First Aid Kits

[ED-n-KEL]

After years of using very basic homemade FAKs, I finally purchased a decent little store bought kit ($55). I like this one because it gives a good general supply of most things, and it has a small separable kit with basics in it, great for taking along while day-hiking.

I've also been toying around for the last few years (since Katrina) about making up a "master kit" using something like a "handy man" plastic tool box. My thinking is this kit would stay in the truck/TM and would have larger items in it, such as ace bandage assortment, maybe an ankle brace, SAM splint, emergency blanket, etc.

I'm curious to not only get feedback from what everyone else is carrying, but to also hear some past history from the more experienced TMers about the kinds of past injuries/incidents. Also any regional tips, whether it be for very cold weather, altitude, certain regional snakes or insects.

For the most part I'm prepared for cut knees, sprained ankles, etc,....basic hiking injuries, but again, am counting on the more experienced for issues that I may be missing. I don't want to bring up possible bad memories of a trip gone bad, but the info shared, could help others in the future.

 

[Wavery]

Couple of suggestions:

1. Butterfly stitches.
2. Kotex pad.

I once saved a guys life because I had a Kotex pad in my kit. I came across a car accident. The guy had a severe laceration in his leg. I held the pad on it until paramedics arrived. They told me that if I had not done that, the guy most certainly would have bled out.

 

[rumbleweed]

Epi Pen for allergic reactions.
Water sterilization Tabs should you be stuck where there is no potable water.
Water proof magnesium fire starter bar. ( Wal Mart) Should you need a fire and you have no dry matches.
Small sealed container with a few cotton balls wiped in Vasoline. Make excellent fire starter material.
Small Crank flashlight in case you need to use this stuff at night and you have not light,

 

[Bill]

1. ...
2. Kotex pad. I once saved a guys life because I had a Kotex pad in my kit. I came across a car accident. The guy had a severe laceration in his leg. I held the pad on it until paramedics arrived. They told me that if I had not done that, the guy most certainly would have bled out.

This is a good suggestion, and an old one. It has appeared in a number of survivalist forums, as well in Internet Iraq War (etc) stories. I'm glad you were prepared to actually use it when needed, and prove it out.

This is a great thread. I'll say that I carry a small first aid kit with a bunch of band-aids, butterflies, some gauze squares, adhesive tape, aspirin, alcohol wipes, sting wipes, swabs, triple-antibiotic cream, and so forth. But I know I should beef it up. Should I add ipecac for poison ingestion, for instance? How about powdered charcoal, for the same purpose? Tincture of iodine as an antiseptic (I have a jug of bleach under the sink for water purification)?

Our son has a nut allergy, severity unknown (meaning he has never tested it). I've asked him to carry an epi-pen. He won't do it, but he no longer travels with us much, so I haven't pressed it. Our son-in-law has a peanut allergy, but not severe, he says, so he carries nothing for it. But still, an epi-pen might be a good thing to carry, just for the benefit of my unknown campground neighbor (wink wink).

How about printing the 800-number for a posion-control center in the lid of the kit? Maybe a How-To-Treat-Common-Emergency-Conditions pamphlet?

Naturally, some specific conditions require specific items. If you have severe diabetes, for example, you might want to throw some sugary candies into the kit, and an emergency insulin injector. If you have severe asthma, an emergency inhaler would be good. Some nitrogylcerin tabs for angina sufferers. But I think this thread addresses the items in a general purpose kit, and I'm anxious to see what the membership comes up with. Thanks, Ed-n-Kel, for introducing the topic.

Bill

 

[Wavery]

One could go to all sorts of extremes with this stuff and IMHO it is justified if you are really boon-docking or even winter camping in an area where you could get snowed in for weeks.

When my wife and I sailed around the world, we had a full-blown medical kit, Morphine, scalpels, suture stapler, medical books....the works. We could actually perform surgery at sea (we took classes) with the aide of a Coast Guard Dr on SSB radio. I have actually heard this being done over my radio, at sea twice. Once was a guy that got his hand in a cable driven winch and the cable cut his hand in two. A crew member was on the SSB with a Coast Guard Dr for about 4 or 5 hours. They were 5 days out from New Zealand. The other one was a husband and wife team on their way to South Africa and the wife had to remove the husband's appendix, or watch him die. The guy survived and we met them in Richard's Bay, South Africa about a month later.

 

[Al-n-Sue]

We include some common OTC drugs as well - ibuprofen, Imodium AD, Gaviscon/Tums, Benedril, etc.

 

[Wavery]

We include some common OTC drugs as well - ibuprofen, Imodium AD, Gaviscon/Tums, Benedril, etc.

Benadryl spray works great on insect bites. That's a "Must have" in your kit.

 

[B_and_D]

Meat tenderizer for insect stings. Vinegar for nettles. Plus all the other stuff (except for the surgical supplies ).

 

[ED-n-KEL]

Couple of suggestions:

1. Butterfly stitches.
2. Kotex pad.

I once saved a guys life because I had a Kotex pad in my kit. I came across a car accident. The guy had a severe laceration in his leg. I held the pad on it until paramedics arrived. They told me that if I had not done that, the guy most certainly would have bled out.

EXACTLY what I was looking for! The butterfly bandages are already on my "to add" list, but the Kotex is an excellent suggestion and will be added immediately. THANKS Wayne!!

 

[ED-n-KEL]

Great stuff everyone. Keep the ideas coming..

Many of the normal suggestions given are also in the great little manual that came with the kit I bought. They have a great section in the back on OTC add on, as well as prescription add on's for more elaborate groups/trips.
I have already added the Benadryl, Calamine, Imodium, Saline solution (for eyes), Peroxide, alcohol, butterfly bandages, liquid bandage, Aloe Vera lotion, and many other common over the shelf items to my list for the "master kit".
I wasn't sure if the "Epi-pen" was over the counter or not. We've never had any allergies of any kind so this is not something we've dealt with before, but then we've never been bitten by a scorpion or other such critter.
This big kit would also contain the larger items mentioned in my first post.

My thinking is, say you fall and cut your leg on a 3hr hike... you can patch it up good enough with the small kit until you can get back to the TV/TM to then do a more thorough job with the master kit.
Having the extra room in the master would also allow you to adjust the contents, depending on the type, location, or length of trip. As HarveyRV says, you can go to all sorts of extremes depending on the who, what, and where's, so my thinking is if the kit/box has plenty of room, you can shuffle internal packs (separate ziplocs with trip specific contents) in and out as the trip changes. For example, my 17yr plays rugby and we do make a few out of town trips, so I can add a ziplock with items more specific to this activity for these trips, etc. Basically the extra room allows you to bring along what's in the home medicine cabinet when needed.

Any input on snake bite kits? We've never been bitten, but have certainly seen our share of snakes, both poisonous and non-poisonous.

 

[ED-n-KEL]

Just wanted to add, that after using home-made FAKs for decades, it's very refreshing to have a nicely made kit put together by a company that specializes in just this.
Probably the most important item in the kit is the manual. It not only makes suggestions on contents, but has step by step first aid instructions for almost every common type of field injury, written in a way that very easy to comprehend and administer in the field. The author is a well known outdoor/field doctor.
The kit I bought is recommended for 1 person for 7 days OR 7 people for 1 day. The bag is well made and has room for basic additions. The full bag weighs about 1.5 pounds. All in all, very well worth the $55. I highly recommend everyone to get something like it. Of course if you're group is smaller or larger, buy the kit that fits your needs.

My kit

All kits

 

[ED-n-KEL]

One could go to all sorts of extremes with this stuff and IMHO it is justified if you are really boon-docking or even winter camping in an area where you could get snowed in for weeks.

HarveyRV makes a great point, and one I learned the hard way during Katrina. We stayed for the storm, and you realize after the fact that NOTHING is normal after such a disaster. You loose the the obvious stuff, like electricity, running water, sewerage, etc. (basic camping)
While the first few days you were stuck home due to street flooding (and were truly on your own), but even when you can start driving around, you quickly realize that not only are all the stores closed, but the hospitals are closed, the police are almost non-existent, etc. It becomes a true survival situation.
I remember my neighbor showed up the 2nd day after the storm (he was staying across town with a friend with generator) and was all excited about starting the cleanup that afternoon. I told him that all the limbs and such could stay on the ground for weeks as far as I was concerned, because if we hurt ourselves in anyway during those first few days, there wasn't anyone coming to help, and no hospitals to go to. Something like a major cut or a fall would become a life and death situation quickly.

Camping or hiking in a very remote area would pretty much be the same scenerio. If a serious injury would happen, a planned 4hr day hike may become an overnight ordeal. You would need to be prepared for the very least, an overnight stay in the wild, on your own....with medical supplies.

 

[MudDog-TMO]

The Epi-Pen's are presecription as far as I know. My oldest son now has one because of his last reaction to a bee sting. His Dr. was nice enough to write a prescription for 3 pens so we could keep one on us, one in the TM and one at home.

Benadryl seems to be the most recommended over-the-counter medication and next best thing to deal with various allergic reactions.

From what I've read about snake bites, the most effective and pretty much only treatment is getting medical attention and anti-venom as soon as possible. Tourniquets, sucking the venom out, etc. - while one time listed in nearly every first aid guide seem to have been edited out years ago.

We look at our TM as a lifeboat for our stick house. Living in CA, chances are good there will be an earthquake where we could be on our own for a few days or possibly weeks.

While I don't think I'll be stocking scapels, bone saws and rigging my water pump to act as a heart by-pass machine, I don't think it hurts to have a well stocked kit. Would rather invest the relatively little money and never need it than not have the kit and wish I had.

One of the things I need to do that I've been putting off is take a first aid course. I took a CPR course 10 years ago, but could use a refresher. The Red Cross offers good 1 day courses and my local community offers a multi-day course on disaster preparedness that includes first aid and basic first responder training. Knowing what to do and how to use the supplies is just as important as the supplies themselves.

 

[wbmiller3]

I agree with Mud Dog. For snake bite the best first aid is your cell phone. (realizing that remote areas still don't have coverage).

 

[Wavery]

Don't forget a good bottle of Jack Daniels.......

 

[rumbleweed]

Another one that is small and light. Super glue. Works great if you need to seal a large clean cut.

 

[Wavery]

Another one that is small and light. Super glue. Works great if you need to seal a large clean cut.

That's what the Jack Daniels is for.

You'd better study up before using Super Glue to close a wound. It's not nearly as strong as you think, there is a technique to using the stuff and there can be complications. Durmabound is the medical quality Super Glue and it's quite expensive.

I prefer these:
http://www.first-aid-product.com/industrial/wound-closures.htm

I've used them on myself after cutting my leg with a fillet knife (long story) and my wife's face when she got smacked by the boom on our sailboat. They worked well and neither one of us has much of a scar.

 

[Jim&Joan]

Interesting thread...

I just put together a kit for DW as a little Christmas present kicker. (I got her some real presents, too.

Mine is pretty basic. Bandages, gauzes, sterile tape, bandaids, burn gel, antispetics, alcohol wipes, wound cleaner, moleskin. OTC asprin, ibuprofin, and alergy pills. I added tweezers with little magnifier, surgical scissors and a CPR mask. A few pairs of sterile gloves.

Reading some of the things cause me to realize a couple of things...

Stuff that might be useful to one, won't necessarily be useful to others. If you aren't trained and in a place you need to use it, don't get into it. As a scout leader we had to emphasize counting on emergency services and just stabilizing 'til help arrived. Once we were remote enough that finding us would have been hard (before GPS). A dislocated shoulder had to be immobilized and we transported using a cot as a litter. We packed in ice and met the emergency crews at the closest point. The ER people complemented what we had done, but we didn't do anymore than we needed. Without training, I'd likely do more damage that good.

Ice is a big first aid supply if you have it available.

Guidelines and procedures change. I was a First Aid Responder (just basic first aid) at work requiring annual training. In four years the basic CPR process changed three times. So, refresher knowledge is good.

Being a diver, I was recently reviewing some jellyfish sting info. It indicated vinegar was the best thing to neutralize. Meat Tenderizer and lemon juice were indicated to be ineffective.

Epi-pens - I have no idea of the risk of giving them. I would think the effected person would have one and know. I wouldn't be comfortable administering on my own.

A pen and paper can be helpful to pass on info to professionals. Time of accident, how long applying pressure, pulse info, CPR durations, etc. They say it can help the responder focus or help them keep a less than helpful assistant occupied.

Asprin quickly administered is currently thought to be a difference maker on heart attack victims. (Of course an AED would be nice to have, but not something I can see me putting in my trailer.)

Finally, having camped with two small daughters, a habit I use to be consistent at doing but have become lax...create a list of emergency contact numbers and identification of my location. Sheriff's department, local hopital, ranger's office, State Police for area I am in. Know if you are in an area that has volunteer fire/EMS department. Water patrol if applicable. Trying to figure that stuff out in an emergency, late at night, with your phone battery running down (which is how it usually happens ;-) can waste time and increase anxiety. Being a diver, knowing where decompression chambers are located is a good idea.

Great thread. Looking forward to other's ideas. A small pen light is a good idea. My interest will be in the First Aid Supplies. The survival supplies are a different kit in my mind.

 

[Nature Recorder]

Something for the kit comes to mind. One of this lighted baseball caps (LEDs mounted in the edge of the bill). Gives you hands free lighting and is easy to adjust so it's where you need to look. The LEDs last a long time on the battery and spare battery(ies) take up little room. Got one for a birthday a while ago and they put out a suprising amount of light for a long time. Also great for walking the dog at night, or those midnight strolls to the camp toilet.
Or a hikers headlamp or such.

 

[Nature Recorder]

Another thought;
Simple cold medications.
Don't forget most OTC medications have a shelf life. they don't necessarily go bad after the date but their strength may be reduced. On my kits I put a piece of cellophane packing tape on a smooth surface of the box. With Sharpie, or other permanent marker, I write down the next date something is due to expire (you can "erase" this with rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or cloth when you need to update it). Then you can review the box before each trip and replace those items that need it.