Best bandaids

I can’t believe there are no hydrocolloid bandage afficiandos!  I LOVE those things!  Spend the extra and get the Johnson and Johnson Tough Pads (if you can find them…).  Cut to fit any size wound – they keep out dirt and water, you leave them on for days at a time – they work wonders for blisters or hot spots or the falling-off/traumatic-removal of toenails…

They are padded, they keep air out (and thus the awesome relief they provide to those nasty scrapes/blisters/open skin.  way simpler than the gauze/leukotape combo…and are waterproof!

The only downside is that they will not absorb blood like gauze.  So a super bleeding thing needs the gauze…or a bandana…but for the vast majority of what I encounter on the trail, including de-gloving my pinky toe on an ill-advised barefoot nighttime pee run in the sierra, the hydrocolloids are the way to go.

de-gloving

/me gags

re: nighttime pee runs (ill-advised or not):

Maybe it’s a guy thing, or maybe I’m just gross, but for a 3am pee I never take more than 2-3 steps from the vestibule..it’s just not worth it :)

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Back to the subject at hand…It looks like Walgreens carry the aforementioned hydrocolloid bandages for ~$5 a box.

I find bandaids are far more convenient than cutting gauze to size (and less wasteful).  Similarly with blisters; those hydrocolloid blister pads are much nicer than fiddling with moleskin.

For nastier cuts or scrapes Tegaderm film takes up minimal space but covers large areas and works for days.  That helps avoid “wasting” gauze on regular dressing changes.  (I prefer to have gauze available for when something’s bleeding and needs pressure, and yes, some of it is quickclot gauze.)