A folding shovel is one of the cheapest bits of insurance you can carry in a 4WD. It sits in a drawer for months, and then one day you’re bogged in soft sand, or you need a fire pit, and it’s the most useful thing in the car. The OZtrail Tri-Fold Shovel is the classic version: a steel shovel that folds in three and lives in a bag. I paid about $30 for it.
What You’re Getting
A green folding shovel with a pointed steel blade, a metal shaft and a triangle handle, and a black storage bag. It folds in three: the blade folds back onto the shaft, and the handle folds over the top. Folded, it’s 24 cm long.
What we like
- 58 cm open, 24 cm folded
- Tempered forged steel blade
- Serrated edge on the blade
- Triangle handle for a full grip
- Blade also locks at 90° as a hoe
- Storage bag with belt loops
What we don’t
- Heavier than a mini shovel: 1,033 g
- Still short for big digging jobs
- Only a 1 year warranty
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | OZtrail |
| Model | GMA1150 |
| Weight | 1,033 gin its bag |
| Length | Set up58 cmPacked24 cm |
| Blade | Tempered forged steelSerrated on one side |
| Handle and shaft | Metal |
| Warranty | 1 year |
Blade and locking collar
The blade is tempered forged steel, with a pointed tip that gets into the ground easily. One side has a row of saw-like teeth. They help the blade bite through small roots and crusty ground, which a plain edge tends to bounce off.
A threaded collar on the shaft holds the blade. Fold the blade out, screw the collar down and it’s locked straight. Do it up firmly before you dig. The joint has more than one position: the blade also locks at a 90-degree angle to the shaft, so you can use the shovel like a hoe or a pick for scraping and trenching.
Handle and digging
The handle is a big triangle, large enough to get a whole hand through, with or without gloves. That gives you much more to push and pull on than a straight grip does.
I tried it on the beach. The blade goes into sand easily and brings up a decent scoop each time, and at 58 cm the shovel is long enough to dig from a crouch with both hands on it. It’s still a short shovel. Digging out a bogged 4WD with it is possible, but it’s hard work compared with a full-length one.
Here it is next to the Gerber Gorge folding shovel, which we photographed on the same day. The OZtrail is clearly the bigger tool, with a longer handle and a wider blade. The Gorge is smaller and lighter and has a hammer end for tent pegs.
Bag, size and weight
The storage bag closes with a press stud and has two loops on the back, so it can go on a belt or be strapped down in the car. It also keeps sand and dirt on the blade away from the rest of your gear. In its bag, the shovel weighs 1,033 g on our scale, and at 24 cm folded it fits in a drawer or under a seat.
Conclusion: OZtrail Tri-Fold ShovelConclusion
The OZtrail Tri-Fold Shovel is a simple, solid folding shovel: a tempered forged steel blade with a serrated edge, a metal shaft, a triangle handle and a blade that also locks at 90 degrees as a hoe. It opens to 58 cm, folds to 24 cm and weighs 1,033 g in its storage bag. It’s heavier than a mini shovel, still short for big digging jobs and has only a 1 year warranty. For the $30 or so I paid, it’s a lot of shovel to keep in the back of a 4WD.
A tri-fold shovel with a forged steel blade, a serrated edge and a triangle handle: 58 cm open, 24 cm folded, 1,033 g in its bag.
Short for big digging jobs, but a lot of shovel for the money.
- 4WD tourers
- Car campers
- Emergency kits
Yes. I paid about $30, and for that you get a steel shovel with a serrated blade and a storage bag that folds down to 24 cm.
