A shovel is one of those things you only miss when you don’t have one: for digging a toilet hole, sorting out a fire pit or scraping sand away from a tyre. The Wanderer Foldable Camp Shovel is BCF’s budget answer. It folds down to 22.5 cm, comes in its own pouch, and I paid only $20 for it as a club member.
We always keep a foldable shovel stored in the back, under the wing storage of our Titan drawer system, as we don’t need to pull it out too often. It really is a tool to help us dig out in any tricky situation, in sand or mud for example. We also use it occasionally for little jobs around camp: to make our spot a bit more level, or to dig a hole for our campfire.
What You’re Getting
The shovel and a black fabric storage pouch. The pouch closes with a flap and has a loop on the back, and it keeps any dirt left on the blade away from the rest of your gear.
What we like
- Digs us out of sand or mud
- Serrated edge cuts minor roots
- Folding handle gives a solid grip
- Folds down to 22.5 cm
- Handy for little jobs around camp
- Only $20 as a BCF club member
What we don’t
- Not that light: 993 g on our scale
- Short: 58 cm extended
- $35 without the club price
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Wanderer |
| Material | Forged tempered steel |
| Weight | 993 g1,051 g in the pouch |
| Length | Packed22.5 cmSet up58 cm |
| Blade | Serrated edge on one side |
| Storage | Fabric pouch |
Folding and setting up
The shovel folds in three. The blade folds back onto the shaft and the triangle handle folds in over it, so the whole thing ends up as a flat package 22.5 cm long.
To use it, you swing the handle and the blade out and tighten the collar on the shaft to lock them. Extended, it’s 58 cm long.
Blade and handle
The blade is black steel with a point at the tip and a serrated edge along one side. The serrated edge is handy: it helps with cutting some minor roots and branches while you’re digging. The whole shovel is forged tempered steel.
The folding handle is a steel triangle, and it’s quite large, which gives a solid grip.
Size and weight
BCF calls this a lightweight shovel, and the box says “light weight” too. On our scale it weighed 993 g, and 1,051 g in its pouch. That’s what you’d expect from a steel shovel, but it’s compact more than it is light: fine for the car, heavy for a pack. Folded, it fits under the wing of our drawer system, out of the way until we need it.
Conclusion: Wanderer Foldable Camp ShovelConclusion
The Wanderer Foldable Camp Shovel is a simple steel folding shovel that packs down to 22.5 cm and comes with a pouch to keep the dirt contained. For us it’s the tool that lives in the back for digging out of sand or mud, with the odd job around camp. The serrated edge is handy on roots, and the large handle gives a solid grip. At 993 g it isn’t as light as the box suggests, and at 58 cm it’s a short shovel. I paid $20 for it as a BCF club member, and at that price it’s an easy one to keep in the car all the time.
A tempered steel folding shovel with a serrated edge and a storage pouch, 22.5 cm folded and 58 cm extended.
$20 as a BCF club member. It weighed 993 g on our scale, so it’s compact more than it is light.
- 4WD tourers
- Car campers
- Weekend trips
Yes, at the club price. For $20 you get a steel shovel that folds small enough to keep in the car all the time. BCF membership is free, and without it the shovel is $35.
