Every outdoorsperson knows the feeling of being out in the woods
thinking "Man, I wish I'd brought...," especially when things go bad. Happens to me just about every time I go out.
It's happening a lot less often, though. Oakland-based company Adventure Medical Kits does its best to cover all
of your bases with its Pocket Survival Pak Plus emergency kit ($80).
It's amazing how much AMK managed to fit into a pouch that weighs under half a pound. At 5 ounces and about the size of your fist, it
takes up little room and adds a negligible amount of weight to a hiker's
pack. When you start taking stuff out of the little waterproof pouch, survival gear keeps tumbling out like clowns (shudder) tumbling out of one of those little cars at the circus.
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The pack has a fishing kit with line, hooks, a spinner and
weights; a compact backup knife (the RSK Mk5 ultralight knife is one of
my favorite features); a PICO Lite LED flashlight; a compass; a signal
mirror; and a host of other features. There's even 2 feet of duct tape
thrown in for good measure.
Some of my fellow gearheads have noted that a few of the items are
unnecessary, and that's probably true. I can barely catch a fish with a full-size setup. But the Pocket Survival Pak Plus isn't designed for
everyday use. The packs are made to keep you alive when things don't go
as planned. For instance, why bring a flashlight when you've got a
headlamp? If you drop your headlamp into a crevasse or its battery dies,
that little LED flashlight is going to make a huge difference. In fact, I hope I never need to use it, because that means something went wrong. But when something does, I'm glad I packed it.
Yesterday I went on a 10-mile hike through the Castle Crags Wilderness, and I threw in the PSP Plus on a whim. Might as well, right? About six miles out, I started getting a wicked hotspot in my heel. Boom. Grabbed the PSP Plus, taped up the heel, get back on the trail. Boom.
You don't know what's going to happen when you're in the middle of nowhere, and for an extra 5 ounces, AMK's Pocket Survival Pak Plus is worth every ounce and then some.
Take a look at the full list of items at adventuremedicalkits.com.
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