I need a way to copy a path exactly a certain distance away from the original so I can duplicate it in the same distance between two objects. In Illustrator this is easy. I can't find a way to do this with Inkscape except eyeballing the distances.

When you Duplicate an object (Ctrl + D) it will appear at the exact same place, then use the Transform dialogue to move it where you want.

You can also see the object coordinates on the selector tool and adjust them there.