Figuring out the distances of things without a ruler, a tape measure, or a laser measure can be difficult, if not impossible. Even measuring something that’s only 15 feet long, which is the same as 5 yards or 4.572 meters, can be a challenge.
However, if you know the measurements of common objects you can use as references, measuring 15 feet can be easy-ish. Here, I’m going to show you 10 everyday items you can use to measure 15 feet or close to it.
1.5 Kayaks
Some of you guys might have kayaks collecting dust in your garage right now. If that’s the case, run out to your garage and check out the kayak’s length. If it’s like most standard recreational kayaks, it will probably measure around 10 feet in length. You would need 1.5 of them to reach 15 feet.
However, if you have a touring kayak or a particularly long recreational kayak, it might measure around 12 to 20 feet long. So, in either case, a single kayak would get you to around 15 feet long.
17 Comic Books
Back in the day, children used to read comic books to escape reality. Today, we can watch movie versions of our favorite comic book superheroes, from Batman all the way to Spider-Man (they’re in different universes, by the way).
For those that have old comic books in their attic right now, you can check them out to see that the standard comic issue will measure around 10.25 inches long. Taking 17 comic books and lining them in a line lengthwise would get you pretty close to 15 feet.
1 Canoe
Perhaps you’re not a fan of kayaking. Maybe you’re more of a row-to-the-middle-of-the-lake-and-fish kind of person. If that’s the case, and if you have a canoe hanging somewhere in your garage as we speak, that’s not a problem.
Like kayaks, canoes come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. For the most part, they’ll measure about 16 to 17 feet long, which is pretty close to the 15-foot length we’re trying to measure. Just subtract the length of a 2-liter bottle of soda from the end and you’ll reach 15 feet, give or take.
6 Mini Fridges
Anyone with a hobby room, workshop garage, or who lives in a dormitory will know about the benefits of a minifridge. They’re like regular refrigerators but a lot more compact and require less power to run. However, you can only stuff a few cans of beer in there, but they should be more than enough to keep you sane while measuring 15 feet.
Speaking of measuring 15 feet, the typical mini refrigerator will stand about 21 inches in height. If you can imagine stacking six minifridges on top of each other, they’ll give you a collective height of about 15 feet.
2 Treadmills
Treadmills are an excellent exercising tool to stay in shape while it’s too cold and icy to run outdoors. The only trick is to find the proper treadmill length that suits your height, but for the most part, many people can get by with a standard 81-inch-long treadmill.
So, if you have a treadmill at home, you can take its length and multiply it by 2 to get roughly 15 feet. However, the number of treadmills you’ll need to measure 15 feet will depend on its exact length.
1 Small SUV or Full-Sized Sedan
There are a tremendous number of factors that can affect a car’s overall length. For instance, the more passengers a car can seat, the longer it will be. Sedans and SUVs aren’t the longest vehicles available, but they’re the easiest to measure when it comes to gauging 15 feet.
On average, a small SUV or a full-sized sedan will measure between 14.4 and 15.7 feet long. So, if you have a 2021 Jeep Cherokee or a 2008-2001 Chrysler 300C, measuring 15 feet is a cinch.
6 or 7 Footsteps
As I’ve stated in the past, one of the easiest ways to gauge a certain distance by feel is by counting your footsteps. Of course, how much distance you cover with each step will vary from person to person. However, the average male will cover about 30 inches with every footstep, while the average female travels about 26 inches for every step she takes.
So, if we convert 15 feet to inches, we get 180 inches. 180 inches divided by 26 and 30 inches equals 6 footsteps for men and 7 footsteps for women.
½ Shop Vac Hose
If you have a shop vac at home to pick up sawdust, woodchips, and other dry bits of debris, the suction hose should give you a clue of how long 15 feet is. Many shop vac hoses measure 20 to 30 feet long. If we take a long shop vac hose, imagine cutting them in half and you’ll have the full 15 feet.
Standard residential vacuum cleaners’ suction hoses will measure between 8 and 12 feet. So, you would need 1 or 2 of them to get close to 15 feet.
1 Crabapple Tree
Those that live in 46 of the 50 states in the United States, as well as the majority of the northern hemisphere, are probably familiar with crabapple trees. Crabapples are tiny apples that are good for eating but even better for using as projectiles for throwing at your friends.
A fully mature crabapple tree will grow to around 15 and 25 feet. That means a single adult crabapple tree will get you the measurement you want. As for large trees, try envisioning cutting it in half.
1.5 – 2 Sunflower Plants
Sunflowers are a unique type of plant. Not only are they pretty, but they will physically twist around to face east to west while following the moving sun. This is known as heliotropism, which is too big of a word for me to explain to you guys at this moment.
All you need to know is that some sunflower varieties like the Russian Mammoth can grow up to 14 feet tall but most varieties are 5 – 10 feet tall.
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