HART Health Weekend Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product
HART Health Weekend | |||||
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Awards | Best Value for Home Use | Best Value for the Outdoors | |||
Price | $25 List $28.95 at REI | $25 List $16.41 at Amazon | $29.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $28 List $19.99 at Amazon | $14.00 List |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | Light, packable, and affordable, this kit fits in a daypack and ensures you are ready for the unforeseen | An easy to store kit with plenty of bandages to keep the whole family covered | This small kit is easily packable and has enough materials to treat many common backcountry injuries | Includes many key emergency supplies, making it great for short camping trips as well as home, office or car | A basic first aid kit with plenty of bandaids, good for home or office use |
Rating Categories | HART Health Weekend | Johnson & Johnson A... | Adventure Medical K... | Swiss Safe 120-Piece | Be Smart Get Prepar... |
Quality (25%) | |||||
Assortment (25%) | |||||
Versatility (25%) | |||||
Durability (15%) | |||||
Weight (10%) | |||||
Specs | HART Health Weekend | Johnson & Johnson A... | Adventure Medical K... | Swiss Safe 120-Piece | Be Smart Get Prepar... |
Measured Weight | 10 oz | 22 oz | 10 oz | 16 oz | 13 oz |
Dimensions | 6.5" x 5.5" x 2" | 10" x 7" x 3.5" | 6.5" x 5.5" x 3" | 9" x 3" x 6" | 7.5" x 2.5" x 6.8" |
First Aid Book | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
CPR Mask/ Face Shield | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Medications | Yes - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, asprin, antihistamine | Yes - acetaminophen | Yes - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, asprin, antihistamine | No | No |
Type of Gloves | None | 2 pair nitrile | 1 pair nitrile | 1 pair PVC | 1 pair of "examination gloves" |
Splint | No | No | No | No | Yes - 4 finger splints |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Due to its quality and its accessible price, this product was runner-up for our Best Buy Award. We do want to note that we would like to see a CPR mask and nitrile gloves, items that you should purchase and stock in this kit to make it safer and more versatile.
Performance Comparison
Quality
For many years, HART has provided quality medical supplies to manufacturers of prebuilt first aid kits. While the HART Health Weekend is the first branded kit we have reviewed, we are already quite familiar with their supplies. One of our testers works for an organization that stocks bulk boxes of HART equipment to resupply with. Though the quantities of bandages, gauze rolls and medications is rather limited (as can be expected for such a small kit), they are top-tier quality and are trustworthy. Individually wrapped doses of over the counter medications make dispensing NSAIDs and allergy medications easier and more sterile.
The provided case is durable, compact, easy to navigate, and gives users a much faster response by being able to find what they need quickly. It's isn't fully waterproof, though. A good idea is to take some small ziplock bags and individually waterproof like contents to keep them in better shape. Even a light rain shower can cause bandage packaging to delaminate, so it is better to ensure that the contents stay fully dry.
Assortment
First and foremost, if a medkit contains poor quality supplies, it does not matter how many supplies there are. Luckily, that is not the case for the HART Health kit. It does exactly what its name describes, providing useful medical supplies for a 1 or a 2-day trip, and it does this task well. It also comes with good quality tools like all metal trauma shears (extremely helpful for cutting tape off ankles) and metal forceps which are great for getting out pesky splinters.
This is not large enough to service an entire group, as the supplies contained would be thoroughly depleted if even two or three people had blisters and a headache. If you are going out with a group, it might make sense for each member to have their own personal medical kit, which would be a perfect fit for this kit.
Versatility
This small, budget-friendly kit works well as a solo kit on a longer trip, or as the group kit provided your group is small (one or two people) and you are only going out for a couple of days. It is a minimalist kit that is good for basic cuts, scrapes, and minor illnesses but does not give you a lot of resources like a larger kit might have. It does come with a handy wilderness first aid booklet so that you can more effectively diagnose and treat problems. Another nice feature is that it comes with a loop so that you can hook it high, and thanks to the vertical folding organizer can keep the medical supplies off the ground.
Durability
We appreciate the attention given to the quality outer case, which is made of heavy nylon fabric and is sealed with a good zipper. This should last you a long time. The inner compartments keep supplies separated so they don't get messed up while you search for things. There is not much extra room inside, so as long as you don't try to overstuff it with extra add-ons, then you shouldn't blow out the zipper, which we almost did when we brought along an extra-large roll of tape to guard against a rolled ankle for a member of our group.
Weight
Clocking in with a weight of only 9.5 ounces, this little pouch is easily tossed in a small pack without feeling like it will slow you down. This scant weight is not driven by any technological advancement in materials, so consider weight a function of resources available. This is a great kit, but it's also limited in use.
Value
This is an inexpensive kit, but it comes with quality supplies. The value is definitely there for a small, personal-sized kit for shorter adventures. We do recommend adding at least some sterile gloves, and perhaps a CPR mask (if you're capable of administering CPR), after-market.
Conclusion
Low price and high quality do not often go together, but in the HART Health Weekend, they do! We would be suspect of saving a few dollars in something as important as a first aid kit, but we were impressed at HART's attention to detail, the inclusion of medications and useful components. Although it does not feature a CPR mask or a pair of gloves, two items that we believe should be in there, this is a good deal, is a great starting point, and we recommend it as an inexpensive, lightweight kit.