A Dry Look At Gear Pods
Published June 29, 2010 | 
Now I’ve been having a bit of fun with the Gear Pods Adventure Gear System I was sent to review. (Especially since the company seems to have sent them out to every blogger in the known universe!) Still my strange little oatmeal test does express the point that the gear we take along on a serious kayaking trip is only as good as its water resistance. After a couple weeks on the water, keeping things dry and free of sand can become a hellish obsession. But let’s come back to that….
The Gear Pods modular Adventure Gear Systems are made to cover the basic survival essentials for the outdoorsy type. The modular kits contain everything from cook stoves and first aid kits, to shelters and fire starters. The Gear Pods team must have spent many an obsessive hour figuring out how to get everything to fit into their round polycarbonate, UV-protected containers. They did a fantastic job.
I was asked to review the GearPods backcounty system which retails from around $110 and contains their first aid kit, cook stove, and a whole range of “lost in the woods” tools that will certainly help someone with a bit of knowledge stay alive until help arrives. I’m not going to list everything in their kit since you can read a detailed inventory on the website, but I was honestly shocked by the amount of gear they packed in and how well thought out it was. What stood out to me were the small folding knife & razor as well as the fact that they provided two ways to start a fire and not just one. They provide wind proof matches, a small flint starter and a bit of tinder. The kit also included a small amount of wire and duct tape, as well as fishing hooks, pins, a whistle, spotting mirror, tiny compass and water purification tablets among other things. While we can all come up with bits we’d add or remove, all in all they did a good job in my opinion.
The small cook stove works as advertised. Again it’s small, but well thought out and easy to get going. You’ll be able to heat about a cup of liquid at a time. The metal cup has a small insulated ring on the lip to keep you from burning yourself. The stove uses solid fuel tablets but you could improvise if you had to. They also provide a vented windshield. The small fold out stabilizers show a bit of forethought as well. I loved this very basic but very usable little stove. Of course given its purpose and size I can’t imagine using it other than in an emergency situation, but in that case having this little stove on hand would be a godsend.
The next bit of kit in the GearPods Backcountry system is the little first aid kit. The kit is packed in a small orange pouch. Small is not a problem if you pack it with the essentials. Generally off-the-shelf first aid kits are packed with a large variety of stuff you don’t need and very little of what you do. For the most part this is true with the GearPods First Aid kit. Now I should say here I am a former EMT and currently certified in Wilderness First Aid, but to confirm my thoughts I contacted my friend & fellow coach John Browning. John is an EMT with Bell in Milwaukee, certified wilderness-EMT and instructor as well. Again I won’t bother to list everything in the kit and simply offer some quick thoughts.
1. Include medical gloves – cheap, easy and essential. There should be at least one pair of one-size-fits all gloves. 2 or 3 pairs is better. (non-latex)
2. Not enough & too low mgs on all pain killers. The kit provides Ibuprofin, 2 tabs, 200mg and Aspirin, 2 tabs, 325mg. No Tylenol? I’d carry 500mgs and more than 2. (many more…)
3. Not nearly enough iodine or other cleansing wipes. The words “wound” and “wipe” don’t match. “Flush” is the word we’re looking for here. Why not a small bottle of iodine that can be mixed down in the field? (or used straight if necessary) Just a thought.
4. Butterfly Closures – Bad medicine. In my training we would not use them. JB concurred on this.
5. Not enough gauze pads. Again, think “wound” & “wilderness”.
We also agreed that it is probably more important to have additional meds of things like diarrhea than, lip ointment. A sam splint, 2 or 3 triangle bandages and vet wrap would be important as well. Yes, space is limited and maybe you would need to go the next size up with the GearPod container but so be it. The first aid kit is simply too important to skimp on. Certainly anyone with experience will pick and choose their own kit and keep or leave out things I wouldn’t. I think the first aid kit is the only real weak link in an otherwise well done system.
Ah, but that brings us to the “Oatmeal Test” doesn’t it. Well, let’s just get this over with. GearPods failed. They didn’t fail catastrophically, but still water got in. After 2 days of submersion in the rain barrel out back, both end caps leaked and we made some sticky porridge. The connectors did not leak. That meant the center tube stayed dry. (See the video below) I took some time to compare the caps and connectors and I could not see an obvious difference. I should also say that I took an extra moment to double check that I screwed them on just right when I set up the test. More than I would in real life. Could the leaking be a fluke? Sure. Still 2 end caps leaking and no connector leaking does suggest something else.
Honestly I was a bit cold to the idea of the Gear Pods when I was first offered the chance to review them. Then as I started experiencing the kit I became more and more impressed by the design and ingenuity. After giving Gear Pods a good going over I had myself convinced that I would certainly carry this kit in my jeep and out on trips (with some first aid modifications). I probably still will. However as the oatmeal test showed, you may not want to give them 100% trust in a situation where they may become submerged for any length of time. I’m sure I will have a chance to talk to the guys at Gear Pods again and maybe I got some bum caps.. we’ll see. I hope that’s the case because all in all I do think that Gear Pods are good product.
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10 Responses to A Dry Look At Gear Pods
Thanks for the review. I’m keen to take a look at them when they come to my local paddling shop.
Cheers,
David J.
Hmm – wonder what the diff was btw the end caps and connectors? Pressure phenom? End caps looked less beefy than connectors, so more chance for a little “flex” to let those tiny water molecules in. And I can see where sand would bugger the whole thing up royally – but it looks promising as a concept, anyhow
Since container was submerged in the water, probably close to the bottom of barrel, it was always subjected to 2-3 ft of water pressure ( roughly 60%-90% of atmospheric pressure). Even a smallest leak would result in a bit of water getting through. Same reason why waterproof cameras are “guaranteed” to be waterproof at some depth only for certain period of time.
If that same container were to roll around in partially flooded hatch it would not be subjected to the same pressure differential for extended periods of time, most likely there would not be as much water.
My emergency/repair kit is not that inclusive and fits in an old Nalgene bottle. The bottle also serves as a dispenser for Duct tape
Good Points Marius. It’s fair to say the barrel for 2 days “pushed” the norm a bit, but I was able to repeat the leaking in the bathtub this afternoon as well so it’s not simply the pressure issue. Thing is, I’ve learned that most waterproof products don’t hold up to their specs anyway. WP cameras are a good example. I never actually “push” them to the extreme or beyond their guarantee, but I’ve been through 4 or 5 to date. I have been through 2 waterproof GPS and 2 waterproof VHF. None of them pushed to their specs. So to my mind if they can’t go a bit beyond their specs, they will never handle my “real world” experiences. If it were me selling a new waterproof product, I’d toss it in the barrel for a couple days myself. If they couldn’t handle it, I’d be concerned. Chances are they won’t improve as they age either.
As I said though, I like the gear pods all told,I’d just keep an eye on them if they were getting submerged for any length of time.
Derrick, thank you for the HONEST review.
I notice that there was a clear polycarbonate square box next to the Gear Pods that also contained oatmeal that appears to be dry inside.
What brand is that box?
Thanks Derrick for the review. We only sent out four samples to paddling sport enthusiasts, including you! We are a very small company with finite resources and, as noted by another blogger, we do prefer to spend scarce marketing dollars getting our products into enthusiasts’ hands and (if we’ve done a good job identifying them) influencers’ hands. I think this approach is great for the consumer and it’s great for us. Through crowd-sourcing we get good, hopefully honest and constructive, feedback that we can act upon. In this case your test raises our sensitivity to immersion waterproofing and sets the bar now for us to achieve much better (and predictable) results in this area. Don’t empty that barrel just yet! We’ll be back and this time we’ll bring the oatmeal!
Hey James,
Thanks again for the opportunity to review Gear Pods. In sea kayaking 4 enthusiasts IS the known universe.
Just teasing, really. 
I do hope the immersion problem can be resolved on an otherwise well done product. I’ll keep the barrel on standby!
Hi Derrick, excellent review. I am putting together a first aid kit for my boat and wondered why you wouldn’t use butterfly closures. I was planning to include some but you’ve made me have second thoughts.
Thanks Alan,
As far as butterfly closures… I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV. However, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once. So don’t take what I say as anything more than one guys opinion.. Generally the concern is with infection and allowing the wound to drain. Butterfly closures should only be used when there is zero chance of infection or re-contamination. A tall order in wilderness situations. I believe you are wiser simply cleaning out the wound and covering the area until you can get proper care (if necessary) in a medical facility. That way the wound can drain and you will be able to check on and maintain it as necessary.
I’m certainly open to opposite opinions here.
That’s helpful and I can see the sense in not trying to close a wound that may get contaminated.