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Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel

$21.00

(17)

Item # 753114

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The lightweight Gerber Gorge folding shovel lets you chop, dig, scoop, scrape and hammer your way through your next outdoor adventure.

Carbon steel blade is lightweight and strong to handle the rigors of backcountry camping
Heavy-duty handle doubles as a hammer for pounding in tent stakes; rubberized grip creates a comfortable hold
Push-button mechanism locks the blade in place; blade folds closed for convenient packing
Includes a nylon storage bag

Imported.

Item 753114

View all Gerber products

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Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel

2.9

(based on 17 reviews)

59%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Comfortable grip (12)
Quality materials (7)
Durable (5)
Wide head (5)
Easy to use (4)

Cons

Bends/breaks (4)
Heavy (3)

Best Uses

Digging (6)
Camping (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (3)

Reviewed by 17 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Aug

2012

1.0

I want my money back.

By atreidex

from Seattle, WA

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Looks nice
Wide Head

Cons

Bends/Breaks

Best Uses

Doorstop

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

Bought this as a camp shovel. Expected uses... clearing debris, digging little poo holes, hammering in tent stakes, etc.

Broke on the 1st day of use. After some light-moderate hammering, the whole spade head just snapped right off. I was completely shocked...

I loved it when I bought it, it looked built well, and a nice upgrade from the cheap/rough brown 'military suplus' folding shovels I've always used in the past. Nope. Still have those, ugly and crude as they are, and minus a hammer point, but at least they don't snap in half like twigs.

Comment on this review

Jun

2012

3.0

Decent shovel

By King Giant

from Lake Villa, IL

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Folds small
Multiple Tools
Quality Materials
Wide Head

Cons

Heavy

Best Uses

Digging

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

I bought this shovel because I didn't like carrying around my heavy, bulky military folding shovel while backpacking. I tried other lightweight shovel alternatives and destroyed them in rocky areas. So I gave the Gorge a try. I like how it can be used as a pick, hammer, or a shovel. I also like how it folds up quite reasonably for a shovel of it's size. What I don't like is that it is made of very heavy steel. I know that is what gives it the stregth, but I would happily pay more for another version made of a lighter, but still durable material.

Comment on this review

Feb

2012

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Heavy Shovel

By Ben.Zef

from Big Bear City California

See all my reviews

Pros

Well Balanced Feel

Cons

Too heavy

Best Uses

Cleaning out fire ring

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

For a backpacking shovel, this is a boulder versus a stone. This item may be durable, but it's only good for car camping.

I use it at campsites, and it works okay. But could be improved by removing what's not needed. Like the anvil style hammer head.

Which you cannot see to use, since you cannot see through solid objects.

I sawed it off, and Gerber mnay have it back. They can glue "it" onto the next shovel they sell some poor unsuspecting soul.

A rock drives in the tent stakes, so why the hammer / anvil head? To add unwanted weight, or because it's Nato approved.

If Nato wants to send someone to trail behind me when going uphill on a trek - they may, I won't complain in the least!

The head is too broad for agressive digging. The shape is improper for effective use.

In the West, the soil is not a clay formation - rather, it's alluvial sand like composition, with lots of stones.

I have feirce knives - camp style - 7 inches or longer, which will beat the proverbial pants off of this product.

Hardly does this product work. It looks cute, folds nice, and takes space.

Now what of the word: "Lightweight" ? For a minimalist / ultra light packer this is death in a hand basket.

For a run of the mill packer, this is a "stone" to be avoided.

For a car camper, the car is doing the carrying and not to worry too much.

Now what of the sheath for storage and carrying purposes?

The strap lets you carry the shovel one way, but but not the right way. Even if you are disposed to lug this albatross uphill, you can hardly secure it to the outside of your pack.

Better yet, use your phone, take a picture of this shovel, and you can impress everyone by showing them the picture and stating you own one of these shovels.

By doing this, you trully will be ""lightweight"".

REI carries better offerings, look carefully at what you will be using a shovel for. Otherwise, when you do need the shovel, you're going to be too tired to use it.

Comment on this review

Jan

2012

1.0

Poor Craftsmanship, Easily Broken

By Running Bear

from Corvallis, OR

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip

Cons

Bends/Breaks
Heavy

Best Uses

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

I planned on using this product as a backpacking shovel, and took it on two trips before it broke. On the first trip, it worked effectively in loose soil, but on the first day of my second trip, it broke when I tried to dig a cat hole. The soil was fairly loose, but was wet and heavy. The handle broke where it connected to the blade. I cannot recommend this due to the fact that it is advertised as an "outdoors" tool, which I took to mean would be reliable in a backcountry context.

Comment on this review

Aug

2011

5.0

Great Tool!

By Meli

from Joshua Tree

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Easy to use
Quality Materials
Well Balanced Feel
Wide Head

Cons

Best Uses

Digging
Hammering

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

This thing packs down small enough to fit in a waist pack or backpack, which makes it very portable. It's too heavy for most people to take backpacking, but for car camping when you need a hammer or a shovel, this little tool is awesome!
It's also great for rescuing your vehicle from soft sand in a pinch.
I've owned mine for two years; it has seen moderate use and still looks and works as though it's new.

Comment on this review

May

2011

(5 of 16 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

FAIL

By PikeMaster

from Madison, WI.

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Bends/Breaks

Best Uses

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

I took this shovel with me to the Boundary Waters as my main shovel as you have to bury your fish remains. On the first hole I dug I hit a root and the shovel snapped in half. Luckily I had a small trowel with me for the rest of the trip which held up but took forever to dig a hole.

Normally I would have my Army Entrenching tool with me but I was trying to save some weight. This is a perfect example of the problem I have with ultra light gear especially tools. When you really need a tool and depend on it you need it to be reliable. For this reason I would avoid this Gerber shovel like the plague. Get yourself a military grade E-tool if you need to have a collapsible shovel. It may weigh a bit more but it will be there when you need it. (Side note to people trying to shave off a few pounds here and there - instead of buying questionable quality gear maybe start by going to the gym and shaving the weight off your body while building muscle strength. This way you can handle carrying the extra weight of quality gear.)

Comment on this review

Nov

2010

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

straight handle would be better

By Callahan Adventures

from Oakland, Ca

About Me Avid Gardener

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Quality Materials
Well Balanced Feel
Wide Head

Cons

Collapsing difficulty

Best Uses

Digging

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

Nicely compact and very strong. Only requet wouldbe to have the handle without the larger grip end. i.e. handle of continual size and so that the toilet roll can slide down on the handle, simple pleasures make a difference. Keeps it out of the dirt, wet snow, or from blowing away.

Comment on this review

Sep

2010

(8 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great shovel for a great price

By Grover

from Houston, TX

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Quality Materials

Cons

No serrated edge
NOT SHARP

Best Uses

Backpacking
Digging
Motorcycle Car camping

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

After years of using and carrying NATO tri-fold shovels on hiking trips I can safely say that this is one of the better compact shovels available for the price. At 28 ounces, it is definitely lighter than a tri-fold, which can top the scales at around 48 ounces. I cannot understand why anyone can be critical about the weight. If it were any lighter, it would be useless as a shovel for digging in anything other than snow, and product durability would suffer. The Gerber also folds to a much more manageable size, is easier to unfold, and is much more rigid when fully extended and tightened than the Mil-Spec units.

Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase and would recommend it. If you actually need a shovel and not some plastic garden trowel, and won't throw your back out carrying a mere 28 ounces, then this is the shovel for you. I would have given it 5 stars if it had a sharper cutting edge, and perhaps a serrated side for cutting roots.

Comment on this review

May

2010

(0 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

not for backpacking

By ingus

from LA, CA

About Me Getting Started

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Quality Materials

Cons

Very heavy for its size

Best Uses

Car camping
Digging

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

You gotta love the misleading description of this tool: "The lightweight Gerber Gorge folding ..."

Hello?! Hello??? Lightweight? This thing is ANYTHING but lightweight.

Now don't get me wrong, this is a well made and well designed shovel/hammer combo tool. Its two heads can be locked into different positions to suit your needs, be it digging a cat hole, or hammering down tent pegs. It folds into a somewhat manageable size, does come with a storage pouch, and uses decent/strong materials in its construction.

However, this thing is heavy. REAL heavy. So buy it for gardening and/or car camping, but don't do it for backpacking. Your back will thank you.

The search for that perfect lightweight backpacking shovel continues...

Comment on this review

Mar

2010

(2 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Lowered Expectations

By Wildewudu

from Washington/Oregon/Maine

About Me Master Gardener

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Grip
Quality Materials
Sturdy
Wide Head

Cons

Handle slips off

Best Uses

Digging
Digging Poo Holes
Fire pits
Gardening
Lawn Maintenance

Comments about Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel:

This shovel was great, except for one fatal flaw; the handle keeps slipping off!! The shovel *is* heavy, which is a concern if you're going UL, but not so much on a weekend or car camping trip.

It was rather unsettling digging around other people and having the shovel head keep coming off leaving only the handle in my hands. Since it's a heavy shovel, there is very real potential for a serious injury. Not a good thing when you're in the backwoods.

I, too, did get this originally because it had a hammer head in addition to the shovel. Unfortunately, that hammer head is over rated. It works but an easier, near universal, and lighter option would be to just find a rock near the campsite (or a piece of a log to use as a mallet).

There are other lighter shovel options on the market now, so for backpacking purposes, I would say this shovel has become obsolete.