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Reviews > Health & Safety > First Aid Kits > Adventure Medical Kit Blister Medic Gel > Test Report by Rebecca Stacy
 Click here for Blister Medic Advanced Blister and Burn Dressing Initial Report 
Age: 35 Gender: Female Height: 5' 3" (1.6 m) Weight: 150 lb (70 kg) Email address: becki_s_19 at hotmail dot com Location: Royal Oak, Michigan, USA Background: I got bitten by the backpacking bug in 1994 when I was a volunteer at the Grand Canyon. My first backpacking trip was the same week I arrived, with gear borrowed from trail crew supplies. My husband and I enjoy car camping and backpacking, mostly in Michigan. We've pared down our pack weight a bit, switching to a tarptent and smaller/lighter backpacks as part of our effort to re-work our gear list to cut weight without giving up the luxury items we enjoy (such as food that involves more than boiling water).
Manufacturer: Adventure Medical Kits Manufacturer website: www.adventuremedicalkits.com Year: 2008 MSRP: GlacierGel $9.90 US, Blister Medic $10.00 US Listed weight: n/a Weight, total package: GlacierGel: 1.7 oz (48 g), Blister Medic : 2.35 oz (66 g) Weight, Zip-top bag and kit contents: GlacierGel: 0.9 oz (25 g), Blister Medic: 1.5 oz (42 g)
 Note: Adventure Medical lists the dimensions in fractions for the Imperial measurements, I have switched it to decimal format for better legibility online). The kit includes: 3 GlacierGel oval pads 1.75"x3" (44x76mm) [in a 4.13"x2.88" /105x73 m packet] 3 GlacierGel rectangular pads 1"x1.25" (25x32mm) [in a 3.38"x2.25" /86x57 mm packet] 6 Alcohol Wipes [each in a 1.75"x2"/44x50 mm packet] 1 Information/register your kit/emergency medical info card 1 Zip-top storage bag, 4"x6.75" (10.2x17.2 cm) Weight: Total Kit, including packaging: Glacier Gel: 1.7 oz (48 g) Zip-top bag & contents: 0.9 oz (25 g) GlacierGel oval pad: 0.1 oz (3 g), 0.4 oz (11 g) for all 3 GlacierGel rectangular pad: 0.07 oz (2 g), 0.2 oz (6 g) for all 3 Alcohol prep pad: (0.83 g) average, 0.2 oz (5 g) for all 6* Info card: 0.03 oz (1 g) Zip-top bag: 0.1 oz (3 g) *Note: In this kit I only received five alcohol prep pads. When weighing, I added one pad from the other kit to get the total weight The GlacierGel kit comes in a polypropylene (at least, that's what the material appears to be) display box that unfolds to show the instructions, a safety tip, and advertising for the S.O.L (Survive Outdoors Longer) Survival Pak, andother Adventure Medical product. The kit itself is about 0.25" (0.6 cm) thick, stuffed safely away in the ziptop bag. The packaging and GlacierGel dressings have instructions in both English and French, while the alcohol prep pads and the kit registration card have only English instructions. The expiration dates on the GlacierGel pads are all January 2011 (over two-and-a-half years from now) and the alcohol pads expire in August 2009 (in about a year and four months). As mentioned above, my kit was short one alcohol prep pad. The instructions on the box and the pads themselves note that I should consult my physician before using this product if I suffer from Diabetes (which I do not). Initial Impressions:This appears to be a nice, handy little kit. The size is about perfect for me to stash in an outside pocket of my backpack for easy access, or I could toss it inside my regular first aid kit which consists of a bunch of first-aid supplies organized in small ziptop bags tossed into a large freezer ziptop bag that I store in the top compartment of my pack. I really like the idea that the GlacierGel pads could be used for either blisters or burns. Although I have never burned myself in the backcountry, I always keep burn dressings on hand. The instructions are easy to follow, and are typical of many burn or blister type dressings. Likes: Compact, easy to store GlacierGel pads can be used for either blisters or burns Dislikes: Missing 1one alcohol prep pad
 Note: Adventure Medical lists the dimensions in fractions for the Imperial measurements, I have switched it to decimal format for better legibility online. The kit includes: 1 GlacierGel oval dressing: 1.75"x3" (44x76 mm) [in a 4.13"x2.88" /105x73 mm packet] 1 GlacierGel rectangular dressing: 1"x1.25" (25x32 mm) [in a 3.38"x2.25" /86x57 mm packet] 2 Moleskin Large Ovals 1.75"x3" (44x7 6mm) with a removable center oval [measured: 2.88"x1.63"/73x41 mm, inner oval: 1.44"x0.88"/37x22 mm] 4 Moleskin Ovals 1"x2" (25x50 mm) with a removable center oval [measured: 1.88"x.88"/48x22 mm, inner oval: 0.94"x0.5"/24x13 mm] 4 Moleskin Medium Toe 1"x1.38" (25x34 mm) [measured: same as stated size] 6 Moleskin Small Toe 0.75"x1" (19x25 mm) [measured: same as stated size] 6 Moleskin Small Strip 0.5"x1.38" (13x34 mm) [measured: 0.5"x1.31"/13x33 mm] 6 BZK (Benzalkonuim Chloride) Antiseptic Towelettes [each in a 2"x2.25" /51x57 mm packet] 6 Alcohol Wipes [each in a 1.75"x2"/45x51 mm packet] 1 Zip-top storage bag, 4"x6.75" (10.2x17.2 cm) Weight: Total Kit, including packaging: 2.35 oz (66 g) Zip-top bag & contents: 1.5 oz (42 g) 1 sheet Moleskin: 0.2 oz (6 g), 0.4 oz (12 g) for both GlacierGel oval dressing: 0.1 oz (3 g) GlacierGel rectangular dressing: 0.05 oz (1 g) Alcohol prep pad: (0.83 g) average, 0.2 oz (5 g) for all 6 BZK Antiseptic Towelette: 0.1 oz (3 g) each, 0.6 oz (17 g) for all 6 Zip-top bag: 0.1 oz (3 g) The Blister Medic kit comes in a polypropylene (at least, that's what the material appears to be) display box that unfolds to show the instructions, a safety tip, and advertising for the S.O.L (Survive Outdoors Longer) Survival Pak, andother Adventure Medical product. The kit itself is about 0.5" (13 mm) thick, stuffed safely away in the ziptop bag. The Moleskin comes on two pads [4.5x3.75" /11.4x9.5 cm each] that are pre-cut with not much wasted space, and the material itself feels somewhat like felt on the side that does not have the adhesive on it. Directions for the BZK (Benzalkonium Chloride) antiseptic towlette, Alcohol prep pads, and GlacierGel pads are printed on the back of their respective packets. The GlacierGel pads have instructions in English and French, while the both the BZK and alcohol pads only have directions in English. Further instructions (in English and French) for the prevention and treatment of blisters are included on the packaging. The expiration date for the GlacierGel dressings is January 2011 (approximately two-and-a-half years from now), the Alcohol pads expire in August 2009 (about a year and 4 months), and I can't determine the expiration date of the BZK towelettes. The date is printed on the GlacierGel and Alcohol prep pads, but appears to be stamped onto the BZK pads, though on all six pads the imprint is indistinct enough that I can't even determine the year they expire. Initial Impressions:This appears to be a handy little blister kit, and like the GlacierGel kit, is the perfect size to stash either inside my regular medical kit or in an easy-to-reach pocket of my pack for easy access. I've used Moleskin before, although the last time I did I had to cut my own dressings. Having pre-cut pieces should come in handy when I start to get a hot spot, though it's not really until I hit the trail that I could tell if the shapes and sizes are a good fit for me. According to the instructions on the box, the Moleskin is primarily for use on hot spots (areas on my foot where I notice rubbing but a blister has not yet developed) or small, intact blisters. The kit recommends using the GlacierGel for large/ruptured blisters (draining the blister and cutting away loose skin before applying the GlacierGel pad is recommended), but offers an option for using the oval-doughnut Moleskin pieces (more than one layer may be needed to properly protect my foot) to create a protected area around the blister. According to these instructions, I should apply an aloe gel or antibiotic on the blistered area, cover the blister with a non-adherent dressing in the cut-out center, and secure that with adhesive tape. Since the kit does not include the mentioned gels, non-adherent dressing or adhesive tape, I would have to make sure I have those items (or something workable for the situation) in my regular kit if I had to resort to this method of treatment. From looking at the pieces provided, a possible work-around using the kit contents could consist of reversing one of the inner portions of the oval-doughnut pieces (so the felt side is facing the blister) and securing it with another piece of Moleskin. The only additional equipment I would need is the ointment, and I always have a tube of antibiotic ointment in my kit anyway. I'm not much on the medical end of things, so I am a bit confused why there are both alcohol pads and BZK towelettes in the kit. To my basic understanding, either should work well enough to remove any grunge on my foot and to properly sanitize the area before applying a dressing. The instructions on the box do not mention either pad, so I am wondering if what I use is to be left to my preference. Likes:Compact, easy to store Precut Moleskin Can be used to prevent and treat blisters GlacierGel pads can be used for either blisters or burns Dislikes: Confusion about why there are two different types of cleansing pads I can't tell when the BZK pads expire. The kit does not seem truly complete since the instructions mention adhesive tape and to use either aloe gel or antibiotic ointment for treating large/popped blisters with Moleskin, but the kit does not supply any of these items. This concludes my Initial Reports. Please check back in about three months for the results of my testing. I would like to thank Adventure Medical Kits and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test these items. Read more reviews of Adventure Medical Kits gear Read more gear reviews by Rebecca Stacy Reviews > Health & Safety > First Aid Kits > Adventure Medical Kit Blister Medic Gel > Test Report by Rebecca Stacy | ||||||