Hiking checklist?

[ULWalkingPhil]

Hi, I purchased a electronic kitchen scale today, that measure one gram accuracy, I want to make a camping list with weights, so that the pack weight can be worked out for me in the program as I add or subtract items. Is there any such software etc? Or online database I could use?

[johnw]

Hi Phillip,
There is a tool for this on these forums that Nik (Son of a Beach) developed. See:
http://bushwalk.com/inventory/

It has its own online user manual:
http://bushwalk.com/inventory/manual.php

[Greenie]

I also purchased a electronic kitchen scale today. There is this site http://www.geargrams.com/

[andrewbish]

You guys are all so fancy schmancy with your new-fangled digital scales.

Here's my old-school scales:

[ULWalkingPhil]

I also purchased a electronic kitchen scale today. There is this site http://www.geargrams.com/

Thanks for the link, I'm going through my hiking list now and adding the weights. Interesting exercise it's been so far. This process will certainly help me to reduce my pack weight. One think I noticed so far is just how heavy my Sleeping Bag is. On the bag it says 1KG but it's actually 1640 grams. I always thought it felt a bit heavy. Takes up to much room in the pack as well, but a great sleeping bag. Very very warm bag. I'll eventually will purchase a Top quilt in time for next winter.

[ULWalkingPhil]

I've got some heavy items still. Just can't keep spending money. I need to get one of those steripen filters for areas that have plenty of clear water. And get myself a top quilt. Might start selling some gear soon that I will not be using or hardly will ever use to fund for my top quilt.

Handy having a electronic scale. Get to see where I can save more weight. Trying to get a pack weight of 10kg for my upcoming hike, I don't think there's any chance I can do that with what gear I have.

[dee_legg]

You can use Excel to do this.
Just make a column of your potential gear and it's weight and then at the bottom of the list of weights write =sum(B1-B17) and press enter. That will tell you what the total weight of the items above is, and if you remove or change the weight it will automatically adjust.
(B1-B17) is just an example, just adjust to fit how long your list is.

[ninjapuppet]

and if you want to get real fancy with excel, you can even make drop down lists.

Like under a pots column, ive made a drop down box with all my pots and pans combo listed.
when i want to make a gear list for an upcomming trip, i just click on that column and a drop down box appears. It lists all the pots in my collection and their weights. you just choose the one you want to bring along, then go to the next category.

As Dee said, it then automatically calculates the total. Its a real Pain to setup, but once you've got it up running, making a gear list for an upcomming trip takes less than 1 minute and you can print it off easily.

[Marwood]

Instead of the SUM function in Excel, use the SUBTOTAL function, with 109 as the function number (e.g. =SUBTOTAL(109,C2:C7)). Using 109 as the function number means only the values in visible cells are summed. That way you can make a list of all your gear, and go down hiding the rows of things that you're leaving behind, and have a running total as you go. When you're done, you have a printable list.

[Leppy]

Hey Marwood, do you have a formula that means I can of afford all the gear I wish I had?

[SteveR]

Instead of the SUM function in Excel, use the SUBTOTAL function, with 109 as the function number (e.g. =SUBTOTAL(109,C2:C7)). Using 109 as the function number means only the values in visible cells are summed. That way you can make a list of all your gear, and go down hiding the rows of things that you're leaving behind, and have a running total as you go. When you're done, you have a printable list.

I just have an extra column for the number of the particular item I'm taking - it's not always "1", e.g. tent pegs. Then the next column is the "weight" x "number_taken" - if the number_taken is blank, the answer is "0". Then that's the column I SUM. This also allows for "what-if" exercises. And I can still see all the possibilities. Also you can have a number of such column pairs for different purposes - bushwalking and skiing in my case.

As an aside, one friend in Canada had her's printed out with some extra columns for putting ticks in with a pen. I saw her come home from work on a Friday before going on a weekend ski. Tick, tick, tick down the list and 15 minutes later she was packed and gone. As an expert procrastinator myself, I have to say I was impressed!

SteveR

[forest]

I just do the excell thing with a item name and small description if required, weight & tick column.
All sorted into sub lists like pack, shelter, clothing, cooking etc.

I have one main gear list sheet that has everything I have for camping, I mean all of it...... Yes it's getting longish...

Then I just rename that sheet in "save as" and delete all the stuff I will not take.
Gives me a weight tally and I just print that off, tick the boxes as I get it packed.
Works a treat.

[photohiker]

I use a big butcher paper pad hanging on the office door. It has a page for every previous trip on it, so I have history to refer to.

I'm an IT Guy, but I find this easier than excel - I think because its in my face I'm less likely to forget stuff, and I assemble and refine the list for a few weeks before the trip.

[ULWalkingPhil]

I am using a application on my iPad called "Gram Weenie"

It's great, does everything I want + more.

I weigh all my camping gear. add the names and weights into Gram Weenie, Has different categories for sleep, cooking etc.
when I'm ready to go on a hike, I create a list adding the items I want to take, Weight is calculated as I add the list.

Here's a list I've created for a overnight hike this weekend.

Copy the below text into a plain-text file and save it with a .CSV extension, then open with your spreadsheet application.
/////////////////////////////////////
Item,Ounces,Grams
Packing,,
Aarn Load Limo,90.5,2566
Shelter,,
10 X Hilleberg Tent Pegs,5.6,160
Warbonnet 1.5 Metre Tree Straps X 2,3.0,85
Warbonnet Blackbird Hammock,23.5,666
Warbonnet Superfly,20.8,589
Warbonnet Carabiners X 2,1.7,48
Sleep,,
EVA Foam,2.2,63
Warbonnet 3-season Yeti Underquilt,12.6,356
Thermarest Small Pillow,7.5,214
Hammock Gear 20F Burrow Top Quilt,21.1,598
Stuff Sack For Top Quilt,0.6,16
Cooking,,
1 Litre Alluminium Bottle,5.0,141
Knife, Fork And Spoon,1.9,53
Lifesaver Bottle,33.4,947
1 Litre Alluminium Bottle,5.0,141
1 Litre Alluminium Bottle,5.0,141
Sea To Summit Colapsible Bowl,3.0,84
Sea To Summit Colapsible Cup,2.2,61
Coleman 220g Gas,12.8,364
Cooking Kit (pot, Cosy, Matches, Stove And Pot Grip),10.4,296
Clothing,,
Crocs Sandals,13.1,371
Marmot Rain Jacket,26.6,755
Macpac Long Merino,5.9,166
Icebreaker Merino Top,8.7,248
Thinsulate Beanie,2.3,66
Santini Half Gloves,1.1,32
Aldi Fleece Top (blue),13.3,376
Other,,
Small Bath Towel,5.8,164
Black Diamond Orbit Lantern,4.6,130
Canon Digital Camera,5.8,164
Garmin Oregon 300 GPS,7.1,201
LED Torch With Pouch,5.1,146
Spotters Sunglasses And Case,5.3,150
Tyvek Ground Sheet,3.1,87
Cleanspray Hand Wash,0.5,15
Eneloop AA Spare Battery For Garmin,1.9,53
Worn,,
Sea To Summit Event Gaitors,10.7,303
Macpac Merino Jocks,2.7,77
Zamberlan 480 Zephir GT Boots,52.8,1497
Fairydown Hiking Poles,19.2,545
Columbia Longsleeve Shirt,9.0,255
North Face Nylon Pants,12.5,353
Consumables,,
Cereal Mixed With Powdered Milk,5.6,160
GORP,5.0,143
Backcountry Meal (Honey & Soy For 1),4.1,116

[MartyGwynne]

I too use the gram weenie app on my iphone (RIP S Jobs).
I don't think I could bother with the excel database.
The gram weenie was recommended by someone on this forum on the technical part of the forum (I think - it is 02:31 am and a long nightshift)
I have sort of only used it once but will properly weigh my gear next time and use it a bit better (I have estimated much of my gear's weight).

I ended up just packing what I wanted and carried too much again!.

My old fashioned method was to weigh each bag/item using my old fishing spring balance which has a hook on one end so you just lift the item up and read the weight off the scale - accurate down to the nearest half kg.....

Now to shave some weight off my next walk I will set everything out on the table and do a proper edit of what I can not do without and then add only 5 nice to have's.
Marty.

[JohnM]

Life's too short to weigh stuff down to the gram.

I'm NEVER getting electronic scales, because I just know if I do... I'll become a gram-counting freak like those guys over at ULB.

Who gives a s*** what a plastic spoon weighs? Get one small pebble stuck in the tread of your boots, and you've just added more weight and effort than all your obsessive hole-drilling saved.

But like I say, give me a set of scales and I'll be throwing out perfectly good gear to save 2 grams. So I'm not immune to the pleasures of the obsessive.

Back on topic, a mate has shot all his gear, all of it, and made a nice visual display of it. He just selects the stuff he wants, and never forgets anything. But he's a designer, and a bit dyslexic, so words aren't his strong suit.

A microsite would be nice: you could drag all your gear into your pack, and the grams would add up as you go. Couldn't be that hard to make.

[sailfish]

I just use Excel for that kind of thing.

Ken

[andrewbish]

I use Excel too.

For those wanting a simple gear calculator, here's a link to one I have put together. (Suggestions for improvements are very welcome!)


Not sure if I qualify as a gram weeny, but I have found that scales are useful because they don't underestimate or exaggerate. - and that a little bit here and a little bit there soon adds up!

That said, by far the biggest weight savings for me have come from replacing the biggest items - shelter, sleeping bag & pack.