So, there I was... walking down yet another of the seemingly endless aisles of vendors at SHOT Show this year when I came upon the Adenture Medical Kits (AMK) booth. Well, truth be told, I was looking for it. I had received some of their press releases and wanted to see some of their products first hand. As a person who has long espoused the need for every police officer to have a basic trauma kit close at hand (if not on their person) I wanted to check out their Trauma Paks. The one that I found and am reviewing in this article is the AMK Trauma Pak with QuikClot that they designed for outdoor adventurers, but which also would serve nicely for law enforcement or other uniformed services.
Inside of the kit there are the following items:
Bandage Materials:
1 Bandage, Conforming Guaze, 3"
1 Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2" x 2"
1 Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 4" x 4"
Bleeding
1 Gloves, Nitrile (Pair), Hand Wipe
1 QuikClot Sport 25g
1 Trauma Pad, 5" x 9"
Duct Tape
1 Duct Tape, 2" x 26"
Fracture / Sprain
1 Bandage, Triangular
Wound Care
4 After cuts & Scrapes Antiseptic Wipe
Now I freely admit: for law enforcement I'd really like to see a tourniquet in that list. But AMK didn't design this particular Trauma Pak for LE - they designed it for the outdoorsman: the hunter, archer, motorcyclist or ATV rider. So not having a tourniquet in there is at least understandable. When you look at the list of supplies that ARE in there you realize it's a pretty complete list for most common injuries.
On the website the size of the Trauma Pak is listed as 6" x 6" x 2.5". The one I received for testing / use measures 5" x 7" x 1.75". It fits neatly into the cargo pocket of a standard pair of ACUs, or the very common 5.11 Tactical "Royal Robbins" pants. The bag that the kit is contained in is opened by tearing off the top at the notches but can be resealed like a zip-lock bag. They specifically designed it that way so that the bag can serve as a bio-waste container if need be. Also, due to the material it's made out of, it can be used (empty obviously) to cover a sucking chest wound or as a wound seal.
Now, while I'd love to be able to report that I have used all the items in the Trauma Pak and that they all work well, the truth of the matter is that I'm especially delighted that while I've carried the Trauma Pak with me on countless hikes, several bike rides and plenty of time generall out and about, I've experienced no wound or trauma that required me to tear open the package. The contents speak for themselves and everyone who's ever needed first aid care in the field will know the value of each item.
On the Adventure Medical Kits website, the Trauma Pak is listed with an MSRP of $20. A quick Google search found me several retailers that have the same pack listed for under $17, so search around and you can find even better deals. I think that $20 is an excellent price for a kit this handy.
