Barebones' All-Purpose Cutting/Digging Tool

OK, give this a chance before you dog me out about this. I write about a lot of expensive tactical and outdoor kit, but I am always on the lookout for simple, inexpensive tools that will do the job.

Barebones Living has a garden tool – yes, I said a garden tool -- called the Hori Hori that could be just the thing for backpacking tasks such as digging a cat-hole, clearing roots and scrub from a shelter site and pounding tent stakes.

Roughly translated from Japanese, Hori Hori means Dig Dig, according to Barebones. It measures 13.75 inches overall and features a bamboo handle and tempered steel blade with saw-tooth edge on one side and knife edge on the other.

One side of the blade is concave to make it more efficient for digging. The handle features a steel pommel for use as a light hammer.

The Hori Hori retails for $30.