Balanzza Digital Luggage Scale

April 24, 2010

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The Balanzza digital luggage scale is a new addition to our online Cyclosource store, and it's a product I'm pretty excited about.

If you travel by air to get to the starting point of your tour, you may find this handy. Just clip the scale strap to your luggage or bike bag, and lift. Wait for the scale to beep, and set your bag back down. The scale will digitally display the weight of your bag clearly on the screen. I would recommend doing three trials with each bag to make sure you capture an accurate reading. This will help ensure that each luggage item is under the 50 pound airline weight limit, helping you avoid any inflated fees for overweight baggage.

The scale costs $23.95, and runs on two AAA batteries, which are included. The scale has a 100 pound limit, which should be more than enough for any bag you pack. The scale itself weighs only 8 ounces, and is fairly compact, making it easy to pack along on your trip so you can use it while packing back up for your return flight. As for measurements, it can easily be switched between pounds and kilograms.

The biggest advantage that I benefit through all of this, is that it alleviates the need for me to go through the bathroom scale procedure. That old process involves me standing on the scale, taking note of my weight, then wishing I hadn't eaten that box of girl scout cookies so fast, then weighing myself plus my baggage, and subtracting the second reading from the first to obtain the weight of my bags.

Photo courtesy of http://www.balanzza.com

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TOURING GEAR AND TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling's member services department. It appears weekly, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead.