slinging mud, you're also slinging an extra 3.5 lbs.
- The shovel is mounted at a slightly odd angle: It's meant as a fire shovel, so the shovel head is slightly angled up which requires some small adjustments in use.
Why Do I Need a Shovel Off Road?
With the short handle the Mag-Lok is more robust than a smaller folding shovel. The long handle makes normal shoveling a piece of cake.
A shovel is simply a piece of essential off road gear:
If you have a Hi Lift jack, you should have a shovel. If you have a winch, you should have a shovel.
If you needed to put together a minimal recovery kit, your factory jack, a strap, and a shovel would be on the list.
A shovel complements your off road recovery tools. You can dig in front of your tires to take strain off your winch when you're mired in mud. You can jack up a tire with your Hi Lift and fill underneath it when you get high-centered on a rut. 10 or 15 minutes of shoveling can often completely change a recovery situation.
Of course, you can do lots more than just get unstuck:
Off Road Shovel Design
Get a shovel that is suited to the difficulty of your off-roading:
Carrying a small folding shovel might be okay as part of an emergency off road kit, but you're going to want a real, full-size shovel if you get seriously stuck.
So, short handle or long, pointy or square, folding or not?
Shovel and axe kits
Should you get a shovel and an axe for your off road kit?
Yes.
Previously, we were in the interchangeable head kit - you have one tool handle that can take interchangeable heads. However, having a dedicated shovel and a dedicated axe only takes up a little more space.
If you simply don't need an axe or other tools, just get yourself a dedicated shovel.
We'll be frank:
Axes aren't really "recovery gear". Most of us aren't going to be building a bridge to cross a river.
However, we do use axes for clearing downed trees on the trail. On a recent trip we had two heavy storms that laid trees down on the trail and we weren't about to turn back. A winch with an axe and/or bow saw can make quick work of trees in your path.
In the past couple of years, it seems like there are a lot more downed trees on the trail, so carrying some kind of wood-cutting tool is probably not a bad idea.
Blade shape
Don't even bother with a square shovel unless you have a really good reason.
Why?
Pointy shovels are superior to square shovels because they can actually penetrate the ground. Square shovels are terrible for recovery unless you're moving a lot of sand or snow - both things that are easy for a square blade to penetrate. Try digging a hole in your backyard with a square shovel sometime.
What's the best for hard ground or lots of roots?
The toothed blade. This blade is even more efficient at penetrating hard ground with it's multiple points. Good quality versions of these shovels tend to be make with thicker steel than a normal shovel. We haven't heard of any failures of the individual teeth.
You should sharpen and deburr your shovel with a file. Hard ground will dull the blade, just like a knife, and can sometimes push the cutting edge over into a dull burr. You don't want a razor sharp edge on an off road shovel since you'll just fold the edge over the next time you hit a rock.
Handles
This is why a short-handled shovel is no fun. You really need to get in there....
You wouldn't think that there's a whole lot to say about shovel handles...but you'd be wrong.
Here's the deal:
You have to decide between 3 different handle materials and 3-ish different lengths. Off road shovel handles can be made of:
Shovel handles also come in different lengths.
So what do the best off road shovel handles look like?
For normal off-roaders, you want a short steel, aluminum, or fiberglass shovel handle. This gives you a durable and long lasting shovel handle that you can leave out in the weather. The short length makes it easy to store and easy to maneuver under your 4x4.
Except for something serious like the DMOS, folding shovels won't do the same work as a larger shovel on serious 4x4 outings, so keep them in your "everyday" recovery kit with a couple of D-ring shackles and a recovery strap.
8 Off Road Shovels and Axes
We surveyed the off road shovels and axe kits out there to find the best for doing duty in your 4x4. Except for the Fiskars, which is made in Finland, all of these are currently made in America.
If you want a buy-it-for-life shovel, get the DMOS Collective Shovel. If you want an inexpensive kit with all the features, pick the Hi-Lift Kit. If you want something that gives you more handle lengths and tool options for the future, get the Mag-Lok. For a small, inexpensive folding shovel, go with the Gerber E-Tool.
Hi-Lift Jack Handle-All Off Road Shovel Tool Kit (Best Buy)
For all the tools you get, this is a great buy in a compact package.
With this modular system you can shovel a little, then chop a little, then hammer a little, then pick a little.
This made-in-the-USA shovel kit is just what you need without extraneous stuff and it does it all for a good price. The Hi Lift kit is modular with four attachments. You get:
Why do we like this kit so much?
For one thing, it collapses into it's own small bag which means you can store it in your 4x4. It also includes the tools you're most likely to need on the trail. We definitely like having a shovel and an axe. The pick is good for digging in hard ground. Although it's not a tool we use frequently on the trail, we can see it's benefits, especially if you need to do trail maintenance or trail building.
The sledge hammer, though...
We'd never use the sledge on the trail. Some people love having it, but we already bring a mini sledge for banging stuff back into place. You might use it if you needed to drive some pipes or stakes, like for a winch anchor.
The handle is super short, but still longer than the Gerber folding shovel below.
The tool pieces fit tightly together and you could use the just one shovel handle instead of both connected if you needed to shovel in a tight spot.
But:
DMOS Collective Delta Folding Shovel (Buy-It-For-Life)
The DMOS shovel is probably the last shovel you'll need to buy.
This is truly the last shovel you'll ever need to buy. It'll work on your land just as well as on your rig.
If you want a buy-it-for-life shovel, this is it. In other words, this is not a budget shovel!
The blade is full sized and 12-gauge cold-rolled steel. This is more than twice as thick as a typical garden shovel and thicker than the Krazy Beaver shovel below. Good luck bending it!
The handle is anodized aluminum, which is both strong and light. Plus it's collapsible!!
The DMOS also locks in a "hoe" position, good for scraping behind or in front of a tire. This is made a lot easier with the long handle (compared to a Gerber).
DMOS provides mounts for their shovels. For what it is, the DMOS makes a pretty compact package.
The DMOS has different configurations when you're using it there are 3 handle lengths:
The handle is telescoping - there are no extra pieces to deal with.
There are three blade positions:
If you're looking at a shovel kit with interchangeable heads and you're interested in pick or mattock abilities, the 90 degree position might be good enough for you. At the least, this position helps you drag mud out from behind your tire when you're mired in mud when it might be difficult to shovel.
Collapsed size is 24" x 11" x 2.75". This is much bigger than the Gerber shovel below, but still pretty stowable for most of us.
If you need the best in a compact size, this is probably it.
Super Shovel by Krazy Beaver (Craziest)
The tempered, heat-treated Krazy Beaver shovel head is toothed to wreck roots and make short work of any digging.
If it's not obvious from the picture, this shovel is meant to be a serious, root-busting, clay-skewering, zombie-killing shovel.
The handle is lightweight, high-viz fiberglass. The handle and head are steel that's powdercoated on both the inside and outside - not a common feature, especially not on shovels. It should prevent any rust for a very long time.
With heat-treated 13 gauge steel, the shovel head is twice as thick as a normal gardening shovel.
You're probably wondering about the most obvious feature:
The
teeth. So do they work? There are similar shovels out there, but the
Krazy Beaver is the most robust. Most users report that penetration is
good in hard ground and even better than a normal shovel in softer
ground. This makes sense, since there is so much less leading edge that
needs to penetrate.
The teeth won't do everything, though. We can't imagine using this shovel anywhere you'd need a pick, and it's likely to have the same problems as a normal shovel in extremely rocky ground.
Radius Garden Stainless Shovel (No Rust!)
No more rust! This stainless steel shovel can be mounted outside your 4x4 and will never rust. Comes in different colors if bright green isn't your thing.
At 9.5" x 11" this shovel has a large head. Since it's an ergonomic shovel, the footpads are also wider than a typical shovel to make digging more comfy.
If you have a roof rack mount for your off road shovel, take look at a Stainless Steel Shovel.
What do we love?
It'll never rust. If you live near water or in a place that salts the road, you know the battle we fight with rust. Every day rust is eating away at your rig - your frame, your body, your suspension, and all your cool off road accessories.
You can at least claim back your shovel by switching to stainless steel. With an overall length of 41", it is the standard shovel length. It weighs 5.75 lbs, which is a little heavier than a standard shovel. However, this is due to the steel shaft and handle which will both last much longer than a traditional wood-handled shovel.
While this fits in our D-ring handle category, it actually has circular handle. The ergonomic shape is more comfortable for digging and won an Editor's Choice award in Organic Gardening magazine. Now, we're not gardening, but we'll take the endorsement from a hobby that probably digs even more than we do!
Mag-Lok Offroader's Shovel Kit (Most Versatile)
This is the most versatile kit. This kit includes 4 tools and two different handles, but you can also buy about 60 more different handles and attachments if you need to do more stuff!
The US made Mag-Lok Off Road Shovel Tool Kit is one of the more interesting kits here.
Why?
It's probably the most modular and versatile set of off road and garage tools you can get. In this particular kit, they offer 4 tools:
You also get 2 different handles: one at 14" and one at 36". But
that's not the cool part. The cool part is that Mag-Lok has about 60
different tools and handles that you can combine for different tools and
handle lengths.
Want a Pulaski? Done. Push broom? Got it. Rake? They have it.
This particular kit is a great starter set for off road. We appreciate the machete/saw combo which would work great for clearing trail brush and campsites. The kit also stores nicely in your Jeep in an included nylon bag.
Gerber E-Tool Folding Shovel (Smallest Off Road Folding Shovel)
This part aluminum, part steel, part polymer shovel is super strong and super light at 4.6 ounces.
The shovel folds down to fit compactly in any small space in your rig.
Like we said, a small folding shovel is no fun for serious stucks.
But:
A small folding shovel is often handy to have in your everyday, slimmed-down, off road recovery kit. Which one should you get?
Probably one that is used by the US military, made in the USA, folds to a compact shape, and that allows for different shovel angles.
And there is one shovel that meets those criteria:
The Gerber E-Tool. It has a steel shovel head and anodized aluminum/polymer handle that fold out to almost 24 inches. The actual military version has a full aluminum handle, but we haven't heard any complaints about the polymer handle failing on this version.
It folds down to 9.3" x 6" and weighs a lightweight 2 lbs 5.3 oz. While we wouldn't want to dig out a vehicle with a small, folding shovel off road, if we had to, this is the folding shovel we'd use.
However, if you have the cash and the space for a larger folding shovel, take a look at the DMOS Collective Shovel. In it's collapsed state, it's about as big as a deployed Gerber. It's more durable and will dig a hell of a lot faster.
While it's bigger and more expensive,, the DMOS is just simply better than the standard, small, folding military shovel because of it's durability and larger size.
Fiskar's 28" Chopping Axe (Best Off Road Axe)
This axe is the perfect size to carry in your 4x4. It's ready to go from the factory with a razor-sharp blade and hard plastic sheath for the 3.5 lb head.
If you need a dedicated axe for chopping wood off-road, this is the one to get. Fiskar's is known for it's excellent outdoor tools, and this axe is no
exception. It weighs 3.5 lbs and has a fiberglass handle.
Generally, we think hatchets are just too small to do much good on the trail. While a hatchet is okay for general camping and bushcraft, you want a serious axe with serious chopping power on the trail. On the opposite end of the spectrum are chainsaws. Frankly, chainsaws just take up too much space and require too much extra gear (plus premix!) to run safely on the trail. On a long trip, we'd expect to do trail clearing once every few days, and just can't justify the size, weight, and trouble of a chainsaw.
With the Fiskar's chopping up downed trees on the trail is no problem:
This axe is shipped razor sharp from the factory and comes with a hard plastic sheath. With the durable handle, light weight, and factory sharpness, you can throw it in your 4x4 without even thinking about it. It is ready to go.
MAX Multipurpose Tool Kit (Most Expensive)
The Max Ax has all the tools you need for recovery and then some. It comes in at 12.5 lbs for the whole set and all stows neatly into a nylon bag.
All the Max Axe tools.
The Max Ax Shovel kit is probably one of the most well-known off road shovels. Well-known in the bush-firefighting world where firefighters carry this tool on their backs, this American-made shovel kit has been around for years in the off-roading world.
It's a pretty compact set, with everything fitting in a small nylon bag. The main tool is an axe with a hi-viz fiberglass handle and a notch for adding attachments. The kit includes these tools:
The whole set weighs 12.5 lbs.
We like this tool a lot - it has an excellent reputation, is made in the USA, and has proven extremely durable in the field. It's even used in the military. That said, it has some drawbacks:
Last updated: May 11, 2020
