Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Scale To Weigh BP Gear

Since it naturally came up in the pack weight thread, what scale are you using to weigh gear? Hanging? Top loader?

I can see pros and cons to each of those. Other styles?

What features do you like and dislike about the scale you have?

I use a digital postage type scale. It's a DigiWeigh I bought off eBay. The only down side is bulky, floppy items that hang over the platform. That can also make viewing the display difficult. They have a bunch available there. I think I paid $35 plus shipping for it. A hanging would be nice for bulky items but for weighing all that little stuff, I believe the platform type is the way to go. Works well in the kitchen too.

Edit to add: The scale I use goes to 35 lbs.

I believe you can get a postal-type scale at Office Depot for about $20. I haven't got one yet, but I need to.

I use a postal scale for components under 1.5# and a hanging fish scale (digital) that goes up to 100# (IIRC) for everything else. both were under $20 each.

Look at ebay for pelouze or hanson scales. There are spring type scales and electronic scales and vary from a few pounds to 25 - 30 pounds, 50 pounds and up to 100 or more. Kind of handy. The electronic scales are nice, too but sometimes are hard to read with stuff piled on top of them and in some models the display is covered with much stuff being weighed.

I see you all have ID'd the same shortcoming of the top loader!

We have two hanging spring scales that go to 50# and 100# for weighing saddle bags and panniers, but don't have the resolution for small items.

What units are you using and how small a division? Gram, oz, 1/10 lb, etc.

This is the one I use. It's a top loading but the best bang for the buck I found. A bit of a PIA for large bulky items, but I deal with it. It's good to .1 ounce according to their ad, but it sure is sensative so I wouldn't second guess it.

http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/sto...=11823&productId=11049&langId=-1

Mike.

uh Mike,

I use a kitchen scale, not very accurate, but lets me know if something is heavier than an alternative piece of gear and yes it does suffer from overhang.


the smaller stuff gets weighed on an Ohaus triple beam balance scale, very accurate but much more tedious than the digital scales.

it hadn't been used in a long time till dusted off for this, can't quite remember why I had it in the first place.

Well all of this is much more precise than the walking stick and a gallon of water method I was taught.

mine has ounce divisions Mike. a pretty cheap Staple's type model.

I have a good gram scale at work to use when I really want to know....

It seems oz is a fine enough division. If you're weighing (massing) gear to the gram, you're a lost cause!

There's more useful gear to buy than a $2K Mettler for the house!

I'll look at the office stores next I'm in the big city.

...or you could use the method my kids do when we go car camping/rafting:

we're not backed until the back of the truck is full!

Before Don's horse "Danger" graduated from packing to lead, we'd figure we could take most anything we wanted - just put it on Danger!
Danger's a brute!

The digital postal scale (DigiWeigh brand) I bought on ebay for $25 shipped allows you to do tare weight.....for large bulky items I put a laundry basket on the scale and then use the tare function to zero it out. Once this is done anything you put in the basket shows true weight and does not include the basket weight. This scale also goes up to 35lbs and measures to the tenth of an ounce. Works on AC or 9 volt DC.

hey wait a minute there cowboy


last I checked grams add up to ounces, ounces to pounds, and pounds to less knee surgeries.


sides I have to explain the Ohaus to the kids!

///last I checked grams add up to ounces\\\


I think you've mixed your apples with your oranges, Sir!

lol

we had this local newscaster-wannabe here a few years back that couldn't string together a metaphor to save his life...

"once the cat is out of the bag, it's off to the races!"

sorry Mike,

the Ohaus only measures in grams, converting 28.35 of them to an ounce is as natural as rolling, uh rolling, OFF a log! (yeah that's it)


but FYI

my ear plugs that I take if flying weigh 1.5 grams

that dang little plastic ruler to measure horns weighs 2.5 grams (note to self, drill some holes in that heavy azz ruler)


8 selecta size paper towels in a ziloc weigh 3.5 grams (I know, I know I've got a long sleeve shirt on, why paper towels?)

I never sweat the small stuff, but I sure do weigh it!

Pardon my avoirdupois! If you used Troy ounces your stuff would add up to less!

Have you weighed your, oh never mind. I'll bet you have!

I'm pretty sure that I'm really happy to say that I've never weighed anything that I was going to carry in a pack. Nevery weighed a pack either. I don't want to know. I pack, repack, and then eliminate. Repack and then I'm comitted and it doesn't matter how much it weighs.

Mark