Here are answers to a couple questions that have come in through the AMK website over the past week.

Q: I do SAR and have to carry for myself and a subject.  Your 2.0 Bivvy sac is small and light, but for another $25 to $50 and maybe 16 oz more I could get a 40 degree “rated” bag.   I would always carry at least your 2.0 Bivvy but am considering a lightweight down bag for those cold nights.   If your Bivvy was “rated” at 40 – 45 degrees, it would be a no brainier to always carry two of your bags.  Have you done any testing to get a temperature rating on your 2.0 Bivvy?

A: Because adventure racers are often required to carry a 50-degree sleeping bag, we did some testing and found that the S.O.L. Thermal Bivvy (the same one you’re referring to, but with a new name) will work as a primary sleep system down to 50 degrees, as long as you are wearing some light insulating clothing (such as thermal base layers).  You can also use it in conjunction with a sleeping bag to add 10-15 degrees of warmth to the bag.

Q: Which first aid kit would you recommend for a 10 day backcountry hunt. So, size and weight are a concern. I will not have a basecamp and I plan on getting the SOL3 kit.

A: If you’re already going to have survival tools and some medical supplies in your S.O.L. 3 kit, I recommend augmenting them with an Ultralight/Watertight .9 kit.  Without a base camp, you need something that can treat a wide range of injuries but won’t weigh you down too much, and the UL / WT .9 fits that bill exactly.  With a trauma pad and plenty of gauze, it can stop traumatic bleeding from a hunting accident, and there are also supplies to clean and close large wounds, including an irrigation syringe and wound closure strips.

-Jordan Hurder, AMK Product Specialist

FIRST AID AND SURVIVAL DOWNLOADS

Sept 21, 2009

Dear AMK:

I just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much I enjoy your medical kits. I’ve used them for several years when traveling in Colorado and Moab. They’ve always served me well when an injury occurs. With this experience, when it came time to update the first aid kit for my SWAT Team I choose to use Adventure Medical Kits. Well, it turned out to be a great choice! Last week we were conducting our “SWAT Applicant Test” and we were on the Missouri River bluffs, outside Leavenworth, Kansas conducting some land navigation courses when one of the SWAT applicants collapsed. We immediately moved the applicant to a cliff and I began evaluating his injury. The first thing I did was grab my AMK “Adventurer” kit and pulled out the “The Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine”. The guide helped me determine that the applicant was suffering from heat stroke and shock. I immediately treated him based on the guide’s advice. We summoned an ambulance and had to evacuate the applicant off the cliff and over a quarter mile down the river bluff and through some dense woods. I’m please to say, that after a two day stay in a local hospital the SWAT applicant is back at work.

I can not stress enough how much your product has helped me in critical
situations and therefore you’ll have a customer for life.

Sincerely,
Paul Carrill, Captain, Platte County Sheriffs Department

Here is a recent testimonial that we received from Travis Macy – a Professional Multisport Athlete, racing for Team Salomon/Crested Butte.

Let us know if you have a similar story to share!

“Two years ago, amidst a hailstorm in the middle of the night, I hunkered down and pulled out my space blanket, only to be showered with little metallic shardes that had once been part of the useless clear sheet I held in my hand. Needless to say, that was a miserable night!

Since then, I have been an avid user of the Thermolite 2.0 Bivvy and Emergency Bivvy from Adventure Medical Kits. Whether I’m competing in expedition-length adventure races like Primal Quest or the Adventure Racing World Championship or just out for some training or backpacking, these items are crucial in my gear kit.

Combine one of these bivvies with your choice medical kit from AMK, and you’re good to go. I slept in a single Thermolite 2.0 Bivvy every night at Primal Quest Montana, and the warm sleep provided was paramount in pacing our team to a podium finish.

I highly recommend these products to anyone looking for a high quality emergency or planned-sleep option–and to all of us who have experienced the disheartening shower of metallic shards at 2:00 a.m.!

Travis Macy
Professional Multisport Athlete, Team Salomon/Crested Butte

Share your AMK story or send us feedback!

Ahhh, just getting back after the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City. For those of you that don’t know, the OR show is the largest gathering of outdoor industry professionals in the US.  Tens of thousands of manufacturers, retailers, athletes and media descent upon Salt Lake City for four days to see what’s new, test products, and attend industry events.

This was AMK’s 20th Anniversary attending the OR Show – and it seems to just keep getting better.  We always have a great time meeting new people and visiting with industry friends that we know.  Check out some of the pics below to see what our week was like!

Hundreds of buyers spun AMK’s Wheel of Fortune - most walked away with AMK gear, but some ended up dropping and giving us 10 push ups! These guys decided to have a push-up showdown in the main aisle…..not sure who won, but it was fun to watch. One person who landed on the Wheel of Fortune Wild Card used it in a new way – she made AMK’s President Chris Gubera drop and do 10!

Of course, there are always cuts, blisters and other nasty wounds that need to be dealt with at the show.  Lots of attendees drop by for a little help in the first aid department. Below is an image of Frank Meyer, Co-Founder and Marketing Director, helping out one of the attendees who didn’t fare so well on his skateboard that morning.  He was a pretty happy guy after Frank cleaned and covered that wound!

Celebrity sighting in the AMK booth!  Les “Survivorman” Stroud stopped by for a visit. What do you think? Would Les make a good addition to our team? AMK supplied all medical and survival kits, insect repellents and bite treatments — including Ben’s and AfterBite — to the first season production of Survive This, a new live-action teen-targeted reality show hosted by Les, which is currently airing on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and on YTV in Canada.

Survivorman met our own Survivor Man! Doug Ritter, Survival expert and founder of Equipped to Survive met Les Stroud at our booth. Doug has worked with AMK for years – he designed the immensely popular Pocket Survival Pak and the new Pocket Survival Pak Plus (scheduled for a 2010 release).

Tradeshows can be a lot of hard work – the sales team spends many hours on their feet speaking with new and potential customers – BUT, it is not all work!  Kyle, Jason, Joe and Chris (along with a few others not pictured) enjoyed some of the post-show festivities!

That is just a quick sample of what our week was like.  Of course, we were lucky to meet up with our friends from International Mountain Guides, Camp Patriot, the Epicocity Project, Jon Bowermaster, Jordan Romero, Robyn Benincasa (adventure racer and founder of Project Athena), and many, many more!  Thanks to all who stopped by and we can’t wait to see everyone again in January at the Winter Show!

AMK is proud to sponsor Camp Patriot - an organization that was formed to take Disabled U.S. Veterans on outdoor adventures.  On July 5th, they will have their annual fundraiser kick off dinner.   This phenomenal event at Quest Field will feature Ed Viesturs as the guest speaker and functions as a fundraiser and kick off for their 2009 Mt. Rainier climb. This year’s climb scheduled for July 7th-10th includes three injured veterans. Read their bios and the 2009 Quest info below.

Camp Patriot’s adventures are made possible through donations and volunteerism. Follow along with the team at CampPatriot.org and help “Give Back to those who have given”.

If you are interested in attending this event and supporting the team, please contact Kim Roscoe @ 253-332-6207

From Curtis Fawley and Camp Patriot.org

Our plans for this summer’s climb of Mt. Rainier are firmly in place and soon the team will be gathering at Sea/Tac airport anticipating another great adventure. Our group of injured Veterans includes three fantastic individuals each with incredible stories of perseverance. Please see their bios below.

On July 5th we are excited to send our team off on their expedition in style with a “kick off” dinner at the Seattle Seahawks, Qwest Field. This fundraiser will include guest speaker, Ed Viesturs, recently back from his 7th successful summit of Mt. Everest. Ed will have many great stories and photos to share with the team.

On July 6th the climbing team will travel to the town of Ashford, WA – at the base of the Mt. Rainier. In Ashford, we will organize and pack all the climbing gear, food, and supplies necessary for our three days on the 14,411 ft. peak.

Departing early on July 7th, our team will hike up the Muir Snowfield to the 10,000’ elevation of Camp Muir. This will be our base camp for the next three nights. July 8th will be spent training on the Cowlitz Glacier adjacent to Camp Muir. Working on skills such as ice axe arrest, crampon techniques, rope team travel, we will prepare for our summit attempt.

We will begin our ascent to the summit in the darkness of the very early morning hours of July 9th. Climbing under the glow of headlamps for the first hours of the climb, the team will travel roped together, negotiating the crevassed icy glaciers, and narrow rock ledges which are so prevalent on the upper reaches of Mt. Rainier. If all goes well with the team, route, and weather, we should be standing on the summit crater rim by the time most folks are arriving at work down in Seattle.

The Camp Patriot team will break camp early on July 10th, descend the Muir Snowfield back to the trail head of Paradise, and return to Ashford for a big celebration BBQ. The afternoon BBQ is open to the public, so stop by the RMI Base Camp in Ashford to congratulate our heroes for all their successes in life! A small way to pay these guys back for all the sacrifices and commitments they have made to our Country.

All of Camp Patriot’s fantastic adventures are made possible through the generous donations and tireless volunteerism of many true patriots. Follow along with the team at Camp Patriot.org, and help “Give Back to Those Who Have Given”.

And here are our heroes’ stories:

SFC MARIO BARRAGAN
Sergeant First Class, Mario Barragan began his military career in 1990, serving 3 ½ years with the Marines Reserves. In August of 1993, SFC Barragan switched his service to active duty Army and in 1999, he was selected to join Special Operations Command. SFC Barragan is currently stationed at Ft. Bragg; ODA 7126, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

On July 13th, 2008, while engaged in a battle in Kajaki Sofla in the Helmand Province Afghanistan, SFC Barragan’s vehicle struck an IED. SFC Barragan and a member of his team were wounded and one was KIA. SFC Barragan suffered blunt trauma to his face and shrapnel to his right leg. He is now in the last phase of facial reconstruction. Due to loss of 75% of his right mandible and chin, SFC Barragan has gone through 8 facial surgeries with 1 remaining (hopefully) on the 14th of July, 2009. He has also had 3 surgeries to right leg.

SFC Barragan has spent a total of five months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and is now back at Ft Bragg, still travelling to Walter Reed for all his procedures. SFC Barragan is hoping and praying he will be released from medical care in August, returning to what he considers he does best!!!

1LT REINALDO GONZALEZ
1st Lieutenant Reinaldo Gonzalez II is a 26 year old Army Officer from the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. He is a 2006 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations and was commissioned as an Infantry Second Lieutenant.

On January 15, 2007, while negotiating an obstacle course in Ranger School, Lieutenant Gonzalez fell 35 feet head first and sustained a C-4 incomplete Spinal Cord Injury, rendering him paralyzed from the neck down. Upon impact, Lieutenant Gonzalez was transferred to the Columbus Regional Medical Center and received continuing care at the Bronx VA Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Tampa VA Medical Center, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and the Shepherd Center. All total, Lieutenant Gonzalez spent more than five months in the hospital and over two years receiving outpatient rehabilitation care.

Today, he can walk, run, and participate in a host of other physical activities. He credits his family for all their support, without which would have drastically impacted the recovery process and prevented him from having a hope of returning to and completing Ranger School.

SFC JESSE YANDELL
Sergeant First Class Jesse Yandell enlisted as an Infantryman in the Army on July 16, 1996. After spending one year at Ft. Lewis, Washington, he was relocated to Schoefield Barracks Hawaii. Upon reaching the Grade of E-5, SFC Yandell volunteered for the 75th Ranger Regiment, completed Ranger Orientation Course, and was reassigned to 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. Since August of 2002, SFC Yandell has deployed in support of the OIF and OEF a total of 10 times, with 6 deployments to Iraq and 4 to Afghanistan.

On the night of October 26 2008, SFC Yandell was conducting a dismounted infiltration in support of a Special Operations Raid in Afghanistan. His Platoon came under intense small arms, rocket, and mortar fire. While SFC Yandell was conducting Casualty Collection Point Operations (CCP) of another wounded Ranger, his CCP was hit by small arms fire and a rocket propelled grenade. SFC Yandell was subsequently wounded in the upper left chest. After being evacuated to his next stage of care, it was determined that SFC Yandell had shrapnel throughout his upper chest cavity, and also on the muscle that surrounded his heart. Upon closer evaluation at Hunter Army Airfield, it was deemed that further surgery would be needed for him to continue his service to his country and remain a member of the Ranger Regiment. Jesse then opted for exploratory surgery in the vicinity of his heart, and that surgery turned out to be successful as a 2.7cm piece of shrapnel was removed from the sensitive area.

Currently SFC Yandell is serving as the Battalion Operations NCO for 1st Ranger Battalion and is scheduled to make his unit’s upcoming deployment in support of OEF. He looks forward to conquering the mountain, and being a part of the Camp Patriot Team.

Question:
FAKs rated by people/days (2-3 people, 5-7 days) frustrate me. I think a more useful measure might be people/”time to help”. I bought the Field Trauma kit because I was looking for a kit to use where assistance was 1-2 hours away, I want the kit to answer “What will kill the victim in 1-2 hours?” – Bleeding, not breathing. If a 1″x3″ bandage will stop it, you won’t die today from it. We’re within 2-6 hours of aid, so what do I need to keep a victim alive till we get help?

Answer:

Thanks for sharing your frustrations with the Group Size, Trip Duration Rating. Let me share a story with you. Back in 1989 when we launched Adventure Medical Kits, our only kit we sold was the $190 Comprehensive Kit in our current Mountain Series. This was much more comprehensive than anything on the market at the time. An editor from Outside Magazine was reviewing the kit and he asked me what I would take out of the kit to make it lighter and smaller. And I asked him what injury or illness does he not want to be prepared for?. How about taking out Glutose Paste for Insulin Shock or the oral rehydration salts for dehydration? How about taking out the Sawyer Extractor Snake Bite Kit?

A few years later, Dr. Weiss wrote the book, A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine, to help people treat injuries and illnesses when medical care will not arrive. He included “Weiss Advice” improvisational techniques in the book so you can improvise when you don’t have the medical supplies you need. For example, page seven has a tip on how to improvise a CPR barrier using a nitrile glove. The section on treating insulin shock suggests using Glutose Paste but if you don’t have it use sugar granules under the tongue will work. The section on rehydration goes over treating dehydration with oral rehydration salts or an improvised solution using fruit juice, honey and salt. Dr. Weiss’s book is your guide to keeping someone alive until help arrives whether it is two hours or two days away.

Back to the question on classifying kits. We are working on a more sophisticated set of metrics to help people choose the right medical kit for their adventure. While group size and trip duration will be one of the metrics, others like risk factor, hours away from medical care and level of first aid training will come into play as well. Your question is timely and will help spur us on in the development of these new metrics.

Thanks, Frank

Frank Meyer

Marketing Director/Co-Founder

ASK YOUR QUESTION>>> CLICK HERE

IMG teams have successfully summited both Everest and Lhotse this Spring.  There was a lot of action on both mountains between May 19th & 20th – read below for notes from the top!

Notes from Everest from IMG Expedition Leader Eric Simonson -

IMG’s sherpa team, as always, has done another outstanding job this year. We are proud to recognize that IMG’s sherpas were the first people to summit both Everest and Lhotse this year while putting in the fixed ropes on the route and paving the way for everyone else. We can’t praise them enough!

View from the summit, climbers take the final few steps to the top of Mt. Everest, 29,035′.
(photo: Willie Benegas)

Everest summiters include three members of our awesome Singapore women’s team, Jane, Li Hui, and Esther. US Astronaut and medical scientist Scott Parazynski reached the top along with Dawes Eddy, a remarkable athlete from Spokane, Washington. We believe Dawes has just become the oldest American to ever reach the summit of Everest.

We are also happy to announce IMG summits on Lhotse as reported to the Nepal officials.

(more…)

By Christopher Van Tilburg, MD

I’ve been chomped by a tick multiple times, as have most people who regularly tramp in the outdoors. It’s creepy — the tick drops onto your skin, burrows in painlessly, and sucks. Its anticoagulant can cause tick paralysis, and these arthropods carry all sorts of infections: Colorado Tick Fever (a virus), Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (parasite), Tularemia (a bacteria), and the more commonly known Lyme Disease.

Lyme Disease can be scary. Lyme Disease is caused by an inoculation of the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Ticks around the world carry it:  In North America it’s transmitted by deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and the Western black legged tick (Ixodes pacificus). It was first identified in Old Lyme, Connecticut, after a group of kids complained of having a strange pain in their joints and an odd rash. So one might think, No problem — bacteria can be killed by antibiotics. But, there is a problem: Lyme is hard to kill and it can turn chronic. A single bite from a Lyme-carrying tick can require years of treatment and recovery.

THE REAL SCOPE OF LYME DISEASE

Lyme Disease is a widespread, global disease that is poorly understood. According to the CDC, in 2007 there were 27,000 cases in the U.S. and, because of the sometimes-vague symptoms, it may be dramatically underreported. While West Nile Virus, Dengue Fever, and even Swine Flu have gotten press lately, they account for much less illness. For example, in 2007, there were only 3,600 imported cases of West Nile Virus.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Outdoor adventurers should follow standard insect, tick and arthropod preventions when traveling in the backcountry or abroad. Ticks don’t jump or fly, they drop or fall onto humans from trees or grasses. So, long sleeve shirts and long pants tucked into socks is a great start.

Insect repellents, including ones containing DEET like Tender’s Ben’s 100® pump and Ben’s® 30 wipes, work well at warding off Ticks. For people looking for a DEET-free alternative, repellents like Natrapel® 8-hour, which contains 20% of the active ingredient Picaridin, provide protection that’s as effective as DEET. Insecticides with Permethrin also work, and can be sprayed on clothing or impregnated into the fibers of garments.

When in tick country, remember to check your entire body after the day’s hike. Often you have two or three hours before a tick burrows. If it does, your chance of getting Lyme is low if you remove the bugger right away.

HOW TO SAFELY REMOVE A TICK

Once burrowed, ticks are tricky to remove. Don’t try those old wives tales like fingernail polish or a match. The best technique is to use tick or splinter-removal forceps, grabbing as close as possible to the head, and pulling the tick out with slow, gentle pressure. Sometimes I’ve had to wiggle the head gently to unclasp the tick’s pinchers. Unfortunately, many people sever the body from the head. I’ve had to dig out many tick heads in the emergency room. Like all wounds, clean thoroughly with soap and water.

RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF LYME DISEASE – WHAT TO LOOK FOR

How do you know if you have Lyme Disease? First, you will see a circular rash that looks like a target or bull’s eye called erythema migrans, which slowly enlarges. Then, the Lyme bacteria can spread to your body causing fever, fatigue, malaise, muscle and joint aches, headaches and swollen glands. Some patients have these symptoms for several months or years. That’s the big problem with Lyme Disease: It affects multiple parts of the body and may be difficult to diagnose if the initial symptoms go unnoticed. The symptoms can take anywhere between three days to one month or longer to emerge. Twenty percent of people who do not receive treatment develop severe complications within weeks or months after the bite, ranging from heart and neurological problems to severe attacks of arthritis.

If you think you need treatment, see your doctor and let him or her know that you have been bitten by a tick. Antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment, but don’t try to treat yourself at home with an old prescription in your medicine cabinet – treatment requires a specific antibiotic, like Doxycycline, with a longer course than typical.

For more information on avoiding bug-borne diseases, visit www.tendercorp.com.
Christopher Van Tilburg, MD, is the editor of Wilderness Medicine and the author of eight books on safety in the outdoors. His most recent book, Mountain Rescue Doctor: Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature, is now available in paperback.

North Pole 2009: John and Tyler Detail Their Last Days on the Ice
From the Adventure Blog

A few weeks back John Huston and Tyler Fish became the first Americans to complete an unsupported expedition to the North Pole, reaching that point just hours before the last flight out of Barneo Station was set to depart for the season. At the time, we knew that it was a dramatic race to beat the clock, but we really didn’t know exactly how crazy it was until the duo recently updated their blog on the Victorinox North Pole 09 website.

When the post was written back on the 1st of May, the guys were still in Oslo, Norway and still thawing out from their expedition. Both of the men weigh in on the blog, noting that they achieved their goal of reaching the North Pole ten hours before the last plane left, but it certainly wasn’t easy. With just over three days to go they still had many miles to cover if they were going to catch their ride, and so they elected to adopt a new schedule, skiing 12 hours straight, then stopping, sleeping for an hour, then spending another two to three hours in the tent eating and resting, before hitting the trail again. As a result of this, they were able to sleep just three hours over the final 66 hours of the journey.

They also noted that their supplies were perfectly worked out, and coming into the home stretch they were actually able to up the amount of calories they were taking in (to 10,000/day!) which helped the process. More importantly, they had rationed their fuel well enough that the could continue to heat the tent and melt snow for drinking water. When they reached the Pole, they had enough fuel left for two more days on the ice.

When they finally reached their final destination, they had hoped it would be cause for celebration, and while there was a feeling of great accomplishment, it was more a sense of relief and disbelief that they were finally done. I’m not sure what they were worried about though, they made it with ten hours to spare!

Great read. Really hits home with what these teams go through, and why their scheduling is so important.

Congratulations to  John and Tyler on their epic expedition and success.