Best Camping Shovels of 2026

We’ve reviewed five folding shovels. Here’s how they compare and which one suits what you do.

Quick picks: the best camping shovels compared

Best overall: Wanderer Foldable Camp Shovel

The Wanderer scored highest of the shovels we’ve tested. It lives in the back of our 4WD for digging out of sand or mud, and it has done that job. It’s a tempered steel tri-fold shovel with a serrated edge that cuts minor roots as you dig, a large folding handle that gives a solid grip, and a storage pouch.

It isn’t that light, and it’s cheapest with a BCF club price. As a shovel for recoveries and camp jobs, it’s the one we’d buy again.

Best built: Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel

The Gorge is the best-made shovel here: a forged steel head, an anodised aluminium handle that slides in, a wide grip and a limited lifetime warranty. The block at the base of the handle doubles as a hammer: we mainly use it to hammer down the pegs of our awning, and it works great.

The handle is short and the blade is small, so it’s for fire pits, toilet holes and levelling a spot, not for recoveries. It’s also the most expensive.

Best budget: Kings 4WD Recovery Folding Shovel

The Kings is the cheapest shovel here, and it works well in sand and mud. It has a very tough heat-treated carbon steel blade, an ergonomic D-shaped handle and a protective pouch.

The handle can feel a bit flimsy, it isn’t ideal for hard-packed ground, and the hinge can collect dirt and grit. As an affordable recovery shovel, it does the job.

Lightest: Coleman Folding Shovel & Pick

The Coleman is the lightest and smallest shovel here, and three tools in one: a shovel, a pick on the back and a saw edge on the blade, in tempered forged steel. It comes with a protective carry bag.

The handle is quite short, so it isn’t suited to heavy digging, and the locking collar can seize if dirt gets into it. As a light, compact tool that does three jobs, it’s hard to fault.

Shovel and hoe: OZtrail Tri-Fold Shovel

The OZtrail is a classic tri-fold: a tempered forged steel blade with a serrated edge, a metal shaft and a triangle handle you can get a whole hand into. The blade also locks at 90 degrees, so it works like a hoe or a pick for scraping and trenching. It comes with a storage bag with belt loops.

It’s the heaviest shovel here, it’s still short for big digging jobs, and the warranty is one year. For trenching around a tent or scraping a level spot, the hoe position is handy.

For hiking: Sea to Summit pocket trowel

A trowel isn’t a shovel, so it isn’t ranked here, but on foot it’s the one to carry. The Sea to Summit Nylon 66 Pocket Trowel weighs 87 g, has a collapsible handle and stores a lighter or toilet paper inside. It’s made for digging a toilet hole, which is all most hikers need a digging tool for.

It struggles in hard, rocky soil, and the handle can work a bit loose.

How to choose a camping shovel

Start with the job. For fire pits, toilet holes and levelling a tent site, any folding shovel works. For getting a vehicle out of sand or mud you want a bigger blade, a handle you can get a hand through and a shovel that doesn’t flex when you lean on it.

Every folding shovel is short, so you dig from a crouch: that’s the trade for a shovel that fits in a drawer. Camping shovels come in three weights:

• Light

  <700 g

  Small and light enough for the pack. Fine for toilet holes and fire pits.

  Folded

  Under 20 cm
  Good for

  Camp jobs
  Like

  Coleman Shovel & Pick
• All-rounder

  700–900 g

  A sturdier blade and handle for camp jobs and a light dig-out.

  Folded

  Around 23–25 cm
  Good for

  Camp jobs and light recovery
  Like

  Kings Recovery Shovel, Gerber Gorge
• Heavy-duty

  900 g+

  The biggest blades, and extras like a hoe or a serrated edge for roots.

  Folded

  Around 22–25 cm
  Good for

  Recovery and hard ground
  Like

  Wanderer, OZtrail Tri-Fold

A shovel is only one part of getting unstuck. See our guide to the best 4WD recovery tracks for the rest of the kit.