A shovel is one of those things you don’t need until you really need it: a fire pit to dig, a toilet hole, a tent site that needs levelling. The Gerber Gorge is a folding shovel made for exactly those jobs, and it folds down small enough to forget it’s in the car. I paid $48 for it, and we’ve taken it on a few trips, including our big Sydney to Adelaide to Melbourne and back to Sydney loop, where we’ve mainly used its hammer end on the pegs of our awning.
What You’re Getting
The Gorge is a black folding shovel with a forged steel head and an anodised aluminium handle with a wide, rubbery grip. In the box are the shovel and a black nylon drawstring bag. Folded, the handle slides in and the blade folds over it, which makes a short, flat package 23.5 cm long.
What we like
- Folds down to 23.5 cm
- Forged steel blade
- Hammer end works great on pegs
- Handle shape holds really well
- Drawstring bag included
- Limited lifetime warranty
What we don’t
- Short handle: you dig on your knees
- Small blade moves little sand
- Dearer than other folding shovels
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Gerber |
| Model | 22-41578 |
| Weight | 809 gin its bag |
| Folded length | 23.5 cm |
| Head | Forged steel |
| Handle | Anodised aluminiumTelescoping |
| Extras | Hammer end at the base of the handle |
| Carry | Nylon drawstring bag |
| Warranty | Lifetime |
Folding and unfolding
There are two steps. The blade folds out on a hinge, and a threaded collar on the shaft screws down to lock it in place. Then you press the locking button and slide the handle out until it clicks. Folding it away is the same in reverse: turn the collar anticlockwise to release the blade, press the button and push the handle in.
The grip is the nicest part of the shovel. Folded up, the whole thing is pretty small, but the handle is wide, flat and slightly rubbery. The shape is really good: it fills the palm and holds well when you push the blade into the ground.
Digging
I tried it on the beach, and the blade went into the sand without any trouble. The forged steel head feels solid and doesn’t flex.
It is a small shovel, though. The blade is narrow and the handle is short, so each scoop moves a modest amount, and you dig kneeling or crouching. That’s fine for a fire pit or a toilet hole. It’s not what you want when a 4WD is sitting on its belly in soft sand.
Here it is next to our OZtrail Tri-Fold Shovel. The OZtrail is clearly the bigger tool, with a longer handle and a wider, serrated blade. The Gorge is the one that disappears in a drawer.
The hammer end
At the base of the handle, where it meets the blade, sits a block with a textured face. With the shovel folded, that block is a hammer for knocking in pegs.
This is what we’ve used the Gorge for most. It came with us on our big loop from Sydney to Adelaide, Melbourne and back to Sydney, mainly to hammer down the pegs of our awning, and it works great. We don’t really have anything else in the car for that job, so the shovel saves us carrying a separate mallet.
Size, weight and carrying
In its bag the Gorge weighs 809 g on our scale. The nylon bag closes with a drawstring and keeps the sand and dirt on the blade away from the rest of your gear. Folded, it’s small enough for a drawer, a door pocket or the bottom of a gear box.
Conclusion: Gerber Gorge Folding ShovelConclusion
The Gerber Gorge is a compact, well-made folding shovel with a forged steel blade, a handle that slides in and a hammer end that works great on our awning pegs. It folds down to 23.5 cm, weighs 809 g in its drawstring bag and has a limited lifetime warranty. The handle is short and the blade is small, so it’s a shovel for jobs around camp and not for recoveries, and at $48 it costs more than other folding shovels we’ve tested. If you want a shovel that takes up almost no room, it’s a good one.
A compact folding shovel with a forged steel blade, a telescoping handle and a hammer end for tent pegs, 809 g in its bag.
The short handle and small blade make it a shovel for jobs around camp, not for recoveries; it cost us $48.
- Car campers
- Weekend trips
- Emergency kits
Yes, if you want a shovel that takes up almost no room. I paid $48, which is more than other folding shovels we’ve tested, but it’s well made and has a limited lifetime warranty. For getting a 4WD unstuck, take a bigger one.
