Great video. I’m really glad that the focus of the video is that these FAKs aren’t used for life threatening scenarios and combat situations. These kits are for people who are hiking and camping, where the chances of suffering a gunshot wound is extremely slim.
I work out in the woods pretty extensively and always carry one of these in my pack and my truck.
Any wilderness first aid course worth its salt teaches how to improvise splints, stretchers, etc. and when you’re outdoors where weight matters, being able to improvise these tools is much more effective than carrying them with you.
Some stuff I personally always carry if I don’t have a full IFAK with me is hockey tape, water, and some kind of multi tool. I’ve had to deal with situations where myself or a coworker has been injured and that’s all I’ve had, and it goes A LONG way, trust me. Having something to clean/flush a wound (water, tweezers or knife), and something to wrap a wound efficiently (hockey tape, some gauze or clean cloth) is all you need in 90% of scenarios you’ll run into.
Definitely be familiar with any kit you’re carrying, and just remember that knowledge and practice will save a life. I won’t say that I’d prefer a booklet to a course, but I’d prefer a booklet to nothing. Stay safe!
Love some of these kits. I got the Sportsman 400 from Adventure Medical. Decent kit for camping or home use. Got the green kits for each of my cars. My only gripe is the latter doesnt have bandaids, but they are resealable.
These kits, limited as they are, can be used as a basic boo boo kit or for a hike. I usually add some better guaze, quikclot, a TQ, and some other items and it is OK for certain situations.
I have owned many Adventure Medical kits over the years. They were available in sporting goods stores long before YouTube. I appreciate your advice and critique; however, you failed to familiarize yourself with the Adventure Medical product line which ranges from very basic first aid to more comprehensive and in various categories to backpacking, car camping, water sports, hunting and even world travel. My first QuitClot package was in a specific package for abrasions and bleeding – Adventure Medical made QuitClot available long before I saw other rescue first aid companies making it available to non paramedic users. My first SOFTT was purchased in a small trauma kit from Adventure Medical.
All premade kits need to be supplemented, but I don’t expect an IFAK from a $50 basic kit. Review the kit for its intended purpose – I haven’t just owned their kits, there have been times their kits saved a vacation or at least provided relief when it was needed.
I drive a Jeep now and I have a fairly good med kit and I have even supplemented that with a North American CAT tourniquet, QuikClot, and Leatherman Raptor Shears all attached to the outside of the kit. The kit is prominently secured right below one of my two fire extinguishers attached to the left and right rear roll cage bars.
When I am creek fishing or day hiking, I need a basic lightweight first aid kit. When I engage in an off road sport where I’m responsible for my own self rescue, I carry what is recommended by my peers and then some. I also carry a Garmin InReach and a satellite phone.
Please take the time to understand a companies product line and take the niche they are marketing to into consideration (there is a reason and a market for each of those two kits – the yellow one I have used kayaking, the blue one I have used car camping, fishing and general travel).
I take your advice seriously and have implemented your recommendations from many of your other videos that apply to my particular situation.
Why do you keep reviewing these types of kits? We all know they are over priced. You should be promoting putting your own kits together. It’s cheaper and gets the right items without waste.
I love the adventure medical kits, for the money they’re a great value and packed well to deal with common non-traumatic injuries. I frequently find myself using them even at home
I have the yellow 0.9 kit. In the bag I’ve added some quick clot, compressed gauze, cpr shield, and chest seal. Then I add this to a bigger kit depending on my needs. I’ve seen them 50% at Dick’s recently, but I’m already feeling saturated with first aid kits.
The BIG design flaw in that .5 medical kit for solo expeditions is that opening it and accessing the materials inside is such a damn fiddle, and needs both hands to do. When one of the most probable types of injuries in the bush is a deep cut to hand or finger, a kit that is easy to rip open one-handed (even at the expense of waterproofness) and quick to sort through the contents (rather than just empty everything out) is a fundamental priority IMO.
@joshualariviere6045on February 5, 2025 at 4:52 pm
I like Adventure Medical Kits, they do a pretty good job for a big box store FAK. I’ve had a couple different ones before I started making my own to suit my specific needs.
I see nothing in those kits that will save your life in the wilderness. Nothing there will provide emergency trauma care for animal attacks, accidental self inflicted knife/gun shot wounds or falling objects. No items that will stop the bleed. Not even a space blanket. Waste of money and just something for REI to make quick cash on. Useless as freaking bear bells…..which REI must make a million dollars a year on!
Video idea: First, i would like to say your videos are good and very insightful. Anyways, I’ve been wondering if you have thought about or already have made a video regarding an officer down or active shooter kit? I am a police officer and have built my own officer down kit, which can clip onto my keyring holster. I am curious if i should add or remove things based on what your recommendation.
The idea behind the kit is to treat myself and maybe another officer during an officer down/active shooter incident.
Love how practical this is. I watch a lot of pepper channels, but sometimes they fully lose the plot. I don’t need every FAK I have to get me out of the deep woods alone after surviving a bear attack. I need something that will stop a minor wound from becoming infected and turning into a major wound.
Thanks for the videos and reviews…I watch pretty regularly and have learned a lot. I make my own IFAK from NAR supplies…do things like cheat seals, tourniquets, gauze, pressure bandages have a shelf life? It’s expensive so wanted to ask…quick clot I know does.
@Engineeringpreparedness86on February 5, 2025 at 4:59 pm
As a standalone, kit? I wouldn’t recommend these for hiking. At all. These kits are purely overpriced “ouch pouches.” As Sam said, augment these kits with a TQ or wound packing gauze; hell , even a NAR emergency ETD for $5 would help.
Id like to see you review Adventure medical again. The pro the series, the field pro or the ultralight .9 kits. You should look at all they have to offer before picking one to actually use on trail. They have some decent kits but you can’t just walk in a grab off the shelf without knowing what you’re buying.
Regarding cleaning your ears, I’d actually rather use the syringe and flush my ear than use the Qtips and risk packing down whatever earwax or dirt is obstructing my ear canal. Though ear flushing with cold water is really uncomfortable and will give you serious vertigo for a moment.
Hey Sam, I really appreciate your videos. I’m a social worker and work with the homeless population. Naloxone spray recently became an over-the-counter med in California. I was able to get some through a program at my county library. I’m trying to figure out the best way to edc it. The packaging is a bit bulky, but I don’t want to risk accidental discharge of the spray by carrying it outside the packaging. I currently carry it in a nylon pouch marked Naloxone inside my small edc backpack. Are there any other ways (pouches, bags, etc) to carry 2 doses of Naloxone that you’re aware of? Any suggestions? Thanks!
So i spent roughly 530 on amazon making the ultimate ifak. I was able to make 4 more with some spare items to refill with that budget.
I could’ve make them cheaper
But I wont risk my life because I chose to save a few bucks
If you see the prices for a north american rescue item
You would be prompted to get the cheaper brand
Dont do it. Sacrifice some bread or nextflix and get the real deal
Most avid backpackers that are not ultralight elitists keep the yellow adventure medical kit in their packs. I’ve personally carried one on all of my hikes and have used a lot of what’s contained to make the hike more enjoyable, which is really the intended use case for these packs.
The off the shelf kit I like the most is the ‘Trauma Pak’ by Adventure Medical, which was also shown on the REI rack. I tend to buy them like TQs to have stashed around, since it is oriented towards more severe wounds, and not just boo-boos.
I looked through your archive, but didn’t see a review; would you do one for this kit?
I’ve never heard of anyone carrying an IFAK (with a CAT/quikclot/nasal airway/etc) on a backpacking trip. Of the hundreds of miles I’ve hiked, I’ve never even heard of a situation that’d require it. Not saying it can’t exist, but seems exceedingly rare. You’re almost certainly better off carrying extra water than an IFAK, or maybe a pair of hiking sticks. Consider of the thousands of people who hike the Pacific Crest Trail, deaths are exceedingly rare. Here’s the stats:
6 – Falling
3 – Heatstroke
2 – Drowning
2 – Cars
1 – Falling trees
1 – High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) (unconfirmed)
1 – Unknown
I’m not saying don’t carry an IFAK, but rather people should consider the relative risk of say not carrying enough water or falling compared to bleeding out. Maybe carry a Garmin inReach as well.
@thomasarmstrong9327on February 5, 2025 at 5:20 pm
I mostly think of such kits as "owie boo-boo" kits, fine to clean and cover minor wounds and reduce chance of infection, but not much good for more complicated/traumatic injuries.
That doesn’t mean they’re worthless, by any means, even if it seemed to me that they pad the piece count with a lot of trinkets that I’ve never needed in my years working as a car mechanic or carpenter.
No, I’m not a first-aid expert, even if I’ve taken some employer-required courses and keep having my EMT spouse teach me stuff informally.
When are you going to partner with someone to make purpose-made (EDC, car/go-bag, hiking, home, etc.) PrepMedic-approved kits? I’d buy a kit from/by you even if it was a partial kit with an insert for "add these things to this kit" with space to store it.
It was a big disappointment to see that the larger kit didn’t at least have a SWAT-T tourniquet and some QuikClot. Generally their kits are among the best of the OTC kits available.
We have, over the years, used clot powder, bandaids, moleskins galore, medical tape, an ace wrap, Benadryl!, survival blanket, diarrhea med, a poison oak salve. Oh. And glucose tablets. All worth their weight in gold. Benadryl, according to an ER doctor, saved my life during an anaphylactic reaction.
i think this is a good kit for quality of life things, however, it in my opinion should be supplemented with at least a tourniquet and/or some packing gauze/celox.
@tribalismblindsthembutnoty124on February 5, 2025 at 5:30 pm
regarding diphenhydramine, my husband is allergic to a few things and more than once, before we got an epi pen, chewing three of four of those saved his life. Once, he had a reaction to an antibiotic and his throat almost closed, he had hives over his whole body, he was vomiting, and the benadryl stopped him from dying until the ambulance got there. He for sure would have had a heart attack and died without it.
Watching your vids has lit a fire under my butt to become more knowledgeable on this stuff. Have put together a couple IFAKs and took an online stop the bleed course with the hands on course in the future. Do you have a vid that covers trauma 1st aid where it might be days before you could get professional help? I’m thinking infection protection, how long can a wound be packed, or considerations concerning a tourniquet in this situation.
A look at two off the shelf first aid kits sold at REI.
Great video. I’m really glad that the focus of the video is that these FAKs aren’t used for life threatening scenarios and combat situations. These kits are for people who are hiking and camping, where the chances of suffering a gunshot wound is extremely slim.
I work out in the woods pretty extensively and always carry one of these in my pack and my truck.
Any wilderness first aid course worth its salt teaches how to improvise splints, stretchers, etc. and when you’re outdoors where weight matters, being able to improvise these tools is much more effective than carrying them with you.
Some stuff I personally always carry if I don’t have a full IFAK with me is hockey tape, water, and some kind of multi tool. I’ve had to deal with situations where myself or a coworker has been injured and that’s all I’ve had, and it goes A LONG way, trust me. Having something to clean/flush a wound (water, tweezers or knife), and something to wrap a wound efficiently (hockey tape, some gauze or clean cloth) is all you need in 90% of scenarios you’ll run into.
Definitely be familiar with any kit you’re carrying, and just remember that knowledge and practice will save a life. I won’t say that I’d prefer a booklet to a course, but I’d prefer a booklet to nothing. Stay safe!
Love some of these kits. I got the Sportsman 400 from Adventure Medical. Decent kit for camping or home use. Got the green kits for each of my cars. My only gripe is the latter doesnt have bandaids, but they are resealable.
Ty for sharing🎉 but where’s the rainbow unicorn bandaid 😢
Great rundown/walkthrough. I picked one up before a trip a few years back which just stays in my travel backpack for the everyday bumps and bruises.
No! you didn’t mention that those trauma shear won’t last long😭 4:42
These kits, limited as they are, can be used as a basic boo boo kit or for a hike. I usually add some better guaze, quikclot, a TQ, and some other items and it is OK for certain situations.
Preparing for the backcountry. Do you have a vid on what you consider to be the essential first aid and IFAK kit?
I have owned many Adventure Medical kits over the years. They were available in sporting goods stores long before YouTube. I appreciate your advice and critique; however, you failed to familiarize yourself with the Adventure Medical product line which ranges from very basic first aid to more comprehensive and in various categories to backpacking, car camping, water sports, hunting and even world travel. My first QuitClot package was in a specific package for abrasions and bleeding – Adventure Medical made QuitClot available long before I saw other rescue first aid companies making it available to non paramedic users. My first SOFTT was purchased in a small trauma kit from Adventure Medical.
All premade kits need to be supplemented, but I don’t expect an IFAK from a $50 basic kit. Review the kit for its intended purpose – I haven’t just owned their kits, there have been times their kits saved a vacation or at least provided relief when it was needed.
I drive a Jeep now and I have a fairly good med kit and I have even supplemented that with a North American CAT tourniquet, QuikClot, and Leatherman Raptor Shears all attached to the outside of the kit. The kit is prominently secured right below one of my two fire extinguishers attached to the left and right rear roll cage bars.
When I am creek fishing or day hiking, I need a basic lightweight first aid kit. When I engage in an off road sport where I’m responsible for my own self rescue, I carry what is recommended by my peers and then some. I also carry a Garmin InReach and a satellite phone.
Please take the time to understand a companies product line and take the niche they are marketing to into consideration (there is a reason and a market for each of those two kits – the yellow one I have used kayaking, the blue one I have used car camping, fishing and general travel).
I take your advice seriously and have implemented your recommendations from many of your other videos that apply to my particular situation.
Why do you keep reviewing these types of kits? We all know they are over priced. You should be promoting putting your own kits together. It’s cheaper and gets the right items without waste.
I love the explanation of quality of life vs saving a life.
I love the adventure medical kits, for the money they’re a great value and packed well to deal with common non-traumatic injuries. I frequently find myself using them even at home
I have the yellow 0.9 kit. In the bag I’ve added some quick clot, compressed gauze, cpr shield, and chest seal. Then I add this to a bigger kit depending on my needs. I’ve seen them 50% at Dick’s recently, but I’m already feeling saturated with first aid kits.
Nah.. your kit should always have a torniquette, even if you’re just hiking, when you need it you need it right this second.
Great content
Not a trauma kit by any means, but seems like a decent booboo kit though.
The BIG design flaw in that .5 medical kit for solo expeditions is that opening it and accessing the materials inside is such a damn fiddle, and needs both hands to do. When one of the most probable types of injuries in the bush is a deep cut to hand or finger, a kit that is easy to rip open one-handed (even at the expense of waterproofness) and quick to sort through the contents (rather than just empty everything out) is a fundamental priority IMO.
In a pinch, those QTIPS could help with a make shift splint
The first kit could work if you were to add a TQ (SOFT etc), packing z-fold gauze, and some sort of occlusive.
I like Adventure Medical Kits, they do a pretty good job for a big box store FAK. I’ve had a couple different ones before I started making my own to suit my specific needs.
I see nothing in those kits that will save your life in the wilderness. Nothing there will provide emergency trauma care for animal attacks, accidental self inflicted knife/gun shot wounds or falling objects. No items that will stop the bleed. Not even a space blanket. Waste of money and just something for REI to make quick cash on. Useless as freaking bear bells…..which REI must make a million dollars a year on!
Video idea: First, i would like to say your videos are good and very insightful. Anyways, I’ve been wondering if you have thought about or already have made a video regarding an officer down or active shooter kit? I am a police officer and have built my own officer down kit, which can clip onto my keyring holster. I am curious if i should add or remove things based on what your recommendation.
The idea behind the kit is to treat myself and maybe another officer during an officer down/active shooter incident.
Thanks
Love how practical this is. I watch a lot of pepper channels, but sometimes they fully lose the plot. I don’t need every FAK I have to get me out of the deep woods alone after surviving a bear attack. I need something that will stop a minor wound from becoming infected and turning into a major wound.
Thanks for the videos and reviews…I watch pretty regularly and have learned a lot. I make my own IFAK from NAR supplies…do things like cheat seals, tourniquets, gauze, pressure bandages have a shelf life? It’s expensive so wanted to ask…quick clot I know does.
Hey i was wondering if the etq is worth carrying or just simple combat gauze?
Great information. thank you for reviewing these. I look forward to learning more from your videos.
As a standalone, kit? I wouldn’t recommend these for hiking. At all. These kits are purely overpriced “ouch pouches.” As Sam said, augment these kits with a TQ or wound packing gauze; hell , even a NAR emergency ETD for $5 would help.
Id like to see you review Adventure medical again. The pro the series, the field pro or the ultralight .9 kits. You should look at all they have to offer before picking one to actually use on trail. They have some decent kits but you can’t just walk in a grab off the shelf without knowing what you’re buying.
What do you think of NOLS wilderness kits?
Regarding cleaning your ears, I’d actually rather use the syringe and flush my ear than use the Qtips and risk packing down whatever earwax or dirt is obstructing my ear canal. Though ear flushing with cold water is really uncomfortable and will give you serious vertigo for a moment.
No gloves in the yellow one?
Bunch of adventure medical kids make some decent wilderness first aid kits
Hey Sam, I really appreciate your videos. I’m a social worker and work with the homeless population. Naloxone spray recently became an over-the-counter med in California. I was able to get some through a program at my county library. I’m trying to figure out the best way to edc it. The packaging is a bit bulky, but I don’t want to risk accidental discharge of the spray by carrying it outside the packaging. I currently carry it in a nylon pouch marked Naloxone inside my small edc backpack. Are there any other ways (pouches, bags, etc) to carry 2 doses of Naloxone that you’re aware of? Any suggestions? Thanks!
So i spent roughly 530 on amazon making the ultimate ifak. I was able to make 4 more with some spare items to refill with that budget.
I could’ve make them cheaper
But I wont risk my life because I chose to save a few bucks
If you see the prices for a north american rescue item
You would be prompted to get the cheaper brand
Dont do it. Sacrifice some bread or nextflix and get the real deal
We call those ‘boo boo kits’.
The bags are handy. High vis and ultralight.
im surprised there is no adrenaline shot!
Most avid backpackers that are not ultralight elitists keep the yellow adventure medical kit in their packs. I’ve personally carried one on all of my hikes and have used a lot of what’s contained to make the hike more enjoyable, which is really the intended use case for these packs.
The off the shelf kit I like the most is the ‘Trauma Pak’ by Adventure Medical, which was also shown on the REI rack. I tend to buy them like TQs to have stashed around, since it is oriented towards more severe wounds, and not just boo-boos.
I looked through your archive, but didn’t see a review; would you do one for this kit?
I’ve never heard of anyone carrying an IFAK (with a CAT/quikclot/nasal airway/etc) on a backpacking trip. Of the hundreds of miles I’ve hiked, I’ve never even heard of a situation that’d require it. Not saying it can’t exist, but seems exceedingly rare. You’re almost certainly better off carrying extra water than an IFAK, or maybe a pair of hiking sticks. Consider of the thousands of people who hike the Pacific Crest Trail, deaths are exceedingly rare. Here’s the stats:
6 – Falling
3 – Heatstroke
2 – Drowning
2 – Cars
1 – Falling trees
1 – High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) (unconfirmed)
1 – Unknown
I’m not saying don’t carry an IFAK, but rather people should consider the relative risk of say not carrying enough water or falling compared to bleeding out. Maybe carry a Garmin inReach as well.
I mostly think of such kits as "owie boo-boo" kits, fine to clean and cover minor wounds and reduce chance of infection, but not much good for more complicated/traumatic injuries.
That doesn’t mean they’re worthless, by any means, even if it seemed to me that they pad the piece count with a lot of trinkets that I’ve never needed in my years working as a car mechanic or carpenter.
No, I’m not a first-aid expert, even if I’ve taken some employer-required courses and keep having my EMT spouse teach me stuff informally.
Thanks.
When are you going to partner with someone to make purpose-made (EDC, car/go-bag, hiking, home, etc.) PrepMedic-approved kits? I’d buy a kit from/by you even if it was a partial kit with an insert for "add these things to this kit" with space to store it.
It was a big disappointment to see that the larger kit didn’t at least have a SWAT-T tourniquet and some QuikClot. Generally their kits are among the best of the OTC kits available.
I’ve been using super glue to get my bad wounds together. I’m sure it’s not right but I didn’t know they had stitch kits until recently
Do a rhino rescue ifak
We have, over the years, used clot powder, bandaids, moleskins galore, medical tape, an ace wrap, Benadryl!, survival blanket, diarrhea med, a poison oak salve. Oh. And glucose tablets. All worth their weight in gold. Benadryl, according to an ER doctor, saved my life during an anaphylactic reaction.
I would love to see a video on age based medical kits. I’m working on building kits for my kids 5,7,and 10.
i think this is a good kit for quality of life things, however, it in my opinion should be supplemented with at least a tourniquet and/or some packing gauze/celox.
regarding diphenhydramine, my husband is allergic to a few things and more than once, before we got an epi pen, chewing three of four of those saved his life. Once, he had a reaction to an antibiotic and his throat almost closed, he had hives over his whole body, he was vomiting, and the benadryl stopped him from dying until the ambulance got there. He for sure would have had a heart attack and died without it.
Watching your vids has lit a fire under my butt to become more knowledgeable on this stuff. Have put together a couple IFAKs and took an online stop the bleed course with the hands on course in the future. Do you have a vid that covers trauma 1st aid where it might be days before you could get professional help? I’m thinking infection protection, how long can a wound be packed, or considerations concerning a tourniquet in this situation.