Weighing Suitcases

This has seemed like a logistical problem to me from the first time I heard it. We can only take up to 70 lb suitcases (and not a single pound more) with us. But how are we to know how heavy our filled suitcases are, especially to the exact pound?

Obviously, I considered getting out a floor scale and setting our suitcases on top of them. But those things often change their weight 5 lbs each way all the time. Just stand on it once, then twice and you may have lost or gained weight in that 30 seconds!

Yesterday, to my astonishment, when we were at RadioShack looking for an outlet converter, we found this cool tool. It has a hand-grip on one side and a hook on the other; in the middle is a circular dial that shows the weight. It is specifically made to weigh your luggage.

To use it, you just hold the grip handle, slide the hook under the handle of your bag, and lift. Then it tells you exactly how much it weighs. Matt, of course, went around weighing everything in the house as soon as the tool came out of its package. Some things are heavier than we expected (like our pile of make-up, pens, and other miscellaneous supplies) and some are lighter than expected (like the computer).

This is going to be a super helpful tool!