|
| Home | Guest - Not logged in | ||||||
|
» Register
» Login
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
» Contact
|
Reviews > Health & Safety > Emergency and Survival Gear > Adventure Medical Pocket Survival Pak > Chuck Carnes > Long Term ReportAdventure Medical
Kits
Pocket Survival Pak  Long Term Report by Chuck Carnes Report Date: July 20, 2006
Name: Chuck Carnes Age: 36 Gender: Male Height: 6 ft. 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 175 lb (79 kg) E-mail address: ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com City, State, Country: Greenville, South Carolina USA
I love the outdoors – I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking since then. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20 – 30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph). I am a one-man tent camper for now. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can.
Manufacturer: Adventure Medical Kits Model: Pocket Survival Pak Year of manufacture: 2005 URL: www.adventuremedicalkits.com Listed Weight: 3.9 oz (111 kg) Actual Weight: 3.7 oz (105 kg) Listed Size: 5 in x 4.5 in (12 cm x 11 cm) Actual Size: 5 in x 4.5 in x 0.8 in (12 cm x 11 cm x 2 cm) MSRP: $27.50 USD Features (taken from the web site): The Pocket Survival Pak contains a collection of survival tools for when you find yourself abandoned, stranded, or lost in the outdoors. Keep it in your pocket, or on your person. Waterproof...floats...easily opened and resealed! Items in pack: Rescue Howler Rescue Flash Signal Mirror 20 mm Survival Compass Spark-lite Fire Starter Tinder-Quick Waterproof Survival Instructions Duct Tape Scalpel Blade Stainless Steel Utility Wire Fresnel Lens Magnifier Heavy Duty Nylon Thread Braided Nylon Cord Fish Hooks Heavy Duty Sewing Needle Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil Safety Pins Pencil Waterproof Note Paper
Since my Field Report I have taken the AMK Pocket Survival Pak with me on all of my day hikes and a 10 day trip to Africa. While carrying it with me on my day hikes I always kept it in my cargo shorts pocket. It is light enough to not even know that it is there but it is nice to know that it is there when needed. Unfortunately, but luckily, I did not have to use any of the contents of the pack while on these day hikes. While I was in Africa, I did use the Heavy Duty Nylon Thread and Needle to repair a camp chair. Below, under the nylon thread description, I have a picture of it in use. Below, I have listed the items that come with the Survival Pak and a short description of its intended use. During my field experience, I have been able to test a few of the items. My comments on the item from my Field Report are noted in red. My comments since the Field Report are in blue. Rescue Howler: This is also called the Fox 40 Rescue Howler. It is a three chamber, triple frequency whistle. It has a db rating of 110 and is made of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) polymer in bright rescue yellow. It is pea-less and blows free any water that may get in the whistle from being dropped in water. The whistle is very loud when blown. It does take some effort to get the high pitched sound from the whistle. By effort, I mean a good bit of forceful air has to be blown through the whistle. If a person is injured to a point of not being able to blow a lot of forceful air through the whistle, it will not be as effective as it is designed to be. For my Long Term Report, I will test to see how easily it is heard at different lengths on a trail. I never had to use it during this period. Rescue Flash Signal Mirror: 2 in x 3 in (5 cm x 8 cm) Lexan polycarbonate with aiming aid. Directions are printed on the back and it comes in a protective sleeve to keep the mirror from getting scratched. The instructions on the back are in-between layers of polycarbonate to keep the instructions from getting damaged. The instructions are in English. During my long term report phase, I tested this item and reflected the light into a tree. The beam was bright and I was able to point it in the correct direction by following the instructions. 20 mm Survival Compass: Liquid damped compass with lanyard groove around entire compass; useful for basic wayfinding purposes. I have used the compass on a short route on the trail and it seems fairly accurate. I never had to use it during this period. Spark-lite Fire Starter: Waterproof, military issue, one handed use, artificial (ferrocium) flint and steel firestarter. It is orange in color for visibility if dropped. If dropped in water, simply shake off the water and the firestarter is ready to go. I tried this at home to see how easy the tinder would start with the spark-lite. It only took one flick with the spark-lite and the tinder quickly started burning. I never used it again during this period. Tinder-Quick: 4 wax-impregnated cotton swabs in a clear plastic zip-lock baggy. Pull cotton apart to expose finer cotton fibers and it is ready for the sparks. Each piece of tinder will burn 2-3 minutes. The tinder started to burn with only one spark from the spark-lite. The tinder burned for approximately 2 minutes 40 seconds. Waterproof Survival Instructions: 33 illustrations by Doug Ritter on waterproof paper. Detailed and easy to understand illustrations written specifically for this kit. Not used at this time. I did read and look at the illustrations but I never had to use any of them. In my opinion, they are easy to understand if needed in an emergency. Duct Tape: 26 in x 2 in (66 cm x 5 cm) rolled around a plastic looking tube. There is not much to say that people don't already know about duct tape. Thousands of uses including first-aid applications. Not used at this time, but will be used to check adherence. This was used on a camp chair after the repair with the nylon thread and needle. It was used to cover the exposed thread to help keep it protected. The adherence is very good. Scalpel Blade: #22 stainless steel blade sealed in foil package. Can be used as a back up for a broken knife or when a razor is needed for emergencies. Not used at this time. I never had to use it during this period. Stainless Steel Utility Wire: 6 ft (1.8 m) of mil-spec wire. Stronger than brass and less likely to break when twisted. If breaking it is needed, a multi-tool will need to be used. Not used at this time, but will test the wire for number of bends before breaking in half if a knife or scalpel is not available. I tested the wire to see how many bends it would take until it broke apart if a knife or scalpel was not available. I bent it back and forth well over 30 or 40 times and it never broke apart. Fresnel Lens Magnifier: 2 in x 3 in (5 cm x 8 cm). Used for enlarging the survival instructions for better reading. Also can be used as a back-up fire starter if the sun is shining. Not used at this time. I tested the lens magnifier on a dry piece of grass by slightly bending it and letting the sun shine through it and onto the grass; much like one would use a magnifying glass to start a fire. I was able to start a small fire on the grass and added dry kindling. This test proved to me that I was able to start a fire with the lens magnifier. Heavy Duty Nylon Thread:  50
ft (15.25 m) of 10.5 lb (4.8 kg) test
fishing
line or thread to be used for sewing. Can also be used for making bird
and small game snares. Also many other uses.Not used at this time. I used the thread and needle to repair a camp chair. The thread pulled through the tough canvas very easily and it held up to numerous individual people leaning back in the chair which put a lot of tension on the thread. Braided Nylon Cord: 10 ft (3 m) of 150 lb (68 kg) test nylon cord for shelter building or repairs. Not used at this time. I never had to use it during this period. Fish Hooks: This is part of a fishing kit that comes with 4 medium sized fish hooks, 2 removable split shots and 1 snap swivel contained in a clear plastic vial. Not only can these be used for fishing, they can be used for small game snares and traps. Not used at this time. I never had to use it during this period. Heavy Duty Sewing Needle: Large size for penetrating heavy duty materials and large eye for easier threading. Stored in the plastic vial with the fishing gear. Not used at this time. This was used on the camp chair that was mentioned above. The needle went through the canvas easily and made the repair simple. Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil: 3 sq ft (.28 sq m) of foil can be used as a wind blocker for a fire. Sturdy enough to use as a container for water. Not used at this time. I never had to use it during this period. Safety Pins: 4 medium-large safety pins can be used to repair gear or clothing. Can also be used to secure other gear to keep from being lost. Also stored in the plastic vial with the fishing gear. Not used at this time. I never had to use them during this period. Pencil and Waterproof Paper: Miniature #2 pencil and two 2 in x 3 in (5 cm x 7 cm) pieces of waterproof paper. Can be used to leave messages or writing important notes. Not used at this time, but will test the waterproofness of the paper. I scribbled on the paper with the pencil and dipped it in some water. The scribble marks stayed on the paper and did not smear. I found this pack to be a very useful piece of gear and it will always be in my pack or in my pocket when I go anywhere in the wilderness.
Read more reviews of Adventure Medical Kits gear Read more gear reviews by Chuck Carnes Reviews > Health & Safety > Emergency and Survival Gear > Adventure Medical Pocket Survival Pak > Chuck Carnes > Long Term Report | ||||||