Bushwalk Australia

Hi,

I searched the posts and only came across viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1546&p=12952&hilit=+scales#p12867.

Can anyone provide details of scales people use whilst walking? I have seen posts where people say how much gas they used and would like to know what scales they use as they must be light and portable. I also want to use pre-planning.

Thank you.

Troy

I do not take scales walking.
To weigh a full pack, I use digital bathroom scales accurate to 100 grams.
To weigh items, I use digital kitchen scales, accurate to 1 gram, max I think is 4 or 5 kilo's, can't remember.

I take it you are looking for portable scales - why?

I don't take them on walks, but I bought a small set of scales (SF-400 1g/5kg) from ebay seller 'tradekoo' for $US5 - the $US6.95 freight was dearer than the item. Seem to work well so far.

tasadam wrote:I do not take scales walking.
To weigh a full pack, I use digital bathroom scales accurate to 100 grams.
To weigh items, I use digital kitchen scales, accurate to 1 gram, max I think is 4 or 5 kilo's, can't remember.

I take it you are looking for portable scales - why?

Ditto

To work out gas usage I weigh the canister at home and average things out.

Yeah, just read the OP again. You can get an idea how much gas you are using by monitoring the time you cook for - run some tests at home - boil some water and see how long it takes, weigh the canister at home and you should be able to get an idea how much gas you will use for a certain amount of burn time.
Couple of points - burn times will be longer in the field because the water may be colder so will take longer to heat up, also it may be windy so the cooker will be less effective.
For the small amount of extra weight in comparison to the disadvantage of cold food, I am happy to wear carrying extra fuel. Though I use Shellite so it's a bit different.

My scales are Breville digital and weigh from 1gm to 5kg very accurately but cost around $90.Still they do the job well

ff

You won't need to look for 'lightweight' scales because I don't think you would want to take them on a hike.

I always weigh my gas cannister when it is new and write the figure on the bottom of the cannister - that way I can work out how much the can should weigh when empty. Then after each overnight trip I re weigh the can and write that figure underneath the original weight. By dividing the amount of gas used by the number of nights away I find the average use is pretty predictable. It makes it easy to check the half empties to see how many more nights' use I still have.

Of course, if it is going to be a high altitude snow camp then I double or triple the usual average, in case I need to melt snow for drinking/cooking or to have extra hot drinks to keep warm.

jose wrote:You won't need to look for 'lightweight' scales because I don't think you would want to take them on a hike.

I always weigh my gas cannister when it is new and write the figure on the bottom of the cannister - that way I can work out how much the can should weigh when empty. Then after each overnight trip I re weigh the can and write that figure underneath the original weight. By dividing the amount of gas used by the number of nights away I find the average use is pretty predictable. It makes it easy to check the half empties to see how many more nights' use I still have.

Of course, if it is going to be a high altitude snow camp then I double or triple the usual average, in case I need to melt snow for drinking/cooking or to have extra hot drinks to keep warm.

jose,
You must be doing the right thing as that is exactly what I do do you take into consideration the 2g that the little plastic cap weighs
c

Geez you blokes make me feel so old-fashioned and out-of-touch. I don't even own a set of scales and have no idea how much any of my gear weighs - except the tent, and that only because it's printed on the bag.

scavenger wrote:Geez you blokes make me feel so old-fashioned and out-of-touch. I don't even own a set of scales and have no idea how much any of my gear weighs - except the tent, and that only because it's printed on the bag.

Hey scavenger,
What do you use as your cooking heating source ? knowing how much gas remains in a canister lets us know whether to take it or not , I guess though you can be so abrasive that you can boil water by just talking to it
c

Until now I've used metho. Haven't actually had the gas burner for the Trangia on an overnighter yet. How much metho's left is easy to gauge. But I can tell when a cylinder's getting low from the weight in the hand, and then keep it for car camping.

Corvus wrote
jose,
You must be doing the right thing as that is exactly what I do do you take into consideration the 2g that the little plastic cap weighs
c

Corvus,
Oh we mustn't forget those 2 grams. Isn't it great to find a kindred spirit.

I just unsrew the lid and take a look...doesn't any one else use MSR whisperlite or XGK's anymore??

Gas is so easy Cam.
Safer to use in a vestibule.
Quiet.
No fuel leaks in your pack
Doesn't smell
Why stuff around.

Roger

cheaper? less wasteful? no need to take scales?

blacksheep wrote:cheaper? less wasteful? no need to take scales?

Experience will out ,you get to know how much gas you need for each day (around 30g) and any left over trickles of gas are great for use in roasting capsicums at home so no waste
c

doesn't any one else use MSR whisperlite or XGK's anymore??

I have a whisperlite but since joining the gas users I dont think there is any going back.

Piezo ignition, no pre-heating, no smelly fuel. And as Corvus says, you just weigh your bottle on those super accurate scales to learn your usage/how much is left.

No gas wasteage for me. I have no problem taking a near empty canister with me (along with a new full one) to make sure it gets finished off before starting the next one. I'm not that much of a gram counter.

and you can build an extension to the house with all the empty gas canisters too..
I used to use the blue GAZ cookers when I was into kayak touring, they have a place..but so much waste in carrying empties on trips and if you ran short there was no way of being sure you can get some anywhere..I converted to multifuel stoves. they day MSR made them with a built in pricker in the jet (maybe 91?) I believe the perfect cooker was made.(for me)

Don't worry Blacksheep! I'm a believer in the MSRs.. Dragonfly all the way.

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never cooked a meal I couldn't eat on one yet