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Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel

$21.95

(26)

Item # 758042

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The Sea To Summit pocket trowel makes backcountry bathroom trips a breeze.

Lightweight aluminum alloy handle and hard-anodized aluminum blade are strong and durable—great for digging holes in hard ground
Pop the rear cap off to store toilet paper, lighter and hand sanitizer in the hollow handle
Handle collapses to fit within the blade for compact storage; carry sack included
Sea To Summit promotes following Leave No Trace principles when traveling in the backcountry

Imported.

Item 758042

View all Sea to Summit products

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Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel

3.1

(based on 26 reviews)

54%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Effective (13)
Easy to use (7)
Packs small / compresses (6)
Lightweight (4)

Cons

Difficult to use (7)
Doesn't work (5)

Best Uses

Outdoor activities (9)
Backcountry camping (3)
Backpacking (3)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (4), CPR trained (4)
- Primary use:
- Personal (15)

Reviewed by 26 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Dec

2012

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Not as functional as it appears

By jabuhrer

from Denver, CO

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Cheaply made
Difficult to Use
Ineffective
Poor Materials

Best Uses

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

I bought this trowel, despite its high price, for a few simple reasons: light weight, novel design and great satisfaction with previous Sea to Summit products. After using it, I was highly disappointed. It is very lightweight and compact, which is nice. But as soon as I took it out of the package I noticed that it is not nearly as sturdy or well crafted as any of the other StS products I've bought. The handle is well-machined, lightweight aluminum: great! The shovel blade part, however, is blunt, dull plastic, with a flat tip. Not such a great design for a shovel blade, especially when trying to dig into hard, rocky soil. The two pieces are attached by a small metal button. The result is pretty flimsy when you extend it and try to actually use it - again, even more so when you're trying to dig into rocky soil with a blunt plastic tip! Much more of a pain than a simple $5 old school 1-piece plastic trowel. Sad part is that I will now hesitate before buying another Sea to Summit product, which I never did before.

Comment on this review

Aug

2012

(1 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

a better alternative

By Navy boy

from Norfolk, VA

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Use
Effective

Cons

Best Uses

Outdoor Activities

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

I brought the nylon version on a 5 day camping trip in backwoods Vermont. Well...it was a great idea, except for the nylon. So, upon return, I purchased this as a replacement. I am quite optimistic as the previous one was a great idea, just not the right material.

Comment on this review

Dec

2011

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

hard to use

By the dove

from seneca pa

About Me CPR Trained

See all my reviews

Pros

Light weight

Cons

Difficult to Use
Ineffective

Best Uses

Car camping
Sand

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

Hard to open! Hard to use in hard rocky ground, clay ,or roots.The compartment in the handle is a struggle to open! IT needs improvement.

Comment on this review

Dec

2011

5.0

iPood in the Woods

By souter26

from Portland, Oregon

About Me Casual Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to pack
Effective

Cons

Best Uses

Emergency Preparedness
Outdoor Activities

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

I loved it. It works exactly as described, in the handle I store a small roll of TP and a small flint/fishing line, just in case of emergencies. The trowel is small and packs well. Its strong enough to dig is rocky soil, as long as the hole is not too large.

Comment on this review

Sep

2011

4.0

Good, functional item

By uproar

from Yakima, WA

See all my reviews

Pros

Effective

Cons

Best Uses

Outdoor Activities

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

Funny thing about this item--I bought one a few years ago, when it was still being marketed as the "iPood". Thought it was a great name, but emailed the company and enquired as to whether they had any concerns over copyright infringement--it looked like something that a certain techno-company's legal department might jump all over. Sea to Summit replied that they thought the name was funny and didn't see any problem--no one would confuse the two products, they said (as if that was the point). Now, amusingly, it isn't marketed as the "iPood" anymore, but as the "Pocket Trowel". Imagine that. Looks like somebody got a memo. Anyway, it is a cool little functional item, durable, but I found the storage compartment difficult to open, too small to be very useful (unless you can survive on about 10 sheets of toilet paper), and rather pointless. But as a "pocket trowel", it has no peer.

Comment on this review

Jul

2011

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Did they not test this?

By Tom 98052

from Seattle, WA

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Difficult to Use
Heavy

Best Uses

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

The button you have to press to close the handle is very stiff, and pretty much guarantees you will get pinched using it. Overall build quailty seems poor.

Comment on this review

Jan

2011

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Best S

By gurth hiker

from Fort Dick, Ca

About Me Hiker

See all my reviews

Pros

Promotes Healing

Cons

Best Uses

Quick Fix

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

Product is most helpful when dealing with big business. Works great on dirt but not so well on pavement/well-traveled paths. Can also be used to stir hot chocolate or mash potatoes.

Service and delivery comments:

Upon unpacking I was unsure how to use it. I called customer service and their friendly staff was most helpful in describing ipood operation/maintenance.

Comment on this review

Sep

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Poorly engineered

By Quick

from LA

About Me Novice First Aid Skills

Pros

Cons

Difficult to Use

Best Uses

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

This is very poorly designed. I agree with some of the previous posters that this is not a good tool to use if you have to dig a hole quickly. I haven't been able to put it to practical use yet because I just spent the last 10 minutes trying to depress the button to unlock it. After breaking a nail, I was able to slide it open by pressing the end of a pen on the button. I had just as much trouble trying to unlock and return to its original configuration. I am definitely not taking this on my trip! I would actually only give it 1/2 a star if not for the nice-looking design.

Comment on this review

Aug

2010

1.0

No longevity

By BozemanEric

from Bozeman, MT

See all my reviews

Pros

Great Name

Cons

Ineffective
Quality

Best Uses

Once a year digger

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

This trowel is going back. Being a fan of marketing I was sold at once on the kitschy name Sea to Summit had give the tool. It worked great for about four trips into the backcountry. On trip five, the button that held the trowel locked in place started to fail and it would slip, causing it to collapse, often on my finger. Not a great way to start the day when you are hurriedly digging a hole on your sixth morning of living off grains and nuts.

Comment on this review

Aug

2010

(5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

iPood in the Woods

By JimDoss

from Tecate, CA

About Me Backpacking

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Use
Effective

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Sea to Summit Pocket Trowel:

What can one say about a small little trowel, designed to dig cat-holes in the woods to bury [*] in? Well, how about it's well designed, has a really fun name, and does what it's supposed to do?This thing is not designed to dig trenches around your tent in a rainstorm, make fire pits, cut kindling, mine for gold, or stir your scrambled egg breakfast. It's designed to dig small hole in the ground. Remember that. Remember, too, that while the iPood Pocket Trowel is a really neat item, it's not 100% perfect.The handle is designed with a removable plug in the end to store a lighter and a bit of TP. Sounds good, but in practice, it's not very practical. Paper just gets wedged in there, making it difficult to remove. It's faster and easier to keep any "necessaries" you might need, along with the iPood, in a separate stuff sack in the top of your pack. Just grab and go. I tend to wait until I really have to "go" before I "go" and just taking the time to dig a cat-hole takes enough time already. It's better to have everything handy, as it were.The iPood Trowel does a fine job digging a hole in softer ground, but add in some rocks and roots and it falls short. Still, you must remember that this is a hand trowel, not a shovel. It won't cut tree roots and you won't be able to use it to pry our large rocks. It does a fine job making a small hole, but that's all. I wish that the iPood was a bit pointier. I think that would make digging holes a bit easier. I do like the included stuff sack and the nifty way the head comes off the handle. It makes it a bit smaller for storage. The blade is strong. I've yet to damage it, even when digging holes in a glacial moraine in the Grand Tetons. The spring clip that holds the head to the handle, so far, has worked flawlessly, though I can see keeping it dirt-free is important to its continued functioning.Overall, I'd say the Sea to Summit iPood Pocket Trowel is a winner, especially considering it only weighs 3.8 ounces, packs well, and does a fine job digging small cat holes, even in somewhat rocky soil.