Packable trail tools have quietly become one of the most interesting categories in trail building. As more trail work happens in remote zones, on bikes, or during informal volunteer days, the need for lightweight, mobile tools has grown alongside it.

On a recent trail scouting mission, I strapped the Clyde Jr to my pack and hit the trail. The route had seen better days—ruts forming, water not shedding properly, and a few stretches that clearly needed drainage work. I wasn’t out there for a dig day. I was scouting. But the Clyde Jr changed the way I approached the task.