Reviews > Health & Safety > Emergency and Survival Gear > Adventure Medical Pocket Survival Pak > Chuck Carnes > Initial Report

Adventure Medical Kits
Pocket Survival Pack

Initial Report
by Chuck Carnes
Report Date: March 14, 2006

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

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

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND

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.

PRODUCT INFORMATION BY MANUFACTURER

                    

Manufacturer: Adventure Medical Kits
Model: Pocket Survival Pack
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):

For backpackers, hunters, pilots, snowmobilers, hikers or anyone who enjoys the great outdoors!

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

INITIAL REPORT

The Adventure Medical Kit showed up in a brown shipping envelope with the Pocket Survival Pak sandwiched between a plastic showroom container ready to be displayed and some literature in a folder. The items that arrived are pictured under the heading at the top of this report. The Pocket Survival Pak arrived in a plastic container that held the Pak and a card stock information sheet. Below are pictures of the card stock; front, back and inside.

The back of the card stock basically describes all of the items in the pack and what they are generally used for which I will list and describe below. The inside of the card stock gives information on topics such as "Becoming Better Equipped To Survive" and "Improving The Odds In Your Favor". All which is writen by Doug Ritter.

Above is a picture of the items separated from the clear pack. Below is a list of the items in the pack along with a brief description about the item and its intended use suggested by Adventure Medical Kits. During my Field and Long Term testing I will try the item for its intended use in a non emergency situation for accountability and functionality if applicable.

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.

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.

20 mm Survival Compass: Liquid damped compass with lanyard groove around entire compass; useful for basic wayfinding purposes.

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.

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.

Waterproof Survival Instructions: 33 illustrations by Doug Ritter on waterproof paper. Detailed and easy to understand illustrations written specifically for this kit.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Braided Nylon Cord: 10 ft (3 m) of 150 lb (68 kg) test nylon cord for shelter building or repairs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

My initial thought on the entire package is "well done". All of these contents come in a zip-top, waterproof, vinyl pouch. This is the perfect size to fit in a pants pocket or backpack pocket. I feel like this pack and its contents have been very well thought out and has the right quality and quantity of each item for survival use. I hope that I never HAVE to use it. At this point I do feel like it contains the proper equipment to keep myself alive if I am ever in a survival situation. As mentioned above, I will conduct non emergency tests on some of these items to test the functionality of the item. I will note each item and comment on the results of the test. In the case of an emergency, I will note what items were used and the functionality of those items.

LIKES AND DISLIKES

Likes:

• The small size of the pack
  
• The quality of the contents
  

Dislikes:

• None at this time
  

Thank you Adventure Medical Kits and BGT for giving me this opportunity to test this survival pack.

Reviews > Health & Safety > Emergency and Survival Gear > Adventure Medical Pocket Survival Pak > Chuck Carnes > Initial Report