review: Adventure Medical Kits "Sol Scout" mini survival kit

[Treesuit]

TurtleNomad,

Are the NAR bandages well worth the money and do they have any in different sizes? Also out of the three you show, which one is the reasonably priced and ships to basic consumers; like you and I?

[TurtleNomad]

Are the NAR bandages well worth the money and do they have any in different sizes? Also out of the three you show, which one is the reasonably priced and ships to basic consumers; like you and I?

Great questions, Treesuit!
Exactly the sort of thing I wanted to know when I started my FAK overhaul, and now have some (but not all) answers for.

First, the cheapest place I've found ETDs (aka "izzies") is Botach Tactical:
$4.65 First Care FCP-03 4" Emergency Bandage White
$4.95 First Care FCP-06 6" Emergency Bandage White
The only difference between the "civilian" and "military" versions is the color, and the white civilian ones are a dollar cheaper. I also figured white would be more practical (better visibility) for my purposes (one each for my birdwatching and car FAKs).

The big issue with Botach is their history of terrible customer service.
The overwhelming majority of the reported problems involved special promotions and out of stock items.

Since the price was almost half of Amazon's price, and Bo has free shipping with no minimum order size, I figured I'd take a chance and order two (4" and 6"). I (unwisely) added a couple of small clearance items, plus a couple of low priced regular items (including a 3-pack of Odor-Proof Aloksak waterproof bags for only $5.95).
All the "regular" items arrived fine, with no problems (fast delivery and in good condition). Of the two "clearance" items, one was out-of-stock, they removed it from my order, emailed me that they'd done that, and did not bill me for it (which was fine by me). The other item arrived, but was definitely "subpar". Fortunately it was only a $5 mini flashlight.

My theory is that the key to Botach is to only order their regular stuff, and resist the temptation of the clearance area. Others have speculated the same. Particularly with ETDs, they're the sort of thing that is a "core inventory item", with high but steady turnover.

After that looooooooong disclaimer, bottom line is that Botach is the absolute cheapest place I know of to buy an ETD, both in terms of unit price, and free shipping.
The two I received were recent production, and the outer wrapper was in perfect condition (the vacuum seal was intact).

For anyone on a budget, and who mainly wants this for an increased sense of security, you can literally order just one.


I've been reading good things about NAR products for a while, but there's always a shortage of details. The posters are usually highly credible (experienced combat medics), so I gather they don't bother going into detail because the stuff just "works better".

When I got my Rescue Essentials order, and compared the two NAR ETDs beside the equivalent sized "regular" ETDs, I was delighted by the red coloring at all the notches! That may sound like a gimmick, but for most of us, we don't deal with emergencies every day, so that visual cue is exactly the sort of thing that helps "jump" the brain to the next step.

From what I've heard, that's what NAR does best: it "tweaks" an already well proven design, and takes it up a notch or two.

The NAR ETDs do come in a variety of sizes, including 4" and 6", which was what I bought from RE:
$5.35 NAR Emergency Trauma Dressing 4"
$5.45 NAR Emergency Trauma Dressing 6"
If you surf around, starting from either of those links, you'll find other NAR ETDs and other NAR products.
I'm on RE's mailing list, which is how I found out about the 20% off sale, so I paid less than Botach (and I am now kicking myself that I didn't order two of each!).


One of the many things I like about Rescue Essentials is that they have "esoteric" but realistic stuff like ETDs, as well as stuff that is ideal for "normal" home usage.

For example, one of the issues most of us face is that OTC medicines and wound wipes expire relatively quickly (1-3 years), whereas bandages can last decades.
RE has a very nice, modestly priced "Wound Prep Module" with 60 total wipes (6 different varieties) for only $3.95. They also have a "Medications Unit Dose Pack" with 42 pills (5 varieties) for only $3.95. Yes, you could buy that at a cheaper per wipe/pill cost, but only if you bought in large quantities. They have a number of practical small "modules" like that.

Another cool little in-house kit is the "Patrol Officer's Pocket Trauma Kit" for only $15.85:

The components are a bit cheaper separately, but the kit is vacuum packed into an amazingly efficient package.


For us middle-aged folks, "compressed gauze" is new.
Using rolls of gauze to pack a wound is one of the things that has come out of the war on terrorism. A compression bandage (even an Ace wrap) and a couple of rolls of gauze give one a lot of flexibility, at a modest price. If the gauze is compressed/vacuum-packed, it can be carried in a very efficient space.

I'll be dissecting some of the above products, eventually, and will add to this thread.

I'll try to take more pictures after I get some sleep. The ones above were quickies, mainly for Adrian. Speaking of which... thanks in advance Adrian! I'm really looking forward to your report from your big competition - I'm pretty sure everyone here will be cheering for Team Romania!

[ak70g2]

First time I heard about the Israeli Emergency Bandage 2 years ago, when I got one from our fellow Cracker:

http://www.rescue-essentials.com/Israel ... 0-0300.htm

I've used to "repair" an thigh open fracture with femoral artery rupture. Is simply a smart device that allow you to put pressure on the wound quickly and save time, while you keep the blood inside, in the victim's body, where must to be. Saved seconds means saved lives, to me. Just my two cents.