Alpha Outpost Review: Medic

Hey, I'm Will Kill (yes, that's my real name). Having spent 8 years as a corpsman in the Navy I’ve had the opportunity to work in both the EMS and the Hospital side of medicine.

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My Box: "The Medic"

I’ve dealt with everything from the simple broken bone to life and death situations. Having the right gear in the right situation is crucial. If you run up on a situation and you’ve forgotten a piece of equipment you might end up in a situation where your patient doesn’t make it.

Having gone through this pack for the Alpha Outpost Medical Bag I can say that it’s not on the scale of a professional Paramedic, but it will definitely get the job done in a number of different situations. Bravo Zulu “Alpha Outpost”.

Really enjoyed the layout of the box . It’s got a nice gritty grungy aesthetic that feels like it belongs in a military atmosphere. When you open the box the theme continues throughout the package. Everything is placed inside nice and neat in their own separate packages depending upon the type of the injury you’re dealing with.

Literature

It comes with this cute little comic book story that walks two friends on a hiking trip and one gets mauled by a bear. Luckily one of the friends had their nifty Alpha Outpost Medic bag with them to save the day.

It also comes with a nice instruction card on what do in a bleeding and shock situation. Basically, this pack was made for anyone, including those who haven’t had much medical training.

Shears

The shears that came with are nice enough. I’ve got a pair of $75 shears that could cut open a small animal if needed. But for the sake of cutting off clothing to get to a wound site, these will do just fine.

Profuse Bleeding Pack

The profuse bleeding pack was nice. Pressure bandages are a must, but having medical tape, super glue, and gloves is always a bonus. It also comes with a tourniquet which in my opinion a C.A.T. tourniquet would’ve been the best option but anything that stops arterial bleeding is a good thing to have in a bleeding and shock situation.

Fracture Pack

SAM Splint for fracture. In my opinion, this thing makes the entire pack worth it. Had it come with two of these I would’ve been over the moon. These things usually run for about $12, $15 to $20 for the really good ones. Anytime you have something at the ready to help stabilize a fracture, you’re in the green. Really happy about this one.

Chest Seal

Using a chest seal is something a little advanced that I’m not sure people in that situation would know what to do. Typically we would use a chest seal for gunshots and such. But the laymen might not really know when to use this item. Is it a good item to have in your kit yes. Would a non-medical professional recognize when it’s time to use it or even recognize if what they did is being effective based off of how their patient is doing…..Maybe. Either way not a bad thing to have.

Ace Bandage/CPR Mouthpiece

Ace wrap is always nice to have to help hold the SAM splint to the patient's wounded limb. The CPR mask I’ve never actually had the opportunity to use. Whenever I was in an EMS situation we were using high flow oxygen with a bag valve mask. However, if you were to perform CPR on a person out in the open having a barrier to protect yourself from your patient is always good.

Medic Bag/Patch

The bag is really nice. Made from a thick nylon material. Feels a lot like my Swiss Gear backpack. Has a lot of nice pockets and net pouches to keep the gear in. Also has a strap inside so that you can sling it over your shoulder if you’re on a hike or need to run from your car with it.

Conclusion

Everything fits perfectly inside the bag and back inside the box. The guys who put this together did an excellent job. This is a great kit for both seasoned and novice medical providers. For the professionals who have wanted to start their own personal bag, this thing is a great start. For the non-medical person it’s got enough for you to assist in an emergency, but not so much that you’ll feel confused and not know what to use in the right situation.