Category Archives: Reviews

There are times when a medical kit is recommended and there are times where a medical kit is required.  I recently ran the Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run which is a 6 day stage race through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  For the race, it was required that runners carry a few things, one of them being a small medical kit.  The reason for this is because we were averaging 20 miles of trail running a day and we had many steep ascents and descents to overcome.

Since trail running can be a dangerous sport, I found it appropriate for runners to carry a medical kit.  On every stage of the run, there were people that had fallen and received big and small cuts and bruises. Another common injury was blisters on the feet, something that can be detrimental for a runner since they are on their feet for a long time.

When I found out I needed a medical kit, I knew that I liked my old ultra light medical kit by AMK and that a smaller version would be appropriate for the run.  That said, I had a .5 medical kit shipped to me for my race.  I used the .5 because it didn’t take up too much room in my compact running pack, but it had most of the supplies I would need if something were to happen on my run.

Read More: Adventure Medical Kit Ultralight .5 Review

By Christopher Van Tilburg, MD
(Originally Posted 9/2/2010)

When I was a boy, I watched Mount St. Helens explode from the front yard of the family home. It was both thrilling and terrifying. The Toutle River overflowed Interstate 5, and school was canceled due to ash fallout. Hurricane Katrina, the Spring floods that devastated Northeastern states, and now Hurricane Earl — which at the time of this post was threatening to hammer much of the Eastern Seaboard — prove that natural disasters can hit close to home. So, everyone should prepare a 72-hour emergency kit for Mother Nature’s worst.

ESSENTIALS
Ideally you need two kits: a large plastic bin for home and a small portable kit for your car. A good disaster kit has 5 components: water, food, first aid kit, extra clothing and bedding, and survival gear.

Read More: Tips for Assembling a 72-hour Emergency Preparedness Kit

Breathable ‘Space Blanket’ Bivy — Touted as the first “emergency reflective shelter with breathability,” the SOL Escape Bivvy from Adventure Medical Kits is a lightweight bivy bag made out of a crinkly reflective material (a “vacuum-metalized spun-bonded olefin,” according to the company). We have been using AMK’s “space blanket” bivy sacks for years. They are lightweight and body-heat-reflective, though always clammy; water condenses inside the original design. But with this new bag, AMK claims condensation can escape, though the exterior is rain-, snow- and wind-resistant.

Read More: ‘Best in Show’ Awards: Part II of Greatest Gear for 2012

“Fitting nicely into your appropriately-sized man hands, the SOL Origin from Adventure Medical Kits (AMK) contains over 30 tools/items and Buck Tilton’s 62+ Survival Tips and Techniques handbook. If this can’t get you out of almost any sticky, stranded situation, we’re not sure what will.”

Read More: SOL Origin by AMK