The Tentlab The Deuce of Spades Backcountry Potty Trowel, 0.6 Ounces

I've heard many review on this product before buying it and they were all over the place. Some people loved it, some people said it hurt their hands, some people said that it was worthless junk that breaks the first time you use it. Here is my perspective opinion on it...First off, I don't consider myself your average person for buying this type of product. I grew up on a small farm performing hard manual labor with hand tools that is typically done by machine. I know what real hard-pan is and I can tell you horror stories of digging a 2'x3'x250' trench through it with nothing more than a mattock and a spade (thank god for mattocks). I have also chopped out my share of stumps with a mattock, an ax, and a spade. My point, I am very experienced at digging.I took this with me on my last backpacking trip. During the combined 40 miles of hiking, I had to use it in a fairly dense forest with lots of undergrowth and subsequent shallow root mass. Although I had to wiggle it a bit to cut through some of the more dense roots, I quickly dug an appropriate hole with ease and without flexing the tool or hurting my hand. I was digging only 3' from a 2' diameter tree as well.I wish I'd had this in my hydration pack years ago. Frantically clawing at the ground with the end of the first stick of merit you can find doesn't work that well when you REALLY need to go, and running for hours on end is a good way to break things loose, so to speak.It's weight and bulk is unappreciable. The curved shape is perfect for placing a custom roll of TP (a partial roll, rolled onto itself without any tube at the core; this saves bulk and weight).If you try to stomp it into the ground like a tent stake, it might break, but it has a thin enough edge that it cuts into the ground like a knife so you shouldn't need to stomp on it anyway. This practice could result on it cutting through your shoe and into your foot instead, so I wouldn't suggest it. I'll agree with other reviews I've read on this trowel, if you break it then it was your fault and not the tool's fault.This will not cut through large roots and neither would a heavy-duty garden trowel. I would say that 3/16" is about the largest root you can cut with this trowel and that should only be done with care. It is a trowel, not a spade, not an ax, so don't expect it to be what it isn't.This beats the hell out of digging with a tent stake as well. Unless you have something like an MSR Groundhog stake, I'd say that there is no contest, and even then I'd rather have this trowel. Personally, I typically carry a set of Chinese titanium wire stakes, which are almost worthless for digging.

My septic system isn't working, I just go in my neighbors' backyard and bury the waste with this handy trowel! At one point my neighbor walked out while I was finishing up and I thought I was busted, but I was able to conceal the trowel in my pants pocket; it is that small! I ended up telling the neighbor that I thought I saw a groundhog in his yard and I was inspecting a hole. He looked around his property and noticed all the small mounds and agreed that "those groundhogs are a real problem this year." He asked to borrow my .22 rifle, so he could sit on his back porch and take shots at the varmints. At first I was hesitant because I didn't want to get shot in the butt, but eventually I let him borrow my .22. He is a late riser and I like to do my business early in the morning just my first coffee and cigarette, so I should be fine.Really is a 4.5 star product as you don't have a choice in the color. Mine is a bright orange which clashes with all of my pants.

I gotta give The TENTLAB elves some props for some holiday mischief in relation to the two lovely 'assorted color' Deuce of Spades trowels I picked up. I got one red, and one green for presumed holiday spirit & a good laugh! These trowels are extremely light - like holy cow they are light! They are compact - to the point it could fit in large pocket & they have a good feel in the hand - the handle curves with the blade giving it a very natural feel for a single worked piece of metal. I've yet to use one for 'business' but I have taken them outside to dig. In AZ the desert soil is no easy feat to cut through, but this worked out just fine. I have no complaints & only have praise to sing so far - to the point I am spreading the word to my fellow hiking & camping buddies, its just a solidly good trowel for lightweight packing!

Nice, light weight trowel. I used this in my backyard yesterday. It's very light and compact. Should be very useful for digging a cathole or a trench around the tent. One downside was that the metal is so thin, yet strong, that it hurt my hand using it in tougher soil and roots. I received the Red one, was hoping for Blue but it does say that colors vary. That's ok tho. I only gave 4 starts b/c of the trowel hurting my hand while digging, probably wouldn't have been so bad if I was wearing gloves.

I put it through the ringer.In the forests of the Northeast, this thing digs through dirt no problem. Small roots(1-4 mm thick) might take some stabbing to get your hole dug, which it also stood up to. If the user bends the aluminum beyond failure during use, well, that's their fault - this isn't a pry bar or 5' spade, nor is advertised as such. Ultra Lightweight just like I'm looking for and great size for packing. I'd probably be utilizing the stick hole at the top of the handle if I had to dig a latrine in a dry, sun exposed field.Apparently these are shipped in random colors, and I was happy to receive a burnt orange of sorts.

This weighs 16 grams. I doubt there's anything lighter out there, It's strong and the shape fits well in a pack pocket and around a small roll of TP or a P-Style. I took off a star because I ordered purple and they sent me red. If you don't care about the color of your scooper, this is perfect. I didn't care enough to send it back.

20$ is a bit crazy for something so small, thin, and lacking any ergonomics, when it's only purpose is to dig. Tying paracord around it improved comfort. I seriously doubt it costs more than a few dollars to make these, and as far as weight goes, these are light as a cardboard sheet (same size). I feel like the size is just right for light digging and making small trenches. I don't really have anything to dig at the moment, I'll update this review if I run into any issues with this trowel. If you want you could carve your own shovel out of wood at the cost of a few minutes. The only reason I'd get this over a plastic shovel is because of looks and supposedly rugged materials. I ended up receiving the orange trowel.