They’re back again: The lightest cathole trowels on the planet ! Titanium, two sizes

During March, 2013, buy any trowel OR wood burning stove and I'll rebate back to you 10% of your entire order, including any additional items you want to get at the same time. To get the discount, visit my Specials page and add the discount to your order for a penny.

And you thought March Madness was not related to backpacking!

Can you dig it?

Only one week left to take advantage of the best deal I have ever offered:

Buy any trowel or wood burning stove, and I rebate 10% of your entire gear order back to you. New MEGA Dig trowel and FireFly XL stove qualify.
(International extra shipping excluded)

Can you dig it?

To get a 10% discount on the rest of your order, buy any trowel and add a penny by going to my Specials Page and adding that option to your cart. Rebate will only be given if this option is added.

Can you dig it?

I think these should be the universal membership card to the International Secret Society of Gram Weenies. And yes, I admit to having one too.

When I see someone hiking by in an Arc Blast in the Sierra I intend to silently wave my Titanium spade in greeting and hope my secret brother or sister will do the same in return. No need for a secret handshake, when you have these.

Can you advise of material thickness and heat treating specs?

The MEGA Dig trowels are 33% thicker than the Big Dig and Original trowels. However, the strength of the trowels comes from their shape, not the thickness of material, which is quite thin.

The shaping of the trowels is the result of a multi-step heat treatment, developed with lots of trial and error.

Even though not actually sharp, the thin profile makes easy work of cutting through small roots or meadow sod. The trowels are strong enough to pry small stones out of your hole as you dig.

I've literally had not a single person ask me to take a trowel back because they thought it was not light enough or strong enough. You will not be disappointed.

You can get rebates during the rest of August on any size trowel and/or FireFly or FireFly XL stove. Make sure to "add a penny" on the Special Deals page to activate your rebate.

QiWiz.net has all the info . . .

I have had the original in my kit for about 1500 miles of hiking the AT and it works great. Thanks to Pennsylvania rocks, my titanium tent stakes are all bent up but this little trowel looks like it did when it was brand new. Weight: 11.8 grams.

Thanks John for the nice comments. I’ve had a couple folks have to replace a misplaced trowel, but no reports of breakage have ever come my way.

During November, you can get more than 10% off any size titanium trowel or a regular FireFly stove. Callin’ it a FIRE SALE (get it?). Just go to the Specials page for all the details.

Well, that was *just* the incentive I needed. Digging it already…Payment sent! :~)

Edited to say — received, with thanks!!!

Great product Rob.
Got a Big Dig several years back. Still going strong in Sierra soil.

Go to my Specials page to order any combination of sizes (including 2 of the same size) and you will get 10% off 2 or more trowels of any size.

Just sent my paypal for a big dig.

Drop-N-Roll sent me a link to this video of LoveNote and Stryder having a cat hole digging contest in the Wind River Range during her CDT thru hike. LoveNote is using an Original trowel. Stryder is using something that is about 15 times heavier. You be the judge.

http://youtu.be/0g-L3yfukpg

Can you dig it?

I get the occasional inquiry about how my trowels can be so strong, and so light at the same time. Great question!

I'm no metalurgist, but I recently read that when some metals are shaped using heat (titanium being one of the metals with this property), the strength of the resulting shaped metal is higher than if the same shape is cold-formed, or created by bending without heat.

I'm gonna say that this is one of the reasons that my very-thin trowels are so strong. They are all shaped in the fire of a propane torch by me, by hand, one at a time, in the USA. Can you dig it?

I didn't read the whole thread, so please forgive if it's been said. Is there a way to sawtooth an edge, so it could be used as a handsaw. Put an edge on the other side and it's a true multi use tool. Thoughts?

I've made a saw edge on a few trowels as a custom mod. I do this by cutting saw teeth by hand and bending them slightly in or out on alternate teeth to create a saw blade. Not a great saw but it will sort of work OK for a time. It makes the trowel much more dangerous to your other pack contents that are easily scratched or torn. I really don't recommend it.

I’ve finally gotten enough ahead of demand (with the help of Footloose, who is sharing the work of trowel construction with me) that I can bring back – drum roll please – March Trowel Madness!

You can get more than 10% off any size trowel until a national champion is crowned on April 3rd.

To access the MADNESS, just go to http://qiwiz.net/TrowelMADNESS.html and GO CRAZY!

Can you dig it?

Has anyone tried taking the Big Dig in your airplane carry-on?

Yes, I have taken it in my carry-on from the US to the UK and back.

I have taken it in carry on in USA and internationally at least a dozen times. No worries. Put it near top of pack just in case TSA wants to admire your Big Dig.

8th Anniversary Sale going on now – see Gear Deals Forum.