Gerber Folding Spade the Best on The Planet

The Best Emergency Shovel/Spade/Intrenching Tool Made

Gerber sent me their Folding Spade for test and evaluation. I carried the “Spade” in my toolbox of my GMC pickup truck. My purpose was to use this Spade for emergency purposes. When I drove somewhere, I knew I should not have gone, I could have a tool to dig myself out. While towing and camping in our RV I would use the Gerber Spade for digging firepits and other utilitarian holes.

Built for American Heroes and Warriors who go out into the field, this collapsible digging tool is also ideal for chopping and sawing with a serrated blade edge. The glass-filled nylon handle, 7075 aluminum shaft, and powder-coated steel blade combine into a tough, durable tool. The sawtooth edge came in handy when removing some branches which would scrape the side of the RV.

A few weekends ago, I drove to Kansas to meet up with my Nephew Michael and his two boys, Julian twelve and Maddox eight. This was a one-night campout due to busy school schedules and writing deadlines. We set up camp on my Uncle Mike’s farm some one mile from the nearest dirt road. We camped on the Arkansas River where there is a huge sandbar which keeps reinventing its self. A very nice and quiet place to let two boys blow off some steam.

While we were setting up camp, Maddox, not one to be setting still, was off and running in the woods and on the sandbar. On one of his passes through the camp, I stopped him and gave him an intrenching tool to dig a firepit. He was happy to have something he could use to dig, chop and smash with. After he completed the firepit. Maddox was off and running with this “Made in China” intrenching tool.

Occasionally his Dad and I would look up to see if he still had all of this limbs, toes and fingers. After an hour of hacking and smashing things with the Chi-com intrenching tool, Maddox came back to the camp and showed the once decent tool. It was totaled. His eyes lit up when I dug out the Gerber Folding Spade and handed it to him. He was off and running with a fresh, what he called, an Anti-Zombie-Coyote Weapon. The energy of the eight-year-old is just amazing.

Now the sandbar we were next to, is about 600 yards long and about 300 yards wide. We had my Uncle Mike’s John Deere Gator to navigate this area. In this sandbar are islands of trees which have resisted the ravages of the Arkansas River when it goes out of its banks. For this reason, we could not see everywhere Maddox could be, so we would patrol to locate him and his brother Julian to make sure they were not getting into something they could not get out of. We would follow their tracks, digging sites, logs Maddox chopped on and general destruction to where his current archaeological digs were. This boy dug up all kinds of items which was washed down the river. He even dug up a well-polished buffalo rib which had to be at least over two hundred years old. (This area of the river which intersects with a creek and smaller river, has ancient Native American village sites buried about five feet down.)

Well after two days of chopping, digging, prying, banging, sawing and leaving general destruction in his path, Maddox “The Destructor” did not damage the Gerber Folding Spade in any way. Check out the video of his best efforts to destroy the Spade.

Conclusion

I can say without a doubt, the “Made in America” Gerber Folding Spade is one tough tool. This tool took all the “The Destructor” could hand out over a two-day period. It served me well as a tool and Maddox well as an “Anti-Zombie-Coyote Weapon”. The Spade is lightweight and tough. Its anodized shaft can take some serious prying. And an additional bonus is the Gerber Folding Spade has a life time warranty. If you are looking for a lightweight utility spade for backpacking, camping or an emergency tool for your truck, the Gerber Folding Spade is your best choice. Don’t buy Chicom, buy American.

• Lightweight and TOUGH
• Anodized Shaft
• Limited lifetime warranty

Gerber Folding Spade Specs

• Product Number: 30-000075
• Overall Length: 23.75 Inches
• Head Material: Carbon Steel
• Handle Material: GFN
• Color: Black
• Weight: 2 lbs. 5.30 ounces
• Model: Folding Spade
• Country of Origin: USA
• Weight: 37.3 ounces

MSRP: $66.00

Gerber Gear
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Gerber Folding Spade
https://www.gerbergear.com/en-us/shop/equipment/all-equipment/folding-spade-30-000075