I've been a little slow to warm up to the whole crowdfunding thing, but I have to admit some pretty cool stuff does come out of the process. Exhibit A is the DMOS Stealth shovel, a great addition to your backcountry kit as the snow piles up this winter.
The Stealth is a cool looking shovel, available in five hip colors, and although despite the prettiness you might be tempted to look at it as just another collapsible shovel the Stealth is more than that. For starters the shaft telescopes from 18 to 56 inches, at which point you basically have a full size shovel with all the leverage benefits and back-saving properties that come with it.
In addition the rake-like edge on the 3x9x16.5 inch shovel lets you groom snow jumps to perfection. That may be the highest and best use of the Stealth, but don't be fooled: it's no soft-snow-only wallflower. We took it out in the Alaska winter during a particularly nasty freeze-thaw cycle and basically beat the snot out of it clearing a 3×30 foot sidewalk of 3 inch thick ice. The aluminum shovel had some character marks on it at the end of a full hour of chopping, prying and scooping, but other than that it was a burly as it started.
The Stealth packs down to the size of its shovel, and at only 3lb 3oz it's not too large or too heavy to bring backcountry. If you know you're going to need to go far off the beaten path to spend some quality time with your shovel you need the DMOS Stealth shovel with you.