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Reviews > Health & Safety > Emergency and Survival Gear > Adventure Medical Pocket Survival Pak > Jennifer Pope > Long Term Report
For a more detailed product description, please see my Initial and Field Reports. Field Conditions (back to top)Backpacking Trip in Sequoia National ParkThe kit accompanied me on a trip to Sequoia National Park. I car-camped the first night at 6,700 ft (2,040 m) where temperatures ranged between about 60 and 80 F (15 and 25 C). The skies were clear and there was a slight breeze. The following night I backpacked for one night. Camp was at 10,300 ft (3,139 m). That night temperatures dipped into the 40s F (5 C) and there was a fairly strong wind throughout the night and morning. Day Hiking in Los Angeles County I took the kit with me on several (2-3) 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)Things have basically remained as a reported them in my Field Report. I continue to carry the pak with me whenever I'm outdoors. I continue to find that the pak is barely noticeable in my backpack or pocket. I think this is essential if a user is expected to carry it at all times and I have no problems with how the pak performs here. My initial issue of wearing pants without pockets remains. At the moment I just prefer wearing pants that happen to not have pockets. This is a personal choice for me though and when I do wear pants with pockets the pak carries fine. I especially like carrying the pak in a cargo pocket near my knee- it's pretty much unnoticeable while stored there. Back pockets are also fine as the pak is much thinner than the wallets of the men I know (though the pak is longer than a typical wallet).While hiking in pants without pockets I have kept the pak in an area easily accessible in my backpack. In my GoLite Speed this is in the lid of backpack and in day hiking packs this is in the smallest zippered pocket. This seems like a great way to pack it so it's still easy to get to. It's small enough so that I can still fit other items in the compartments with the pak. Thankfully I didn't need to use any of the components of the pak over the test period. I did decide that I could easily test the functionality of the fire starter in the kit at the end of the test period since I never needed to use it. The fire starter consists of a plastic stick with a wheel on the end and some tinder tabs. There are even arrows on the plastic piece to show the user which way the wheel needs to spin (which I didn't notice at first and was wondering why it wasn't working). This was my first attempt at using a fire starting system like this. First it was important that I fray the tinder. I only frayed it slightly on one end and after hitting it with several sparks the end was singed but not on fire. After looking at the small picture in the instructions I was able to determine that I needed to fray the tinder more. Once I did that and moved it to a less windy location I was able to light the tinder fairly easily. It burned for a couple minutes and it didn't really leave any residue once it finished burning. Overall it was easy to use, even for a first timer.
I also tried the nylon thread and needle to sew on an old sock. The thread is thicker than regular sewing thread that I normally use. The needle has a very large eye (where you stick the thread through) so threading the needle is very simple. The scalpel cuts through the thread with extreme ease. I opened the scalpel half-way so I could still store the scalpel back in it's packaging since it's so sharp. I could see myself reaching into the pak and sticking my finger on the really, really sharp blade. One thing I noticed that's mildly frustrating is that sometimes it's difficult to get all the contents back into the package in the exact way they were originally packed. If the contents aren't in the vinyl pouch just right it's more difficult to get the package sealed correctly. This is only mildly frustrating though and just takes a little maneuvering. One thing to note is that this is just a survival pack. This kit does not contain any first aid supplies (except where a needle, duct tape, etc might be useful for first aid). This is a kit that should be carried in addition to a basic first aid kit. Personally I think these two things (first aid and survival) kind of go together and it would make sense if they were contained in the same kit. As is, the package is as small as it can get so there really isn't much room to add anything else to it. I suppose I could fit a few regular-sized adhesive bandages but not much more than that. Carrying two small pocket-sized kits isn't much of an issue but it might be nice to have these kits combined inside a slightly larger package so they could be contained together. This appeals to me as a user. Adventure Medical Kits does make a similar item but it's on the heavy side and contains different (fewer) survival gear. 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. It would be even more valuable for me as a backpacker if it also contained a few first aid essentials.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 > Long Term Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
