First aid and emergency preparedness are essential to outdoor recreation, and Adventure Medical Kits has you covered. Their booth at the 2014 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was filled to the brim with first aid kits of all sizes, from ultralight backpacking kits to roadside emergency kits to keep in your car. But one new thing this year made me exclaim, “why hasn’t anybody invented this already and where was it when I needed it?” That thing is the Adventure Dog Series.
We take our dogs on outdoor adventures frequently, and they always seem to get injured far more than their human counterparts. From torn paw pads to lacerated ears and heads from running through thickets, dogs are not exactly careful when they’ve lost their minds in the woods. Enter the Adventure Dog Kit series.
First up is the Me & My Dog Kit. At $50, it’s a portable first aid kit for both dogs and their human companions. The kit includes their 4th Edition Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine, as well as a new field manual for pet first aid. These manuals provide you with comprehensive medical information on how to use the kit’s components to treat an injured person or dog when far from medical or veterinary care. The kit also includes a Survive Outdoors Longer Emergency Blanket, an emergency leash, a self-adhering elastic bandage that won’t stick to dog hair, hydrogen peroxide, and other first aid essentials found in every Adventure Medical Kit. MSRP $50.
The Trail Dog Kit, is dog specific. According to Adventure Medical Kits, it caters to the types of injuries dogs encounter most on the trail, especially to their paws. The kit is stocked with an assortment of dressings, bandages, and tools including splinter picker/tick remover for quick elimination of ticks, thorns, or fox tails. MSRP $25
The most compact of the kits is the Adventure Dog Heeler Kit. This lightweight and waterproof kit makes it easy to throw in a pack or human first aid kit. It has basic medical essentials for treating common dog ailments, like ticks, thorns, and torn up paw pads. It also includes a triangular bandage, which can be utilized as a muzzle, so one can safely administer first aid to their injured animal. MSRP $10.
For the dog who just can’t resist jumping in that swamp or rolling in a cow patty and then fully expects to share a tent with you, Adventure Dog Bath Wipes are to the rescue. These cleansing aloe wipes will wipe off any nastiness and would be awesome to have around if there aren’t any lakes to throw the dirty dogs in. MSRP $3.50.
Survive Outdoors Longer
In addition to the Dog Kits, Adventurer Medical Kits also featured survival solutions from Survive Outdoors Longer.
The Roadtripper is, as the name suggests, an auto emergency kit. The kit includes an Ultralight/Watertight .3 Medical Kit with all first aid essentials; a multi-tool; and duct tape. It packs down small enough to store in your trunk. MSRP $70.
The Emergency Preparedness Basic Kit, which is designed for survival during a home emergency, is a backpack stuffed with the essentials. Perfect for quick evacuations, the kit includes the backpack, an Ultralight/Watertight .3 First Aid Kit; an SOL Emergency Blanket; Fire Starting Supplies; and Emergency Drinking Water. MSRP $80.
As for what’s new in outdoor survival, the new Escape Sleeping Pad was on display. It is super lightweight and packs down to nothing so you’ll have no qualms about tossing it into your light weight, backpacking setup. The pad is made with durable Heatsheets® material, is heat reflective and inflatable with just a few breaths.