View Full Version : Bought a scale, want to weigh everything
In the military you'll occasionally be made to do a ruck march of a certain distance in a certain amount of time with a pack weighing a certain amount. I got tired of guesstimating my pack's weight and always being 10 or 15 pounds over, so I bought myself a nice little hanging scale from Amazon.
Only problem is now I have this compulsive desire to gather all my civilian hiking equipment together and WEIGH ALL THE THINGS. This is 3 years after I did my thru so I'm wondering if anyone else has travelled down this rabbit hole before.
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Yes, I have a spreadsheet with the weight virtually everything that I own that I could conceivably take on a hike.
Kerosene
11-13-2015, 16:12
Me three. In gory detail. Even for gear that I know I will never carry again, just to try to get a sense for how heavy it all was back in the 70's!
Absolutely. I was aware of the weight of my pack.
Now that I purchased a grams-ounces weight scale I find I am weighing every little thing.. and it is astonishing how fast the weight adds up for the "little stuff".
I have started an "options" list to consider the relevant value (to me) of each item.
bigcranky
11-13-2015, 17:06
Hanging scale? Hah :). I use a kitchen scale that weighs in grams, up to 5 kg. (If you have any single item heavier than 5kg, you have a problem. :) ) Weigh each item and write it in a spreadsheet. There are web sites where you can enter it, too, and add everything up before a trip.
Being a "gram weenie" is an occupational hazard.
Heliotrope
11-13-2015, 17:13
Thinking of getting a hanging scale to see what my total pack weight is before a trip because I have a tendency to add last minute extras, mainly food. [emoji51]
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squeezebox
11-13-2015, 17:40
Thinking of getting a hanging scale to see what my total pack weight is before a trip because I have a tendency to add last minute extras, mainly food. [emoji51]
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Isn't that what the bathroom scale is for? Weigh me and the pack, then just me. I don't care what I weigh near as much what my pack weighs.
squeezebox
11-13-2015, 17:49
I bought a decent postage scale. It does grams up to a kilo. About $30. I can tell you if my blue underwear weighs more than the green ones.
Wait until you bring the scale with you to go shopping. Then you know you have an obsessive compulsive problem.
JumpMaster Blaster
11-13-2015, 19:28
yes, i have a spreadsheet with the weight virtually everything that i own that i could conceivably take on a hike.
yes! Yes! Me too!
JumpMaster Blaster
11-13-2015, 19:35
I have a kitchen gram scale that I use in conjunction with a plastic bowl for the larger items, and a fishing scale for the backpacks.
It is true, the little stuff adds up, but I find it especially interesting shaving weight for an overnighter or 2 day trip compared to a week long trek.
What combination of gear will keep me warm and dry and weigh the least for this trip?
I have a spreadsheet with everything I could possibly use on a hike, figure out what my needs are, then I find the sweet spot. Always room for improvement I say.
Heliotrope
11-13-2015, 19:58
Isn't that what the bathroom scale is for? Weigh me and the pack, then just me. I don't care what I weigh near as much what my pack weighs.
The wife threw out the bathroom scale. [emoji25]
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squeezebox
11-13-2015, 20:38
The wife threw out the bathroom scale. [emoji25]
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Sounds like it's time to use your girlfriend's scale.
May the light-ness be with you
Heliotrope
11-13-2015, 20:52
Sounds like it's time to use your girlfriend's scale.
May the light-ness be with you
Hysterical! [emoji41]
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Spacelord
11-13-2015, 22:58
I bought a decent postage scale. It does grams up to a kilo. About $30. I can tell you if my blue underwear weighs more than the green ones.
Wait until you bring the scale with you to go shopping. Then you know you have an obsessive compulsive problem.
Or email manufacturers to let them know their weight is off by 1.5 ounces...
My spreadsheets help me to not only know the weight, but also that when it gets over four pages its time for some of it to go.
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Rolls Kanardly
11-13-2015, 23:25
I still crack up when I remember the guy I saw in a store in Phoenix asking to use the gold scale to check the weight of a couple of pills to see if two 5 mg tabs weighed more than a 10 mg tab. I suppose you could lick one to make it lighter. yuk yuk
Rolls
Google.com/sheets
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Pedaling Fool
11-14-2015, 08:23
I can't say how long it has been since I had a bathroom scale...freakin' decades...
I do remember they were not that accurate; however, I wonder how accurate they are nowadays, because I've gotten into this habit of weighing myself whenever I see a scale, so that's nearly every day, since there's a scale at my gym and one at a local publix. They are freakin' accurate as hell, I can even see a difference after taking a piss.
The one at the publix is a very large scale with a huge dial, just like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjrGhi1Ard0 and I noticed one day that it registers a different weight if I took my wallet and keys out of my pocket, so I tried to weigh them individually and it actually works.
kayak karl
11-14-2015, 08:42
The harbor freight scales (http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=scale) are cheap and accurate. recommended by 9 out of 10 drug dealers.
I have taken the full pack into the US Post Office or UPS to have weighed.
When I got a GoLite Breeze pack, the Post Mistress said, "My purse weighs more than that pack"!
;)
Hanging scale? Hah :). I use a kitchen scale that weighs in grams, up to 5 kg. (If you have any single item heavier than 5kg, you have a problem. :) ) Weigh each item and write it in a spreadsheet. There are web sites where you can enter it, too, and add everything up before a trip.
Being a "gram weenie" is an occupational hazard.
I use a kitchen scale. For the hanging items, I lay the long bottom of a clothes hanger across it with hook hanging under. Hit the Tare weight and pick it up from bottom of the scale. (I've also used a board ala diving board style to hold it).
And yes, I've weighed even empty plastic bottles to get the lightest one and their caps. It's a terrible affliction.
On a side note, I was training up to go Special Forces in the 90s. I was carrying a full Army ALICE Ruck of everything I could possibly get into that thing and walking it in the desert in El Paso every night and weekends 17-20 miles.
I would love to know how much that heavy pig weighed. It had to break 100 at least based on what I can remember in it and I only weighed around 140!
Tipi Walter
11-14-2015, 11:37
I need my Kahtoola microspikes for winter backpacking---what's the point of weighing them? I need my WM down bag for the winter---what's the point of weighing it?
I need my t-shirt and North Face shorts and Smartwool socks and hiking boots and no amount of weighing will change my mind.
Fact is, calculating weight comes when I purchase a backpacking item---say a 2 lb Thermarest---and once this initial figuring is done in my head before purchase it is never ever actually weighed again. I have never weighed individual items before a trip. If I need something or I must have something I try and research the lightest available options and once found the weight is never again considered.
The whole conglomerate pile of crap can then be weighed for overall pack weight including food and water and fuel ETC---what I call my Accoutrements of Idiocy. Individuals who weigh individual items with a scale are in my opinion trying to find a good reason to not leave the house and go outside. If a person is determined to get out no matter what, he'll get whatever gear he wants and go---and not once will he consider using a weight scale to do so.
Can you hike more than 30 feet with a 75 lb pack? If so you're good to go.
Individuals who weigh individual items with a scale are in my opinion trying to find a good reason to not leave the house and go outside. If a person is determined to get out no matter what, he'll get whatever gear he wants and go---and not once will he consider using a weight scale to do so.
Can you hike more than 30 feet with a 75 lb pack? If so you're good to go.
Tipi, I assure you that your opinion of one of those that weighs things out of idle curiosity is NOT "looking for a reason to not leave the house".
The scale is only another tool/toy to play with relating to the hobby of being outdoors and a side benefit of research to gather all facts about a decision.
And hiking more than 30 feet with a 75 pound pack?
No. You are wrong. Someone that is relatively starting or older with disabilities will be discouraged with weights like this and injured possibly.
that means less hikers. That means less public voices and outcry to keep trails, forests, and BLM lands kept open for our use because our public front gets smaller with each idiot that doesn't get up and go outside.
That's my opinion such as yours. ymmv
CarlZ993
11-14-2015, 13:00
It is a sickness that I have. I have learned that I am a carrier. I've given the sickness to many of my backpacking friends. :)
Tipi Walter
11-14-2015, 13:23
The best weight scale is your shoulders, feet, knees and legs. And above all a willing motivated mind to carry your stuff into the mountains.
LoneStranger
11-14-2015, 13:36
The best weight scale is your shoulders, feet, knees and legs. And above all a willing motivated mind to carry your stuff into the mountains.
As an aspiring Ultra Loader I can see where you assume the reason to weigh things is to avoid carrying them, but there is, as often the case, much more to be considered. How will you know if you can carry 40 pounds of food or 50 if you don't know how much the rest of what is in your pack weighs? How can you laugh when someone guesses your pack must weigh 70 pounds if you don't know it is well under 40?
There is no absolute right or wrong. Folks should do what makes them happy. Ultra Loaders are just as silly as Ultra Lighters, we just eat better :)
Tipi Walter
11-14-2015, 13:47
As an aspiring Ultra Loader I can see where you assume the reason to weigh things is to avoid carrying them, but there is, as often the case, much more to be considered. How will you know if you can carry 40 pounds of food or 50 if you don't know how much the rest of what is in your pack weighs? How can you laugh when someone guesses your pack must weigh 70 pounds if you don't know it is well under 40?
There is no absolute right or wrong. Folks should do what makes them happy. Ultra Loaders are just as silly as Ultra Lighters, we just eat better :)
This is I think an excellent post and may even be philosophical, too. Your quote:
THE REASON TO WEIGH THINGS IS TO AVOID CARRYING THEM
is very excellent. I think this one quote should be in a list of Backpacking Pearls of Wisdom.
Most people who guess my pack weight to be 70 lbs are often off by 20 lbs---it's actually 90.
squeezebox
11-14-2015, 19:19
Seems to me the UL folks only refer to their summer gear only, never talk about down jackets, double sleeping pads, and such things that are needed in cold weather.
And the Ultrapackers are talking about their winter set up. Hilliberg tent, -20* bag, ice cleats and the rest.
Apples and oranges my friends.
Nobody is going to carry anything they really don't need. Am I gonna buy a snow shovel for a summer trip? No way. But the woman who died in the Whites in deep winter should have had one. But if you have to ask me for blister care, or hot water you made an obvious UL mistake, and just stepped into stupid light. It's not about some holy grail wt. number it's about being safe. Would I go with Tipi in deep winter? Yea. Would I go out with a 5 lb- ULer in July. who is not carrying food or water? No way.
Have fun be safe!!
Seems to me the UL folks only refer to their summer gear only, never talk about down jackets, double sleeping pads, and such things that are needed in cold weather.
And the Ultrapackers are talking about their winter set up. Hilliberg tent, -20* bag, ice cleats and the rest.
Apples and oranges my friends.
Nobody is going to carry anything they really don't need. Am I gonna buy a snow shovel for a summer trip? No way. But the woman who died in the Whites in deep winter should have had one. But if you have to ask me for blister care, or hot water you made an obvious UL mistake, and just stepped into stupid light. It's not about some holy grail wt. number it's about being safe. Would I go with Tipi in deep winter? Yea. Would I go out with a 5 lb- ULer in July. who is not carrying food or water? No way.
Have fun be safe!!
I don't know if I could be considered UL but I can tell you my winter base weight is below 15lbs.
Sarcasm the elf
11-15-2015, 17:06
Knowing what stuff weighs is a great exercise, but I to backpacking to relax, I analyze spreadsheets at work and it's not my idea if a good time. Tipi rightly points out that the weight of an item is a consideration when you buy it, but after that why sweat it? If you need it then you need it and it should be in your pack. The trick is to know what you need and whet you don't.
When I get ready for a trip I usually just pour a jack and coke the night before and then proceed to throw my gear into my bag. As I do so I ask myself "do I need it?" and "do I really want to carry it." Over the last couple of years, my three season pack weight has dropped down to well under 20lbs with water and three days food and hiking poles. I call that good enough and I got there without obsessing over grams or pouring over spreadsheets. I just carry my needs and leave my "what if's" at home.
BirdBrain
11-15-2015, 17:11
Weighed everything, eh? How much do the scales weigh? :D
Sarcasm the elf
11-15-2015, 17:11
I don't know if I could be considered UL but I can tell you my winter base weight is below 15lbs.
I think that people don't discuss winter pack weight because Winter is not a fixed criteria. Winter in Georgia, Connecticut, The White mountains in New Hampshire and the front range in Colorado are all completely different things. Three season backpacking is just so much more homogenous and easier to compare.
Sarcasm the elf
11-15-2015, 17:14
Weighed everything, eh? How much do the scales weigh? :D
Easy to figure out, just turn it on and flip it upside down. ;)
I think that people don't discuss winter pack weight because Winter is not a fixed criteria. Winter in Georgia, Connecticut, The White mountains in New Hampshire and the front range in Colorado are all completely different things.
Ha ok true enough. Just for kicks I was actually on the side of Pike's Peak in Colorado last night with my ~15lb set up, and I survived pretty comfortably. Posted up right near the treeline (so around 12,000ft), plenty of snow there even though there's none back on the "ground". I'm really not good at guesstimating temperature but at the summit (2,000 more feet) it's going down to between 10 and 15 each night right now, so maybe around 20 where I was? Had a Feathered Friends 20 degree bag with all the down moved towards the top, and a Neo Air xTherm pad right on the snow. I had an Outdoor Research Helium Bivy with me but I didn't use it. I was also pretty bundled up in my bag. Slept fine even after the fire went out.
32652
Tipi Walter
11-15-2015, 17:30
Nobody is going to carry anything they really don't need. Am I gonna buy a snow shovel for a summer trip? No way. But the woman who died in the Whites in deep winter should have had one.
Have fun be safe!!
It's funny you should bring up Kate Matrosova who as you say died on a dayhike in terrible conditions in the Presidentials.
Erik Thatcher was in a 10 man rescue team that located Kate and this is one of his quotes---
"Kate's kit was rather stripped down to the bare essentials. No partner, no bivy gear, and even relatively light on essential layers in my opinion. This in itself is no sin. What it means is that she was operating with no room for error." ERIK THATCHER.
In the Comment section, Erik mentions what part of her kit she did not have---
"The first is mittens. She had regular gloves which in my experience just doesn't cut it. The second is a neoprene ski mask . . . .no snow shoes, no crampons were on when she was found." ERIK THATCHER.
It's funny you should bring up Kate Matrosova who as you say died on a dayhike in terrible conditions in the Presidentials.
Erik Thatcher was in a 10 man rescue team that located Kate and this is one of his quotes---
"Kate's kit was rather stripped down to the bare essentials. No partner, no bivy gear, and even relatively light on essential layers in my opinion. This in itself is no sin. What it means is that she was operating with no room for error." ERIK THATCHER.
In the Comment section, Erik mentions what part of her kit she did not have---
"The first is mittens. She had regular gloves which in my experience just doesn't cut it. The second is a neoprene ski mask . . . .no snow shoes, no crampons were on when she was found." ERIK THATCHER.
If I remember correctly, weather was also a pretty big factor there right? Wasn't she caught in a blizzard with 100mph winds or something? And she tried to keep going instead of coming back down?
BirdBrain
11-15-2015, 17:53
Easy to figure out, just turn it on and flip it upside down. ;)
Not sure that would weigh the tray. Not going to check.... yet. Watching Patriots.
Not sure that would weigh the tray. Not going to check.... yet. Watching Patriots.
That's a coincidence because they're watching the other team with video cameras :D
BirdBrain
11-15-2015, 19:08
Easy to figure out, just turn it on and flip it upside down. ;)
Not sure that would weigh the tray. Not going to check.... yet. Watching Patriots.
Scale weighs 422 grams. Scale without tray weighs 218 grams. The tray weighs 203 grams. The scale reads 55 grams upside down. Not only does the scale not measure the weight of tray when upside down (that seemed to be a given), it also does not measure the weigh of the weighing mechanism (I overlooked that possibility). It is only measuring the weight of the body that houses the weighing mechanism and possibly part of the weighing mechanism.
But ya', .... my wife's kitchen scale weighs 422 grams. I am not going to dissect my hiking scales. :D
LEGO Friends 41092 Stephanie's Pizzeria https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJ8EXHM/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_c6sqwbBKCA5V7
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Sorry! Previous post was inadvertent. Please disregard! I meant to send a link to my obsessive gear list for upcoming section hike:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jT1j8YTP80ZznEfLVHID2bEEwMVAndlZVDzObQKjYMo/edit?usp=sharing
LEGO Friends 41092 Stephanie's Pizzeria https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MJ8EXHM/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_c6sqwbBKCA5V7
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A little early for Christmas shopping, isn't it?
A little early for Christmas shopping, isn't it?
Ha! Daughter's bday this week.
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Puddlefish
11-25-2015, 11:54
I bought a decent postage scale. It does grams up to a kilo. About $30. I can tell you if my blue underwear weighs more than the green ones. Wait until you bring the scale with you to go shopping. Then you know you have an obsessive compulsive problem. $7.99 on sale, with free shipping, and comes with a battery. I've had it about a week. Can't weigh a single rubber band, but can weigh a snack sized baggie. Certainly enough accuracy for me when I want to make that metal file vs. toenail clippers weight vs. utility decision. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Etekcity-5kg-Digital-Scale/39520484
squeezebox
11-25-2015, 20:25
Every body needs one. or access to one. I was kinda surprised When I found out the local Rei didn't have one.
Spacelord
11-25-2015, 22:16
I will never be without some sort of scale again. It's nice to actually know how much something weighs..
I use both a postage scale for smaller items and a luggage scale for total pack weight or larger items. An Excel spread sheet is good for planning hikes. We tend to hike in groups of 3 to 6, my wife, daughters and other friends. The Excel sheet allows an allocation of all items, keeps maximum weights for some and allows everything to sorted out prior to the hike.
Knowing the weight and function of things helps with making future purchase decisions.
I've swapped out quite a few items from knowing the weight. While I agree certain items you will carry regardless of weight (my massive synthetic sleeping bag being one), I also find knowing the weights very useful for being able to exchange items. I was carrying an MSR Alpine stainless pot and a Trangia Triangle for my stove. Without knowing the weight of them I wouldn't have swapped them for a simple stainless mesh stand and a Titan Kettle. Saved myself nearly half a kilo which I probably wouldn't have considered otherwise. I eat a lot so it's nice to be able to carry a bit more food and still have a comfortable weight.
cmoulder
11-26-2015, 07:45
I have a DigiWeigh that is accurate to 0.1g (model DWP-1001). This level of accuracy is useful when testing fuel consumption of various canister stoves. It is interesting to see first-hand the greatly increased efficiency when (most) stoves are run at significantly less than full throttle.
PAFranklin
11-26-2015, 08:12
I got into weighing everything as well. Amazing how many grams you can shave off by boring holes in the handle of a cast iron skillet. Just kidding. I was amazed how much going to titanium for pot, water, bottle, and spork saved me. I do cut the line at skimping on survival gear. Especially in poor weather.
squeezebox
11-27-2015, 13:19
Ul is fine for summer. But if you're try it in winter you might consider bringing a helicopter with you.
Kristeninmb
11-27-2015, 15:15
I too have come obsessed with weighing everything. Check out gear grams.com. You can make a spreadsheet of everything you have then create a file for your trip and drop and drag each item there. Easy and fun . You can use kilograms, ounces, pound or grams for totals. It converts everything to your desired measurements.
Happy weighing
Heliotrope
11-28-2015, 01:21
I got into weighing everything as well. Amazing how many grams you can shave off by boring holes in the handle of a cast iron skillet. Just kidding. I was amazed how much going to titanium for pot, water, bottle, and spork saved me. I do cut the line at skimping on survival gear. Especially in poor weather.
Good one!
I like drilling holes through my sleeping bags to reduce weight. Easier than drilling through cast iron [emoji3]
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