A take down shovel would have to be made of something pretty substantial to keep it from breaking. The long handles in a shovel (5' or so) has a lot of force exerted on them when in use. I have a lot of clay around the house and have broken a couple of hickory handles out since we moved here. I have went with fiberglass handles now and have yet to break one, but I don't trust them very much either. I will be stocking several replacement handles soon.

Stig, I'm not sure how well the short foldable shovel would work around here. I agree with your premise, to carry a true long handled shovel with you if at all possible.