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 other 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.

Content List and Weights (back to top)
plastic pouch	.6 (17 g)
content list (visible without opening the pak)	negligible
survival tips & instructions	negligible
Fresnel lens magnifier	>.1 oz (>3 g)
signal mirror	.5 oz (14 g)
Spark-Lite Fire starter & tinder	.1 (3 g)
whistle	>.1 oz (>3 g)
compass	>.1 oz (>3 g)
fishing kit	>.1 oz (>3 g)
nylon thread & needle	.1 oz (3 g)
scalpel blade	>.1 oz (>3 g)
duct tape	.4 oz (11 g)
aluminum foil	.6 oz (17 g)
nylon cord	.1 oz (3 g)
wire	.1 oz (3 g)
safety pins (4) & tube	.2 oz (6 g)
pencil & note paper (2 - business card sized)	.1 oz (3 g)

Initial Impressions (back to top)

This pak is indeed small. It seems like everything is arranged just so to make sure there's no extra space, weight or bulk.

Product Description (back to top)

This pak is comprised of a thick plastic pouch with a zipper closure (similar to a zip-top food storage bag) and a hole on the top where a lanyard could be attached (the instructions state that the included cord can be used for this purpose). So far I’ve found the zipper kind of difficult to close. I have to press with a lot of force to get it shut. Once I get it shut, it does stay closed.

All of the sharp items are protected in some way from poking through the plastic container. The safety pins, needle and fishing pak are all contained inside a small hard plastic tube with a lid. These items were very tightly packed in this tube and it was difficult for me to remove them (I actually needed to use an opened paperclip). The fishing kit is also inside a teeny-tiny zipper-top bag for added protection but the needle does not have any further protection. I was able to put all the contents back inside the tube fairly easily. The pak also contains a scalpel. This scalpel is protected inside a foil package that seems like it will protect it from water, dirt, etc.

One thing I especially like about the pak is that it comes with some basic survival instructions. These include survival tips for procedures outside the scope of the pak including building shelters, water tips (find it, purifying it, and more), etc. This information wasn't new to me but it's always good to brush up on these kinds of things. Plus the instructions are so small that I'll be able to have them with me at all times.

The pak explains that its contents are not enough to keep you safe in all emergency situations. It recommends that you also carry an emergency personal shelter, a pocket knife, a key-chain flashlight and a first aid kit at minimum and suggests you also always carry water.

Pak contents

Summary (back to top)

So far it seems like this pak will be a nice safety addition to hiking, backpacking and other outdoor activities. It's lightweight and small in size- just as expected.

Field Testing Information (back to top)

During the spring and early summer I will be taking trips into the San Bernardino and Angeles National Forests (other areas in Southern CA aren't off limits either). These generally aren't planned far in advance, but I'll likely be out a weekend each month. Temperatures on all these trips should be fairly mild ranging from the low 30s to around 90 F (0 – 30 C). Weather should be fairly mild as well. Elevations range from 4,000 to over 10,000 feet (1,200 – 3,000 m). Depending on what happens in the early Spring (i.e. how much more snow falls), the Sierras might be a destination in the Long Term test period. Weather and elevations during the test period are similar to those in the Angeles National Forest (listed above). However, the terrain in the Sierras can be more rocky and rough and rain is usually in the forecast nearly every afternoon.

Day hiking in and around Los Angeles is a given pretty much every weekend. The terrain of the trails near Los Angeles is mainly rocky, chaparral covered hills. The deserts in South-Eastern California are also a frequent destination for the remainder of the cool months.

This Survival Pak will join me on all car camping and backpacking trips which are usually 2 nights each about once per month on average (4 nights during the field test and 4 more during the long-term test). I will also bring the Survival Pak on day hikes as well as for weekend bike rides on and off paved roads.

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

Initial Report

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