What First Aid Kit?

Well, just curious, what first aid kit is everyone using? How much does it weigh? Or do you assemble your own kit? If so, what's in it and what does it weigh?

So, let's see them, post your first aid kits! Especially you weight weenie hikers

My first aid kit weighs 84 grams - band-aids, blister stuff, gauze, needle, etc. etc.
I also carry 30 grams worth of polysporin and iodine
and 60 grams worth of better living through chemistry bag which has vitamins and stuff but also a few percocet and aleve that could count as first aid.

My shirt and all the rest of my clothing can make bandages, splits, etc in a pinch, along with cord, duct tape, etc. that doesn't count in that "first aid kit" because it is multi-use.

I can't remember how much my kit weighs (it's on a spreadsheet somewhere). I carry a ditty bag that has small scissors, band-aids, an Ace bandage, medical tape, some gauze bandages, six or so single-use Neosporin packages, a vial of vitamin "I", a small vial of poison oak medicine, sunscreen, Potable Aqua (in case I lose my Aquamira, which is in a different ditty bag), a cigarette lighter, spare matches, some duct tape wrapped around a broken pencil, some moleskin and tweezers.

My other ditty bag is what I call my "essentials" kit. It has a compass, more duct tape (I consider duct tape the American Express of backpacking -- don't leave home without it), needle and thread, my Aquamira, more matches, another lighter, my mosquito face net, a space blanket, toothbrush and tooth powder, more vitamin "I" (I can't hike without it -- my pre-arthritic hips hurt by the time I've walked half a mile), insect repellent, some twine and extra sheet-metal screws for my home-made external frame pack.

This has been EXTENSIVELY covered and debated and should be in the archives. Not that it isn't of value to discuss again (people may have changed out their kits), but if you don't get many answers it will probably be because it has been covered before. If you're interested in paring down your kit, or have a specific question about injuries, supplies or meds, why don't you post it and we can discuss how we skin the cat ourselves.

MNS

I agree with MNS3. This has been discussed this past year I know for sure.

My answer is, "it depends"...where I'm going, whose going with me, where I'll be hiking, temps, etc.

I always carry a blister pack but the rest can change along with the other gear I take.

Well! I did a search and for the life of me I can not get any results on "first aid kit", including this very thread! I know there's lots of information in there, if you look under backcountry health and safety you'll see tons of information. You'll have to go back a ways I'm sure, but it is there, I promise!

MNS

Group kits should have AT LEAST one short Sam Splint in them - and the knowledge of how to use it in the owner's head.

Eric

I'm wondering about all the limbs that have been successfully splinted in the field using a few sticks and bandages/rope/shirts/etc to make an splint which assuredly fell off and withererd after the invention of the sam splint rendered conventional splints obsolete requiring everyone to carry such a device rather than use their brain.

IMO, put a proper PLB in the kit and any decent bush first aid reference, rather than the weight of a sam splint.

most likely, you're not even splinting it. You're gritting your teeth and pushing the button - In any situation requiring a sam splint you bet I'm pushing my button.

If you are going to carry any splint at all, the SAM splint is the one to carry. But I absolutely agree that splints can be improvised from commonly available materials. The aluminum stays in my packs have holes drilled in their ends to facilitate this use.

One thing I experienced in SAR was that the victim often had more than one fracture, so you are going to improvise anyway. Your foam pad is your friend..

I was taught in my wilderness first aid course (many years ago, which reminds me that I need to sign up for a review course) how to improvise splints and many other items for major injuries out of whatever is available. Duct tape was often a major component! Unless you're carrying first aid for an organized group, no need to load up with first aid supplies on the perhaps 1% chance you might run across someone with a major injury. Murphy's law being what it is, the chances of having all those supplies when a major injury occurs are extremely small.

On the other hand, for medications everyone needs to carry his/her own. It's actually illegal to use your medications--even over-the-counter ones--on somebody else.

Prescription meds, yes... illegal to give to anyone else unless you posess the requisite license and standing orders to administer medication (i.e. a paramedic on a SAR team), and then only meds carried in a med kit, not personally prescribed meds.

OTC meds, on the other hand... I'm not aware of any restrictions in giving tylenol or advil or benedryl to people. You can't force them to take anything, but AFAIK you can offer up from your own supply and they can accept or decline. If they can't make the decision on their own then they have no business taking any medication at all. It may be a local ordinance where you are, but in AK I've never heard any restrictions on control of personal stores of OTC meds for adult populations. Minors, on the other hand, are a different issue.

Also, there are legal consequences to using medications such as epi-pens and bronchodilators for life-threatening situations if the meds do not belong to the person with the condition. However, there are also ethical considerations that we have to make. TomD, can you weigh in on this topic?

Ok, some clarification.

I'm still unable to find a specific statement that it is illegal to give another person your OTC meds, but apparently it is true to a degree. You certainly can't "prescribe" OTC meds to someone, but I'm not sure the enforcability of letting someone know you have a supply of certain OTC meds and letting them decide if they want it. I would hesitate letting someone take an OTC med they have never had before, but it is the rare individual who hasn't had ibuprofen, tylenol, pepto or benedryl. It is important to make sure people aren't overdosing themselves on OTC meds, particularly tylenol. If you know someone is taking tylenol, remind them to check any other meds they might be taking to make sure those meds don't have tylenol as well.

MNS

MNS,

I thought that you ask the person you are treating for their first aid kit. They are likely carrying the meds that they need.

So what ever you carry in your first aid kit it should look like a first aid kit.

You should have good access to the kit. You should not have to empty your pack to stop the bleeding.

Not even the SAR gear list has a SAM splint on it.

We do have other things like wire, wire ties, cord/rope, that might be easily used to make a splint out of material on hand, whether it be branches or pieces of trekking pole. A foam pad is easily put to work as well.

Good point Food... I'm thinking more along SAR lines than just averange normal backpacking trip lines. Even so, people might not bring a first aid kit, so maybe that is one of those things you can "show and tell" when planning a group outing.

The take-away lesson seems to be that a personal "first aid" kit should at least include a good supply of meds if nothing else.

MNS

I carry a SAM splint primarily to use as a C-Collar if necessary. That is a hard one to improvise with "creative" techniques. Not that it can't be done, but neck stabilization is pretty important. I've seen several broken cervical vertebrae walk into the ER, so it is possible to break your neck and get up and walk away. However, the neck is unstable and the wrong move could end it all. If you're going to walk someone out of the woods when you can't totally rule out a neck injury, c-spine stabilization is important.

MNS

Had to improvise a C collar by cutting up a blue foam pad when our climbing trip turned into a SAR mission. I found out when we encountered our victim (hit in the head by rockfall which destroyed his helmet, but not his cranium) that the third member of our party, whom I had just met, was a physician who had just finished three years service in a local ER.

The C collar worked.

I was an EMT in a former life, so I always am the one to patch up my injured friends. I find gauze 4" x 4" pads are what I use most for cleaning up wounds and stacking them on bloody scrapes. So I carry a little more than most people, but still keep it down to 11 ounces including a clean bandanna that I can use as a compress, a sling, or just a spare bandanna. Remember, knowledge is much more important that equipment here. Have you taken a first aid class lately? Usually you can improvise bandages and splints and use duct tape in place of adhesive tape. Knowing how to treat and evacuate an injured patient, or get help is more important that what is in your kit. And of course, prevention of injuries is the most important thing of all.

I'd think about carrying some GI meds as well as an NSAID and acetamenophen (or paracetamol, depending on the location). While heavy bleeding seems to get a lot of attention in "what-if" scenarios, my experience has been that most cases of volume shock in the backcountry are the result of dehydration; we all know the importance of hydrating, but vomiting and diarrhea can absolutely sneak up on you. Especially out on a longer trip, being able to manage n/v/d can avoid trouble in a couple of days (although you may feel horrible for a while longer).

My personal (as opposed to SAR) kit has ibuprofen, tylenol, Skelaxin (a non-drowsy muscle relaxant), and some loperamide, as well as a small wound-cleaning kit, a couple of small roller gauze, a couple of triangular bandages, and moleskin. This is based on my past experiences of what I've had to deal with personally. YMMV.