Swiss Safe 120-Piece Review
Cons: Cluttered organization, minimal tape, a bit heavy for camping use
Manufacturer: Swiss Safe
Our Verdict
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 This Product
Swiss Safe 120-Piece | |||||
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| Awards |  |  | |||
| Price | $28 List | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $28.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $35.80 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $23.95 at REI |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Lots of extra supplies, heavy-duty case, reasonable value | Compact, lightweight, quality materials, handy wilderness first aid guidebook | Lightweight, minimal packaging, waterproof, quality components, compact | Very well organized, useful | Light, compact, useful first aid book |
| Cons | Cluttered organization, minimal tape, a bit heavy for camping use | Limited medications, no CPR mask | Limited group size, minimal quantities | Bag is only moderately weather proof | No gloves, no CPR mask |
| Bottom Line | A pretty good kit for home, auto, and some backcountry use, and it has a number of useful supplies | This kit is a great choice for short weekend trips, containing the essentials to guard against many trailside emergencies | The best choice for trips where weight matters, without compromising on quality | A cleanly organized first aid kit for small groups and short excusions, this kit anticipates the medical needs of most backpackers | This compact and well-organized kit is great for a weekend getaway, with quality implements at an affordable price |
| Rating Categories | Swiss Safe 120-Piece | Mountain Series Hiker | Ultralight/Watertig... | Mountain Series Bac... | HART Health Weekend |
| Quality (20%) | |||||
| Usefulness (20%) | |||||
| Durability (20%) | |||||
| Versatility (20%) | |||||
| Weight (20%) | |||||
| Specs | Swiss Safe 120-Piece | Mountain Series Hiker | Ultralight/Watertig... | Mountain Series Bac... | HART Health Weekend |
| Total Weight (oz) | 16 oz | 10 oz | 8 oz | 14 oz | 10 oz |
| Dimensions (inches) | 9" x 3" x 6" | 6.5" x 5.5" x 3" | 7.5" x 10" x 2" | 7" x 6" x 3.5" | 6.5" x 5.5" x 2" |
| First Aid book | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| CPR Mask/ Face Shield | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Type of Gloves | 2 PVC gloves | 1 nitrile gloves | Nitrile gloves | Nitrile gloves | None |
| Medications | No | Yes - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, asprin, antihistamine | Yes - antihistamine, aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen | Yes - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, antihistamine, diamode, sting and bite relief wipes | Yes - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, asprin, antihistamine |
| Splint | No | No | No | No | No |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Quality
The Swiss Safe is a medium quality, general-purpose first aid kit. It comes in a heavy nylon carrying case and opens fully to reveal its contents. The supplies are mostly of reasonable quality, though we were unimpressed with the flimsy fabric triangular bandage. The included extra items, such as the glow stick, cold compress, compass, and emergency blanket were all of lesser quality than we would hope for, and we found removing these items was a good choice unless you are just going to leave the kit in the back of your car.
Usefulness
The Swiss Safe kit is useful as it has a number of items and comes with good quantities, making it a good option for a home first aid kit or one you keep in the car for roadside emergencies. There are a lot of bandages, so this kit anticipates a lot of minor wounds and actually has two CPR masks (one is included in the mini pocket-sized kit), adding extra protection to the rescuer when performing rescue breathing during CPR on a victim. Some of the novelty items would be unnecessary if camping, and we would recommend taking them out, but for the general home or car kit leaving them in presents no major problem, and having a compass or a sewing kit handy might prove useful at some point.
Durability
Supplies in the Swiss Safe kit are packaged fairly tightly, which should keep them from getting accidentally torn open or damaged, but in rifling through to find what you are looking for it is easy to keep things organized. Some items showed defects right off the bat, a problem systemic to these kinds of first aid kits, but overall it is a decent kit that should last as long as you keep it well-stocked and inventoried.
Versatility
While many of the kits we reviewed tend to be better off for short trips into the mountains over a weekend, and are generally carried in a backpack, this kit is better off staying put. It is rather heavy and has way more equipment than a group might need, and so serves better as a car camping, home or car kit. You could bring this on a backpacking trip, but with so many unnecessary items you would want to go through it first and see where you could eliminate some weight and bulk.
Weight
The Swiss Safe kit weighs 16 ounces, making it one of the heavier medium sized kits. This is totally fine, seeing that we are recommending it as a base kit, not intended for multi-day backpacking outings. Its weight means that it is well-stocked and should last through several minor injuries before needing to be fully restocked (except the tape).
Value
The Swiss Safe is a reasonable value. You get a prebuilt first aid kit with a lot of supplies, and while some of the items are not what we would consider vital to a first aid kit, do make it more useful in certain applications.
Conclusion
This first aid kit is a good choice for a small family or a group that is looking for a well-stocked resource for basic supplies to treat minor injuries. There are no medications, so you will need to stock those separately on your own if you'd like to carry over the counter meds in your kit.
— Ryan Huetter