a good first aid kit (Health and Safety)

[Wise Old Owl]

Ok if you are really worried about a cracked tooth, purchase two ambesols (I really hate the current price) and un cap them. wait a week or two and the alcohol will evaporate. then pour one into the other. highly concentrated this stuff will fix any tooth problem. Better than what the doc's have. Make sure you have a few qtips.

[Panzer1]

Another hiker later told me that after I got 50 feet north of Erwin Uncle Johnny took it out of the hiker box and was selling it for 12 cents an ounce.

He's a real Capitalist that Uncle Johnny.

Panzer

[DaveJohns]

I'm a seperated Army medic, so my first aid kit is a bit more...er... "extensive" than the others listed here!!! (Partly because I can get my still-Active Duty medic husband to yoink some supplies for me when I need them!)

(GREAT list omitted for brevity)

Yep, just call me Doc and be done with it. It's like I never left the military... *sigh*

You can hike with me anytime! Check out the new QC silver gauze - it is "this weeks" cool new item! also, you carry an ACS/Hyfin in your hiking kit? Would a plastic bag and some tape not do the same thing in a pinch?

My kit is based on the same general setup, which is essentially an upgraded IFAK with some meds tossed in, no?

My kit. It weighs about a pound, maybe less.

Small sharpie
Nitrile gloves
tweezers
medium size trauma shears
Duct Tape (multi-use, incl. replaces band-aids)
wound closure strips
single edged razor blade
several needles
several safety pins
Crazy glue
2 small packs of Burn-X gel
moleskin (considering dropping, Ducttape is almost as good)
small bottle Mercuroclear antiseptic
small tube neosporin
small tube tinactin
small tube ambesol
small dent-temp kit
meds bag with single dose Immodium, pepto, theraflu, Aspirin, and naproxin
1 roll durapore 1" tape
1 pk Celox gauze
2 rolls Kerlix
1 Izzy/ETD
2-3" ACE bandages
several non-stick pads in 4x4 and 2x2 sizes

(also, I removed my SAM splint when I realized my sleeping pad [thermarest Z-lite] would do the same thing if I cut it up as needed. Something to consider)

All this fits in a nylon bag not much bigger than a paperback book. Personally, I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

[Doooglas]

Snake bite kits use to come with a small razor to open up between the bite before you used the suction cups. People would cut too much, too deep, probably raise your heart beat just doing the cutting and like Chance09 stated only a 40% chance venom was even injected.

Question? I know coral snakes are bad news, rattlers at least those in Michigan don't pose a real threat in that no "healthy" person has ever died from a Michigan rattler. Different along the AT?

Coral snakes are completely non aggressive and are not like vipers. There are no fangs up front to deal with. I handle them regularly as they often visit my wood room and garage.I pick them up by the tail and carry them back into the jungle.

Copperheads strike low and usually will usually hit your boot.I slid down a hill in 1976 and got nailed on the knee.No fun at all but quite rare.
On the AT the rattler could be an issue especially near big rocks in the sun where they could warm.Rattlers too often hit quite low so you stand more of a chance of getting bit on the hand.Rattlers are faster than the human hand. Stay away from them.

I saved a guy with a Sawyer kit who was nailed by a nine foot Terciopelo.Some call them fer de lance. The Sawyer sucked nearly 1/2 a thimble of venom out of the wound so you can safely ignore the "professional students" that decry their use. Use the Sawyer on ANY snake bite, scorpion sting, wasp sting etc.Mine gets used at least once a month for insect hits.
Carry a small amount of ammonia, or ammonia swabs, as it neutralizes many venoms.


I won't bother posting my kit but I'll tell you it's 3 lbs.I had to replace the zipper.
It's quite different in the real world than that Disney Movie formerly referred to as The United States of Amurrikastan.

Here's why I refer to it as Disney. The fools think they are at a theme park.
3 of their kind have vanished here all ready this year and it's the slow season.
Interestingly one was a medical student I guess his duct tape, cell phone, and bandana didn't work out too well for wilderness navigation.
http://www.kcra.com/news/21419513/detail.html

[Doooglas]

Here's so you can see how a snake hits.
Yep. I put mine on right after breakfast !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70TWDVHn3kg

[Doooglas]

Rattlers are slow in comparison to tropical species.
BTW anti venom must be refrigerated at all times. Even from the farmacia to the house it has to be in a cooler on ice.
Seems I heard it was $1000 a vial up there ? Typical "capitalism"
I bought 4 vials the other day for $46.For all 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WecCixv3W6g&NR=1

[restlesss]

I read a couple of comments that said they stripped out of their kits, tweezers. I have encountered several ticks in my travels and the tweezers were awesome in getting them out! In my kit I have...

a couple of bandaids,
neosporine
Knife
2larger gause pads 4X4
tape
bandana
ibuprofine
pepto tabs
imodium pills
and my tweezers with a small magnifying glass
I am going to add a contact info card

[johnnyhp]

Thanks to all for your comments and opinions! I just read the entire thread and now know everything there is to know about the contents of your first aid kits!

One of my buddies is a navy seal and I will share his first aid opinion since I found it insightful: the most important first aid item is water.

I must admit, this point of view is more for survival than comfort. Carrying duct tape, gauze, and disinfectant is still recommended, but if you had to get by without these things (and believe me, you could if you had to), your only need is water. Most other needs can either be improvised or are too great to accommodate on the trail.

This isn't necessarily a practical piece of advice...it's more for empowering you with the will to survive and reminding you that worrying about every contingency is rarely helpful. Just remember that your safety on the trail really depends on your awareness of your surroundings, not on the size of your first aid kit.

One.

[mkmangold]

You can hike with me anytime! Check out the new QC silver gauze - it is "this weeks" cool new item...

...(also, I removed my SAM splint when I realized my sleeping pad [thermarest Z-lite] would do the same thing if I cut it up as needed. Something to consider)

All this fits in a nylon bag not much bigger than a paperback book. Personally, I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

But a SAM splint is sooo cool!
I might go with antibiotic- or silver-impregnated bandaids instead of carrying around antibiotic ointment. Maybe. For larger wounds too, quick flushing with clean water is key to removing the bio-burden responsible for infection.
As for medications, I would probably carry Tylenol, Advil, and Ultram (tramadol) if you can get it from your doc. I like Cipro, imodium, aspirin, anbusol, prednisone, benadryl, and some OTC laxative. The problem I find with most meds is that they expire long before you get to use them.

[MuleDeer]

There are a couple reasons that people don't use venom suction. Some of them are fairly viable but the main reason is that it pulls the venom closer to skin level instead of letting it pass and dilute through the body. This creates large scarring and fairly complex infections.
Of course on the other hand letting it take its course through your body, dependent of snake, you could just die, so pick your poison i guess....

BTW, wouldn't worry about corals on the AT, havn't seen them any further up than maybe 60 miles into GA, deffinately not above fault line, Cotton mouths are about the same thing, no farther than atlanta. I'm thinking Timber rattlers are really the only thing you'll see there and they aren't nearly as bad as canebreaks or EDB's.

Happy Trails~

[Fishbamboo]

I was a EMT for three years in Pa. My first aid kit is a lot bigger than anything listed. I think how much you carry might depend to some extent of how well you know how to use it. I don't see much more weight added with a few more dressing that might save a life. I will cut weight on something else.

[waywardfool]

I'll add to this thread....I wiped out on my mountain bike last September, 10 miles from the road. I was squirting and oozing blood from a lot of places. I had a pretty decent first aid kit with me, but was surprised at how little there was, when I started patching myself up. took all my gauze, bandana, ap paper, etc that I had. Granted, hiking your are (likely) not gonna go down that hard and get that beat up.

The next few weeks, I spent a small fortune on gauze and tape.

I'm just sayin'...when you really need it, a meager kit won't do very much.

[hilpg]

Hello. I bought my first aid kits in TopMost.us. There is a very big choice of it. And my brother bought it here too, and he is very happy.

[creekfreek]

I am an instructor for ARCs Wilderness and Remote First Aid Course. I just finished reading thru this thread and found a lot of interesting viewpoints. One thing that should standout is that there is no one size fits all. Either for the situation or for the individual. For most of the areas we find ourselves hiking in the lower 48 a minimal kit is fine. I keep the bare essentials with my backpack. When kayaking, basecamping or camping with our Boy Scouts I have a larger kit. In my Pickup and at home, I have an even larger, and very complete kit. Cutman says major injuries are not treatable on the trail. He is correct in this, however first aid is not about treatment. It is about stabilizing and preventing further injury until proper medical attention or transport/evacuation is available. The reason that people like Cutman and others can comfortably go in the wilderness with minimal FA kits is that they have the training that will allow them to use makeshift or alternative materials and get by with multifunction rather than specific function items. The most important First Aid tool is always the one between your ears. Get trained, or at least read a decent manual. The better trained you are the more you will find that you can leave at home. First Aid saves lives. To dispute that would be irresponsible. Unfortunatly, it is NOT instinctive and requires training. Hope to see you all on the trail soon (and in good health)

[JAK]

He's a real Capitalist that Uncle Johnny.

Panzer

We should organize an "Occupy Uncle Johnny's" event.

[JAK]

I keep my latest first aid kit in a light plastic cylidrical spice jar.
Nothing to add in terms of contents, but something to consider ahead of time is how you might use other items of your gear as potential first aid items, like a blue foam pad or other sleeping pad as a splint, or you might sanitize and keep in a ziplock an extra pair of socks which could be used as a field dressing, or as an extra pair of socks. Maybe a slip of paper with your list of contents, and also an "aide memoire" notes of how to respond to some different scenarios. If you make such a set of notes yourself ahead of time, you probably won't need it, but its good to have if it relies on certain items being in the rest of your gear and clothing, like a knife, or blue foam pad, or some cordage, or whatever. It might have a list of items required to be carried outside of your first aid kit.

Preparing such an "aide memoire" yourself, customized to your own needs and skills and gear, would be a very good exercise I think.

[Hoofit]

"One of the things that I have not seen listed is non-latex gloves. It you are in a situation where you have to help someone else and they are bleeding it would be wise to use gloves. Of course I suppose you could throw them some duct tape and keep walking, but usually people are not that cold.
Plus one of the gloves blown up makes a fair ball for a back-country volleyball game. You can also use one for a cover for a mp3 or some other small instrument. Make a finger cot out of one of the fingers and a little duct tape. I am sure that there are other uses as well. "

As it is always good to find multiple uses for everything carried on the trail, I have been told that, at a pinch, one could also use latex
gloves for a random hump if needed, depending of course on the glove size.
Has anyone tried this? After all, better safe than sorry...

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[jakedatc]

I was a EMT for three years in Pa. My first aid kit is a lot bigger than anything listed. I think how much you carry might depend to some extent of how well you know how to use it. I don't see much more weight added with a few more dressing that might save a life. I will cut weight on something else.

I'm curious what you added and what you think the added things will help with?

As an athletic trainer i do first aid in an outdoors and athletic environment all the time so there isn't much I wouldn't see at work.

Tape
duct tape
band aids
steri strips
gauze
tefla pads
triple antibiotic
emerg. blanket
safety pin
triangle bandage
benedryl
1pair nitrile gloves

hehe love all the EMT's and medics still trying to be RAD. cold packs? heavy and useless haha sticking the injured part into the next river crossing will be colder. fill ziplock bag with water will be colder.

[One Half]

thread resurrection time! I was googling and landed on this thread. I never knew first aid kits were so controversial. My FAK is something I carry every trip and am very happy that I almost never have used it.

I have used ibuprofen, moleskin and duct tape, and even some small bandaids from it. It's not much larger than that but it's one piece of gear I have no thoughts of ditching it even if I never use it again. I also carried a more extensive one every day to work when I worked. It was more of a money saver as I was always near a pharmacy or other store where I could grab something if I needed it but at an unnecessary expense versus just making sure I had things with me that I may need. Again, something I rarely used but the few times I really needed an allergy pill, blister pad, or an ibuprofen, it made the little space it occupies in my bag seem even smaller.

[orthofingers]

What could be included in a first aid kit for dental emergencies? Say you cracked a tooth, or lost a filling, and were a couple of days away from a dentist?

I'm not familiar with what's in those little dental emergency kits that REI sells but my opinion is that dental emergencies are not acute emergencies (as a bad bleedout would be or a heart attack or fracture). Yes, they can be very painful and cut short a hike but, at least on the AT, would not be life threatening. An exception might be an abscess on a back molar halfway into the hundred mile wilderness that that spreads inferiorly ( from a lower molar) or superiorly (from an upper molar).
Most dental emergencies on the AT will allow you to get to a dentist or oral surgeon within a couple days, albeit a couple of miserable days.
One of the best things a thru hiker can do dentally before they start is to make sure there are not unaddressed dental issues like wonky positioned wisdom teeth or cavities needing attention.

And finally, do yourself and your orthodontist a favor. If you have braces on, don't contemplate a thru hike until the braces are off. After eating pop tarts, M&Ms, and gummy bears for six months, it would be a miracle not to have decalcification marks around where the bracket was on each tooth.