Scale to weigh hiking gear?

[BillK]

Can anyone recommend an accurate / inexpensive scale to weigh all my hiking gear individually? I see that Bed Bath & Beyond has a kitchen scale that has an 11lb capacity and does 1/8 ounce increments, but it's $40. I was hoping there may be a cheaper solution that's still farily accurate, especially considering it's not something that I'm going to use all that frequently.

Thanks,
- Bill

 

[Mad Townie]

Try a fish scale, er, I mean a fishing scale. Those for salt water use should be sufficient for any size pack, I would think. Mine weighs to 25 lbs., so I weigh a couple of items separately when I'm checking a winter pack.

No, I don't go ultralight, especially in winter.

 

[BillK]

Thanks Mad Townie. I ended up heading out shortly after I posted this thread and grabbed a digital kitchen scale. ($40) We'll see how it works out. In the past I never really gave weight a 2nd thought, but I'm finding myself more and more conscious of it these days since I started carrying additional items. (stove, fuel, expedition down jacket, etc.) I'd like to document all the items that I carry with their associated weights, and then figure out what could be swapped out for a lighther alternative, etc. I had been carrying a TNF Denali jacket (~ 26oz I think), and I just ordered a Patagonia Micro Puff jacket this morning. (~ 13oz) I guess you're not a kid anymore when you start counting ounces.

- Bill

 

[DougPaul]

Some people use a kitchen scale (~5 lb max) to weigh individual items and then a larger scale for the packed pack.

Doug

 

[Gris]

I wonder how long that scale has been at Pinkham & what the record is...?

 

[Maddy]

I am assuming you have a scale at home. If not they are relatively inexpensive at Walmart.
Weigh yourself first, then put you pack on and weigh yourself again.
The difference will of course be your pack weight!

 

[BillK]

I am assuming you have a scale at home. If not they are relatively inexpensive at Walmart.
Weigh yourself first, then put you pack on and weigh yourself again.
The difference will of course be your pack weight!

Yes, I'll use that approach to weigh the pack as a whole, but I'd also like a better understanding of the breakdown so I can try and make some intelligent choices as to what I might want to leave behind, swap out for a lighter alternative, etc. For example, I just weighed my car keys and discovered I could shave off 5oz. by just bringing the single key and not the entire key chain bundle. I now have a stove, so I *could* bring 2 quarts of water instead of 3, and make my own from snow if needed. This saves 44 5/8oz, including the nalgene and insulated diaper. I'm just starting to scrutinize my gear and I've aleady shaved off ~ 4lbs with the keys, water, and my replacement for my 300-wt Denali jacket. No folks, I'm not turning into an UltraLight nut. Well, maybe I am, kinid of.

- Bill

 

[audrey]

I agree it's quite an eye opener to weigh each item - I discovered that there can be up to a pound's difference among my jackets, and you can't really tell just by holding them in your hands. So many potentially unnecessary things add up - stuff sacks, the 2nd pot, the too-big bottles of bug dope and sunscreen. Tevas weigh twice as much as Crocs!

 

[TomD]

Bill, I have a small scale made by Nexxtech that I got online from Circuit City. Cost around $10 on sale. It weighs up to 3 kilos (6.6 lbs) and is good for almost everything from the little stuff to packs, bags, etc. You have to set a piece of cardboard on it for bigger things since it's only about 4" square, but has a setting to adjust for that.

It's all the little stuff that adds up without you noticing it.

 

[marty]

I have a Salter digital kitchen scale. It works great to weigh my various pieces of gear! I also have an analog scale with a hook (kind of like a mini-version of the ones they have at EMS stores) to weigh my loaded pack.

Marty

 

[zman]

next is the spreadsheet!!!!!

About a year ago I decided that I needed to get lighter since I was getting older, my pack was getting heavier and the 10 pounds of body weight I had been trying to loose for the last 2 years just didn't seem to want to go- I ended up buying a digital hanging scale for $25 dollars off the net, which is popular with fishermen (it has a built in tape measure!!) works like a charm but only reads out in 1 oz increments- ( I can email you the website if you are interested)
Next came the obsessive spreadsheet which I downloaded from the BackpackingLite website-it has been mucho fun to list all my gear and its weight, then check off what I am packing and have it automatically total up my pack weight- it also serves as a great checklist when heading out….As I have upgraded my gear to lighten up I am now considering computing the weight to dollar ratio- how many dollars is each ounce costing me!!! It is getting increasingly more expensive to loose each ounce. This brings me back to considering to try to loose the original 10 pounds of body weight!!!!
I would be happy to email you my spreadsheet; I think they are also still available on Backpackinglite.com

Have fun,

Marty

 

[Waumbek]

You can use a pack scale , an updated version of the older brass spring balance scales with meat hooks, for your pack and heavier items, and a kitchen scale for the lighter stuff.

 

[Maddy]

Bill....sorry. I thought you were looking for yout total pack weight.
Here is the URL for Andy Skurka's site. You may be familiar with him. He did the sea to sea hike. 7800 miles in 330 days. He has a CD documenting the journey for $5. I cannot say enough about it.
On his site he discusses "lightweight travel". Very interesting and he is a big believer.
He has much experience and appears to be a very safe traveler.
http://www.andrewskurka.com/

 

[BillK]

Bill....sorry. I thought you were looking for yout total pack weight.
Here is the URL for Andy Skurka's site. You may be familiar with him. He did the sea to sea hike. 7800 miles in 330 days. He has a CD documenting the journey for $5. I cannot say enough about it.
On his site he discusses "lightweight travel". Very interesting and he is a big believer.
He has much experience and appears to be a very safe traveler.
http://www.andrewskurka.com/

Thanks Maddy!

- Bill

 

[percious]

I picked up a scale and a 200gm calibration weight for around $20 on ebay.

Similar to this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1000-Gram-Digit...goryZ531QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I used it to weigh everything from my stoves to my shirts. It definitely helps get the weight down on your pack if you get an idea of what everything weighs. Take care of the ounces, and the pounds will take care of themselves.

-percious

 

[John H Swanson]

scale

I went for quality and accuracy. I bought an Ohaus scale from Cole Parmer. (website exists) It's a small scale with about a 5" platform. For large items I put a food tray on the platform and re-tare. I have even brought it into Campmor when shopping for new gear. It works on an AC adapter or batteries.

It has a 2 gram accuracy and a max capacity or 2500grams. It's ideal for weighting individual gear - though a heavy tent would need to be divided. If you really insist on American units it has a little switch on the bottom and can be easy switched between units.

The cost was about $100. It has a 5 yr waranty Very pleased

 

[BillK]

Thanks everyone! I ended up buying the following scale:

Scale

I've weighed and documented most of my gear at this point, and it appears to be very accurate. Max capacity is 11lbs and weighs in 1/8 ounce increments. Seemed like a decent comprimise for $40.

- Bill

 

[marty]

Bill K,
I have a very similar Salter model. Don't think you can go wrong with it!

Regards,
Marty