Before my recent overnight shakedown trip to Yosemite National Park, PACT Outdoors sent me their Lite Trowel to test and review. The timing worked out perfectly since one of the goals of the trip was to try some new gear while also making sure my longtime backpacking setup was still trail ready.
The conditions turned into a much better test than I expected. Overnight snow left the ground cold, wet, and partially frozen — exactly the kind of terrain that usually makes digging a cathole frustrating. Honestly, I expected a lightweight trowel this compact to struggle a bit in those conditions. Instead, the Lite Trowel handled it with no problem. The pointed shape and sturdy construction cut into the snowy Sierra soil surprisingly well, and I never felt like I was forcing it or worrying about bending it.
One thing I noticed immediately was how comfortable it was to use. Because of the design, there was no pain in my hands while digging, even in harder ground. Anyone who has used ultralight trowels with thin edges or awkward grips knows how quickly they can dig into your palms and make an already unpleasant chore even worse. The PACT avoided that entirely.
What impressed me most is how thoughtfully designed the whole system feels. The built-in toilet paper pill is one of those features that sounds simple until you actually use it in bad weather. Keeping toilet paper dry during a snowy trip matters, and having it integrated into the trowel keeps everything compact and organized without needing another container floating around in my pack.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the toilet paper itself. It actually feels like real toilet paper instead of the thin, scratchy trail versions most backpackers are used to, and one pill was enough for the entire overnight trip.
Another unexpected bonus: the storage compartment holds a surprisingly large number of psyllium tablets. In this case, psyllium isn’t for digestion on trail—it’s used as a backcountry sanitation aid. One tablet is tossed into the cathole after use to help promote faster breakdown of waste, which is an extra layer of Leave No Trace responsibility that’s easy to incorporate when it’s built into your kit. Having a dedicated place to store them without carrying a separate container turned out to be genuinely useful.
The biggest compliment I can give the Lite Trowel is this: it’s replacing my Deuce #2, which has been part of my backpacking kit for years. That wasn’t something I expected going into this test. The Deuce has been a reliable piece of gear for a long time, but after using the PACT in snowy Yosemite conditions, I’m making the switch.
It’s lightweight, packable, thoughtfully designed, and far more capable than its minimalist appearance suggests. For a piece of gear most people hope they won’t need often, the PACT Lite Trowel performed exceptionally well when it counted.
