A First Aid Kit Guide.
Tips For Safety.

An important item to remember when you go camping, hiking or backpacking is a first aid kit. At times these little kits can be worth their weight in gold.

Even a simple first aid kit can sometimes mean the difference between enjoying your trip or having to cut it short. Just think how much difference covering and protecting a hot spot (area that rubs) can make. Why allow a hiking boot rub to turn into a blister and then slowly rub your foot raw and chance an infection, when a simple piece of moleskin and tape could have helped you avoid it in the first place?

Why risk a nasty infection when a little antibiotic ointment and a bandage could have saved you the trouble. Under the right conditions an infection can spread quickly. Take care of cuts as soon as they happen... it sure beats being laid up in the hospital. A first aid kit is one of the most important items to include with your camping gear and/or hiking equipment.

Tips:

1. Make sure your first aid kit is in a tough waterproof container. A flexible container is easier to carry than a dry box but probably not as durable. Dry bags or Ziploc bags can work well as long as they're not punctured.

2. Plan ahead. Let a responsible person know your itinerary, even if it's only for the day. And make sure they're not going away themselves because they could end up being your lifeline.

3. Get the right first aid kit for your needs. Obviously if you're going on an expedition to Mount Everest you're going to have different needs than if you're just going out for a day hike. Think through what you might need and add it to your kit.

4. There are some great pre-made first aid kits available to help to make sure you haven't forgot something. Backcountry, one of the online stores I respect the most, offers everything from small kits like the Adventure Medical Pocket Medic First Aid Kit,

5. Be prepared by already knowing how to perform CPR and basic first aid in case someone in your group needs it.

6. Research the area you're going to visit so you'll know what to expect and what to do if an emergency comes up.

7. Learn how to use a compass/GPS and a waterproof or laminated map, and bring them with you.

8. If you're with a group agree on a place to meet if your group becomes separated, and make it easy to find.

9. Have a basic emergency plan in mind in case you need it (i.e. locate the nearest hospital.)

10. Bring some extra food and water in case you're unable to return on time, or if someone in your group needs it.

11. Bring any extra medication you or your group may need.

13. Also consider what can be improvised from the environment. For example a litter might be made from branches, if they're available, and clothing.

14. Large gauze pads are easier to cut down to size than trying to make smaller pads fit over a large wound. If you could only choose one size pad, go for the larger size like a 4" x 4". Bring 3+ per person at the minimum.

15. Non-stick dressings like Telfa are a good idea, otherwise the bandage will have a tendency to stick to the wound and this makes dressing changes difficult.

16. While thin film transparent waterproof dressings like Tegaderm can come in handy they should be used over clean skin which may or may not be difficult in a camping/hiking environment. Quantity: 2+ per person.

17. Bring about 7 adhesive bandages (i.e. Band aids) per person, they're light and easy to pack too.

18. Instead of bringing a roll of duct tape, wrap 25 feet of it around a pen, pencil, or water bottle. It's good for emergency shelters, gear tears, make-shift litters, sealing holes, etc.

19. Deal with "hotspots" before they become blisters. Moleskin, foam, 2nd skin, and tape can be used to deal with hotspots. Whereas blisters should be considered open wounds and treated accordingly.

20. Pack a mylar emergency blanket. Besides a blanket it can be used for shelter and the fluorescent orange/shiny silver can help attract attention.

21. Organize your first aid kit so that you know where everything is and so that things you use together are in a smaller Ziploc bag or next to each other. Taking a little time to label things with a permanent marker can make it easier to find what you need when you need it.

Each hiker/camper should have their own first aid kit and be trained in CPR and basic first aid. This list should be viewed as a starting point due to the fact that any given trip will have different needs than another.

Checklist This checklist is only to get you started. Again, a long demanding remote trip will require more equipment than a short day hike. Consider what you could possibly encounter and work from there. Eventually you should get a feel for what it is you'll need for a particular trip so the planning should get easier.

Manuals/booklets

___CPR booklet
___First aid booklets

Medicines (use only when recommended by a qualified medical person)

___Activated charcoal
___Antacid
___Antidiarrheal
___Aspirin/Tylenol
___Cavit (for a lost filling)
___Dental pain reliever
___Ipecac syrup
___Prescribed medications (extra)

Prevention

___CPR mouth shield
___Moleskin & foam, 2nd skin (to prevent blisters)
___Sunglasses (Ultraviolet blocking)
___Sunscreen (waterproof and a high SPF)
___Wet wipes

Wound Care

___1" cloth medical tape
___4" x 4" gauze
___Adhesive bandages ("Band aids" of various sizes)
___Antibiotic ointment
___Antiseptic wash
___Burn spray
___Eye pads
___Hand sanitizer
___Insect/bee sting ointment
___Plastic protective gloves (certain people are latex sensitive)
___Roll gauze
___Scissors
___Snake bite kit (if you're in snake country)

Miscellaneous

___20 feet of cord/rope (i.e. replace broken shoelace, emergency shelter tie-down, etc.)
___Cell phone/walkie-talkie (if appropriate)
___Good tweezers (cheap tweezers are almost worthless)
___Lighter/waterproof matches/magnesium fire-starter
___Pencil and notebook
___Razor/knife
___Safety pins
___Small back-up led flashlight
___Thermometer
___Unbreakable metal mirror (i.e. signal mirror, remove a gnat from your eye)
___Water purification tablets
___Whistle, Signaling

Longer trips mean more first aid kit supplies and gauze, gauze pads, ice packs, steri-strips, butterfly bandages, ace bandages, slings, splints, poison ivy/oak lotion, and candy for diabetic emergencies. Also...

Make sure to add a first aid kit to your camping list or hiking checklist so you remember it.