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Adventure Medical Kits "Ultralight/Watertight .9" FAK
COMPANY AND PRODUCT HISTORY
Adventure Medical Kits, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tender Corporation Inc., is the world leader in innovative first aid and outdoor survival gear that help people enjoy safe outdoor adventures. Co-designed with top emergency, outdoor, marine and travel medicine experts, AMK’s activity-specific products are specially designed to prevent and treat common injuries and ailments that occur during outdoor activities, mountaineering, hunting, sailing, hiking or traveling the world. Many of the kits follow AMK’s unique Easy Care™ system, which organizes hospital quality supplies into injury specific compartments, allowing the novice or professional to quickly and confidently administer first aid.PURPOSE
The AMK Ultralight/Watertight .9 First Aid Kit (FAK) is aptly titled - it's an extremely light weight but fairly complete first aid kit for one to four people on a one to four day outdoor excursion. Weighing in at around 10 oz (12 oz. as shipped with packaging) it is about as lightweight and portable as it gets. The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the "UW.9 FAK" is $36.00 USD, representing an excellent value for someone looking for a high quality portable first aid kit.
PRODUCT IMPRESSIONSMy first impressions of the "AMK UW.9" first aid kit were very positive. While I have minor complaints with it here and there (noted below), it's an impressive first aid tool, and in my opinion is nearly the perfect Personal First Aid Kit, or PFAK.
As titled, the "Ultralight/Watertight .9" is very light weight, weighing right around 10 oz. outside of the cardboard backing. It is also very waterproof, as all of the first aid components are sealed within two of AMK's proprietary "DryFlex" bags, which are essentially high quality, heavy duty Ziploc-style bags. They are easy to both open and close, though expelling the air contained within them can be a task because they're not particularly flexible; the material is very thick. The carrying case for the kit is a bright yellow color for high visibility in night-time activities, has a high quality YKK brand silent zipper, and has two lashing points so that the kit can be attached to the outside of one's pack in a variety of ways, or if one were using large carabiners, even to one's own belt. It's not a particularly attractive package but it's not really intended to be - it's simply a no-frills first aid kit.
Contents of "Ultralight/Watertight .9"
| Bandages | |
| 5 | Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1" x 3" |
| 3 | Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle |
| 1 | Bandage, Conforming Gauze, 3" |
| 2 | Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2" x 2", Pkg./2 |
| 3 | Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 3" x 3", Pkg./2 |
| 2 | Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterile, 3" x 4" |
 Bleeding | |
| 1 | Gloves, Nitrile (Pair), Hand Wipe |
| 1 | Trauma Pad, 5" x 9" |
Blister / Burn | |
| 2 | Moleskin, Pre-Cut & Shaped (11 pieces) |
Duct Tape | |
| 1 | Duct Tape, 2" x 50" |
Fracture / Sprain | |
| 1 | Bandage, Elastic with Velcro, 2" |
Instrument | |
| 3 | Safety Pins |
| 1 | Splinter Picker/Tick Remover Forceps |
Medication | |
| 2 | After Bite Wipe |
| 3 | Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25 mg) |
| 1 | Aspirin (325 mg), Pkg./2 |
| 4 | Diamode (Loperamide HCI 2 mg), Pkg./1 |
| 4 | Ibuprofen (200 mg), Pkg./2 |
Wound Care | |
| 6 | After Cuts & Scrapes Antiseptic Wipe |
| 3 | Alcohol Swab |
| 1 | Cotton Tip Applicator, Pkg./2 |
| 1 | Syringe, Irrigation, 10 cc, 18 Gauge Tip |
| 1 | Tape, 1" x 10 Yards |
| 1 | Tincture of Benzoin Topical Adhesive |
| 4 | Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Single Use |
| 1 | Wound Closure Strips, 1/4" x 4", Pkg./10 |
I don't necessarily agree with one of the statements on the front of the package, as I feel it is somewhat deceptively worded - it states "1-4 people, up to 4 days" as if to indicate that this kit can be stretched to work for a group of four for a time period of four days. It's not going to do that adequately - this is a Personal First Aid Kit, and will really only work for one single person in its stock format. It might work for a group of four if only one person were to get hurt, but if all four folks came down with a severe case of diarrhea, well, three folks are going without treatment. There's also only one elastic bandage, so again, if more than one person severely rolls their ankle, hopefully another person has something that can be used to wrap it. There is room to expand upon the kit inside of the "DryFlex" bags, but the trade is added weight.FINAL ANALYSIS & RATING
As a squad-level first aid kit, I feel that the AMK "Ultralight/Watertight .9" is lacking, but I believe it to be the ideal personal first aid kit, for one person's bug out bag or other 72-Hour kit. Given the light weight and high visibility, this kit would work exceptionally well for even children to carry in their own bug out bag.
If I were to make any additions to this PFAK - which I would if I were going to use it for my personal BOB - I would add more of each type of medication included, as well as add a couple more medium-sized gauze pads. A few sealed unscented "super" tampons might also be nice for serious bleeding cases as well. While additional supplies isn't necessary, their addition would not add a whole lot of weight or bulk and would add more capability to this kit. All in all, the Adventure Medical Kits "Ultralight/Watertight .9" is an excellent value, provided you're looking for a kit that is pretty much ready to go.
LJ126 |
Latest page update: made by LJ126
, May 21 2012, 7:04 PM EDT
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| JunkCollector | first aid kit review | 4 | Dec 16 2011, 12:07 PM EST by JunkCollector | ||
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Thread started: Dec 11 2011, 4:52 PM EST
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It looks like a decent first aid kit, but for $36 I can make a better kit from scratch or just purchase a large premade kit from WalMart for $20 with twice as much included.
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