TheTentLab Deuce #2 UL Trowel Review

Overview

The TheTentLab Deuce #2 is a backcountry latrine trowel that weighs just 17g and fits in a hip-belt pocket alongside your tent stakes. It’s an updated version of the company’s original ground-breaking Deuce of Spades trowel, which many thousands of customers have used. Positioned as the sweet spot between the featherweight #1 and the burly #3, it strikes a nice balance between crazy-lightweight and overall toughness. This is the trowel for gram-conscious backpackers who still want something that can dig a proper Leave No Trace cathole — not just scratch around in sand and hope for the best.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	17g / 0.6 oz
Dimensions	2.5” wide × 6.8” long
Material	7075-T6 aerospace-grade aluminum
Price	~$20.95 (DirtSaw version)
Warranty	Lifetime (replace for cost of postage)
Made In	USA and South Korea (by DAC)
Comparison	See how the Deuce #2 UL Trowel compares to similar gear

Performance

The first thing that surprises people is how much this tiny flat piece of aluminum can actually accomplish — once you figure out how to use it. The #2 features four small teeth on the leading edge to cut through small roots as you encounter them at the bottom of your hole — just the right number and size to do the job without interfering with regular digging. The teeth are also shaped to be field-sharpenable with a rock. The current DirtSaw iteration adds wide, smooth teeth along the sides designed to saw through soil, and ray bends that make the trowel 65% stronger against bending in the middle and almost 3x stronger at the hole.

The double-sided design is the real trick. When digging seems nearly impossible, the Deuce can be flipped upside down, increasing applied pressure and using the handle to punch through solid soil — outlining the circumference of a cathole this way breaks up inflexible ground and really helps start the job. The short handle also allows you to push on the shoulders and top of the trowel at the same time, and gives vastly better dexterity in deeper holes than longer trowels do. In practice, I found myself flipping it constantly depending on what the ground demanded — scoop side for loose dirt, handle-first for prying.

The material is worth calling out. The 7075-T6 alloy — aluminum with zinc, magnesium, and copper, tempered for a high strength-to-weight ratio — is not cheap and is usually reserved for specialized equipment like transport applications and sports gear. The product does come in at its advertised 17g. With some persistence there are few places you can’t dig, and applying force in all directions to maneuver around rocks doesn’t bend or affect the trowel’s form.

That said, there’s a learning curve, and the manufacturer is refreshingly upfront about it: if you know how to use the Deuce well, you’ll be a very happy customer — but if you don’t read the directions, odds are you’ll like it but not love it. The biggest performance gripe in the real-world reviews is hand comfort. Because of its shape and thin material, the Deuce readily slices into all manner of soil for a fast and precise dig — but the harder you grip, or the more resistance you encounter, the more the thin material starts to dig into your hand, resulting in fatigue. The thin metal edge tends to dig into the palm when digging or chopping in hard rocky ground or through roots, and the manufacturer’s suggested grip techniques don’t fully solve that problem. A strip of Leukotape over the handle edge is a low-cost fix if you’re regularly hitting tough ground. There are also a couple of reports of the older, thinner Deuce of Spades version breaking in exceptionally rocky soil under heavy-duty use, though the aluminum’s spring-back properties do provide resilience when you use it hard. TheTentLab backs it with a lifetime warranty — bend or break one, and they’ll replace it for just the cost of postage.

Compared to the default ultralight alternative — a plastic trowel — the weight case is stark. The nearly 70% reduction in weight and significant reduction in bulk over something like a Coghlans plastic trowel is worth the upgrade. The length also doubles as a depth gauge: at 6.8 inches, burying the blade to the rim tells you you’ve hit the LNT-recommended 6-inch depth.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• At 17g / 0.6 oz, it’s one of the lightest functional trowels available

• 7075-T6 aluminum construction yields a high strength-to-weight ratio

• Double-sided design works in multiple digging modes — scooping, prying, probing, sawing
• Length serves as a built-in 6-inch cathole depth gauge

• Anodized finish in multiple colors prevents corrosion and keeps your hands clean

• Teeth can be field-sharpened if performance degrades
• Lifetime warranty, honored for just the cost of postage
• Slim profile packs with tent stakes or in a hip-belt pocket

Cons

• Thin metal edge digs into the palm in hard, rocky, or rooty soil

  — gloves or tape padding help
• Effectiveness in very hard or root-dense ground depends heavily on technique; not a pick-up-and-go tool

• Not as user-friendly as longer, heavier trowels like the U-Dig-It Pro

• The DirtSaw crenulations on the sides contribute less noticeably than the notches on the leading edge

  — jury’s still out on whether the latest iteration justifies the price bump over the older version

Who Should Buy This

This is the right trowel for the solo thru-hiker or weekend backpacker who’s already shaved their base weight and wants their hygiene kit to match. It rewards anyone willing to spend five minutes reading the instructions and practicing the flip-and-probe technique before their first trip. If you frequently camp in very rocky alpine terrain and want something beefier, consider stepping up to the Deuce #3 (0.97 oz) for better leverage and a more comfortable grip. If you’re a weight absolutist and hike mostly in softer soils, the #1 at 0.45 oz is worth a look — but the #2 is the well-reasoned middle choice for most people.

Verdict

The Deuce #2 does one thing — dig catholes — and does it well for its weight class, provided you invest a little time in learning its technique. At 17g it’s essentially free weight in your pack, and the 7075-T6 aluminum is genuinely tough. The hand-comfort issue is real enough to mention on every trip into rocky ground, but manageable with a bit of tape or a glove liner. For most backpackers, this is simply the best answer to the trowel question. 8.5/10.