I don't have a single item in my pack that weighs 5 lbs or more, so the postage scale works just fine. It weighs in ounces or grams and has a tare function. The last saves a lot of math when weighing bulky items that have to be on a cookie sheet or tied up tightly, Since I have everything on a spreadsheet, I can easily find total pack weight by going there. In addition to easily calculating weight, the spreadsheet is my checklist when I pack.

I use the bathroom scale when the pack is ready to go--weigh myself with the pack and then without--the difference is the pack. I've found that any differences in total pack weight on the bathroom scale vs. the spreadsheet are due to food, since what I have on the spreadsheet is an average, not actual. To be sure, though, I now weigh my food as a separate item (or items, if over 5 lbs) and plug the actual weight into my spreadsheet. I learned to do that when my actual total pack weight for a 10-day trip was 2 lbs. less than the spreadsheet. After I unpacked everything and rechecked against my spreadsheet, thinking I'd left out something vital, I found that by deliberately selecting lighter weight meals for the 10-day trip, I had saved 2 pounds.

BTW, I hope that what the author of this article was trying to say is not to go to Walmart (or any other cheap store) with the intention of buying all your gear. It might be that a single item there would be worth while. And I've heard good things about the gear carried by Costco. I myself have bought a few things, such as merino wool socks, there.