DIY Weather Balloon Kit Materials

On this page, you’ll find links to Amazon for all the products that we use or recommend to help get you to space on your next launch.

Products on this page are grouped in the following categories:

  1. Weather Balloons

  2. Parachutes

  3. Cameras

  4. Trackers

  5. Payload

  6. Miscellaneous

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Weather Balloons

Not sure what size you need? Check out our free weather balloon user guide for tips on sizing your balloon. Other balloon sizes are available from Kaymont Industries and eBay.

300g Weather Balloon

Good for ~82,000 burst altitude

 

Helium Tank Regulator CGA-580

$19.99 - available with or without the black tilt nozzle

Quick-Fill Inflation Kit

Includes: helium tank regulator, balloon inflation adapter, payload attachment adapter

Parachutes

Not sure what size parachute you need? Check out our parachute size calculator post.

58” Parachute

For payloads weighing ~4-6 lbs

36” Parachute

For payloads weighing ~1.5-3.5 lbs

 

Cameras

The selection of a camera is a personal choice, as we discussed in our camera post here. We prefer the GoPro Session running these settings and then a selection of various Canon PowerShots (running CHDK for time-lapse photos).

GoPro HERO 6 Black -Renewed

Our #1 choice for value, and still giving you 4k/60 footage

GoPro Hero8 Black

If price isn’t a barrier and you want the latest and greatest for 4k HD video, this is it

128GB SDCard

To get 3+ hours shooting 4k/60, get at least a 128GB card, U3/V30 speed

Backup Battery

5000 mAh to charge your electronics in-flight

USB Y-Splitter

Turn your backup battery into a charger for 2 USB devices

Trackers

We always flew with two trackers - one, a satellite tracker like the one below, and the second, an Android cell phone running our in-flight tracking code. We discuss all about the pros and cons of different trackers in our blog post here.

SPOT Trace GPS Tracker

This saved us several times when our balloon landed outside of cell phone service or when our tracking phone unexpectedly died. Requires a monthly or annual subscription.

Payload

How you choose to package your flight components is one of the parts you can be most creative with. We chose the simple, small, styrofoam cooler below, and cut out notches for our photography equipment. Styrofoam is ultra lightweight, keeps the electronics warm (sometimes too warm if it’s hot out), and gives a nice cushion upon impact when it lands.

Polar Tech 205c Cooler

We found the 6” x 5” x 6.5” size to be perfect for our many flights. It even gave us enough room to send up other items such as brewing hops and astronaut ice cream!

Miscellaneous

This list of items is not exhaustive. It is always good to be prepared and bring more than you think you’ll need to the launch! Items such as duct tape, string, scissors, and more.

40-lb Test Fishing Line

FAA laws state any string must be under a 50-lb break-strength. We recommend braided vs. monofilament.

36” Zip Ties

We use these to secure the payload cover and create attachment points to the parachute line

8” Zip Ties

Useful for securing other items inside the payload (camera, electronics) and creating loops to attach the parachute to the balloon

Nitrile Gloves

Used to protect the weather balloon during filling and handling from oils on your hands

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