Best Backpacking Trowels of 2023

JUMP TO: BOGLERCO ULTRALIGHT TROWEL | THETENTLAB DEUCE #2 TROWEL | QIWIZ ORIGINAL ULTRALIGHT TITANIUM TROWEL | VARGO TITANIUM DIG DIG TROWEL | GRIZZLY PEAK BACKPACKER’S TROWEL | BUYING ADVICE  | COMMON QUESTIONS

Author: Steve Edgerton | Updated: Oct 5, 2023
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The Short Version

The Long Version

Sh*tting in the woods is generally unpleasant and borderline undignified, but a good backpacking trowel can make it less so. 

Disposing of your waste responsibly by digging a cat hole is a core part of Leave No Trace ethics. It is essential for protecting both fragile backcountry landscapes and the experience of fellow hikers. This is far easier to do with a trowel that is actually fit for the job.

A backpacking trowel should be durable, versatile, lightweight, and reliable—capable of digging deep into rooty, rocky, and frozen ground with relative ease. They are a small but indispensable tool for minimizing your footprint, and we have researched, tested, and reviewed the best backpacking trowels currently available.

If you love reading this review of the best backpacking trowels, then you'll likely love reading some of our other hiking and backpacking content:

 

Need To Know What To Look Out For?

Backpacking trowels can vary widely in materials, design features, weight, and dimensions. Don’t miss our buying guide at the bottom of this article, where we dive deeper into what characteristics to look for in the best backpacking trowels.

 

WEIGHT: 0.48 oz / 13.5 g

MATERIAL: Aluminum

PRICE: $$

PROS: Ultralight, serrated edges, ergonomic design, versatile

CONS: Smaller trowel, no other size options

The BoglerCo Ultralight Trowel is pretty much everything we want a backpacking trowel to be. It manages to be extremely light without making any substantial compromises in durability or performance.

The pointed tip and serrated edges add some extra bite for digging catholes in rocky or frozen soils and hacking through gnarly knots of roots. Holes along the handle and a plastic end cap allow for a versatile and comfortable grip—a feature that many ultralight metal trowels miss on. The holes allow the trowel to serviceably double as a tent or tarp stake as well.

The BoglerCo trowel is made from high-grade aluminum. It is light and durable—though not quite as durable as titanium. However, BoglerCo—a small US-based cottage brand that only makes backpacking trowels—backs all of its products with a lifetime warranty. They appear to agree with us that, if you dig enough catholes in a single lifetime to break this thing in normal use conditions, then you more than deserve free trowel replacements for life. 

At 7.25 inches, the trowel is on the smaller end, which means less leverage and longer dig times than large trowels with long handles. But you can count on this light, packable package to always get the job done, in just about any kind of soil.

Best Overall Runner-Up: THETENTLAB DEUCE #2 TROWEL

WEIGHT: 0.6 oz / 17 g

MATERIAL: Aluminum

PRICE: $$

PROS: Ultralight, versatile, smaller and larger sizes available

CONS: Handle can be uncomfortable

TheTentLab Deuce #2 Trowel is a perennial favorite among thru-hikers thanks to its low weight and effective versatility.

Both the pointed, gently serrated shovel end and the handle end of the Deuce #2 can be used to dig a hole, depending on ground conditions. By following their recommended digging technique, this trowel is perhaps the best option for Leave No Trace-friendly catholes that keep soil displacement to a minimum.

The trowel earns extra LNT points for being fully recyclable, thanks to its simple, 100% aluminum design. In the unlikely event it does ever break, you can toss it in the recycling full knowing it can be re-used in its entirety.

Like the BoglerCo Trowel, the Deuce #2 doubles as a stake or snow anchor. It even works well as a bear canister screw tool. Its flat, fully aluminum handle is not as comfortable when used as a traditional trowel, but the added digging performance can be worth it. The Deuce is also available in a smaller and larger size (the Deuce #1 and #3), but we think the # 2 is the most well-rounded option.

WEIGHT: 0.4 oz / 11.3 g

MATERIAL: Titanium

PRICE: $$$

PROS: Made of durable and ultralight titanium, comfortable handle

CONS: Expensive, sacrifices some digging efficiency to minimize weight

Like so many niche ultralight backpacking gear, the QiWiz Original Ultralight Aluminum Trowel was an invention of necessity.

Ultralight backpacker, LNT educator, and QiWiz founder Rob Kelly created his original trowel as a way to repurpose some scrap metal. Other hikers began to take notice of his ultralight, extremely effective homemade tool, wanting one for themselves.

QiWiz now produces the trowel in three different sizes. The smallest of those, the “Original”, is only 0.4 ounces, making it possibly the lightest backpacking trowel available. QiWiz trowels are extremely light thanks to their simple titanium design. Rather than serrated edges or pointed tips, these trowels slice through unforgiving soil and roots via the sharp and remarkably thin titanium edge.

Shaped more like a spoon than a shovel, it is easy to underestimate the performance of the QiWiz Trowels, but the design provides impressive cathole digging abilities. Although the Original is our favorite ultralight backpacking trowel, at 6 inches it is quite compact, so digging will take longer. If you don’t mind adding a few ounces to improve your digging efficiency then the QiWiz Big Dig (7.25 in, 0.6 oz) or the Mega Dig (8.5 in, 1 oz) are excellent options as well.

Best for Digging Performance: VARGO TITANIUM DIG DIG TROWEL

WEIGHT: 1.3 oz / 36.8 g

MATERIAL: Titanium

PRICE: $$

PROS: Versatile, serrated edges excel at digging in tough terrain

CONS: Heavier 

The Vargo Titanium Dig Dig Tool is the best backpacking trowel for uncooperative ground. The kind of ground in which, as Murphy’s Law dictates, you almost inevitably find yourself digging a cathole.

If you’re seeking to minimize frustration, or have already shattered one too many flimsy trowels, then the Dig Dig Trowel is for you. Aggressively serrated edges cut through rooty forest soil like butter and a rounded handle makes it easy to apply a ton of pressure without hurting your hand. The integrated, U-shaped shovel allows you to dig a deep hole in seconds. The trowel also holds exceptionally well as a soil, snow, and sand stake.

At 1.3 ounces, the Vargo Titanium Dig Dig is heavier than our favorite ultralight trowels, but it is still solidly on the ultralight side of the spectrum. There are, of course, trowels with even better digging performance, but not at this weight. For most backcountry conditions, the Dig Dig performs reliably, despite weighing little more than an ounce.

WEIGHT: 2 oz / 56.7 g

MATERIAL: Plastic

PRICE: $

PROS: Budget-friendly, comfortable handle, very effective in soft soil

CONS: Heavy, bulky, poor performance in hard or frozen soil

The Grizzly Peak Backpackers Trowel is nothing special, but for a tool that does little more than dig a hole to poop in, “nothing special” is often more than enough.

This plastic trowel features a large head and a grippy, ergonomic handle. In softer soil, digging a 6–8-inch deep cathole with this thing is practically effortless. Its major selling point, though, is that it costs hardly more than your daily latte.

But if you're counting on regularly digging catholes in less-than-ideal soil conditions, you will benefit from upgrading to a lightweight aluminum or titanium trowel. The plastic design simply doesn’t offer the performance or durability that you will want. However, for casual backcountry trips or as a “just-in-case” tool on trails featuring outhouses at campgrounds, the Grizzly Peak Trowel is probably all you need, if you don’t mind some added weight and bulk.

BUYING ADVICE FOR BACKPACKING TROWELS

Backpacking Trowel Design Types

ULTRALIGHT: Most of the backpacking trowels reviewed here are considered ultralight designs. These trowels cut out everything nonessential and are usually made of a single material, typically titanium or aluminum. They may not be as efficient or as comfortable to use, but they are durable, packable, and extremely light.

CLASSIC: Classic backpacking trowels closely resemble a gardening shovel. They have a distinct handle, a larger shovel, and are usually made of plastic. Classic trowels, like the Grizzly Peak Backpackers Trowel, are cheap and work well in soft, loamy soil. They tend to not perform well on tougher ground and are heavier and bulkier than ultralight trowels.

FOLDING: Folding trowels hinge at the base of the handle to combine the packability of an ultralight trowel with the digging ability of a classic shovel. The added materials make them heavier and more prone to breaking, so we prefer to avoid folding trowels for backpacking.

Backpacking Trowel Materials

ALUMINUM: Aluminum is the most common material used in backpacking trowels. It is lightweight, durable, and reasonably affordable.

TITANIUM: Like aluminum, titanium is durable, lightweight, and reliable. Less titanium is needed to achieve equivalent levels of strength and performance, which is evident in the thin and ultralight QiWiz Original Ultralight Titanium Trowel. Titanium is the best option for durability, but it is more expensive.

PLASTIC: Trowels made from plastic are more affordable but will not perform as well as aluminum or titanium. It is not as sharp or durable, and usually not the best choice for digging holes in unforgiving soil.

 

Many ultralight backpacking trowels are made from curved aluminum since the material is lightweight, durable, and reasonably affordable.

 

Other Features to Consider

WEIGHT: Trowels are a relatively one-dimensional tool, so it usually makes sense to keep them as light as possible. Most of our top picks, like the BoglerCo Ultralight Trowel and the TheTentLab Deuce #2, weigh less than an ounce and are our preferred option for most backcountry settings. Budget-friendly plastic trowels or heavy-duty models will weigh several ounces more.

LENGTH: Longer trowels provide more leverage and digging capabilities but at the expense of being heavier and less packable. Trowels that hit the sweet spot of low weight, packability, and digging performance tend to be around 7 inches.

EDGES: Aluminum or titanium trowels with thin, sharp edges will be more effective in challenging soil. Serrated edges and a pointed trowel tip will further improve your ability to cut through roots and ground vegetation.

MULTIFUNCTIONALITY: Stacking uses in a single tool is the name of the game in backpacking. Look for trowels that can serve as a tent stake, a bear canister screw tool, or a bottle opener.

 

Good backpacking trowels will have a serrated edge and pointed tip for helping cut through roots and harder ground, like TheTentLab Deuce pictured here.

 

COMMON QUESTIONS

What makes a good backpacking trowel? A good backpacking trowel should be durable, versatile, lightweight, and capable of digging into hard ground. Aluminum or titanium trowels with serrated edges are best.

Do I need a backpacking trowel? A good backpacking trowel makes responsible waste disposal in the backcountry much easier. It allows you to dig proper catholes and follow Leave No Trace ethics, to the benefit of fragile landscapes and fellow hikers.

How do I use a backpacking trowel? To dig a cathole with a backpacking trowel, find a spot at least 200 feet from water sources, campgrounds, and the trail. Insert the trowel into the ground at a 45-degree angle, and dig a hole approximately 6-8 inches deep. After use, the cathole should be covered and camouflaged. Pack out any toilet paper or sanitary products.

Are backpacking trowels heavy? The best backpacking trowels are usually quite light. The best ultralight trowels weigh as little as half an ounce. Heavier trowels may be more effective at digging and easier to use but are often not worth the extra weight.

MORE INFORMATION

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