first aid kit

[flagator]

Hey all, I'm looking at updating my first aid kit. I read the prep articals provided, and know what to look for in a good first aid kit. However I dont know what is really considered overkill. I want something that could help with a possible snakebit, major fall, sprained ankle, etc. The first aid at my outfitter ranges from $30-$80 and some of them are quite heavy, im talking a pound and a half. So really what I'm asking is how much should one pay for a very decent first aid kit, and how bulky/heavy should it be. This might seem like a silly question but I want to save space and weight, but also be safe at the same time and there are about 12 different kits they have. THANKS!

[flagator]

oh, and if it helps. I wan't a kit that can be used for a major section hike, 1-4 weeks.

[Bloodroot]

I would just get a few things and put it in a baggie. Be sure to put some duct tape in with it!

[Lone Wolf]

No need for a snake bite kit.

[Bloodroot]

No need for a snake bite kit.

I agree....If you get bit out there you are a gonner anyways.

[flagator]

I have a few mini rolls of duct tape, for blisters and fixing things. What sort of things should I be putting in this baggie, I'm use to buying pre-made kits. But i realize they are some what a waste of money. So I don't know I should put together for myself.

[flagator]

I realize some of them are a waste of money.*

[FHThiker]

I wouldn't invest a lot of $$$ in a kit. I did that in the past and I've found that a few bandages, tape, and whatever medicines you want to bring along are just fine. I read somewhere a while back that if you need much more than that type of stuff, you really should leave the trail, so I tend not to carry as much these days...just things I really know I'll use.

Here's my "morphed" kit that I've used on numerous weekenders:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2169553360097242000xOdcFV

Oh, definitely make sure you pack something to treat blisters...

[Gray Blazer]

Morphine patches in case you break your leg.

[flagator]

Blazer, wouldn't I need a prescription for Morphine though? If not, where can I get it? Thanks.

[hammock engineer]

As of right now mine consists of:

2 or 3 sterile guse pads
duck tape
Vit. I
tyenole
first aid cream (corona utter cream, great for blisters)
TP
I am thinking about adding cold medience for my hike next month

I figure anything that I can not treat with the above, then I will probibly be needing to go to the hospital.

This is definitly a personal decision.

[Gray Blazer]

Blazer, wouldn't I need a prescription for Morphine though? If not, where can I get it? Thanks.
Whoops, never mind.

[Tamarack]

I want something that could help with a possible snakebit, major fall, sprained ankle, etc. This might seem like a silly question but I want to save space and weight, but also be safe at the same time and there are about 12 different kits they have. THANKS!

Snake bite; like posted already you'd be a gonner.
major fall; like how high? if its really bad worst case senario, multiple fractured bones and not being able to move yourself anywhere. you'll need a whistle or somethign that makes alot of noise for a little effort. fox 40 and acme thunder are both fairly lowd/deafening. I like my fox 40 mini. Noisy as heck and there's not parts inside that rattle so I can even whistle while under water!
sprained ankle; ace/tensor bandage. I suggest a 4" one that could cover ankles, knees and elbows should you need it. Also if you havnt taken a standard first aid course yet, they will tell you for sprains/strains to RICE Rest, Immobilize, Cold, Elevate. which is kinda hard to do on the trail. If you broke a limb you could help splint the arm/leg with a sticks and the tensor.

I usually cary a tensor/ace bandage 3" or 4",
a female sanitary napkin(pad) for severe bleeding, deep laceration bleeding like that from sharp rocks/twigs etc. (just ask your wife/girlfriend/sister for one) the back parts are sticky so you could stick it to a bandana and then tie the bandana to your arm/leg.
Bandaids cloth or foam as the plasic ones are crap, usually just a few.
purell/alcohol swabs to disinfect/clean, it also helps dry out damp spots
Moleskin for blisters
a few(2-3) thick gel-like sterile blister covers, incase moleskin isnt cutting it or if the blister is big and pops.
ibuprofen (advil/motrin) for muscle aches/pains/headaches/cramps i put a few into a film canester.
peptobismal tabs (pink bismuth) incase food/water doesnt agree with you, again a few into a film canester with a cotton ball on top to keep them from rattling/breaking/discintigrating into dust.
All of the above fits nicely into a ziplock bag 1qt size.
whistle on hat or backpack strap.
duct tape always.
scissors on pocketknife to cut and shape moleskin.

[chazmo]

My kit consists of:

small tube of carmex (lip applicator, but squeeze it out for other uses)
BandAid antiseptic/itch cream in a straw
6 band aid type bandages
2 2 inch gauze squares
1 knuckle bandage (I'm always skinning my knuckles!)
2 butterfly closures (for larger cuts)
1 small nail clipper
2 inch square of moleskin
small amount of liquid antiseptic in a mini-dropper bottle
foot powder in a plastic bag.
12 ibuprofen
6 benedryl
6 pseudephedrine
4 lotrimin

other items included in my pack are tweezers in my swiss army knife, a needle in my repair kit, and duct tape wrapped around my water bottle.

[Tamarack]

As of right now mine consists of:
2 or 3 sterile guse pads
This is definitly a personal decision.

why take gauze when you can have a sanitary napkin(pad) that is so much more absorbent and is non stick and when you consider 2-3 gauze pads weight and the weight of an ultra thin regular sized pad, they weigh just about the same and take up just about as much bulk.

It is deffinitly a decision that you'd have to make. for me I take what I listed sometimes a heck of a lot less. But when I'm going anywhere with kids then I end up over stuffing the first aid kit with crap I really dont need.

[c.coyle]

A half dozen immodium capsules

[hammock engineer]

why take gauze when you can have a sanitary napkin(pad) that is so much more absorbent and is non stick and when you consider 2-3 gauze pads weight and the weight of an ultra thin regular sized pad, they weigh just about the same and take up just about as much bulk.



I might look into that. The look on my sisters face alone when I ask for a couple would be priceless.

[hammock engineer]

you'll need a whistle or somethign that makes alot of noise for a little effort. fox 40 and acme thunder are both fairly lowd/deafening. I like my fox 40 mini. Noisy as heck and there's not parts inside that rattle so I can even whistle while under water!


I have a whistle built into my knife. One thing to consider on whistles is not to get the old school referree style ones. The ball in them can freeze making them useless. The newer ones are also much loader.

[hikerjohnd]

There are as many variations on kits as there are hikers. Take what you think you'll need and then slowly leave stuff at home as you realize you do not really need it. I hiked with a nurse who carried no less than two pounds of stuff - I know she could have done an appendectomy in the field. My kit now consists of 2-3 bandaids (I always manage to get a small cut on my finger), 6 vitamin I's, 4 Immodium caplets, and a pair of nippers (http://www.folica.com/images/uploads/F8450.gif). The nippers are heavy, but I use them almost daily in place of nail clippers. That's the whole kit - some say too much, more say too little. Most importantly, it works for me.

[Pacific Tortuga]

The best thing to carry is some smart's, take a wildernous first aid course or even better become EMT certified along with common sense.

[Bloodroot]

Dang some of yall bring the whole cabinet with ya.

Band-aids
Nail clips
Needle -n- thread (In case I need to pull off a Rambo ;))
Pain meds
Small pouch of first aid cream
Toothpaste
Sawed off toothbrush

That's all I carry

[Bloodroot]

Oh yeah and moleskin with duct tape

I get my Vit. C from pine needles

[orangebug]

I consider much of my backpack as the first aid kit. I use safety pins for zipper pulls. If I have need to immobilize or splint an extremity, banadana or clothing, safety pins, pack stays, trekking poles and duct tape have me covered.

Snake Bite - the person must be evacuated in any case to the local ER. Wasting time on a snake bite kit usually only makes the wound worse.

Abrasions, chafing, rashes, blisters - udder creme, bag balm, triple antibiotic creme, vasoline, diaper creme, sun tan lotion all work, with duct tape to cover open wounds or to reduce friction over a blister.

Alcohol gel or Polar Pure to clean a wound. Gas permeable membrane to cover it. I can make a good pressure dressing with duct tape and bandana or (even better) sanitary napkin. Gauze can be nice, but still can be substituted.

What ever pills you like for pain, GI upset (Pepto Bismol is my favorite) are a good idea.

[hammock engineer]

Needle -n- thread (In case I need to pull off a Rambo ;))



I saw threads in the past saying that. First aid for my pack or kit, but I am too much of a dancing banana to use it on me.

:banana :banana

[Kevin A. Boyce]

Add a few safety pins... they have a variety of personal and gear uses, and they weigh very little. I carry 2 or 3 in my first aid kit.

[flagator]

Alright, thanks a lot for the replies.

[Peaks]

As you can see, there are as many different ideas on first aid supplies as there are backpackers.

For guidence, you might start by reading the First Aid section of an AT Trail Guide. But, probably most thru-hikers consider that to be too much. You might also read the recommendations in various "How-to hike the AT books."

But, in fact, what to bring depends in large part on how accident prone you are. For example, you probably should carry blister materials for the first couple of weeks. Once you get past that, you feet should be conditioned such that it's unnecessary. Likewise, if you don't routinely use medications, then why carry them for a thru-hike. In all probablity, the only injuries that you might sustain are minor cuts and bruises. So, you don't need much more than a few band-aids to take care of that.

Finally, the best first aid that you can take with you is knowledge.

[Grampie]

Two things that I took that proved to be very usefull on my thru were:
Lotrimin and hydrocortisone 1 % cream. The cream worked wounders on pack rash.:)

[highway]

On the AT one is seldom further than a couple of days or so from a drugstore so there is little need to carry a kit big enough to last you several weeks. A baggie with just a few bandaids in it- from 1" up 3", and a couple of those very small (tiny) vials that you will fill with one or two of your favorite creams/ointments and there you have it.

It is easy to forget that at best you will just be treating a very few tiny cuts, maybe a blister or two, not gunshot wounds.

[Newb]

Sulpha powder, hemostats, blood transfusion kit, bone saw and tweezers. That's what I take.

[Tamarack]

naw naw naw, for a field amputation kit you need a gigli bone saw, a tourniquit, no need for hemostats, scalpel and blade, needle driver, some heavy 1 vicryl suture, sponges 18"x18" radiopaque, some saline for irrigation, and ohh lets see a skin stapler and a jar of win-to-green cus the smell is sometimes bad. Nasty gangrene. oh and lets not forget the sterile gowns, gloves, skin prep, draping material, cautery, ummm. OH and while we're at it lets do it in outter space!!:banana LOL crazy french.

[Twofiddy]

There are as many variations on kits as there are hikers. Take what you think you'll need and then slowly leave stuff at home as you realize you do not really need it.


I think that is probably the best advice you are gonna get on here... because if I gave you the advice that all that you really need is a very small number of things instead of a formal first aid kit I'd fear that I might get people telling me that I am giving bad advice.

All that I carry is a knife, small pill bag with narcs, advil, immodium, and seasonally enough doxy for the number of days that I am out there in case of deer tick bite, duct tape, needle, dental floss as thread, small nail clippers, 1 or 2 bandaids maybe, a single cotton tampon, alcohol swab, 2 q-tips, 2 set of steri-strips, 1 steri-strip adhesive swab, and since I am an EMT I have a set of latex gloves that are vacume sealed into a tube about the size of chapstick so that if I have to help some one else that I can without worrying about infection.

But really, I can get by with just the duct tape and the pain pills.

I have to laught at the people who have snake bit kits with them in March in Georgia and North Carolina.