I didn't mention about the illness/injury issue. These days I'm very careful, whether alone, on a popular trail with dozens of other people around or with family, because I know that at my age an injury would probably be the end of my backpacking career. I also carry a Personal Locator Beacon. I have or can improvise sufficient first-aid for situations in which I'd have to self-evacuate (say a broken arm or sprained ankle), although I might have to leave some gear behind. I'm more worried about a serious injury or illness that would incapacitate my dog, because at 80 lbs. he's far too big for me to carry out. I once tried to improvise a travois at home, just to be sure I could do it. The travois worked fine, but persuading Hysson to stay on it when I started dragging it was another matter! I guess if he were sick enough so he couldn't struggle too hard, I might be able to keep him on it by lashing him to the travois. I can't push the PLB button for my dog, of course!

One interesting dual-use first-aid item I found is veterinary wrap, self-adhering foam wrap, used on dogs or horses to hold bandaging on a leg. It's a far lighter substitute for elastic bandage, although for a sprained ankle I'd want some duct tape reinforcement on the outside (at least the duct tape won't be stuck to my skin!). The one caveat is that under heat and pressure it tends to fuse together, so it should be checked yearly and replaced when that starts to happen. Actually, everything in the first-aid kit should be checked and most of it replaced yearly. It's a good idea to label all meds, over-the-counter as well as prescription, and include the expiration date so you know when to toss them.

I do carry a larger first aid kit when going out with the grandkids. The larger the party, the more the risk that something will happen. If nothing else, I take more large bandaids of the type that will cover a skinned knee or elbow!

A good wilderness first-aid class will teach you a lot about managing the most common back-country injuries and how to improvise with what you have, instead of carrying a lot of stuff you'll probably never use. It's well worth the money! Check with your local REI because a lot of them have been offering the 16-hour NOLS course for about $200.

If you haven't had first-aid training, please do not carry first-aid items you don't know how to use! You're likely to do more harm than good. One example is the snake-bite kit, still widely sold but which medical authorities now say should NOT be used--no tourniquet, no cut-and-suck, no Sawyer extractor, no ice, all of which do nothing but further damage tissue. Just clean the wound, keep everything level and seek help ASAP. All this per my wilderness first-aid instructors last year and my source for up-to-date medical info, my-son-in-law-the-ER-physician.