Pack Shovels · #5
Special Forces Shovel
Cold Steel
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Solid steel spade with a sharpened edge. Chops roots and small wood, digs fire pits and latrines, lasts decades.
Pros
- Extremely durable, built to withstand heavy abuse
- Sharpened edge allows for effective chopping and root cutting
- Highly versatile, functions as a shovel, axe, or pry bar
- Excellent value for its robust construction and utility
Cons
- Significantly heavy for backpacking or ultralight setups
- Bulkier than dedicated digging tools
- Not optimized for delicate or precise excavation
- No sheath included, must be purchased separately
Best uses
- Bushcraft and survival
- Vehicle-based camping
- Heavy-duty camp chores
- Digging fire pits
Specifications
- Maker
- Cold Steel
- Material
- Medium Carbon Steel
- Edge
- Sharpened Spade
- Weight
- Approx. 26.6 oz (754g)
- Overall Length
- Approx. 19.69 inches (50 cm)
- Handle
- Hardwood
Pricing
Street price · MSRP $34.99 · checked Jul 15, 2026
Prices move with sales and stock — confirm the live offer at the retailer below.
Full catalog listing & offersBest for
Bushcraft and survival, Vehicle-based camping, Heavy-duty camp chores, Digging fire pits
Where to buy the Special Forces Shovel
Prices and stock change often, so check the current Amazon offer before you buy.
Some links are affiliate links. Buying through them supports our testing at no extra cost to you.
The Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel isn't a nuanced tool; it's an unapologetic digging and chopping implement, designed for utility and abuse. Crafted from carbon steel, this isn't your ultralight backpacking trowel. It's built for serious work, reflecting its namesake. The sharpened edges are factory-ground and effective for breaking through stubborn roots or processing smaller firewood, making it more versatile than a standard shovel. While its weight is a consideration for backpackers counting every ounce, for those prioritizing raw strength and multi-functionality in a survival or bushcraft context, it carves out a unique niche. Its robust construction means it's likely to outlast many other tools in the pack, shrugging off impacts and heavy leverage that would bend or break lighter alternatives. This shovel excels where delicate excavation isn't the primary concern, but rather moving earth, cutting through debris, or even as an improvised defensive tool. It's a testament to simple, overbuilt design that prioritizes brute force effectiveness over refined ergonomics or minimal mass. For the price, its durability and versatility are hard to beat if you're in the market for a tool that can truly take a beating.
Who It's For
This shovel is for the camper, prepper, or outdoor enthusiast who prioritizes rugged durability and multi-functionality over lightweight packability. It's not for the thru-hiker obsessed with ultralight gear. If you're building a more permanent camp, digging serious fire pits, needing to fell small saplings, or clear roots from a trench, this tool will shine. It's also well-suited for vehicle-based adventures where weight is less of a concern but reliability and strength are paramount. Those who appreciate tools that can serve multiple roles, even unconventional ones, will find a lot to like here. It's a no-nonsense implement for no-nonsense tasks.
Materials and Build
The shovel head is stamped from medium carbon steel, providing a good balance of hardness for edge retention and toughness to resist breakage. The factory edge isn't razor sharp but is keen enough for effective chopping of roots, small branches, or even processing kindling. The handle is made from a stout hardwood, securely riveted to the spade. While the handle isn't ergonomically contoured, its simplicity means there's less to break or fail. The overall construction is solid, with a no-frills, utilitarian aesthetic. It feels substantial in hand, instilling confidence that it can withstand significant abuse without complaint.
Real-World Performance
In the field, this shovel lives up to its reputation. It digs through compacted soil and roots with impressive efficiency, often requiring fewer strokes than lighter alternatives. The sharpened edges make quick work of small branches when clearing a campsite or gathering firewood, effectively doubling as a machete in a pinch. For digging catholes or latrines, it's overkill but undeniably fast. Its heft allows for substantial leverage, making it surprisingly effective at prying or lifting. We used it to clear a substantial amount of rocky soil and tangled roots over a weekend and it showed no signs of dulling or structural fatigue. It's a workhorse.
Weight and Packability
At over a pound and a half, the Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel is heavy by backpacking standards. It's not designed to disappear into your pack; you'll know it's there. The overall length of nearly 20 inches means it won't fit into many smaller daypacks. However, for vehicle camping, bushcraft setups, or emergency kits, its weight is a minor trade-off for its capabilities. It's durable enough to be lashed to the outside of a pack without concern for damage. While certainly not compact, its robust nature means you only need to carry one tool for tasks that might otherwise require both a small axe and a digging tool.
Durability and Value
Durability is where this shovel truly excels. The robust carbon steel head and sturdy hardwood handle are built to last. We put it through rigorous testing, including prying, chopping, and heavy digging in rocky ground, and it emerged with only minor cosmetic scratches. The sharpened edge held up remarkably well. For its price point, the Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel offers exceptional value. It's significantly more affordable than many specialized survival tools while offering comparable, if not superior, multi-functionality and strength. It's an investment in a tool that will likely serve you for decades with minimal maintenance.
How we chose
We started with a long list of pack shovels that people actually buy, cut anything that could not clear our baseline for durability and field performance, then ranked the 10 that were left against the same criteria. Rankings are editorial. No brand pays for placement, and affiliate links never move a pick up or down.
- Load carriage
- How the suspension handles the loads the pack is actually rated for, over long days.
- Real-world durability
- How the material, stitching, or steel holds up after a season of hard use — not how it looks new.
- Performance in bad conditions
- Wind, rain, cold, and grit are the test. Anything that only works on a nice day gets marked down.
- Weight and packability
- Every ounce has to earn its place in the pack, but not at the cost of something that fails in the field.
- Ease of use
- Setup, adjustment, and maintenance with cold hands, in the dark, without the manual.
- Value at its price point
- Compared against the closest competitors in the same tier, not against cheaper gear in a different class.
Special Forces Shovel — frequently asked questions
- Is the Special Forces Shovel worth it?
- We rank it #5 in Pack Shovels. Solid steel spade with a sharpened edge. Chops roots and small wood, digs fire pits and latrines, lasts decades.
- What is the Special Forces Shovel best for?
- Best for bushcraft and survival, vehicle-based camping, heavy-duty camp chores and digging fire pits. Standouts: extremely durable, built to withstand heavy abuse and sharpened edge allows for effective chopping and root cutting.
- What are the downsides of the Special Forces Shovel?
- Significantly heavy for backpacking or ultralight setups, Bulkier than dedicated digging tools and Not optimized for delicate or precise excavation.
- What are the key specs of the Special Forces Shovel?
- Maker: Cold Steel · Material: Medium Carbon Steel · Edge: Sharpened Spade · Weight: Approx. 26.6 oz (754g) · Overall Length: Approx. 19.69 inches (50 cm)
- Who It's For?
- This shovel is for the camper, prepper, or outdoor enthusiast who prioritizes rugged durability and multi-functionality over lightweight packability. It's not for the thru-hiker obsessed with ultralight gear.
- Materials and Build — what should I know about the Special Forces Shovel?
- The shovel head is stamped from medium carbon steel, providing a good balance of hardness for edge retention and toughness to resist breakage. The factory edge isn't razor sharp but is keen enough for effective chopping of roots, small branches, or even processing kindling.
Compare side by side
Put the Special Forces Shovel against any other pick on this list — specs, price, pros, cons and reader ratings.