BLOG.URBANSURVIVALLIBRARY.COM: Recent Comments

Comment on Oil Lamps Prove Worthy

Khikas — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:06:58 GMT

that was so great!

Comment on Shovels

scrounge — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:13:32 GMT

Scrounge , Here is one instance I took my family camping years ago when the kids were very young . Went to lake frontenac in Quebec Canada , miles from anywere , being the good camper that I am I came prepared for just about anything (the car was realy loaded down!) Among the impliments to survive the trip was , the similer type of folding army shovel you have pictured in your blog , the one I had was a very sturdy WWII Army issue with a straight wooden handel . My dome tent was pitched on a slight hill that ran around the perimiter of the lake . I thought to myself it might be a good idea to dig a small gutter trench around the entire back of the tent for drainage just in case it rained . The soil was so hard I had to ajust the head of the shovel on a 45 degree angel to chop at the soil and brake through the tough surface . Shure enough the very next night it poured cats and dogs,the whole night .The water just ran into the shallow gutter trench, around the tent and down the hill .The tent our sleeping bags and us would have gotten washed down that little incline . Thanks to that sturdy little army shovel and a little bit of preparedness and common sense ,it saved the day or in this case the night .Well even in the summer ,It gets pretty cold in Quebec when the sun goes down . It could have turned into a nasty situation if it was'nt for that shovel. We stayed hunkered down dry in that tent the whole night ! Ironically I turned on the portable radio I had brought along for a little music ,and beleve it or not the song that was playing ( Rainy Night in Georga ) by Ray Charles True story ! Thanks Scrounge

Comment on Shovels

David Vine — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 23:50:34 GMT

Thanks for taking the time to comment on the shovels blog entry.

You've addressed a very important issue -- How would one really use the tool?

If I was digging a big dirt pit I'd want a long handle as you suggest.

If I was trying to dig my vehicle out of snow I'm not sure how long the handle should be but the wide flat edge would be needed to scoop the snow.

"Survival" situation? Something that is rugged and versatile.

I'm not really sure what that would be...

Any suggestions?

DV

Comment on Shovels

Scrounge — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:46:47 GMT

Nice display , I have worked construction and used several different kinds of shovels , through my experience I have learned of there are (4) four different basic kinds of regular shovels . Long handle , short handle , pointed and flat with a straight edge all you have displayed in your great photo ! Short handle as opposed to long handle , the longer the handle the more leverage , and control and the wider you can spread your arms wich makes for less effort for longer pierods of shoveling . The oposite for the shorter of the two , but the shorter shovel has one advantage , when in a deep ditch (close quaters) ,you guesed it , easier to work with . Pointed as opposed to flat edge . Here both shovels serve a different type of job. Pointed for piercing into tough rocky soil . Flat edge to scoupe up loose dirt or snow mud ect. from a flat surface such as asphalt or flat dirt surface . Turn the flat end around now its shaped tike a hoe good for gradeing small piles of dirt or snow back to a flat surface , turn it around again and it makes a great tamp to tamp down the surface flat . I hope this helps you out cause I had to learn it the hard way ! Thanks Scrounge