Ultralight aluminum trowel review: the budget backpacking cathole digger
A cathole is the difference between leaving no trace and leaving a mess, and you cannot dig a proper one with your boot heel. This ultralight aluminum trowel is the cheapest honest way to do the job right — a few dollars and an ounce or two that earns its place in any pack.
The verdict
The right first trowel. It is light, cheap, and stronger than the flimsy plastic scoops most people start with — a one-piece aluminum blade with a serrated edge that bites through packed dirt and small roots to dig a proper 6-to-8-inch cathole. It is not a fire-pit tool and the bare handle edges bite your hand when the ground gets hard, but for burying waste on normal trail soil it does exactly what it should. If you just need to start practicing Leave No Trace without spending much, buy this and move on.
What it does
This is a minimalist backpacking trowel: a single piece of lightweight aluminum with a scooped blade, a serrated cutting edge down one side, and a long, skeletonized handle drilled out to shave weight. It exists for one core job — digging a cathole to bury human waste 6 to 8 inches down, well away from water and trail, the way Leave No Trace requires. The serrations let you saw through the small roots you inevitably hit, and the length gives you enough leverage to break the surface on ordinary soil. It rides for almost nothing in your pack — an ounce or two — so there is no weight excuse to leave it home. Bright anodizing makes it easy to spot if you set it down in the leaves, and the aluminum shrugs off the wet without rusting.
What verified buyers say
Verified-purchase owners — mostly backpackers replacing a broken plastic trowel — land on the same handful of points:
- Light and genuinely sturdy. Buyers are surprised how solid it feels for the weight; several call it a clear upgrade from the cheap plastic trowel it replaced.
- The serrated edge earns its keep. Owners single out the toothed side for slicing through roots in medium-hard ground where a smooth blade just skids.
- Easy to see, easy to pack. The bright finish and slim profile mean it stashes in a side pocket and does not disappear when you set it down.
- Right tool for the right job. Repeat buyers frame it honestly — a lightweight digger for burying waste, not a pry bar or an axe.
Worth knowing
The one consistent gripe — the manufacturer even admits it on the listing — is the handle. The bare aluminum edges dig into your palm when you have to lean on it, so in hard, dry, or frozen ground it gets uncomfortable fast. The common fix is to wrap the handle with a few turns of sports or electrical tape, which doubles as trail repair tape. Treat it as a light-duty cathole tool: it is not built to dig a fire pit, chop, or pry rocks, and forcing it into that work is how thin trowels bend. Within its lane — burying waste on ordinary soil — it does the job for years.
Who it is for
This is for the new or budget-minded hiker who wants to do the right thing outdoors without overthinking it — someone taking their first steps into Leave No Trace who needs a real trowel, not a stick. It is also a sensible cheap spare to leave in a daypack or car kit. If you hike often and want a trowel that is more comfortable and near-indestructible, step up to the made-in-USA TheTentLab Deuce. If you need a tool that also digs fire pits, trenches runoff, and cuts kindling, size all the way up to the SOG entrenching tool.
Specs at a glance
Material: lightweight aluminum · Edge: serrated for roots · Weight: ~1–2 oz · Job: digging catholes (6–8″ deep) · Not for: fire pits, prying, chopping · Best for: budget / first trowel, LNT waste burial
The Verdict
For a few dollars and almost no weight, this aluminum trowel gets you digging proper catholes instead of scratching at the dirt — the cheapest honest way to start burying waste the Leave No Trace way. Want a more comfortable, buy-it-for-life version? See the TheTentLab Deuce. Need to dig fire pits and hard ground, not just catholes? Step up to the SOG entrenching tool.
Wilderness Experts is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend.
