Adventure Medical Kits
GlacierGel and Blister Medic
Initial Report 21st May 2008
* Reviewer Information
Name: Mark McLauchlin
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Height: 1.76 m (5’ 9”)
Weight: 80 kg (176 lb)
Email: mark at swanvalleyit.com.au
City: Perth, Western Australia
* Backpacking Background
I have been hiking since 2006 with most of my hiking consisting
of day walks
averaging 16 - 22 km (10 - 14 mi) and short overnight trips where possible.
I consider myself to be a light hiker with an average pack weight of
13 kg (29 lb).
My preference is for hot dinners, breakfasts of cereals with fresh fruit,
and lunches usually of bars and sandwiches.
* Product Information
Manufacturer: Adventure Medical Kits
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Manufacturer's Website: www.adventuremedicalkits.com
Listed Weight: Not Listed
Measured Weight: Blister Medic 42 g (1.48 oz), GlacierGel 22 g (0.78 oz)
MSRP: Blister Medic US$10.00, GlacierGel US$9.90
* Initial Impressions
The GlacierGel kit contents are stored in a zip-top bag which is something I am particularly
fond of as they are lightweight, waterproof and re-useable. The clear coloring
also makes it easier to see the contents and remove the items needed.
Individual packaging of each item means that there is little waste as I can use only what is needed. The packaging is basic and functional.
The emergency Medical Information card is a great idea, as it tells someone who
finds me on the trail if I have any allergies or other medical conditions and
also an emergency contact number.
* Reading the Instructions
Each item contained in the pack has a basic set of instructions on the packaging to give an overview of its usage.
These instructions are easy to understand and comprehensive enough to complete
the task.
As the instructions are on each of the items they are always on hand.
There is also another set of instructions on the main shelf packaging which are again easy to understand and contains images for easier understanding.
Each of the items contains and expiry date ranging from 2009 to 2011.
* Kit Contents
3 x GlacierGel oval dressings
3 x GlacierGel rectangular dressings
5 x Alcohol Wipes (packaging states 6)
1 x Emergency Medial Information card
1 x zip-top storage Bag.
* Special Note
1 x Alcohol Wipe missing.
* Initial Impressions
I like the simplicity of the contents of the Blister Medic kit and its packaging, again these items are stored in a
zip-top bag which provides many benefits including weight reduction, re-usability and it is also easier to remove the items that
I need to as they are more visible.
Each of the items is stored in individual packaging complete with instructions on the reverse side.
This kit contains BZK Antiseptic Towelette which to me seems a great deal easier that handling the traditional small bottles
of antiseptic.
I have some initial concerns with the pre-cut dressing shapes in terms of their ease of removal from the main backing
sheet as they do not pull off easily and require trimming with scissors. It
seems as though the pre-cutting process is not as accurate as it could be.
* Reading the Instructions
Each item contained in the pack has a basic set of instructions on the packaging to give an overview of its usage.
These instructions are easy to understand and accurate to assist with the
application of the Blister Medic dressings.
There is also another set of instructions on the main shelf packaging which are again easy to understand and contains images for easier understanding.
Each of the items with the exception of the BZK Antiseptic Towelette has an
expiry date ranging from 2009 to 2011.
* Kit Contents
1 x GlacierGel oval dressing.
1 x GlacierGel rectangular dressing.
2 x Moleskin Large Oval.
4 x Moleskin Medium Oval.
6 x Moleskin Small Toe.
4 x Moleskin Medium Toe.
6 x Moleskin Small Strip
6 x BZK Antiseptic Towelette.
6 x Alcohol Wipes.
1 x zip-top storage Bag.
* Testing Strategy - Blister Medic and GlacierGel
The emphasis of my test plan will be on day trips and overnight hikes, which I
actively combine into geocaching. These products will form part of my medical kit for the duration of the testing.
I have several day and overnight trips planned for the duration of this test series.
* Summary
I am looking forward to being able to take these out with me on my hiking trips, and will be very interested to see the efficiency and healing advantages these provide.
This concludes my initial report. Please check back in three months for the results of the
Long-Term report.
The GlacierGel Blister and Burn Dressing kit has formed part of
my medical kit since May when I received the item for testing. The
kit has accompanied me on approximately 14 days worth of hiking,
covering some 200 km or 120 miles. The hikes ranged from several
overnight trips along the coastal plains and the Bibbulmun Track as
well as some shorter full day walks in various national parks in the
state of Western Australia.
I encountered temperatures from as low as 5 C (41 F) at night to a
high of 33 C (91 F) during the day. I walked on hard-compacted
ground as well as sandy trails, which definitely gave my calf
muscles a workout.
It wasn't until towards the end of the test period that I was able
to test the GlacierGel on a burn. Whilst out in the shed welding
some new shelf supports to my work bench one of the hot sparks which
are often created when welding fell straight through my shirt and onto
my shoulder causing a mild burn mark. The first thing I did was run
inside and reach for the GlacierGel kit that is stored away with my
hiking gear.
Reading the instruction on the back of the kit was quite simple,
they basically state to clean and dry the blister or burn area. Then
remove the white plastic inner liner to expose the adhesive and gel.
Keep the white paper backing on and apply the patch to the skin,
then remove the paper backing and hey presto, all done. What the kit
didn't say was to apply the Alcohol Prep Pad to clean the area,
and perhaps it shouldn't, as this hurt more than the original burn.
Ouch!
The images above show the tear open feature of the packaging which is
very handy.
I was happiest with the comfort from the burn that the pad provided,
there was an almost instant soothing about it. I can see this to
be a great benefit while out hiking if a burn is received.
The pad managed to stay in place for several days and sticks well to
the skin. This may have something to do with the fact the skin on my
shoulder is fairly tight, doesn't sweat at all and is not near any
of my joints so the skin does not move around.
I am not able to report on the healing efficiency of the GlacierGel
only due to the fact that I do not receive burns on a regular basis
so it is difficult for me to measure against.
I would also comment that I did not test this part of the kit on
blisters as these were something I had to inflict upon myself for
the test so I wanted to use the Blister Medic for that.
* Summary
I am very pleased with the way the GlacierGel Blister and Burn
Dressing kit performed and this is something I would consider making
a permanent part of my medical kit. I can also see an advantage in
keeping this in the home first aid kit.
Things I liked
Provided comfort relief very fast.
Stuck well to the affected area.
Easy to apply.
Instructions straightforward and easy to understand.
Things I disliked
Nothing at this stage.
| Blister Medic
Long-Term Report |
Since receiving the product in May I have taken the Blister Medic
Kit out on all of my hiking activities with the intention of using them
on a naturally formed blister. As it happened I was also testing another
manufacture's hiking socks at the time which has eliminated all of my
blister issues.
The field information for the Blister Medic is the same as the above
details in the GlacierGel as the two kits were carried together as part
of my medical kit. Based on this I will not highlight all of my hiking
details in this part of the overall report. Please see full details in
the GlacierGel Long-Term Report section.
This now creates an issue. In the interests of testing and putting
together a well informed report I reluctantly went back to my old socks
for several of my walks, which promptly gave me several blisters on the
heels and small toe on both feet. The things we do for the joy of
testing gear.
Initially I though having the patches pre-cut was a good idea and
for the majority of the time it was. There was the odd occasion where
the cutting of the various shapes did not appear to be complete so I had
to manually cut them with a knife. No show stopper but something worth
mentioning.
Application of the Blister Medic Patches was a straight forward
process. On the first blister I received on my small toe I used the
Alcohol Prep Pad to clean the area of dirt, then I applied the Moleskin
Small Toe (kidney-shaped) patch directly over the area. Very simple and
it did provide some relief. After several hours of walking the patch had
come unstuck and ended up in the end of my sock, becoming ineffective. At
this point in time I applied the larger Medium Toe Moleskin;
unfortunately this again end up in the end of my sock. At this point I
ceased with the testing for that hike.
Although I was not happy with the results of the Blister Medic Patch
on the first occasion the Alcohol Pre Pad did a very good job of
cleaning the area.
My second attempt to inflict blisters on myself and use the product
was on a shorter day walk, in an area that is quite rocky. Elevation
ranged from a starting level of 50 m (160 ft) to a high point of 250 m
(820 ft). There was
also heavy precipitation. The hike was 17.5 km (11 miles) in a loop
style. The blister that formed was on my right heel, an area which has some
scarring from previous blisters years ago, so is sometimes more
susceptible to new ones.
This time I used the Moleskin Large Oval so that the blister was padded
by the patch. These patches have a removable centre so that the blister
is actually visible yet has a complete padded area around it. The patch
managed to stay on a little longer this time, approximately 2 hours, and
only started to peel away at the edges. I would estimate though with
another few hours walking it would have come off altogether.
The patch provided relief and comfort to the area on and around the
blister and I am happier with this shape of patch that the others
tested.
During the test period I did not consume the entire kit; I used five of
the Moleskins and six of the alcohol wipes.
I felt that with the blisters I received and the number of patches I
used I was able to complete the test series and report on their use to
the best of my ability.
* Summary
Overall I was not very impressed with the performance of the
Blister Medic Kit. I found the patches to be of very little practical
use, they failed on all occasions to stick to my feet where blisters had
formed. The idea of the product is good, however I feel further work is
needed on their adhesive properties before I would consider using these
again.
Things I liked
Alcohol Prep Pad cleaned well.
Things I disliked
Moleskin patches did not stick.
Pre-cut Patches were not always fully cut and required some manual
intervention.
Thank you to Adventure Medical Kits and BackpackGearTest.org for the privilege of testing these GlacierGel
and Blister Medic products.
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