Tools & Equipment
These survival tools handle the hard jobs in the field: digging, chopping, sawing and repairing. They are compact enough to strap to a pack and tough enough for real work.
Digging tools include Rothco tri-fold and deluxe tri-fold shovels, a folding shovel, a heavy weight steel handle folding pick and shovel, an orange mini pick and shovel with cover, a pick mattock, and an 8-in-1 stainless steel multi-tool survival shovel. Keep your shovel on your gear with a canvas or nylon tri-fold shovel cover or a MultiCam MOLLE compatible shovel cover.
For cutting wood, there are commando wire saws (with or without nylon hand straps), the Short Kutt pocket chain saw, a deluxe heavy duty camp axe, and a 3-in-1 survival hatchet. Rothco multi-tools in standard and stainless steel cover small repairs, and military duct tape, known as 100 mile an hour tape, fixes almost everything else.
Together they cover the jobs a camp, a vehicle kit or a bug-out bag will throw at you: clearing a tent site, digging a fire pit or drainage ditch, processing firewood, freeing a stuck truck, and patching a torn bag until you get home.
A note for service members: an entrenching tool is a common item on field packing lists, often with a carrier that attaches to your load-bearing gear. Check your list for the required type and color of cover, and confirm with your leadership before you swap issue tools for commercial ones.
How to Choose Survival Tools
Pick tools by the work you expect and the weight you can carry. A vehicle kit can hold a pick mattock and a full camp axe. A backpack kit should lean on a tri-fold shovel, a wire saw and a multi-tool. Every tool you carry should earn its weight.
Folding Shovels and E-Tools
The entrenching tool, or e-tool, is the military's folding shovel, built to dig fighting positions and handle camp chores. The tri-fold design folds the blade back over the handle to pack small, and it locks open as a shovel or at an angle as a hoe. A deluxe or heavy-duty model with a thicker blade holds up better to roots and rocky soil. The 8-in-1 stainless model adds extra functions to the handle for people who want one tool for multiple jobs.
A combined pick and shovel or a pick mattock breaks up hard ground and roots faster than a blade alone, which makes it worth the extra weight in a truck or at a fixed camp.
Shovel Covers and Carry
A cover protects your gear and you from the blade edge. Canvas covers suit traditional loadouts and reenactors; nylon covers resist rot; MOLLE compatible covers mount to PALS webbing on a pack or belt. Check that the cover matches your shovel's folded size.
Saws, Axes and Hatchets
A commando wire saw weighs almost nothing and coils into a small pouch. Hand straps make it easier to pull without cutting your fingers. The pocket chain saw cuts faster on thicker limbs and also packs small. A camp axe splits firewood and drives stakes; a survival hatchet is lighter for one-handed work. Keep edges covered and sharp, and cut away from your body.
Multi-Tools and Field Repairs
A multi-tool covers the small jobs: pliers for hot pots and wire, a blade for cord, drivers for loose screws. Pair it with a roll of 100 mile an hour tape. Duct tape traces back to World War II: Vesta Stoudt, who worked at an Illinois ordnance plant, proposed a waterproof cloth tape in 1943 so troops could open ammunition boxes faster. The green tape that resulted earned its nickname for its speed and versatility.
Survival Tools for Field Training
If an e-tool is on your packing list, bring it in the carrier and color specified, and practice folding and locking it before you get to the field. Don't bring cutting tools to basic training; recruits are told to pack only what the recruiter's list includes.
- Oil hinges and lock collars so they don't seize after wet use.
- Sharpen shovel edges lightly for cutting roots.
- Tape tool handles with 100 mile an hour tape for better grip.
- Store saws coiled and dry to prevent rust.
Tools for Preppers, Campers and Overlanders
A folding shovel and a saw are core items in any vehicle recovery kit, and a hatchet and multi-tool cover most campsite chores. Keep a set in the truck and another in your bug-out bag, and check them each season for rust, loose hardware and dull edges.