Field Report

Adventure Medical Kits
Pocket Survival Pak
Field Report
May 13, 2006

Biographical Information

Product Information

Field Conditions

Field Test

Summary

Future Test Plans

Pocket Survival Pak

Biographical Information
Name	Jennifer Pope
Age	25
Gender	Female
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
Weight	140 lb (64 kg)
Email address	Jennifer dot Pope at gmail dot com
Location	Los Angeles, CA
Backpacking Background Intermediate. I've been a car-camper as long as I can remember and started backpacking in Northern California when I was 16. I've been backpacking for a little over a year after a hiatus during college. I backpack in the Sierras as well as National Forests and Parks in the Los Angeles vicinity. I also spend time in the California deserts and the mountains and coast of Northern California. I'm a tent camper leaning towards lightweight; but I'm also a fan of gadgets and I like being comfortable. I also frequently day hike close to home and while car camping.

Product Information (back to top)
Manufacturer	Adventure Medical Kits
Manufacturer URL	http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/
Year of Manufacture	2006
Pak Dimensions	5 x 4.5 inches (13 x 11.5 cm)
Claimed Weight	3.9 oz (111 g)
Actual Weight	3.9 oz (111 g)
MSRP	$27.50 US
Guarantee	Adventure Medical Kits will exchange items if the purchaser is not 100% satisfied
Free Replacement	If this product is used during a real emergency Adventure Medical Kits will replace it (per package materials).
Purpose	Adventure Medical Kits (AMK) says that this pak is designed so that it can easily be carried with the user at all times. What good is it to have a survival pack if you don't have it with you? AMK also says that the pak should not be carried by one person in a group but that each person should carry their own in case of separation.

For a more detailed product description, please see my Initial Report.

Field Testing Information (back to top)

Car Camping trip in Death Valley
I took the kit with me on a four-day car-camping trip to Death Valley. The kit accompanied me on several day hikes up to five miles (8 km). The kit was also available to me inside my car while we camped in the desert and while we drove on secluded backcountry roads miles (kilometers) from others. Elevations ranged from 282 ft below sea level to about 1,800 ft (86 m below sea level to 550 m). Temperatures ranged from approximately 50 to 85 F (10 to 30 C). There was no precipitation but it was windy with frequent strong gusts.

Day Hiking in Los Angeles County
I took the kit with me on several day hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County. Temperatures ranged from approximately 0 to 80 F (15 to 25 C). Elevations ranged from sea level to near 2,000 ft (600 m). Fog was present- but no precipitation.

Field Test (back to top)

As far as packability goes, this pak definitely does its job. It packs small enough so that it's reasonable to keep on your person all the time. There is one issue with this though; sometimes the pants I wear don't have pockets. I have recently taken up wearing synthetic yoga-style pants when I don't feel like wearing standard hiking pants (more freedom of motion). This makes things a little trickier. They don't have any belt loops either- so I can't attach the pak to a caribiner and hang it from a belt loop either. I am usually carrying a day pack (and I always was over the test period) so I was able to carry the pak there (but then it wasn’t on my person). The pak has a hole in it where a user could attach a lanyard and hang it from their neck. However, the pak is too big for me to want to hang it from my neck- but perhaps other users would have different opinions. On days where I wore my true hiking pants I was able to carry the pak in one of my cargo pockets. I was able to wear it there all day without even really noticing it. I also wore jeans one day during the test period and I was able to keep the pak in my back pocket. It was more noticeable than when I carried it in my cargo pocket but it was still easy to adjust to. The pak felt similar to carrying a wallet in my back pocket. I never had any problems with the pouch opening unexpectedly, getting wet, or anything else.

In addition to carrying this pak while hiking, I also keep the pak available in my car. This allows me some added security while I'm driving if I were ever put in a survival situation. Over the test period I drove over 100 miles (160 km) on backcountry dirt roads where a survival situation was possible. Just having some kind of backup survival equipment was reassuring (although being with my car I obviously had more than just the kit with me). Fortunately changing a flat tire was the extent of the survival skills I needed. The pak easily fit inside one of two small compartments in the cargo area of my sport utility vehicle (so it wasn't sliding around the back).

Although I haven't needed to use anything in the pak yet, the pak itself is well designed. The pouch is completely translucent so I can see what's in my pak at all times. In fact, there's even a content list that I have placed in the back side of the pack so it's really easy to see exactly what's available. And that's not even wasted weight because it can be used as tinder if necessary.

Thankfully I didn’t need to use any of the components of the pak over the test period.

Summary (back to top)

The pak provides basic survival tools in a small, convenient pack. It's easy to pack and carry and doesn't add much weight. It's definitely a useful addition. For me, the pak contains items that I should have with me all the time but often forgot them or carried them in a much bulkier form.

Future Test Plans (back to top)

I will continue to monitor the items mentioned above. If I haven't used any of the items in the pak by the end of the long term test period I will try out the fire starter, for starting a fire; the nylon thread and needle, for sewing something; the duct tape, to test its adhering ability; the scalpel, to test how well it cuts, etc.

I want to thank BackpackGearTest.org and Adventure Medical Kits for giving me the opportunity to test this item.

Read more reviews of Adventure Medical Kits gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Pope

Reviews > Health & Safety > Emergency and Survival Gear > Adventure Medical Pocket Survival Pak > Jennifer Pope > Field Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson