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Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer Review

One of our favorite kits for extended backcountry trips into remote areas
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Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer Review
Credit: Adventure Medical Kits
Price:  $70 List
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Manufacturer:   Adventure Medical Kits
By Ryan Huetter ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  May 4, 2023
73
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#4 of 16
  • Quality - 25% 8.0
  • Assortment - 25% 8.0
  • Versatility - 25% 7.0
  • Durability - 15% 7.0
  • Weight - 10% 5.0

Our Verdict

The Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer is a well-organized first aid kit that will ensure that your group has plenty of supplies for whatever emergency happens to befall you. Known for their attention to detail, AMK makes kits that are tailored to group size and trip length. The Explorer is developed for groups of up to 4 people on trips up to a week in length, so it features supplies that may be necessary for extended care in a wilderness setting, not just simple quick fixes in an urban environment. Using many of the same quality tools and useful items as other AMK kits, the Explorer is even better equipped to handle large group needs in remote destinations. Check out our first aid kit review to see how this kit performs next to the competition.
REASONS TO BUY
High-quality
Well-organized
Great first aid book
Many supplies and tools
REASONS TO AVOID
Bulky
Only one pair of gloves

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Kit Overall
Top Pick Award
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Best Buy Award
Best Value for Home Use
Best Buy Award
Best Value for the Outdoors
Price $52.39 at REI
Compare at 3 sellers
$75 List
$62.48 at Amazon
$35 List
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$25 List
$18.09 at Amazon
$22.39 at REI
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Bottom Line For long wilderness trips, or with large groups, we prefer this kitBuilt for longevity, this durable kit has almost everything you need for your overnight tripsA first aid kit with plenty of practical supplies for a road trip or in the backcountryAn easy to store kit with plenty of bandages to keep the whole family coveredThis small kit is easily packable and has enough materials to treat many common backcountry injuries
Rating Categories Adventure Medical K... Surviveware Small Homestock+ Professi... Johnson & Johnson A... Adventure Medical K...
Quality (25%)
8.0
9.0
6.0
8.0
8.0
Assortment (25%)
8.0
8.0
8.0
8.0
6.0
Versatility (25%)
7.0
7.0
8.0
6.0
5.0
Durability (15%)
7.0
9.0
7.0
5.0
6.0
Weight (10%)
5.0
6.0
5.0
5.0
8.0
Specs Adventure Medical K... Surviveware Small Homestock+ Professi... Johnson & Johnson A... Adventure Medical K...
Measured Weight 21 oz 16 oz 21 oz 22 oz 10 oz
Dimensions 7" x 6" x 4.5" 3.1" x 6.2" x 6.7" 7.9'' x 5.9'' x 3.6'' 10" x 7" x 3.5" 6.5" x 5.5" x 3"
First Aid Book Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
CPR Mask/ Face Shield Yes Yes Yes No No
Medications Yes - aspirin, Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antihistamine, cold medication, lidocaine burn relief, loperamide, antacid, hydrocortisone cream No No Yes - acetaminophen Yes - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, asprin, antihistamine
Type of Gloves 1 pair nitrile 1 pair nitrile 1 pair nitrile 2 pair nitrile 1 pair nitrile
Splint No No No No No

Our Analysis and Test Results

We tested the Mountain Series Explorer kit while on long-distance ski tours, overnight backpacking and car camping trips, and even on single-day hikes and climbing trips with a large group. We found it to inspire confidence when the potential for one large injury or many small injuries were present.

Performance Comparison


adventure medical kits mountain series explorer - heading out on a long trip? we took the amk explorer on a 4-day ski...
Heading out on a long trip? We took the AMK Explorer on a 4-day ski tour with a group of 4 and benefited from a more extensive kit than we take on a typical day tour.
Credit: Chad Beulow

Quality


Featuring the same quality brands of first aid supplies as other AMK branded kits, the Explorer is a notch above the rest when it comes to quality. The kit is durable and hearty, with great internal organization available to keep items separated by injury type.

Medical instruments include trauma-grade shears, small metal tweezers, an irrigation syringe, and safety pins. The athletic tape is the best we have seen in any kit, and enough quantity is supplied to do a full ankle wrap. A range of medications is included in a sealed pouch, which has a 1-year expiration date. There are plenty of Moleskin patches pre-cut in a variety of shapes and sizes, and we really like seeing the vial of benzoin tincture to ensure that they adhere. The booklet that is included in Adventure Medical Kits products, written by an MD with extensive experience in wilderness medicine, and adds even more quality to this product.

We might have preferred to see more waterproof packaging, such as resealable pouches that can keep the bandages and medications from spoiling as we have seen in other heavy-duty kits, and we would recommend doing this. An alternative would be to put the whole kit into a gallon-sized ziplock bag.

adventure medical kits mountain series explorer - one of the best cases in the category, the handy organization adds...
One of the best cases in the category, the handy organization adds to this kit's quality.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Assortment


Adventure Medical Kits knows what backpackers, hikers, and adventurers need in their first aid kits, and creates them accordingly. We know that when we toss a pre-built first aid kit like the Explorer into our pack that we will be equipped to deal with most common medical emergencies. This kit is well-stocked to take care of usable injuries such as blister and wound care, creating a sling and swath, or taping a severely sprained ankle, and it also is provisioned with a great-than-average number of medications that might help to keep you in the field. Anti-diarrheal, cold and flu, and antihistamine medications are included in addition to ibuprofen and acetaminophen for pain and fever relief.

Wound care supplies are of good quantity. We like seeing the CPR mask, and as found in other AMK kits, the 220-page Wilderness Medicine book that is included is a very useful resource. For short trips, we sometimes decided to leave this book behind, in order to save weight, but it is a very handy resource that can answer a lot of the medical questions that can trouble first responders.

A single pair of nitrile gloves are included, which will likely be used up the first time there is any injury or wound in order to maintain body substance isolation. We would like to have more pairs, and in using this kit opted to add in 3 extra pairs, as they are lightweight and make the kits much more useful on a longer trip when multiple treatments may be required.

adventure medical kits mountain series explorer - the top-notch book, tape, thermometer strips, cpr barrier, and...
The top-notch book, tape, thermometer strips, CPR barrier, and irrigation syringe were some of our favorite items included in the Explorer kit.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Versatility


The AMK Explorer is designated as a group kit that can supply 4 people for up to 7 days, making this a versatile kit based on the included contents and quantities. It does not occupy a large space, though, so it could easily be thrown into a daypack if you are participating in a sport that might require some heavier trauma supplies on hand, like rock climbing or mountaineering.

Enough equipment is included that this kit can be utilized for everything from small cuts requiring brief treatment to more involved incidents. We appreciate the inclusion of a patient diagnosis form and a pencil to fill it in, which will aid in documenting and communicating your needs with outside rescuers or advanced care should the need arise.

adventure medical kits mountain series explorer - the adventure medical kits mountain series explorer is great for...
The Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer is great for large groups and long trips, but it still only occupies about 2 liters of space.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

While some first aid kits are more suited for laypersons with very little training, and only feature simple treatments such as small bandages, this kit is equipped with enough material to employ WFR skills such as making a sling and swath or pressure irrigating a wound before closing it.

adventure medical kits mountain series explorer - the extra over the counter meds that are included certainly add to...
The extra over the counter meds that are included certainly add to the Explorer's versatility in treating simple illnesses in the backcountry.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Durability


We really like the Explorer's water-resistant coated nylon case - it keeps many of the elements at bay. Even when it is raining and your pack is getting wet, the contents of the kit stay relatively dry, and they are protected by additional plastic wrapping.

Interior organization makes this one of the most usable kits, as we can get directly into the supplies we need based on the type of injury we are treating so that we do not have to tear through the entire contents to find the wound closure strip we are seeking. First aid kits include many disposable items that have expiration dates, so be sure to check the dates by which you should replace these items. Adventure Medical Kits makes it easy by allowing you to register your kit and reorder supplies as you need them.

adventure medical kits mountain series explorer - this kit is more robust than most, but can still fit into a pack for...
This kit is more robust than most, but can still fit into a pack for a day of climbing.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Weight


The AMK Explorer weighs 21 ounces. This is certainly a reasonable weight for a kit of this size. Meant for a group backcountry trip, this is easily absorbed in group gear.

Even on day trips, this is a completely reasonable item to bring along with, although for most day hikers this will feel a bit like overkill if they are only going with one other person. Heavy and bulky items like the wilderness medicine book could be left behind to shave 5 ounces especially if you will not be traveling into a wilderness setting.

adventure medical kits mountain series explorer - we verified the weight of this kit, which at 21 ounces is a lot of...
We verified the weight of this kit, which at 21 ounces is a lot of utility for not a lot of weight.
Credit: Ryan Huetter

Value


For the price, the AMK Explorer is a good value. It costs more than many other budget first aid kits, but has quality supplies, includes many medications and is well-equipped to tackle a weeklong backcountry trip.

Conclusion


We recommend the Adventure Medical Kit Mountain Series Explorer as one of our favorite first aid kits for group use on longer trips. There are plenty of supplies, the contents are quality, it has useful tools and is versatile enough to be used from day hiking and multi-day backpacking trips alike. It was such a favorite amongst the testers, who took it with them on personal trips as well as for testing purposes, that they decided to get one for themselves to use while guiding large groups of guests into remote mountainous areas.

Ryan Huetter