Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Anybody know of a lightweight hand tool to level out a camp spot.

I hate sliding off of my mat at night it ruins my sleep.

I saw an 8.5oz. clawhammer type tool but can't find it .

HomeyD has hoes like this.

I saw a video - guy had something similar but only 8.5oz. .

I've seen those at lowes/depot - they're too heavy for backpacking.

Was it a latrine trowel?
Latrine Trowel

If I can't fix a spot with a lightweight machete, it's going to take too much to be fixed.

The extra weight isn't worth the benefit if you are backpacking any long distance or climbing hills. The only way you can do it is if you already pack a hatchet, in which case you need a hatchet on one side of the tool and a mattock on the other, so you are only getting a small weight increase.

I suppose a lightweight mattock could be made to be hafted like a tomahawk on site. It wouldn't do much more than a small 12" machete though. You could buy a small finishing hammer and cut the head off.

Garden hoe with the handle cut short ????

Guys on Gritty had a titanium ice pick that was really light but durable that's what they used it for. I'm not sure of the brand if you look at some of their gear dumps on YouTube it's on there.

Fiskars lightweight trowel works pretty well in soft dirt.
https://a.co/d/cKtv1w8

If you need to pick through hard ground and rock, an ice axe works well. They aren't really light, but depending on terrain they can be handy to have. Can also remove devils club and other fun shrubbery from a camp site if you end up camping in the rhubarb.

Call the folks at SMC...they used to sell their "capra" ice axe in a useful-walking-length of 100cm. I've used mine for this exact purpose, multiple times.

That's where I saw it , Brian Call dude , but it wasn't listed below. I watched about five videos of theirs - some 1.5 hours long didn't rewatched scanned through but didn't find it -so i asked here.

I use a little plastic rake from the gardening center at Walmart.

Brian Call / Gritty YTube channel clued me in. If you like wilderness backpack hunting check them out, they go deep Idaho/Montana wilderness and stay and hunt for DAYS.


https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Ice-axes/RIDE

I use something similar to these for backcountry trail building/repair. They have changed their tools a bit. Might be more tool than you are looking for but the heads come off easily w/o tools.



https://toolsfortrails.com/collections/backslope-tools/products/backslope-tools-mini-clyde

Some good looking tools - thanks for the link.

Find a better camp spot.

If you are only packing in 1-3 miles, use it. If you are on a remote backpack hunt, leave it alone. Use a rock or a stick or your boots to help level the area. I have been on a bunch of fly in and backpack hunts and I either toughed it out or used alternative options. You can usually find a level-ish type spot within a mile of where you want to be.

Depends on what you mean by light weight... any version of any make stirrup hoe is about the best bet. Here's one version with a one-, two-, or three-piece handle. About 1/2 pound without the handle, or about 2 pounds with the 3-piece handle. Use the handle for a tent pole.

Link

There's a video showing how easy it is to use.

Phil