Motley Forest Fox Adjustable Travel Shovel for Metal Detecting

The Motley Forest Fox is a full-size relic shovel that collapses to 26 inches, which is the whole point of it: a real 2 mm heat-treated blade and a D-handle you can put your weight on, in a tool that fits in a backpack, a suitcase or behind a truck seat. Motley builds it in Europe for detectorists who hunt forests, pasture and harvested fields, and the quick-release clamp lets you set the length to your height rather than living with a 31" or 36" fixed handle.

Who the Forest Fox suits, and who should look elsewhere

If you fly or drive to permission sites, or you switch between digging on your knees and standing, the adjustable length earns its price. If you only hunt local parks where a full-size shovel is unwelcome, a hand digger is enough, and if you want the lightest possible fixed-length relic shovel, the Lesche Sampson is lighter and cheaper. The Forest Fox is for the detectorist who wants one shovel that travels. Its Motley stablemates include the beach scoop most of our sand hunters carry.

What it is like to dig with

The blade is cold-pressed and heat-treated 2 mm steel with CNC-sharpened edges, so it cuts roots and compacted clay rather than folding on the first rock. The blade and handle are both angled forward, which lets you lever a plug out with less back effort than a straight spade, and the bent "stealth" blade shape releases soil instead of carrying it up. Hexagon cutouts in the footplates trim weight without giving up the wide foot surface you need in hard ground. The Motley Easy Grip D-handle takes two hands for prying. Set the length with the quick-release clamp: 26 inches for kneeling and crevice work, up to 39.4 inches for standing digs. At 4.25 lb it is heavier than a fixed T-handle relic shovel, which is the price of the adjustment mechanism. The powder coat will scuff with use; that is cosmetic and Motley says so up front. See it alongside every metal detecting shovel, digger and pick we stock, or filter our D-handle shovels.

What's Included

• Motley Forest Fox shovel in the colour selected (green, chameleon, beige, gold, black or grey)

Specifications

• Type: Adjustable-length travel shovel, D-handle
• Length: 26" collapsed to 39.4" extended, quick-release clamp
• Blade: 7.1" wide x 7.9" high, 2 mm heat-treated steel, CNC-sharpened edges, forward angle
• Handle: Motley Easy Grip D-handle, 5.1" x 4.7"
• Footplates: Hexagon laser-cut, two-way
• Weight: 4.25 lb (1.93 kg)
• Finish: Sandblasted, Motley powder coat (will scuff with use)
• Colours: Green, Chameleon, Beige, Gold, Black, Grey
• Part numbers: 69312 (Green), 69367 (Chameleon), 69374 (Beige), 69411 (Gold), 69350 (Black), 69381 (Grey)

Why Buy from Serious Detecting

Serious Detecting is an authorized Motley Digging Tools dealer, so the Forest Fox ships as genuine Motley stock with the manufacturer warranty, and our team has run it on Michigan relic sites where root-bound clay is the norm. All orders ship free, and we offer a 30-day return policy plus a price-match guarantee. Compare handle styles and lengths across our full range of T-handle shovels if you would rather have a fixed-length tool.