First aid kit

[Sunny2000]

Hi guys,

I am a newbie from Australia and I decided to train myself up here in Australia before doing the AT.

At this stage I am getting all prepared for my first big hike and was wondering, what you take with you in your First Aid Kit?
Obviously you will need the essentials, but it should not become too big and bulky either.

Any tips and hints?

[MuddyWaters]

needle
unwaxed dental floss - 6 ft
tweezers
6 ft duct tape
couple bandaids
couple little bandaids
gauze pad
triple antibiotic packets x 2
alcohol wipe x 2
ibuprofen x 30
immodium x 3 days
benadryl x 1 day

[The gimp3]

Ibuprofen and lots of it.

[Hatchet_1697]

Hi Sunny, I carry

Alcohol wipes, individual packs (lots)
Assorted size bandaids
Tribiotic packs
Steri-strips
Very small Wound Seal packet
Duct tape (wrapped around my hiking poles)
2 sizes of gauze pads (regular cleans better than the non-stick type)
Large safety pins (used with bandanna, etc. to make an arm sling or stabilize an ankle/knee)
Bug Sting Relief wipes
Tick removal tool
20 gauge sterile piercing needles (yup, sterile, light, and pops a blister great!)

Small Swiss Army knife with scissors (scissors are very useful)

Also, Motrin (pain, inflammation, fever reduction), very small bottle of eye drops, and whatever personal meds your body needs.

The amount I carry depends on how long l'm out for. I figure the above along with a bandanna to cut up will take care of blisters, cuts, sprains, and small breaks. Anything bigger there's always someone coming down the AT who can help. Up North on the AT and in other remote areas I carry an InReach Explorer GPS communicator.

On the AT you are almost always a day or three from an egress point, and usually there are people around to help if it's a bad injury.

Total weight in 1 quart freezer bag and outer high visibility yellow bag is 2.95 ounces. For a 2-3 day trip minus meds.

Hope this helps







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[StubbleJumper]

As noted by the gimp, ibuprofen is good. When your muscles and joints are sore (inflamed) you take a caplet or two before bed, and you wake up feeling like a new man.

Otherwise, here are a few ideas of things that I carry:

-Immodium - most hikers don't carry it, but if, for whatever reason, you happen to get the *****s in the woods you'll be happy to have Immodium. It's about 1 or 2 rams to carry

-Purell (alcohol gel) - a small bottle of purell should be part of your toilet kit to clean your hands after using the toilet. If you get a cut or a scrape, you can use it to disinfect the cut. You can also use it to start a fire if you are cold or damp. This weighs perhaps 30 grams and costs a couple of bucks.

-Blister packs - these are bandaids designed to be put on your feet to cover your blisters. If you are lucky, you won't need them.

-Tweezers - these are included with certain Swiss Army Knives, including the "Classic", which is light weight. Tweezers are helpful for splinters and ticks.

-Allergy meds - early in the season, mold spores can be present. And then tree pollen can be a thing. And then grass pollen. And then ragweed. You get the idea. Over the counter allergy meds can make your life better. I like loratadine and desloratidine. For a couple of grams, your life might be much better.

-Bandaids - a bandaid can be useful in a number of circumstances that you might imagine.

-Steri-strips - I learned the hard way that you might occasionally get such a bad cut that a regular bandaid won't do the job. You can't get stitches in the woods, but the next best option to close a nasty cut are steri-strips. They don't weigh much and do a great job of closing a cut.

[ScareBear]

It's a loaded topic....

At a minimum, a few xl band aids, some moleskin, some triple antibiotic ointment, painkiller, safety pin or two and a little duct tape...you may want to add a week's course of doxycycline as a Lyme prophylactic. I bring Loperamide as well. Plus some elctrotabs. Benadryl caps are a useful addition, as they can be used as a sedative or anti-emetic as well as an antihistamine.
I also carry alcohol wipes since they will also do double duty as a cleaner before applying fabric repair tape.
And, yeah, I carry a suture kit. It weighs next to nothing and I know how to use it...YMMV...

[gbolt]

I have carried less Duck tape and more Leucotape. Some use KT Tape also as an alternative. It sticks and stays better. Often don't use mole skin anymore; just the tape.

[rocketsocks]

Hi guys,

I am a newbie from Australia and I decided to train myself up here in Australia before doing the AT.

you do realize you're down under?

[OCDave]

Acetaminophen for pain, fever
Ibuprofen for pain
Aspirin for Headache pain, Acute Coronary Syndrome
Loratidine or Cetirizine (Non sedating antihistime) for enviromental allergens or to blunt inflammatory response to mosquito bites
Diphenhydramine and Ranitidine H1 and H2 blocker for early anaphylaxis, sleep and Heartburn
Tums for heartburn
Imodium for diarrhea
Triple antibiotic ointment
Diaper rash cream
Hydrocortizone topical ointment
Water proof bandages
Moleskin
Gauze
Surgical tape
Artificial tears eye-drops or alternate eye flush

I have a kit I carry when with a group and a smaller streamlined version that includes 2 day supply or less of the same when hiking alone.

[Martzy13]

Do take all the above items into account, but I've gotta say the first thing I saw people (waaaay) over-packing on the Trail was the first aid kits. This is the AT, not a 5 month Australian bush walkabout. Not everything wants to kill you. You're also never more than a couple days from town, if your not too slow. If ibuprofen and a few bandaids can't fix your injury, you're probably better off getting off trail and into town.

[Turtle-2013]

I find this an interesting topic in that it reflects how much my gear has changed across the board since the 60's and 70's. I SIGNIFICANT first aid kit was always part of my gear in early days ... I had a whole pocket on my 60 cubic inch Kelty Serac just for First Aid. I have bandaids, and pads, and ointments, and wipes and wraps and splints and the list went on and on.... to be fair sometimes I was leading a group ... and today if I was a group leader, responsible for others, I would carry more that I do.

I was certified as an Advanced First Aid Instructor, and CPR Instructor for two methods ..... etc.

Today, for AT hiking, I actually don't carry anything I call a first aid kit ... that said I do carry some of the things that people have listed. I carry some Ibuprofen because I have a knee that will make me get off the trail at times otherwise. I carry a very small tin of Vaseline mixed with Neosporin because at times my shirt rubs and it offers relief. I carry tweezers, clippers, scissors, and and incredibly small knife because they do thing only they can do and weigh so little (I use each for non-first aid needs more than for anything medical). I carry duct tape, and have given it to people for blisters, but since I don't get blisters I am really carrying it for equipment repair. Until recently I carried a few bandaids and such in a vacuum sealed bag ... but I don't anymore.

Mostly I carry my wits and experience ... if I cut myself I'd wrap it in TP, it acts as a good clotting agent, and if I needed to hold it in place I'd probably use a strip of duct tape. If it was very serious cut, or fracture, I'd being using stuff not in my kit anyway (shirt, cord, etc.) ... and evac from the trail.

My main point is that for the AT you need to carry the stuff YOU will need, and you can only figure that out from experience ... but if you mostly carry stuff that has multiple uses, you will find you aren't carrying as much EXTRA, un-necessary weight.

[DownEaster]

First Aid:
*band-aids (2 medium, 1 small, 1 big)
1 butterfly bandage
*alcohol wipes
triple antibiotic cream
cortisone cream
antihistamine (generic Benadryl)
*ibuprofen (for inflammation)
*acetaminophen (for headache)
anti-diarrhea pills (Imodium)
sunscreen to start, before trees fill in on the Trail
duct tape (wrapped around hiking poles: combine with TP if necessary to bandage big wounds)
2 gauze pads
2 safety pins (can be used with bandana to make a sling)
tick removal tool
lightweight mirror (helps inspect for ticks)
Fiskars travel scissors
*foam earplugs (multipack from big box store)

Dietary Consumables:
*multivitamins
*aspirin (1 every other day for heart health)
*antacids (Calcium supplement)

Items with an asterisk (*) I get more of in my resupply boxes; if I don't need those extras, I can deposit them in a hiker box for someone who might put them to use. Most of the stuff is pretty standard. The exception is the cortisone cream and antihistamine pills. I react very strongly to urushiol (poison ivy), and sometimes I may not notice the trees (bushes) for admiring the forest.

[ScareBear]

You can also add a small tube of quick-drying cyanoacrylate(SuperGlue) for long-lasting wound closure. Also does double duty for gear repairs...just sayin...

[Leo L.]

I'm carrying a very small First Aid kit originally designed for use at cycling, and additionally carry some pain killers, and a roll of Leukotape, a scissor (included into the Swiss Army knife), a tiny mirror, a sharp-pointed tweezer.

What I have used so far:
- Leukotape (quite a lot of it - using it, in addition to medical use, for all kind of repairs)
- Pain killers (a mate sprained a wrist once and we gave him pain killers to keep him calm)
- Antibiotics (which I was glad to get from a friend, to fight an infection)
- Scissor, mirror and tweezer come in handy many times.

I try to get and use local herbs for to cure smaller issues, which works surprisingly well.

[HooKooDooKu]

For those who want a pair of scissors in their 1st Aid kit, I'll repeat my link to the folding pair of Fiskers available at Target.

Surprised I haven't seen anyone mention including a small pair of nail clippers. Sure, if you're careful, you can manage even a long distance hike without having to make use of them. But if you find your self unexpectedly needing them (think kids with you that perhaps are not as prepared for a weekend hike as you), it's a great thing to have.

Sewing kit... I "make" on by getting a small strip of plastic (perhaps cut from a soda bottle). I fold it in half and stick pins through one side a few times (to hold them in place) such that the sharp end winds up at the fold. (The whole purpose for the plastic is to simply create a protective 'case' to prevent the pins sticking you). I then take perhaps 10 to 20 yards of monofiliment nylon thread and simply wrap it round the plastic case.

Of course I take my 1st Aid kit on back packing trips, but I also take it on vacation and family trips (think Disney). Actually, the one time I've needed to make use of my sewing kit was when we were in Disney and a strap broke on my wifes purse. Was able to make a repair while we watched one of the shows and were able to continue our day uninterrupted.

[BuckeyeBill]

Here is a different spin on your question First Aid kits and Trail.

[double d]

Hi Sunny:

Below is great advice, so I'll re-post from another AT hiker.H

Enjoy your Hike!!!I

Double D

I carry

Alcohol wipes, individual packs (lots)
Assorted size bandaids
Tribiotic packs
Steri-strips
Very small Wound Seal packet
Duct tape (wrapped around my hiking poles)
2 sizes of gauze pads (regular cleans better than the non-stick type)
Large safety pins (used with bandanna, etc. to make an arm sling or stabilize an ankle/knee)
Bug Sting Relief wipes
Tick removal tool
20 gauge sterile piercing needles (yup, sterile, light, and pops a blister great!)

Small Swiss Army knife with scissors (scissors are very useful)

Also, Motrin (pain, inflammation, fever reduction), very small bottle of eye drops, and whatever personal meds your body needs.

The amount I carry depends on how long l'm out for. I figure the above along with a bandanna to cut up will take care of blisters, cuts, sprains, and small breaks. Anything bigger there's always someone coming down the AT who can help. Up North on the AT and in other remote areas I carry an InReach Explorer GPS communicator.

On the AT you are almost always a day or three from an egress point, and usually there are people around to help if it's a bad injury.

Total weight in 1 quart freezer bag and outer high visibility yellow bag is 2.95 ounces. For a 2-3 day trip minus meds.

Hope this helps

[DownEaster]

Surprised I haven't seen anyone mention including a small pair of nail clippers.

I've got them, but I don't include them in the "first aid" category. They're in the "hygiene" grouping with Dr. Bronner's soap, TP, an extra bandana, cathole trowel, & c. I got cheap nail clippers at Walmart, and they'll probably work fine even though they're smaller (and thus more time-consuming to use) than my normal ones. The important consideration is to get a pair with a built-in file so you can make sure there aren't any rough edges left on your toenails. (Being yanked by your sock with every step is a good way to lose the whole nail.)

[Hatchet_1697]

You can also add a small tube of quick-drying cyanoacrylate(SuperGlue) for long-lasting wound closure. Also does double duty for gear repairs...just sayin...

I'll second that, a tiny tube of super glue can fix a lot of things


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[Odd Man Out]

Fingernail Clippers
Luekotape (cut pieces and stick them to the non-stick backing of peel and stick stickers).
bandaids (mostly for the sterile gauze - the leukotape holds it in place)
soap (mini bar of Ivory)
hydration salts
tick twister
Swiss Army Knife - Ambassador (like the Classic, just slightly larger so the scissors is easier to use. Also has a tweezer)
Needle and thread
Vaseline (all purpose ointment and firestarter)