Choose the DirtSaw Deuce #2 if lower carried weight is your priority and its size works for you. Consider the #3 if you expect difficult ground where burial is permitted and want to assess a larger, thicker tool. The #3 adds a calculated 10.5 grams, but published dimensions cannot prove that it will feel comfortable or dig faster in your hands. Buy neither for a route that requires waste to be packed out unless you have another permitted need for a trowel.
This is a researched buying comparison, checked on 1 October 2026. We have not handled, weighed or dug with either model. Our contribution is a current-versus-older specification audit and a worksheet that separates route permission, physical fit and carried weight.
Check the route before the size
Leave No Trace’s disposal guidance describes catholes as an option in suitable locations, while narrow canyons and some fragile alpine or desert areas require packing solid waste out. The land manager’s current instructions for your destination govern the plan. General advice is not permission to dig wherever you stop.
Write down the exact route’s waste rule and its official source before shopping. If it requires pack-out, use our waste-bag versus portable-toilet comparison to plan containment and disposal. A trowel cannot replace that system. If the rule is unclear, resolve it with the land manager before treating either size as the answer.
Current DirtSaw sizes, compared on the same basis
These figures come from the explicitly named sizes on TheTentLab’s current DirtSaw family page . They are published specifications, not our measurements.
| Specification | DirtSaw Deuce #2 | DirtSaw Deuce #3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listed weight | 0.60 oz | 0.97 oz | #3 adds 0.37 oz |
| Listed length | 6.8 in | 7.7 in | #3 adds 0.9 in |
| Listed width | 2.5 in | 2.7 in | #3 adds 0.2 in |
| Maker’s positioning | Weight and toughness balance | Difficult ground, thicker material | A reason to consider #3, not a measured result |
The extra-weight calculation is (0.97 − 0.60) × 28.3495 = 10.489315 g, rounded to 10.5 g. We converted the difference between the published ounce figures instead of subtracting separately rounded gram labels.
That arithmetic settles the carry penalty. It does not settle grip pressure, digging time, scoop volume or strength. Decide whether the larger tool solves a problem you actually have before paying that penalty. If your current trowel already works for your permitted routes, these figures alone give no reason to replace it.
Why some Deuce #3 dimensions do not match
The maker’s older generic Deuce #3 page still lists 8 × 2.6 × 1 inches and 0.97 oz. The current named DirtSaw #3 entry lists 7.7 inches long and 2.7 inches wide. Those are conflicting length and width specifications across differently described pages, even though the ounce weight agrees.
| Source identity | Published size | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Current named DirtSaw #3 family entry | 7.7 in long × 2.7 in wide | Basis for this current-model comparison |
| Older generic Deuce #3 page | 8 × 2.6 × 1 in | Evidence of the conflict, not substitute DirtSaw dimensions |
| Older generic Deuce #2 page | 6.8 × 2.5 × 0.75 in | Length and width agree with current #2, but the page describes an older design |
The older #2 page describes four leading teeth. Agreement on two dimensions does not make every Deuce #2 listing the current DirtSaw. Nor does matching 0.97 oz prove that an unspecified #3 is the version compared here.
We have not established whether the #3 discrepancy reflects a design revision or how the pages were updated, and we have not measured either version. Do not average the numbers or call the discrepancy a typo. Match the full DirtSaw Deuce #2 or DirtSaw Deuce #3 name and the selected item’s details. If a tight storage space depends on a fraction of an inch, obtain confirmation for that item rather than treating either web page as a precision fit guarantee.
The larger model is a fit question, too
TheTentLab positions #3 as the thicker choice for difficult ground. Its comfort and strength statements remain manufacturer claims; we have no comparative test that turns them into a promise. Bigger dimensions do not establish that the grip suits a particular hand.
Read the current DirtSaw use directions before deciding whether this style of tool suits you. The maker describes changing orientation rather than using it only like a conventional garden trowel. Learn the instructed grips and loading directions. Do not improvise a force test or assume a heavier model makes technique irrelevant.
If you can inspect one before committing, check normal hand contact without force or digging. A comfortable shop hold still cannot establish how it will feel in soil. Stop and seek product guidance if the intended grip is painful or unfamiliar; do not buy #3 solely because an advertisement calls it comfortable.
A route, fit and carry worksheet
Use this original worksheet for your next actual outing. It screens a purchase; it does not certify the route or tool.
| Record before buying | What to write | Decision it supports |
|---|---|---|
| Disposal permission | Route, land-manager source, date checked and burial or pack-out rule | Pack-out requirement removes the cathole buying case |
| Existing equipment | Current trowel and a specific unresolved problem, if any | Keep working equipment when there is no clear need |
| Ground evidence | Official route information or known conditions at permitted use locations | Consider #3 for documented difficulty, not as permission to dig in fragile terrain |
| Version identity | Full DirtSaw name, size and selected listing | Reject an uncertain older/current mix |
| Storage | Actual available space and a protected location away from clean supplies | Resolve fit and separation before departure |
| Hand contact | Which instructed grip you can evaluate and any unresolved pressure or access issue | Leave comfort unknown until personally assessed |
| Weight choice | Whether saving 10.5 g outweighs your reason for a larger tool | #2 for weight priority; #3 only for a defined preference or need |
For example, a route requiring pack-out ends the cathole comparison at the first row. A burial-permitted route with a working #2 and no fit problem gives no obvious upgrade case. A burial-permitted route with known difficult ground and an acceptable #3 grip gives a reason to consider the larger model, while leaving actual digging performance untested.
Include the complete sanitation kit when checking your pack. Our Hikelite 18 versus 26 packing exercise distinguishes volume from loaded weight. Keep the trowel separate from food and clean medical equipment; our first-aid organization guide helps preserve an accessible, identifiable medical pouch. Neither trowel supplies waste containment or hand-cleaning materials.
Buying check and final choice
The verified US Amazon destination is TheTentLab DirtSaw Deuce #3, Sky, ASIN B0CBGGTJVH, checked on 1 October 2026. Before checkout, confirm the selected item still says DirtSaw and #3. We have not verified an exact #2 Amazon destination, so this page provides no #2 shopping link. That difference in link availability does not change the weight-based recommendation.
Check DirtSaw Deuce #3 on Amazon
Choose #2 when its size is suitable and saving carried weight is the deciding factor. Consider #3 when the larger tool addresses a specific need and 10.5 g is an acceptable addition. Choose neither when burial is prohibited, your existing tool is adequate or personal fit remains unresolved. We make no current price, stock or shipping promise and no claim that either model guarantees comfortable or faster digging.