Authors note: Since first posting this article I have continued to use and test the trowel and unfortunately it hasn’t held up as well as I had hoped. I’ve had issues with the trowel bending where the handle connects to the blade. I plan to revisit this project in the future using stronger and/or thicker blade material. I’m leaving the post up because the second trowel that is presented at the end of this article is holding up much better and is still a worthwhile project I think.

Digging a proper cathole while in the backcountry is an important part of following the Leave No Trace principles of wilderness travel. A proper cathole should be 6-8” deep which can be surprisingly difficult to dig without an actual trowel.

Years ago I will admit that in order to save weight I didn’t carry a trowel. I figured I could instead use a stick or tent stake to dig with. Although this worked fine some of the time, there were other times depending on the soil conditions that the holes I dug weren’t as deep as they should have been. After one particular trip on a heavily trafficked trail, I witnessed toilet paper hanging out from underneath rocks or poking out of the ground (so gross). I realized that the improper disposal of human waste had become a big problem in the backcountry. I decided I needed to step up my Leave No Trace game and committed to always carry a trowel.

I’ve used several different trowels over the years and some work better than others. The one issue I always found annoying was that their length and the sharp point made it difficult to find a good spot to pack them in my pack.

Because I’m always looking for another piece of gear to make for myself on a quest for a 100% myog kit, I decided I would design a diy cathole trowel. I knew I wanted it to fold so that it would be easier to pack, and I wanted the weight to at least be in the vicinity of the other light weight trowels that are available on the market.

I started by experimenting with different materials and designs. I built several prototypes and ended up with a couple of designs that I really liked. The first is the most complex and although it can be accomplished with basic tools, it is somewhat involved and will take some patience to make. The second design is much easier to make and has a unique design, so I decided to include it as a bonus at the end of the article for those looking for an easier project.

The first trowel is a scaled down, lightweight version of the classic wire handled folding trowel. It is just under 8” long when open and 5” long when folded. It weighs 0.8 oz with a titanium handle and 1.1 oz with a steel handle. When folded, the rounded end of the handle sticks just past the point of the trowel helping to protect your pack from the sharp point.

I’ve done a fair amount of testing with it, and admittedly it isn't as robust as its stainless steel big brother (I wouldn’t try to pry big rocks out of the ground with it). But as is the case with most ultralight gear, I’ve found that if I use it with a little care, it works quite well.

If you plan to make this trowel you’ll want to download the free pattern for the blade and handle. To download the pattern click here.

Print the pattern at 100% scale and use the dimension shown on the pattern to verify that it printed full size.

Materials Needed:

1 - 12” long piece of ⅛” diameter titanium rod (grade 2) or stainless steel rod

1 - piece of .040 thick aluminum sheet* at least 2.5”x5”

Authors note: Since first posting this article I have continued to use and test the trowel and unfortunately it hasn’t held up as well as I had hoped. I’ve had issues with the trowel bending where the handle connects to the blade. I plan to revisit this project in the future using stronger and/or thicker blade material. I’m leaving the post up because the second trowel that is presented at the end of this article is holding up much better and is still a worthwhile project I think.

*Note on aluminum alloys:

There are many aluminum alloys, some are much harder to bend than others. I made trowels with two (5052 and 5005). Both of these alloys worked well and I was able to bend them with simple tools. They are not the strongest alloys out there, but they have held up well so far. I can’t say how some of the stronger alloys would work, as I haven't experimented with them. If anyone has success using other alloys please leave a note in the comments!

Step 1

Cut out the pattern and use spray adhesive to glue it to the piece of aluminum. Cut out the rectangular perimeter of the pattern. This can be done with a hacksaw but you’ll get straighter cuts if you use a chop saw or table saw with a carbide tipped blade.

Step 2

The trowel requires an oblong hole where the handle attaches. To do this you will drill 2 holes next to each other and then use a small file to connect the holes. Use a center punch to mark the center of the 4 holes shown on the pattern. Be careful not to hit the center punch too hard as you can deform the aluminum. Drill out the 4 holes. I like to start with a 3/32” diameter drill then move up to an 1/8” drill.

After drilling the holes use a small flat file to connect the holes and shape them into an oblong hole.

Step 3

Use a hacksaw or jigsaw with a fine metal blade to cut out the point of the trowel. Keep the cut on the outside of the lines on the pattern. Use a belt sander, sanding block or file to fine tune the shape of the point right up to the lines on the pattern.

Step 4

Carefully use a hacksaw to cut along the lines at the top of the blade removing a piece of the corner as shown below.

Cut the notches at the top of the blade.

Step 5

The next step is to bend the blade along the bend lines. There are several ways to accomplish this. If you have access to a sheet metal brake that would be the easiest. For those of us who don’t, the blade could be clamped in a vise and bent. Or it could be bent over the corner of a workbench.

I found I got the best bends by fashioning a very crude break with 2 pieces of plywood and some hinges. I held the blade in place with another piece of plywood and some C-clamps. You can see in the photos below that it is pretty basic, but it worked okay for making the shallow bends required for this project.

You’ll want to bend the sides up at a 45 degree angle. Use an angle finder or the drawing of the angle which is included on the pattern to help you get the correct angle.

Step 6

The next step is to form the wire handle. I found it was easiest to bend the hairpin bend at the top of the handle first, leaving the ends long. The extra length makes bending the right angle bends on the bottom of the handle easier and they can be trimmed to length after bending.

To form the hairpin bend you will need to find something that is 7/8” in diameter to act as a mandrel to bend the rod around. Something metal would be best. I was able to find a handle from a garden tool that fit those dimensions. Use a vise or clamps to hold the mandrel solidly in place. I found it worked well to clamp the mandrel over the center of the rod as shown in the photos below. Then I just grabbed one end of the rod as close to the mandrel as I could and bent it around. You’ll probably need to bend it a little past 180 degrees to allow for some spring back.

Step 7

After the hairpin bend is formed you can make the 90 degree bends on the ends of the handle. It is very important that these bends are inline with each other and as close to 90 degrees as you can get. If there is misalignment it makes it difficult for the the trowel to fold. You can use the diagram of the handle included with the pattern to mark the locations of the bends in the handle.

Make sure your marks are straight across from each other. To make these bends I clamped the rod in a vice and used a hammer to gently tap the rod to 90 degrees. Then I repeated for the other side of the handle making sure the bends were inline with each other.

Step 8

After you’ve made both bends, you’ll need to trim the ends so that the handle can be installed on the blade. I trimmed them just short enough that I could get it installed but longer than they needed to be. That way I could test the handle and blade together to determine exactly how long they should be. I did a final trimming once I had determined this. Remember, cutting the ends too short will allow the handle to come out when compressing the handle to close it.

With the handle installed, test opening and closing the handle. I found that if the bends or holes were out of alignment the handle won’t fold very easily. This can usually be fixed by either tweaking the bends in the handle or using a small needle file to enlarge or shape the holes a bit. The handle should lay flat when closed and should swing open freely.

It is best to remove the paper template now before moving on the the next step. Using a solvent like Goof Off with make it easy.

Step 9

With the handle installed in the blade, use a hammer to gently tap the tabs around the bars of the handle. The folds should be tight enough to secure the handle but loose enough that the handle can be easily released from them when it is squeezed.

Step 10

Test opening and closing the handle to determine how much can be trimmed off the ends. Don’t go too short or the handle will pop out when compressing the handles to close it.

Use sand paper and files to clean up all of the edges and round the corners and ends of the handle.

There you have it! Admire your hard work. The next time you have to crap in the woods it will be just the tiniest bit more pleasant when you reach for your awesome homemade trowel.

Bonus Project

This trowel is much easier to make and is a fun quick project. The two handles swing open at opposing angles which causes them to lock in place when you when you hold them both together in your hand. The blade is made from a piece of 1x1x.065” aluminum angle which is available at most home centers. The handles are made from 1/8” thick aircraft plywood, but could also be made from 1/8” aluminum or even polycarbonate. (Avoid Plexiglas which is acrylic and will crack).

Cut the angle so that it is 4” long with a point at the ends as shown in the photos. Cut ¾” wide by 4” long strips for the handles. Drill a hole 3/8” down from the top of the handle. The ends of the handles will need to be rounded so that they can pivot.

Clamp the handles in place and use them as a guide for drilling a corresponding hole in the aluminum. Put both handles in place before drilling as one will overlap the other in the corner of the aluminum angle. Use aluminum binding posts for attaching the handles to blade. I used some loctite to keep the binding posts from loosening