I couldn't give this 5 stars because I almost cut the end of my finger off getting the iPood trowel open/closed. It is a little finicky to work with. However, it works fine for its purpose and is super light and packable. If you like cool, novelty named gear...this is good...and certainly a conversation piece. I always get a laugh out of my fellow hikers when I break out the iPood. If you are really, really into saving every little bit of space, it's nice to put TP or matches or whatever you can fit into the iPood handle.

It's very sturdy and still lightweight. it's about 1/10 the weight of the old shovel I used to own. Also it folds up to help save space.

There are four key features that make this product worth getting (in my opinion):
1. Lightweight (2.6 oz)
2. Packs small (the handle slides over the face of the trowel to half the pack size)
3. Hollow handle (store hand sanitizer or some toilet paper)
4. It keeps your excrement in the ground, not on the trail or in the water

I haven't actually had this out on a trip yet, but I plan to next week. I've been eyeing this shovel for a long time, both for it's light weight and compactness. I'm a very neat and organized person and I thrive on efficiency. The idea is good, but the buttons both on the extension handle and the compartment cover are extremely difficult to open. I wasn't even aware it came with a bag, and I love that feature. We'll see how it works in the real world over the next few weeks and I'll update this comment.

I finally replaced my old E-tool (24oz) with the iPood (2.6oz). Obviously it takes up less space and weighs a lot less. The spade worked great in the sandy soil at Yosemite, I'm not sure how well it'll work in tougher soil since the blade isn't as pointed as most.

Pressing the button in to collapse the shovel can be difficult, and I didn't bother using the handle to store anything. It's too much of a pain to pop the top in and out of the handle. The shovel does feel pretty tough though, I can't imagine it breaking anytime soon. It'll probably last through the whole i-etc trend and still be going strong.

It gets the job done, but there are better (and cheaper) options with less catchy names.

I hate it when my dog starts eating some human poop it just found in the woods. Do us all a favor and buy one of these and teach yer kids and yer wife how to use it too. Thanks.

You people make me sick. Hahaha.

I can't say it's a bad product, but you can get a fiskars composite trowel at walmart for one dollar, and it weighs just 2 oz.- only difference is it doesn't fold up, but it does have storage in the handle. Quite a bit cheaper.

I was not looking forward to taking a dump in the woods but now that I have I'm glad I had my iPood. Although very lightweight it was strong enough to dig through rocky woody New England soil. The hollow handle not only saves on weight but is the perfect place for putting toilet paper. The sack has just enough room to fit a mini bottle of Purell. Makes a great little package to hand to your friend or anyone in your group when they gotta do their business.

Super light weight and strong, with a sense of humor. The teenagers on my backpacking trips always make fun of me for it, then they go out and buy one of their own. Great product!

This trowel is great. It's small, lightweight, compact, strong, and has a storage compartment. Get one...for everyone's sake

Alright, had to replace a misplaced U-Dig-It trowel and saw this in the store. . . Nice lightweight product and the stuff sack was quite a bit lighter than the heavier belt holster model of the previous trowel. The hollow handle seemed to give it strength without weight as well as nice storage for a small bottle of hand-sani. However, after a week in the woods we are not impressed. The blunt tip does a very poor job of penetrating the ground when you gotta go. The storage compartment is virtually impossible to open and the push button to retract the telescoping handle is likewise impossible, without something to push it in. Not to mention that it eventually rotated inside the handle and became useless, and the handle would not stay extended. In the spirit of LNT and Sustainable Living; I will repurpose the nice, lightweight stuff sack, for carrying a toothbrush and paste but unfortunately the trowel is garbage. I would not let anyone else struggle with it, when they too have gotta go.

I used to carry a bulky shovel axe combo, when the axe head started to fly off mid swing on ocassion, I started looking into other options. I replaced the saw portion with a 0.1 ounce ring saw, while this next to nothing weight, cleverly named iPOOD! is infinitely lighter and more compact form of shovel, especially for the purposes I use it for.

CONS: I have a hard time getting the plastic cap piece off to access the hollow compartment in the handle, and sand can quickly (although temporarily) gum up the function of the retractable handle.

Every once in a while a product comes along that changes the way you do backpacking, and I really wanted the iPOOD! to be one of these products. It was light, sleek and seemed like it would be handy because you could stuff toilet paper or wetwipes in the handle. The first problem resulted from the metal adjuster button not lining up with the hole in the handle, it was a metal bracket inside the handle which kept bending and not snapping into place. After fixing it, I'd try to slide it out again for use and the same thing would happen. This happened SIX times in a row. The next problem was in the plastic cap on the handle where you are supposed to stuff toilet paper into, it would continuously to get stuck and was really hard to pull out. My brother tried to pull it out and it ripped half his fingernail off- seriously. Keep in mind this was all after one time using it. On it's maiden backpacking trip, it was never to be put back together again. I guess it was my fault for buying a shovel that had moving parts. I would recommend looking at another shovel or not using a shovel at all. In fact, there's not much a rock can't do the same as this shovel except carry toilet paper, at least a rock works and you don't have to carry it. iPOOD!- R.I.P.