Originally Posted by
jefnvk
As a general rule, anything over 32kg is verboten regardless of how much you want to spend and must fly cargo (OSHA-type worker health rules), although there are some limited exceptions. As always, the best rule is to know your airlines policies, and have them printed out.
I've played the pack and repack game before, made weight in kilogram measurement but was a few ounces over in pounds measurement in America when I had to recheck my bags after customs. It was either that, or pay a $50 charge, why wouldn't I move a couple shirts from my checked bag into my carryon
If you ever want to see some fun check-in counter arguments, watch the check-in counter for some of the African flights, where people only go home once a year or less and are trying to bring stuff back for their families. Watched one lady trying to fly with a 75kg regular sized suitcase, I still wonder what she had packed in there
I carry a luggage scale. And I set it for the units that the airport is using, pounds or kg. I assume that their scale is off to benefit them a bit and I assume that my scale is off because I am really cheap and buy the cheapest scale. Thus, I aim for 49 pounds if the limit is 50 and aim for 22.5 kg when the limit is 23. I have a few luggage scales, all read almost exactly the same (within a few tenths of a percent). But half the time I find that my 49 pound bag is 50 pounds on the airline scale.
Some heavy stuff that is small, like pedals I often put in my carry on to take weight out of the checked bag or bike case/box.
My expedition bike and the S&S case combined are over 50 pounds, so I have to carry a few bike parts in other bags to get the packed bike lower in weight.