Homemade first aid kits

[LDog]

My take is another on the "Be Prepared" side for folks who are trained:

http://www.laughingdog.com/2011/10/b...d-kit.html?m=1

[JAK]

Nice link. Thanks Chilly Willy.

[JAK]

Boy I wouldn't do that - you can psyche yourself out imagining the worst of the worst! I mean, do you take a splint in case you fracture a bone? (hikers have had fractures). Or the worst is, you die.

I think I know what you mean, but I do not like to say - well this can happen... I'd rather be positive.

Anyway, I need to write a blog about first aid and what I put in my kit

Mine has -

Duct tape
some assorted size bandaids (some waterproof)
small tube of antibiotic cream
small tube of hydrocortisone cream (take the one that's 2/3rds the way used from home. Same with antibiotic cream)
small ace wrap (ankle sprains, and I have been glad I have it -)
thread and needle
safety pin
Epipen if you have a bee allergy and /or a few benadryl tabs
assorted Vit I and tylenol
few tabs of Immodium (if you get diarrhea for several days though, you may have a water-borne illness, and you need to get antibiotic treatment for it)
If you can get it from your MD, some doxycycline tabs for tick bite (you can take a one time loading dose of 200 mg if you find a deer tick had embedded itself to protect against Lyme according to the website, but clear this with an MD first - I am no doctor, but I am an RN)
If you are male over 40, suggest taking some low dose aspirin (can save your life with a heart attack)
Body glide (if you are prone to chafing)

Your swiss army knife should have tweezers and scissors on it for first aid

You really should know first aid before you go out into the woods. And always get a physical AND dental exam before you go. Many people skip the teeth but infected teeth can make you very ill.

Women can have heart attacks also. Just sayin'. Hope this doesn't psyche you out. ;-)
Thanks for the list. If you break a leg, you can make a splint from branches, sleeping pad, stuff like that. Just saying you can have a sort of game plan ahead of time, and that can help determine what to bring. Don't just prepare for the easy stuff. Basic first aid should cover some scary stuff also. Yeah, it can be gruesome, but it can happen on highways also. I took my first aid in basic training from an army seargeant. He kept it pretty graphic. I don't think of garbage bags the way I used to. Anyhow, haven't used any of it yet. Knock on wood.

[JAK]

Sorry for the mispelling of Sergeant. whoops.

[beakerman]

Much of my first aid kit consists of "just in case" items that I could do without, but it would make life easier to have on hand. Besides a couple of bandaids and a 4"x4" bandage, I carry a few immodium for diarrhea, a couple of benadryl for allergic reactions, and a couple of cough drops. I have a small bit of antiseptic cream and a bit of burn cream, because I've seen more burns on hot pots and stoves than any other type of injury. Something else I recommend is a small laminated card that has your blood type, known allergies, emergency contact and medical insurance info on it.

Finally, check with your doctor about over-the-counters and how they might react with any prescriptions you take. I can't take ibuprofen, which is commonly refered to as "vitamin I" on the trail.

That covers jsut about everything I carry except good old moleskin (or storebrand equivalent)....

i don't pop blisters so I don't worry about that, my knife is sharp enough to act as a razor blade so I don't need that either.

I used to carry a maxipad with me all the time. Odd i know but they are sterile until opened, they make great bandages on large wounds and you never know when you might need to rescue a lady in need...just to be nice about things.

the rest of my kit is duct tape.

[Nutbrown]

The section of foam I bring along for under my feet in the hammock and sitting on the ground doubles as a possible brace for a sprain/break. With a bit of the duct tape I have around my poles, I have a ready made soft cast. It's a good bit of first aid to know about.

[Blue Jay]

If that happened, I'd pull the bandanna off my head and use that. If I was bleeding so bad I might die from it, there likely wouldn't be time to dig through the pack to find something in the first aid kit to use.

A bandanna might work for a mile or two, then you'd really be slo-go'en.

[PinkRaven]

If you have large blood flow, this is consistent with an arterial bleed.
If you do not have any sterile gauze, take the patient's clothing and apply pressure.
If it is still bleeding, do not remove the first layer, apply more material and hold more pressure.
If the blood is still coming and you are unable to control the bleeding, consider the mantra "life over limb." You want to save your life even if you may lose your limb.
If you will lose too much blood before being able to make it to definitive care (ie. a hospital), make a true tourniquet above the site of bleeding. A true tourniquet will cut off all circulation to the area distal to the tourniquet. Consider the real possibility that you will lose the limb. Once you have made the tourniquet, do not remove the tourniquet. Write the date/time the tourniquet was applied directly on the limb with a pen. The hospital will need to know how long the tourniquet has been in place. You need to be at the hospital before they can remove the tourniquet. Removing the tourniquet prematurely can release the acidic toxic blood back into the blood stream and this can be fatal. Once the bleeding is controlled, make the patient comfortable and keep them warm. Treat for shock. They will not be able to properly thermoregulate, so you must be sure to keep the patient warm. Any notes that you write about the patient, the incident, the patient's allergies or medical history should be tapped to the patient's chest in the event of an air evacuation. This is only a brief explanation limited to a few injuries. Do not leave your patient alone. Get help. Send others for help.

[SCRUB HIKER]

Ibuprofen, benadryl, immodium, neosporin, a few band-aids of varying sizes, one or two Band-Aid blister kits, Body Glide, small Swiss Army knife. Not that it couldn't get worse, but I've never needed anything more than that.

[double d]

I always love to discuss hiking and first aid, so great question. As others have said, the first thing to do is take a first aid class, the GMC in Vermont offers some very good wilderness first aid classes, although they are a little expensive. Blisters are a very big problem and so are minor wounds. Duct tape is a must and so is some form of first aid for blisters. Other stuff you can fill in as you gain experience.

[Rayo]

this is really more than most people need but if you are hurt in the woods, you'd be lucky if I happened to be around.

Agreed. I'm a WFR and plan on carrying a bit more than the minimum UL setup, but if something serious goes down it's better to have it than not.

[Bronk]

Things you will actually use in your first aid kit:

Alcohol pads...you're going to be dirty, so anytime you get cut or a blister you're going to want to keep it clean.
Bandaids
Neosporin
Pain reliever (aspirin, tylenol, advil, ibuprofen, whatever)

You really won't need much more than that.

[Amanita]

There is no treatment I can give myself or others that will replace the need for professional medical help, only delay it. And on a trail as well traveled as the AT, it is unlikely that I will need to be sterile in my treatment of major wounds, because I will be visiting a hospital ASAP. There are only three pieces equipment I know how to use that A. could save someone's life and B. could not be improvised from things I already carry. I'm not going to haul a backboard and an AED out, and epinephrine is prescription only (I don't have any allergies). And I am not going to drink some whiskey and sew myself up unless I'm more than 3 days from real treatment, which NEVER happens on the AT.

So I carry enough to treat the little things, but any problem that would send you to a doctor in normal life should have the same result if you are hiking.

Here is a list:
band aids + neosporin (packets if you can get them, buy a tube if you get a big scrape that needs multiple applications)
cortizone cream (bug bites and stings)
Advil (or pain killer of choice)
Nail clippers (seriously, take care of your toes)
Blister treatment of choice
body glide (or other chaffing treatment)

[quilteresq]

I agree with most everyone here - a few bandaids, foot care kit is about it. Some of those tubes of things I replace by filling the substances into a straw and sealing both ends with a bic lighter. I'll make extras for resupply if I use them, and the weight is negligible that way. My entire first aid kit fits into a 2 x 4 zip lock except for the tri corner bandage, and it includes needle, duct tape, and floss to fix gear. I can take care of my nails in town, so if I do a bounce box, the clippers will be in there. Also, being a girl scout, I've always learned that a tri-corner bandage is handy. I know most think it's overkill, but I'll be carrying it. It came in handy when I broke my arm in '89. Now I have a silk one, so it's lighter. I don't consider body glide, vitamin I, my meds, including albuterol to be part of the first aid kit - those are just along for the ride because they go into the back country with me. I will get an epi pen as I do have asthma, and it's the one thing I may need that could save my life in the event of a reaction, but that's about all I'll add. Never needed one before, but you never know.

[LDog]

Also, being a girl scout, I've always learned that a tri-corner bandage is handy. I know most think it's overkill, but I'll be carrying it. It came in handy when I broke my arm in '89. Now I have a silk one, so it's lighter.

When I was in Ski Patrol, we made rather large ones out of cotton material. Big enough to sling a big boy. Mines 60" from corner to corner, and is festooned with lizards. Kind of a woodland cammie lizard motif. It'll be my bandana and function as scarf, wash cloth, a water pre-filter, pot holder, do-rag, neck covering in the sun, bandage, sling ...