 Adventure Medical Kits
Adventure Medical Kits Camper Series: When you're headed into the back country there's always a few essentials that you bring. At the top of this short list is a first aid kit. A very simplistic, homemade kit, can handle the typical assortment of scratches, bumps, bruises and blisters that one accumulates while out on the trail. But for more serious problems, say fractures, bee stings, deep wounds etc., you need a more comprehensive first aid kit.
I used to put together my own kit, buying supplies from the drug store and stocking them in a small pouch for use on the trail. My rudimentary homemade kit usually cost me approximately twenty dollars, as opposed to the two to three times that amount for a custom first aid kit at the store. But I still didn't quite have all the essentials to cover some odd, unexpected accident. Adventure Medical Kits pretty much filled in the gap by providing me with what I didn't have, and yet keeping my cost and the kit's weight within reason.
Adventure Medical Kits was founded by Eric A. Weiss, MD., a leading authority of wilderness and outdoor medicine. He's not only a doctor, but he also lives the outdoor lifestyle by climbing, trekking, kayaking, and river rafting. He's the medical editor for Backpacker Magazine, a former editor of The Wilderness Medical Society Letter, and medical consultant to the American Mountain Guide Association. So needless to say Dr. Weiss pretty much has seen, experienced and dealt with the kinds of emergencies that can occur in the wilderness.
With that in mind, Weiss has developed what AMK calls the "Easy Care First Aid System" for the Camper Series first aid kits. What this system does is to organize the first aid components into injury specific, waterproof zip-lock bags, each bag containing all the essentials and a list of instructions on how to treat that problem. The bags are color coded, which enable you to quickly locate the proper supplies. There are six injury specific bags: Bleeding; Burns; CPR; Fracture; Stings; and Wounds.
The kit which I tested was the Camper 200, a very reasonably priced $26.00 first aid kit that is intended for one to four day treks of one to two people. Its weight is one pound, and this includes pouches that cover burns, blisters and abrasions; nonprescription medications and stings; fractures and sprains; bleeding and shock; and wound and cut care. It's pretty thorough, and thankfully, after some five to six tips so far, I haven't had to use even an aspirin.
What I think is a big plus for the Adventure Medical Kits Camper Series, is its instructions in each packet, and the small first aid manual in each kit. Now I've taken CPR, and emergency first aid courses, so some of the material may seem a bit redundant, but I'll have to admit that the information is very to-the-point and could be quite useful in an emergency situation where solid information and reason could save a life. For those without first aid education, I would highly recommend the Camper kits based on just the instructions alone!
AMK's Camper series includes the Camper 400, 300, 200, 100, and 50. The 400 is intended for trips of one to fourteen days for groups of one to eight people and costs $50.00, while the 50 is intended for small day hikes of one to two people and costs $7.00. The others fall in between the two with respect to contents and cost.
To sum it up, AMK's Camper Series with its Easy Care System are very well thought out, comprehensive, and yet reasonably priced first aid kits that can cover one day to 2-week backpacking trips. The Camper Series pricing and weight is quite reasonable. Now, if you're really a gram counting stickler for weight, then consolidate everything into one plastic bag and read the first aid manual prior to going out on the trail. You may be able to knock off a two ounces!
Manufacturer: Adventure Medical Kits
Price: Varies y size
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