Adventure Medical Kits UltraLight and Watertight

This is an outstanding and comprehensive kit for its size. It is a big brother to the also excellent .5 and .7 models. I prefer this one as I appreciate a bit of extra gear for extended overnighters or for when I have family or friends along on dayhikes. The kit covers basic first aid needs that you may encounter on hiking, camping, climbing, or boating adventures, and also works quite well for a car-bound first aid kit. Below is a breakdown of main points and features:

* Very water resistant The contents of the bag come in two Dryflex bags (basically snazzy plastic bags with zip-lock closures) contained in a silnylon sack with taped seams and a water resistant zipper. I am very hesitant to call anything waterproof unless it takes a serious dunking in water over an extended period of time. This kit is fairly well protected, though, and can take serious rain without damaging the contents inside. This amounts to a kit that will stand up to adverse conditions and still be there when you need it most. I would take normal precautions with this (potentially lifesaving) gear and not let it sit in water, of course.

* Compact Though bigger in girth than the .5 and .7 versions, it is still quite small and lives discreetly at the bottom of my 18 liter daypack. While I can say that it's perhaps too large for a short solo run, I would absolutely bring this for an extended trail run. One of the reasons I like this kit is that it gives me many more options while staying fairly compact. I know I have everything I need whether I am alone, hiking with four people, or overnight, or with my family in the backcountry for a week. Yes, it's a tad heavier and larger than the smaller kits, but only by a bit and this is one time when I appreciate the additional insurance that comes with a bit more girth and weight.

* Comprehensive this kit really covers a lot of ground: It's got medication for inflammation, pain, diarrhea, insect bites, and allergic reactions; it has an impressive range of bandages, gauze pads, and dressings; it's even got moleskin for blisters, tweezers for splinters and bee stingers, and an irrigation syringe; there's tape, safety pins, antiseptic wipes and ointment, and an elastic bandage for sprains. Heck, it's even got a measure of duct tape. It even has knuckle bandages, an often overlooked item for this very common and hard to cover area of injury. There are also a fair number of items that are likely to see frequent need: pads, bandages, etc.

* Flexibility Though well-outfitted, there is still room in the bag to customize or add personal medication. Personally, I augment the kit with a few extras: Water gel for burns (including sunburn), lip balm, a couple of small QuickClot pads for bleeding, a larger Afterbite itch eraser (after having been nearly eaten alive by the vampire-like mosquitoes of Lassen NP in the early spring) and an assortment of small bandages that I know I go through quickly. This kit works equally well for day hikes, in the car, or weekend family camping trips.

* Value I think this kit is an exceptional value for it's size, quality, and number of components.

* Quality and durability This kit has had many things piled on top of it during many cycles of hiking, camping, and backpacking and has been opened and used many times. It has held up well. All the components I have used have been high quality, the adhesive on bandages never being weak or cheap.

I've been using the older version of this kit for years and have gotten the updated version for my day pack. Be sure to regularly check the expiry dates of medications within your kit, just as you would any first aid or emergency supply kit and keep those perishable items rotated and fresh. I consider this to be a core element of my kit and can recommend it highly. Five stars!

I recently purchased this for someone else to take on their backpacking trip. I am an EMT in Montana, and I am very impressed with the amount of quality equipment they packed in there. Weight is a huge factor when you are hiking, and this kit weighs next to nothing, yet still has enough stuff to do a lot of work if needed. This has got to be, by far, the lightest and most versatile first aid kit out there for hiking/backpacking, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

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This first aid kit looks great, and is ideal for the 3-5 person hiking/camping trips that I take with friends and with family. However, the item shipped to me from Amazon was full of expired medical items. I purchased a similar item from a local outdoor-ing retailing. Give yourself enough time to expect a refund before getting a valid item.

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This, and the .5 (for day hikes) are the only kits I carry now; I leave a larger kit in the vehicle. I haven't found a more useful and lightweight kit out there. Nothing but the essentials, with room for a few personal meds.

I think this and the .5 are the best buys for the money -the .7 isn't enough more or less.

If you are serious about weight, and confident in your abilities to manage a situation with a "limited" amount of gear, this is the kit for you.

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Opened the box from Amazon today, saw through the bag that some of the meds expired in 2007 (!) Sent it back and will build my own kit with current meds.

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