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Best Off-Road and Overland Shovels
Guide to the best off-road shovels for overlanding and four-wheeling.
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The best off-road shovel is the shovel you've got. We've dug out cars and trucks with items as varied as windshield scrapers and the nose of a snowboard. This is to say that having a proper shovel handy can make life a lot easier.
Like any piece of gear, you've got a range of choices in off-road shovels, from the classic wooden-handled hardware store variety to exotic multi-tools with interchangeable heads. Those options come with a variety of price tags, so your budget will in part dictate your choice. Over the long run, cheap shovels are more likely to break or rust, so a higher quality off-road shovel is worth it if you plan to off-road and overland for years to come.
| Pick | Weight Lbs | Extended Length In | Construction | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best OverallPRO D-Handle Shovel | 5.5 | 44.75 | Aluminum handle, heavy-gauge steel blade | — |
| Best SplurgeDelta Shovel | 6.3 | 51 | Steel, aluminum, nylon | — |
| Most CompactE-Tool Folding Spade | 1.5 | 24 | Steel, nylon, aluminum | — |
| SturdiestKrazy Beaver Shovel | 4.49 | 40 | Steel, fiberglass, plastic | — |
| Best BudgetRound Point Shovel | 4.84 | 45.75 | Steel, fiberglass, wood, polypropylene | — |
| Best Multi-ToolHA-500 Handle-All | 28 | Varies | Steel | — |
- #1Best Overall
PRO D-Handle Shovel
Fiskars
Fiskars' Pro D-Handle shovel checks all the boxes for a terrific off-roading and overlanding shovel — durable, strong, digs well, and easy to stow. At 44.75 inches long it's tall enough for digging without bending double, yet small enough to get into tight spots (underneath a stuck vehicle, for instance). The aluminum handle keeps the weight down, and the heavy-gauge steel blade is up to intense digging and prying.
- #2Best Splurge
Delta Shovel
DMOS
The Delta Shovel by DMOS is the Excalibur of off-road recovery shovels and the shovel we use most often. It's lightweight, durable, collapses to a small size, and can be used as both a shovel and a hoe. The 3mm-thick blade is made of aircraft-grade steel, the telescoping handle is aluminum, and the end grip is nylon polymer. Made in Oregon, these are top-notch American-made products. Pricey at around $250–$275, but a solid investment.
- Stowed Length In
- 24
- #3Most Compact
E-Tool Folding Spade
Gerber
While we prefer a somewhat longer shovel for off-roading and overlanding, there are instances where a smaller, more compact shovel is more versatile. If you want to carry the shovel in a backpack or bug-out bag, a folding survival-style shovel will work, and can also serve as your off-road recovery shovel. There are many options on the market for survival shovels — frankly, a lot of them are cheap junk. The Gerber E-Tool is a quality option from a reputable manufacturer.
- #4Sturdiest
Krazy Beaver Shovel
Krazy Beaver
The Krazy Beaver Shovel was designed by a former New Mexico search-and-rescue team member. The shovel's gnarly teeth are its defining feature, designed to cut through hard ground, ice, roots, and other tough objects. The head is made of 13-gauge tempered steel, thicker than most shovels so the teeth hold up. The handle is fiberglass and the grip is plastic; the grip comes off (via a lock pin) to offer a small storage area in the handle. The company sells a safety guard to cover those fierce teeth when the shovel is not in use. See our full review of the Krazy Beaver Shovel for more.
- #5Best Budget
Round Point Shovel
Bully Tools
The Bully Tools Round Point Shovel is an affordable but hardy option for an off-road shovel — a good alternative to the Fiskars. It was designed as a gardening/construction shovel but is perfectly suitable for overlanding and off-road recovery. Not as high-tech as the others on this list, but for around $50 it's good value. The blade is 15-gauge steel; the handle is fiberglass reinforced with wood, with a polypropylene grip.
- #6Best Multi-Tool
HA-500 Handle-All
Hi-Lift
The Handle-All Multi-Purpose Tool from the makers of Hi-Lift Jacks is more than just a shovel. It comes with four different working heads — shovel, axe, pickaxe, and sledgehammer — and a telescoping metal handle. We're often skeptical of multitools that claim to combine many functions in one, but this is a legitimate tool that's made to last. It ships with a carrying case to store it when not in use.
Shovel Mounting Options
Once you've chosen a shovel, you need to figure out how to carry it in or on your vehicle. This can be as simple as throwing it in the back with your other gear. But there are also some handy options for mounting it inside and outside your truck or SUV. Mounting it is preferable to having it loose in your vehicle's cabin, as a shovel can do a lot of damage flying around inside a vehicle during a rollover or other accident.
Quick Fist Clamps
Quick Fist makes rubber clamps for holding equipment that can be attached to many different platforms to hold an off-road shovel (or other tools). The inexpensive clamps are versatile and can hold your shovel on roof racks, tailgates and other parts of your vehicle. A pair of two runs about $10.
Rugged Ridge Spare Tire Rack
Rugged Ridge makes a handy rack for off-road tools with long handles that mounts on your spare tire. It's made of powder-coated steel and the tools are held in place with velcro straps. It will hold your off-road shovel and a couple of other long-handled tools. As of this writing, the rack runs about $160.
Smittybilt Axe and Shovel Mounts
Smittybilt makes a wide range of affordable off-road products. The axe and shovel mounts with roof rack adapter are heavy-duty universal mounting brackets that provide secure mounting for an axe and shovel. They accept a standard padlock for security. The mount costs about $160.
Why do I need an off-road shovel?
Along with recovery ropes and jacks, off-road shovels are essential pieces of recovery gear. Freeing a buried wheel or high-pointed axle by shoveling away the offending substance, whether it's snow, sand or mud, can mean the difference between spending your time recovering a vehicle or spending your time cruising the trails. If you are overlanding for multiple days and weeks, a shovel comes in handy for other functions as well, such as digging a latrine or fire pit or putting out a fire.
Like camping axes, shovels are as useful in camp as on the trail, coming in handy for digging latrines, putting out campfires, and many other uses.
How to Choose an Off-Road Shovel
Shovel Construction
Off-road shovels are made with a variety of materials nowadays, including wood, fiberglass, stainless steel and aluminum. The cheaper varieties come in wood, and while typically adequate for most jobs, are less durable. Fiberglass and aluminum shovels offer the advantage of being light weight and strong. Stainless steel, while heavier, is super durable and weather resistant.
Shovel Length
If your off-road shovel is too small, you'll spend a lot of time on your knees. If it's too long, it can be awkward to stow on or in your vehicle and can be difficult to get into tight spaces when digging under your vehicle. We prefer one that comes to about hip high from the tip of the blade to the handle. Generally, we're skeptics of off-road shovels that fold up, as they tend to be too small for the strenuous work of recovering a vehicle. That said, the collapsing shovels made by DMOS offer an ergonomic length, sturdiness, and the ability to stow them easily.
Blade Shape
Get a shovel with a spade-shaped blade — something with a point that can penetrate dirt, sand, ice and mud and maybe even chop some roots or tree branches. Generally speaking, a square shovel is going to be limited in its application. Some of the more modern off-road shovel designs have sharp points (or multiple sharp points) that can help with particularly challenging obstacles, like roots or hard clay.
Handle Shape
The shape of a shovel's handle is somewhat of a matter of preference. That said, our preference is for shovels with D-shaped or T-shaped grips on the end of the handle. We find this more ergonomic and functional than an off-road shovel with only a straight shaft.
Also See
Common questions
- Are overlanding shovels different than off-road shovels?
- Not really. An overlanding shovel is just an off-road shovel used on an overlanding expedition. One thing worth considering is weight — overlanding trips require more gear than a day out wheeling on off-road trails, which can quickly add up to exceed your cargo capacity, so all things being equal go with a shovel that is lighter and more compact.
- How do I mount an off-road shovel to my vehicle?
- Some companies, such as DMOS, make dedicated mounts for their shovels. These will fit the shovel perfectly and be very secure, but they tend to be pricey. Some rack manufacturers that cater to the off-roading and overlanding set, such as Garvin, Warrior, and Front Runner, also sell shovel and axe mounts that fit their racks. Quick Fist Clamps are a more general option for mounting and can be used on a variety of different roof and bumper racks, with a little ingenuity.
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