How to use digital scales

To get the most accurate number when weighing luggage you need to know how to use digital scales. Digital scales are precise, quick, and easy. So here’s how to use them.

How to use digital scales

The Epic Traveller digital scales have a smart, user-friendly design.

Rather than a hook to hang your luggage on there’s a strap and buckle. It goes up to ten centimetres wide so no matter the weird shape of your bag you should be able to find something to strap it onto.

The strap swivels 180 degrees across the back of the body of the scales. So it’s plenty flexible. The body has a smooth, ergonomic design so it’s comfortable to hold in your hands. This is the part you will lift.

The digital face where you can take your reading points upwards, so you can easily hold it while taking the reading. Some scales have this part looking sideways where it’s hard to look at while holding the suitcase off the floor.

The digital scales themselves are light and small so you can pack them to take away with you. Then you can check your luggage on the return trip. They take a long life CR 2032 3V battery. This isn’t included but you can find them very cheaply on Amazon.

Some tips on your luggage

• Weigh your suitcase separately when empty. It can take up a good chunk of your allowance itself. If that’s the case it might be time to get a new, lightweight, suitcase.
• Watch all those last minute additions. You might weigh your suitcase when you are packing a few days before your trip. Then, in the last minute panic, add a whole bunch of new items. Which means it’s time to weigh again, even though you might not think it adds up to much.
• Even though it’s not often enforced, there are limits to cabin baggage, including weight. So make sure to weigh your carry on luggage too. And stay within the limits – they might not always be checked and you might see people with bigger bags – but taking liberties won’t win you friends among your fellow passengers or airline staff.
• The weight on the scales isn’t everything. You might have just squeezed under a 22kg limit but is that a comfortable weight for you? What if you have to carry your case up or down stairs, lift it onto a luggage rack, and so on? There’s no point packing up to the airline limit if you can’t move your case.
• This is especially true of backpacking. What people can comfortably carry can be very different. It doesn’t matter what your baggage allowance is, what the guidebook assumes you can carry, or what your companions have packed. You need to be comfortable.
• Double check the baggage allowance for all steps of your journey. Different airlines might have different limits. Especially if you are taking domestic connecting flights. Domestic flights often have much lower limits than international, even if you’ve just stepped off an international flight.

So there’s some tips on how to use digital scales. Avoid those baggage charges and easily weigh your bags at home before your trip!

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Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash