write weight on gear

even though i have terrible handwriting, sounds like it’s a great idea. mind if i “borrow” it?

Good idea Mike,
it wont work for me though, because I often modify my gear to lighten it and the weight is in permanant marker

May I play devil’s advocate?

1. Writing with permanent marking will likely reduce the market value of your gear, should you ever decide to put it on Ebay, etc.

2. If you modify gear over time (i.e. new ideas creep up, etc.), weights can change with time (as mentioned above).

3. You still need to input the weights somewhere to facilitate summing up.

For me, I keep an Excel spreadsheet that lists out my gear, along with their corresponding weights. I’m sure most of us keep something similar.

I also keep a binder of “spec sheets” — one page for each gear. For almost any piece of gear, REI, Campmor, etc. all have wonderful webpages that you can print out. You can then pencil in “actual weight” plus any additional info. Thus, each piece of gear’s attributes, weight, price, care instruction, usage instruction, etc. can all be found in one place.

Good idea Ben,
I may try the binder thing, but I may need 5″ rings because I have so much gear. just kidding :-)>

About the above posts, These are some good points.

* * *

1 – Writing the weight will make it hard to sell later.

Maybe. I use a very fine point pen, and put the numbers in a hidden spot. For example, on a jacket, I’ll write it on the underside of the tag (if I haven’t already cut it off).

Do NOT use a big fat SHARPY and scrawl (never!).

* * *

2 – The weight changes when you modify gear.

TRUE! I have already run into this, because I find a way to compulsively modify everything! No good answer for this. The “revised & updated” number goes on the spreadsheet, the “wrong” number is on the gear. That said, the “wrong” number is usually pretty close. Maybe try to: Modify first, write after.

But, for the majority of gear, the numbers usually remain the same. A platypus, stuff sack, a tiny bic lighter, these won’t change.

* * *

3 – Keep a tidy spreadsheet too.

I find that when I am packing, I rarely refer to my spreadsheet. If I need to decide on what to take (maybe it’s summer and the weather looks good), I can quickly get some data right on my windshirt as I compare it to my raincoat. It feels easier for me this way.

(also, I like the binder idea!)