First Aid Kit

[Chappy]

Sorry if this is an old topic, but I'm looking for recommendations for first aid items to take on a thru hike.

[Ramble~On]

Hmmm.. A lot of people might disagree with me on this one....but here goes.
Long distance backpacking isn't all about weight but weight is always a major consideration.... A good many hikers refine, refine and refine what they carry based on usage...simply put if something isn't used daily or every few days it begins to be an item that gets questioned as to why it is in your pack.

Also, there isn't an E.R. located at the next shelter

I don't carry a "first aid kit"...I carry a first aid ziplock and all my first aid stuff fits inside a one quart ziplock with room to spare.

I carry two gauze pads
10 regular bandaids
5 alcohol preps
about three feet of duct tape wound upon itself into a roll
a small thing of antibiotic ointment
a needle
A itty bitty Swiss Army knife that has tweezers
Note* I always have a bandana with me for 8,000,000 reasons
a couple Percocet (pain)
a small ace bandage
Chapstick
Amodium AD for one, Laxative for the other.

I don't carry this stuff in a stuff sack because I view them as "dead weight"

This stuff works great for me...but, that's me.
I don't carry blister stuff other than the duct tape because I haven't had a blister in ????? years and a couple thousand miles.
Also, the more first aid, medical experience you have has to be taken into consideration. I have a lot.

I guess that what you carry in your kit is really a matter of personal preference no different from whether you carry an internal or external.

The above items are what I carry for me.
I lead groups treks and have to be in compliance with the USFS and others
those kits get really heavy and are basically little trauma units in themselves.

Questions are: are you allergic to bee stings? Do you have allergies? are you diabetic? do you take medications ? Do you get headaches ? What knowledge do you have in first aid ? Do you get blisters ?, When you get blisters how do you treat them ? Do you easily sun burn ?

I can't think of a grocery store that doesn't have a first aid section.
While hiking the AT you can always adjust or replenish what you have or need. Putting any leftovers into hiker boxes at hostels helps other hikers behind you.

I always make sure everything in my "kit" is waterproof.
Duct tape is "said" to have antibiotic properties in the adhesive...I have no idea but I do know that it works great on large cuts, keeps dirt out of the wound and keeps the injured area moist.
I served 8 years in the Marine Corps. Duct tape is one item I'd never leave behind. Duct tape by itself makes an excellent "bandaid" for blisters, cuts and large "gashes" it alos sticks way better than standard "first aid tape"

[Jaybird]

...... I'm looking for recommendations for first aid items to take on a thru hike.


any larger "SUPER-STORE" (Wal-Mart, REI, Walgreens, etc.,etc) will have different size FIRST AID KITS...which have MORE features the larger the kit goes...

i personally carry a small kit: some gauze, bandaids, iodine strips, a few swabs....not much more...carry it in a gallon-size ziplock.

i also carry on my hike trips a Schrade knife (i dont count this as part of my kit & some various meds: motrin, pepto-tabs, zantac, & during this time of year,...i carry Allergy meds..Sudafed...etc., etc)


good luck! :D

[SGT Rock]

My first aid kit is also a repair kit and includes some stuff that also serves in other stuff like my kitchen.

Alcohol from stove fuel - clean and treat blisters
Bandana - 10000000000000 uses
Leatherman Micra - knife, scissors, tweesers, file, etc.
Gauze - sterile wound dressing. You can cut it and use as needed.
Duct Tape - sticks it all together and treats blisters
Naproxin - does the same thing as Ibuprofin with less medicin, takes less time to build up in your system, and a couple of other things that make it good.
Neosporin - anti-bacteria wipe. Wet dirty conditions can cause infections rapidly. And the AT can be wet and dirty.
Needles from sewing kit - piercing blisters, digging splinters, etc.
Safety pins from sewing kit - good for all sorts of fixing and to pin ace bandages or keeping up with stuff.
Dental floss - use this as stiching for clothing
A few Immodium - stop you up long enough to get off trail in case you get a BAD case of the runs.
Super glue - fixes a lot and can be used for wounds.
Ace Bandage - temporary sprain relief or make a good splint if needed.
Toilet paper - clean wounds and your butt. This can also be used as gauze and small cuts.
Lighter - starting fires and sterilizing needles or knife blades.


The biggest part of any first aid kit is your personal knowledge. If you have never taken an advanced first aid course, I highly reccomend it.

[Peaks]

How much first aid supplies is always a good question.

On one extreme, you should check the list published by Chris Whalen in his Workbook for planning thru-hikes. On the other extreme, you should check the list published in ATC Guidebooks.

One way to judge how much is to first think of the type of injury that you are likely to need first aid for. That certainly includes blisters, a few cuts and scrapes here and there, and vitamin I. Now, if we assume that everything else is "luxury gear," then ask yourself if its weight justifies the safety and comfort factor.

And of course, knowledge is the best first aid that you can take with you.

[Blue Jay]

There only a few things that will kill you quickly and most of them are extremely unlikely, such as suffication or not much a first aid kit will help with, such as being impaled. The most important item and in my opinion the only absolutely required item is equipment to stop massive bleeding. All the rest are nice if you are crawling out of the woods, but not required.

[Footslogger]

Having a former paramedical background was a curse for me for years when it came to backpacking. Reason being ...I used to carry enough stuff to sustain a small army, including what I needed for minor surgery.

I'm only throwing this in because I think hikers would be better off to think of first aid as a "personal" necessity. If you run into someone who's having trouble and you have the knowledge and supplies to help ...more power to you. But what you NEED is only what would be required to take care of yourself in the event of an injury. Using that approach you can easily get all your first aid supplies in a very small stuff-sack or ziplock.

Prepackaged first aid kits often contain to many things (in quantity) that you don't need and not enough of the things you use frequently (example: bandaids). For a thru-hike you don't need to carry enough stuff to get you from Springer to Katahdin. My suggestion is to buy supplies in bulk ahead of time and only carry a small quantity of the things you'll need the most. Keep the rest in a bounce box and replenish your first aid kit as necessary along the way.

[Kozmic Zian]

Yea.....1st Aid Kit? Bandana and Vitamin I, needle & thread. Everything else in town.KZ@

[Doctari]

Like Footslogger, I'm in the paramedical field, my first trip I too could have outfitted a small hospital :D
Now I carry as actual first aid stuff: 1 ~ 4 x 4 gauze bandage, Bag Balm (like vasalene with antibiotics in it), 2 or 3 bandaids, some aspirin, Imodium, Laxitive, self stick gauze bandage. Not first aid per say: Duct tape, Bandana, & stuff. All of this fits in a Qt zip lock, "with room to spare"
And as always, I carry a good, solid, knowledge of first aid. A good course is avalable for a reasonable cost at your local Red Cross.

I agree with Footslogger: "If you run into someone who's having trouble and you have the knowledge and supplies to help ...more power to you. But what you NEED is only what would be required to take care of yourself in the event of an injury."

Going on a hike with a group of scouts, take that 10 - 20 Lb first aid kit. But for a thru hike, go minimal. :)

Doctari.