This second review of components in the GearPods Wilderness system looks at the included GearPods Health kit. GearPods offer “modular, lightweight adventure and survival gear to help the outdoor enthusiast to prepare for the unexpected.” In all their systems, they combine interconnecting, “waterproof” containers with survival kits. Because the system is modular, I’m reviewing each component separately. I’ll wrap-up the reviews in a final overview and opinion of the products with a separate post.

Because a first aid kit is only used when an injury occurs, I’m looking at the parts of this kit without having to use them. The kit is contained in a small nylon pouch inside of a GearPods Medium container (3.25” diameter, 3.25” height). It includes:

• Ibuprofen – 200mg (2)
• Aspirin – 325mg (2)
• Burn Cream with Aloe Vera
• Cleansing Wipes (2)
• Insect Protection Cream
• Sunscreen Lotion – SPF 30+
• Insect Sting Relief Towelette
• Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Cleanser
• Lip Ointment
• Hydrocortisone – 1%
• Iodine Wipes (2)
• Antibiotic Ointment
• Moleskin – 2″x2″ (2)
• Cotton Swabs (5)
• Medical Tape (0.5”x2.5yds)
• Tweezers
• Alcohol Prep Pads (2)
• Butterfly Closures (3)
• Knuckle Band Aid (2)
• Small Bandages (5)
• Large Bandages (5)
• Gauze Pads (2)
• Stuff sac with drawcard and fastener
• Contents Sheet

Because I’m a Wilderness First Responder, I like to customize my kits to suit the situations that I anticipate encountering. My personal lightweight first aid kit weighs 8.3 ounces and is designed for 2 to 4 people on a 10 day trip. I typically beef up the medication on longer trips based on the people coming along. The GearPod kit weighs only 4.8 ounces including the container. If I were to use this first aid kit on a trip, to make it acceptable, I’d add to it. Most importantly:

• Latex or Nitrile gloves
• More medicine, including Acetaminophen (Tylenol 500mg), Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25mg), and Diamode (Loperamide HCI 2mg)
• More and larger gauze pads
• Co-hesive, Elastic Vet Wrap, 2″
• Triangular Bandage
• Syringe with 18 Gauge Tip, 10cc

A few items, I’d remove. Most of the following, I’d be carrying as duplicate items elsewhere in my kit.

• Insect Protection Cream
• Sunscreen Lotion – SPF 30+
• Insect Sting Relief Towelette
• Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Cleanser (I don’t run into these too often and train those I’m with to look out for it. Only on one trip did someone I was with get Poison Ivy. She wiped with a leaf.)
• Lip Ointment

It’s hard to find a commercially available first aid kit that’s perfect, so I end up building my own. In the case of the GearPods Health kit, I’d have to restructure it significantly to take it to my standards. For about the same price both of Adventure Medical Kits’ UltraLight / Watertight .7 First-Aid Kit and their UltraLight / Watertight .9 First-Aid Kit offer a more complete kit that is just as watertight. As a separate component, I give the GearPods Health kit a pass. Included in the Wilderness system, it’d have to be beefed up to make it worth carrying.

On a side note not specific to the Health kit, I’ve found that the containers leak slightly. I let a container float in a sink full of water. After four hours, I wiped off the outside of the container to make sure no water splashed in and opened both ends. Inside each end, water beads were creeping up the threads and into the container. Not a ton of water, but a bit. Looks like my tests are concurring with Derrik’s tests.

My Other Reviews of the GearPods Kits

• GearPods Shelter Kit Review
• GearPods Health Kit Review

Back in April, Kayalu sent me a Kayacam camera mount to test out on my kayak. I decided to give it a go on a calm day (check out the video below). The Kayacam mount attaches to your kayak or canoe by hooking into an existing deck fitting with a stainless steel clip. The stainless clip is attached to a bungee cord, which you tighten until the mount is secure. Kayalu recommends that you use cameras weighing 7 ounces or less when used on a kayak, canoe or other boat subject to rocking.

You can use to link to Kayalu’s website to see the specifics of the camera mount. I’ll say that I found every component of the mount high quality. The only problem I had was I wanted to mount the camera in the center of my kayak, which has a ridge. Because the surface wasn’t completely flat, it made the mount slightly wobbly. I managed to fix the problem by carving out a flat foam platform for the mount to sit on. A friend of mine, who is just about to finish paddling up the Inside Passage, has been using one on the trip to shoot video. It’ll be interesting to see what he comes back with.

If you’re looking for a way to mount a camera onto your kayak, the Kayacam or Kayalu’s RAM Locking Suction Camera Mount with Toughbar are two great and inexpensive ways to do it.

Part of the Nessmuking philosophy is being proficient in fire starting in all conditions. Many products attempt to address the need for this skill, but none are as interesting as ChemFire Fire Starting System.

The Reaction

ChemFire uses a combination of potassium permanganate and glycerin. When these two chemicals are combined they react to produce fire. These items were/are often found in military survival kits and in many emergency kits sold in Europe. Back in the day, potassium permanganate was used to treat water and as a disinfectant, but it’s messy and stains skin and clothing purple, and if mixed incorrectly it can lead to death or violent illness.

The Product

The Ohio based company that manufactures ChemFire packages the potassium permanganate into small pill capsules and provides the glycerin in a small eye dropper. The weight of the kit they sent me for testing was 0.8 ounces for 10 capsules and one dropper bottle. So, it’s pretty light. This package is a unique way of providing the two chemicals and it seems like the capsule helps in producing the reaction.

The Test

To make the reaction work, the capsule is opened and two drops of glycerin are added to the capsule. The capsule is closed and placed under the tinder. A few seconds later the magic begins with instant fire. The reaction produces fire for up to 30 seconds, which with a good dry tinder pile should get your fire started with no problems. I found that sometimes the reaction would only last around 10 seconds.

During my home testing, I found that often excess potassium permanganate would be left over after the reaction finished. And as shown in the following video just emptying the capsule and adding glycerin doesn’t work nearly as well as using a capsule. After testing the capsules on cement at home, I cleaned the pad with a hose and it turned everything purple. My only concern when testing was that I didn’t want to hold on to the capsule too long after the chemicals were mixed.

When lighting a real fire, I first used dry cedar tinder, and it burst into a hot flame very quickly — much more quickly than if I had used just a lighter. With birch bark, this produces a very hot and fast fire, but I didn’t think it was significantly faster than using a match or lighter. In wet weather, which I didn’t get to test the product in, I think this product would produce enough of a flame to start a well tindered fire.

The Conclusion

ChemFire is a fun light product that is easy to use. Starts a fire quickly. I found that I couldn’t be sloppy with my fire building; I still had to gather good dry tinder. For campers with kids or scouts this product would provide entertainment and a science lesson. The weight and size is small, so it’d take up little room. If I were to carry this on trips, it’d be more for fun than as a replacement for a lighter or matches, but it might just come in handy on those wet cold days were I want a fire to warm up, and the tinder is just damp enough to make fire starting a hassle.

This is a product worth trying out.

Product’s Website: ChemFire Fire Starting System

From reading the advertising copy on the back of the box, you learn that “The Firelight combines the convenience of a small, compact, windproof lighter with a bright white LED flashlight. The light is located on the bottom of the lighter, and with a simple twist you’ll be able to find the trail or search for your dropped car keys in the dark. Need to start a fire? The lid opens 180° so you can get the flame where you need it. The gas flame can even withstand winds up to 80 miles per hour. Truly a unique tool you would want to have in the mountains or in the glove box of your car for emergency use.” Or in simpler terms, the box claims that this is the lighter of all lighters. This is what I set out to discover during the testing period.

Hmm… I Have to Spend $14.99 More?

When I first opened the package, I found out that the lighter didn’t come filled with lighter fluid. You have two options at this point:

1. Buy a butane lighter filler.
2. Buy the Brunton Fuel Tool, which will set you back another $14.99.

I choose to purchase a Fuel Tool, which I would also need to fill up the Glorb Lantern, which I was lent for this review. The Fuel Tool screws onto a standard Iso Butane canister and then injects fuel into the lighter through a port located behind the flashlight. You have to remove the flashlight thus turning it on to add fuel to the lighter. Although during testing I didn’t have to refill the lighter, I could see how this would be nice on an extremely long expedition if I were also packing Iso Butane canisters.

The Jist

To access the lighter portion of this tool, you have to push a black button located on the side of the lighter, which is opposite of a hinge. The button releases a latch and the whole top portion of the tool flips back revealing the hidden lighter. It is actually fun to play with; the flip top and provided me with minutes of entertainment. On the top of the lid is a mirror, which is almost usable to look at yourself in. I suppose that if you were really extraordinarily luck that the mirror could be used to signal someone halfway across the campsite, but more likely it could provide several minutes of fun as you flash your paddling partner with a piece of the sun. Pushing down on a black button until you hear a click starts the lighter. This action produces a blue flame that is difficult to see in the daylight. This flame jets out of the lighter regardless of the direction that you hold the lighter, which makes it an ideal tool for lighting fires and stoves.

Occasionally, the lighter would misfire, and I would have to click the button a couple of times to produce flames. The flame is very difficult to blow out, and seems to stay lit is the light winds that I had the unit in. I was able to blow out the flame when I tried hard. The flame is controllable, but I found that the unit wouldn’t light unless the flame was turned close to maximum output.

The flashlight portion of the Firelight, I found less useful. I’m not a smoker, so I don’t carry a lighter on me at all time, so there was never a time that I actually would have used this flashlight. Even when cooking dinner after the sun went down, I didn’t use the flashlight, because I always had a headlight on. The Firelight also ships with a plastic lanyard. This is easily removable, and I recommend removing it because it is very awkward.

Conclusion

Overall, I found the lighter portion of the firelight well worth the weight of carrying it. It made starting fires easy, it stayed lit in winds, and it started reliably only misfiring occasionally. If you have the extra $55 to spend on the Firelight and Fuel Tool, it makes a great lighter. Unfortunately, after this goes back to Brunton, I will go back to a Bic disposable lighter.

Date Reviewed: 3/28/2004
Product Reviewed: Brunton Firelight
Cost: Retail $40 (plus Fuel Tool $14.99)

When on a trip, I like to journal, keep notes, and make observations, and when I’m not on a trip, I like to read journals of other paddlers’ trips. It’s fun to travel along with a paddler as he or she travels down some river I’ve never been on or across an ocean or great lake or as the paddler portages from lake to lake. And I like to share my journals after I finish a trip. It’s fun to journal.

That main problem that I have is that I find it hard to write on any piece of paper or lightweight notebook and my old favorite journals weighed 11 ounces. My compromise journals weighed four. It never felt right to me to write on detached paper, which is the lightest way to travel. So, I’m always on the lookout for the perfect notebook to take on a paddling trip. And I may have just found one.

Moleskine notebook used for tripping.

What’s All the Hype?

Moleskine notebooks and cahiers have been around for a number of years, and they trace their history (a history of Moleskine is included with each one you buy) back to small hand stitched notebooks available in stationary shops in Paris. They claim to directly descend from notebooks used by Hemingway and Van Gogh, and they’ve been catching on all over the world, so much so that they’ve been used on TV shows, they’ve been exhibited in museums, and every hipster uses one now instead of a PDA. I gotta admit, I’ve also been taken, but it didn’t happen right away.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

When I first heard all the hype, I dismissed the journals as just another fad, but when I actually saw one in a store, I just had to pick some up, despite their outrageously high asking price. They fit perfect in your hand, feel durable, and the paper just feels right. I bought a notebook and two packages of cahiers. Twenty dollars later and I was plugging them to my friends, family, and now you.

It’s Not Just a Journal; It’s a Way of Life

I don’t know if I buy into the hype (or maybe I do and they have me believing that I don’t), but I can see why there is hype. These little things are great and even more perfect for the paddler looking for a lightweight and small solution for journaling. The Moleskines come in several sizes and flavors, but the two smallest sizes are the most interesting. The Pocket Notebook has a hardcover, 192 3″ x 5″ pages, a built in rubber band to close it, a fabric bookmark, and a pocket in the back to hold stuff in. (i.e. your wilderness permit.) It weighs 4.6 ounces. The Pocket Cahiers have a soft cover, 64 3″ x 5″ pages with 16 detachable pages, and a pocket in the back to hold stuff in. It weighs 1.3 ounces. They all come with a variety of page styles, including: graph paper, lined, and plain. The lines on the lined version are slightly smaller than college paper, but still big enough to write on easily, and the graph paper version uses small squares than what I’m used to, but still plenty big. The paper itself is off white and the ink from my Pilot G2 (best pen on earth) is slightly visible through the paper.

So, Does It Work?

Oh yaaaah, it does. My journals typically take up around ten pages per day in the 3″x5″ size, so for a ten day trip, I need to carry two Cahiers, but still that’s only 2.6 ounces and saves weight over my old small journal. But more importantly, these small things feel weighty in your hand, they feel deserving of thoughts, and unlike other notebooks I’ve used, they seem to speak to you and say fill me, and fill me soon. It’s also the perfect size to carry with you everywhere. (Does this mean I’m buying the hype?)

Conclusion

It’s hard to say anything negative about these Moleskines. My ink shows through is about the only bad thing, but overall these are the best things since man figured out that a boat could float. If you like to keep a journal, you won’t be disappointed.

Date: January 6, 2006
Product Reviewed: Moleskine Notebooks and Cahiers
Weight: 4.6 ounces and 1.3 ounces
Cost: $4.99 to $9.99