For campers and outdoorsy people, the Happy Wanderer First Aid Kit from Be Smart, Get Prepared is a 134 piece kit perfect for a weekend in the outdoors.
While I don’t spend as much time outdoors as my friend who helped me to try out this kit, I appreciated that it had space to add extra supplies as needed. I’m the friend who always travels with a small first-aid kit, but the plastic cases make it hard to add personal items.
In the process of writing this review, we learned that the Be Smart, Get Prepared brand is actually one of the biggest first aid kit brands in the US! So a lot of kits are actually from them, which I never realized.
From the website, the Happy Wanderer is “designed to help you treat cuts, scrapes, insect bites and stings, 1st and 2nd degree burns, blisters, bleeds, and more, with 134 pieces of first aid essentials. This outdoor first aid kit comes in a carrying case with multiple pockets to organize your supplies and extra personal items, keeping contents neat and easily accessible.”
The kit also features “SILVEX® Wound Gel, designed with 24 PPM of Patented Nano Silver Technology that inhibits growth of MRSA, VRE, and Staph. SILVEX® Wound Gel not only provides a protective barrier for your skin and wounds but also helps promote healing and reduces scarring.”
I didn’t know until getting the kit that SILVEX was available! Since I am liable to cut myself by accident while adventuring, this is super helpful. My friend agreed and also really liked that the bag is visually appealing and made of a durable material. It has a large metal hook, which makes it easy to hang the bag up and access the pockets. Its slim profile and light weight make it easily packable. An interior pocket can be removed for even further size/weight savings. Multiple straps on the bag allow you to attach it securely to the outside of your pack so it won’t swing around as you walk.
There are also the usual supplies and medications, but comes with wound closure bandages and a trauma pad for more serious lacerations. The cold compress, an emergency blanket, and the SILVEX are not usually found in first aid kits, so they are a great addition to the Happy Wanderer kit.
There are some cons for true usability, however. The interior pockets are not labeled with their contents. You need to know which pocket holds what before an emergency happens. Also, its contents are printed on the cardboard packaging that Happy Wanderer comes with, but it’s not easy to fold up and take the list with you. It would have been better to have a small paper fold out or list inside the kit itself.
The thin material and mesh pockets could get ruined if submerged so it would need to stay inside a bigger bag. Unlike another kit my friend had, there are no shears for cutting away clothing and he found the plastic tweezers low quality. Finally, the included first aid guide is pretty basic which seems at odds with the kit itself, being so inclusive of first aid items.
Although it has some drawbacks, the price is lower than many kits with similar contents. For a family of four, it’s plenty to handle a weekend hiking and all the attendant bumps and scrapes. For a party of 1 or 2, it could easily meet the needs of a weeklong trip. And hey, if you get a different first aid kit, you still have this neat bag, which we think would work great as a travel toiletry bag.
Images and review copy courtesy of Be Smart Get Prepared
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