What’s in YOUR first aid kit?

[Simon Kenton]

Nailing down my first aid kit, I would love to hear about what everyone puts in theirs.

Thanks!

[Greg Mihalik]

A often repeated question.

What does a Search turn up?

[EndoftheTrail]

My search took me 10 seconds and turned up tons of good info. Happy reading.

EDIT: Lousy software refuses to embed my link — here's the addy:

https://www.google.com/search?q=site:www.backpackinglight.com+first+aid+kits

[Ken Thompson]

4400+ results from

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/search.html?q=what%27s+in+your+first+aid+kkit&x=0&y=0

have narrowed down what I carry.

[Simon Kenton]

Happy reading indeed haha

Thanks guys

[J R]

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=91019

[Simon Kenton]

That's the one I tried to link in my reply. Perfect :) Now I have easy access to it.

Thanks again

[kevperro .]

I don't carry a "kit" per se. I do carry various things I could improvise into a splint but I don't think I'll be treating any major wounds in the wilderness.

The things you treat are exposure, dehydration, pain from using your body in ways that are not the norm.

So… I carry food, clothing, shelter and emergency reserves of them. I carry some pain killers to help me manage muscle pain. I use my head and keep myself out of situations that would expose me to unnecessary risk.

[Gordon Gray]

I have small 4"X3" pouch with the basic bandaids, gauze patches, and antiseptic pads, ect…

What I recently added was some small ziplock baggies with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and Immodium AD pills. Oh, I got a couple vicodin in there too. I printed up small direction sheets to go with each so if I became disoriented I would have a little help.

I think I have used this kit at least one time each trip. Never has it been major. The worst was the golf ball sized blisters on my heels I got once.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I use an AMK 0.3 kit as a starter and add meds, ointments, etc as needed. I replaced the compresses with larger ones after using the small ones on a head wound and found them useless for anything bigger than a small cut. I do like a well-stocked kit and use the 0.3 package as my limiting factor. It is the older zippered pouch like the current 0.5.

The list for the stock kit:

Bandage Materials
4 – Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1" x 3"
2 – Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle
2 – Bandage, Butterfly Closure
3 – Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2" x 2", Pkg./2 [replaced with 4×4]
2 – Safety Pins
Blister / Burn
1 – Moleskin, Pre-Cut & Shaped (11 pieces)
Instrument
1 – Splinter Picker/Tick Remover Forceps
Medication
2 – After Bite Wipe
2 – Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25 mg)
2 – Ibuprofen (200 mg), Pkg./2
Wound Care
3 – Antiseptic Wipe
2 – Alcohol Swab
1 – Tape, 1/2" x 10 Yards
2 – Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Single Use

I add more analgesics, anti-diarrhea meds, Orajel topical anesthetic (works outside the mouth), hydrocortisone, and Neopsorin. There is enough room for small vials of super glue, DEET and Dr Bronners too. I throw in a few spare Micro Pur tablets and keep my "hotel freebie" sewing kit in the same bag.

From there, I rely on improvising with clothing and bandana as well as sticks or trekking poles for splinting.

[John Klinepeter]

I never before considered using Orajel outside the mouth. I have always carried both Orajel generic (benzocaine) and burn gel (lidocaine) for external use. I just removed the lidocaine from my kit, saving 0.16 oz. in the process. Thanks, Dale!

[Owen McMurrey]

My emergency kit is a quart Ziploc freezer bag with athletic tape, ACE bandage/s, adhesive bandages, antiseptic wipes, gauze, Micropur tabs to back up the water filter, spare headlamp battery, mini-Bic, firestarters, anti-chafe, repair tape, extra cord, chapstick, and a couple of Zeiss lens wipes('cause I'll probably die without my sunglasses or camera).

The two main items I carry that I don't see in most backpackers' first aid kits are athletic tape and an ACE bandage or two. They're also the only first aid items I've had a need for in the last several years of frequent hiking. They both have multiple uses, but generally speaking, the tape handles blisters, and anything a bandaid will cover, while the ACE bandage is for stabilizing sprains or breaks. At the same time, most of what I see listed in first aid kits is for treating things that don't really need treatment, and that I don't bother with.
The wipes, gauze, and bandages that I carry for big cuts and profuse bleeding are as much for peace of mind as anything. I'm tempted to remove them, but they only weigh .5oz combined. Maybe one day I'll get attacked by a cougar or something.
My last "injury" was sidestepping for a better pic of a waterfall, and having the stub of a branch go straight into my ear(seriously…OW), so who knows?

[David Thomas]

Where the Venn diagram of "first aid kit" overlaps with "repair kit" is mostly tape. Gorilla tape, Leuko tape, various flavors of moleskin, padded tape, white cloth-like first-aid tape, etc. My wife has long put a few wraps of each around her Nalgene bottle (which makes it less slippery), but we all know Nalgene bottles are not the lightest option.

I find the first 5 inches are more likely to be used then the next few feet, so I make it more UL by applying a variety of tapes to a 3×5-ish piece of waxed card stock. It also then becomes a place to store sharps like sewing needles, razor blades or replacement scalpel blades, etc.

Also, by keeping the repair kit and first aid kit together, I have one less small package floating around.

[Bob Gross]

"I find the first 5 inches are more likely to be used then the next few feet, so I make it more UL by applying a variety of tapes to a 3×5-ish piece of waxed card stock."

Instead of waxed card stock, use the slick side of release paper. This is the backing paper for address labels.

–B.G.–

[Dale Wambaugh]

I read about Orajel on BPL of course. The story goes that it is an old ballet dancer's trick for painful spots on feet. I don't know about using it on burns vs the lidocaine. I would carry both for that weight!

It's funny how a slight skin scrape in the wrong spot can be so painful while more extensive injuries can be ignored. Road rash type scrapes can keep you awake and can be as painful as a burn. The underside of the forearm and outboard side of the calves come to mind.

[Lori P]

Things in my first aid kit:

wilderness first aid TRAINING
Wilderness Medicine (the NOLS textbook) in kindle format on my turned-off phone
a PLB to help in the event someone is incapacitated
a good itinerary back home, so if we're all in a tough spot, someone will look for and bring home what's left of us – so family can collect on life insurance
Everything in my pack – water treatment, hot drinks, fire starting gear, clothes, sleeping gear
bandaids, including big telfa pads and butterfly strips. granite rash happens. I have handed out the butterflies to folks with cuts on the face from tumbling down the trail and kissing a tree.
tick puller. tweezers work not at all well enough.
vinegar, if nettles are likely
benadryl flakes that melt on the tongue
five different headache/ pain remedies, because five types of headache make me anything from cranky to incapable of walking
leukotape for hot spots, hydration bladder repair, or anything requiring a solid grip; medical tape for gauze requiring a daily change
vet wrap – does the job of an ace bandage and more
my reading glasses, so I can see what I am doing

[Mike M]

my first aid kit is pretty small, about an ounce- Leukotape wrapped around a Benzoin ampule, Steri-Strips, small roll of gauze, small tweezers, triple antibiotic, small med bag w/ Aspirin (2), Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen-# based on length of trip, 4 Imodium, 4 Benadryl

my repair kit carries over into first aid, length of duct tape (Gorilla tape), couple of safety pins and a needle/thread-also about an ounce

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