Just a heads up people swedish shovels on auction site same ones as mr mears uses with snow attachment just baged me one.
It has a detachable snowblade..... which comes in handy if you have to dig a slittrench or clear a place for a shelter in a snowcovered forrest. Or excavate your car from a snowdrift . It also is a little more ergonomically shaped. Just feels better. However it does not pack away as nice and small as a NATO foldable shovel and i can not say that it is any lighter either.I thought the spade/shovel Ray used was plain aluminium/metal? (one with the frozen egg on); whatever, how is it better than a folding NATO type?
This is the one uncle Ray used IIRC
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Swedish-a...Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item27ce4294fb
They're actually quite a bit cheaper than over here!
Shipping's a killer, though.