Well, I gotta think that the price is because all of the components are essentially top-notch and field tested. If you bought this exact kit piecemeal, it's going to cost you more than this pre-assembled kit.

Packing something like this becomes an art in itself (Not sure if AMK is going to let Doug publish that since it's sort of a trade secret how they do some of their stuff - let the competition spend a couple of grand to find out on their own!).

So, even though they get the items for far less than we would all pay retail, they still have to pack, and yes, market the items. Even so, it's a fairly incredible value. I started a spreadsheet and was looking up prices for items individually. Even at the lowest I could find, I gave up about a 5th of the way through because I realized there was no way to do it "on the cheap" unless you purchased knockoffs and such, which I'm not inclined to do.

Sadly, that bad-boy would make a killer BOB, so I have a goal to try to replicate it over time as my budget allows. :-)

Thanks for the compliments. You are certainly welcome to use these as a guide to produce your own kit, we recognize that was going to happen, but I think we've gone as far as I am willing to go as far as providing information about the kits. You'll have to figure out how to pack it yourself. After all, the concept is we want to sell these. Others are already "borrowing" (to use the polite word) ideas I developed for these kits for their own commercial kits, not going to make it any easier for them.

Thanks, I understand. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I do have a question about the kits:
You said in the water/food group on ETS that: ''For most uses, we prefer the Aqua Blox to the flex-paks, but they do generally cost a bit more.''

If you prefer the Aqua-Blox, then why do you include the flex-packs?
Does it have to do with the price (is there such a difference between them) or the space they take in?

Also I would probably add surgical tubing and a carabiner hook for securing equipment (of courdt you could also use the safety neck lanyards for it)
Still they are the best aviation kits available so far.
Well not available yet, but you know what I mean.... <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Aquablox are tougher, but if a flexible pouch meets what the packers considers to be the minimum of durability, it is a lot easier to pack.

The flex-packs are lighter and more compact, both critical issues for an aviation survival kit.

There's lots of stuff that can be added, based on personal desires and priorities. In fact, the options are unlimited. However, you have to draw the line somewhere when it comes to weight and volume limited kits, and these already push acceptable limits for most pilots.

In the medical kit of the ASP, should the emphesis be on stuff to stop a serious bleeding or on medicines?

The ultralight medical kit (.3 or .9) from AMK has some bandages, gauzes and a single dressing. Almost all the rest is medicine and desinfectant.

Doug has included this kit into his Aviation Survival Pak (and two trauma bandages, nice addition BTW)

Doesn't most crashes cause serious trauma? So don't you want to have a medical kit that can cope with trauma?

Therefor I was a bit surprised that the aviation medical kit was focust on medicine, not on serious trauma. And that there was no triangular bandage.

And it's nice that you have all those medicines, but a aircraft crash is in most cases a short-term survival situation, so are they directly needed, or can it wait untill your rescued and safely in the hospital??

Not that I want to say that the AMK medical kit and the Aviator Survival Pak are a bad choice (certainly not!), but I just wanted to give my opinion. Please give me yours!

While Bleeding Control is one of the primary priorities. Each of these kits have adaquate wound managment suppplies for their size. When travelling light and fast, you will likely have to use improvised dressings and bandages for bleeding control.

The AMK Lightweight 0.3 is designed to be a superlight and compact kit for hikers and endurance athletes. I have two of these for running and MTB, I have added a few items but these kits take care of the basic needs for the light and fast crowd. It doesn't apear Doug has a O.3 in his kits.

The Kit looks like it contains a modified version of the AMK 0.9 to Doug's specifications. As far as lightweight and compact kits go the 0.9 is great, I would add little to this kit for trips off road up to 3. The first two items I would add, Doug has in his kit (Trauma Dressings and SAM Splint). The 0.9 has one of the best items when it comes to producing a pressure dressing, an elastic bandage.

These kits aren't expedition kits, or anywhere near what I keep in my truck, but they a the best on the market for their target consumer and a good choice for anyone building a BOB or large survival kit. With a few items added of course.