Ill try to get some gaffa tape. same with the tick remover. I wont get a sam splint just yet!
First Aid items Purchased. Anything i missed?
- Thread starter Outdoordude
- Start date
Looks like good well rounded kit.
End of the day though your kit will need to be tailored around what you are comfortable using.
It's no good having an Israeli bandage if you don't know how to use it and drop at the sight of blood.
It'll also need tailoring for the areas and terrain your walking on and the seasons.
I have several of the Israeli type bandages but rarely take one hiking unless i'm camping, as i don't tend to use a knife much at all if i'm out on day hikes.
A few things i carry that i don't see on your list.
Eye wash as Imagedude says
Duct tape (i roll up sections in on itself so it takes up hardly any room)
Imodium ( in case i get the runs while out)
Ibuprofen (Mild pain killer, also great to stop swelling)
Soluble Aspirin (a mate has a heart condition so i keep a few handy)
Bit of Paracord (comes in handy in case a temporary tourniquet or splint is needed)
Recover Ice (self contained Ice wrap as the rocks here are like bear traps)
Resuscitation mask
Here is my usual kit.
As you can see the Israeli type bandage is heavy and bulky and to be honest it does nothing that a tourniquet and/or pressure on the wound will do.
I do keep one in each car though as space and weight is not a issue there.
Just put some paracord in. Saline solution vials i think is the same as eye wash but i might be wrong. Ive got a couple of vials of it. I see what you mean about the Israeli bandage. Very Heavy!
Im going to get some med soon.Thanks
Jacob
As a First aid Instructor and Dof E asssessor, I would not want to see Burn Cream or Wound cleaning wipes. I would also decrease the quantities of alot of items, 200 alcohol pads, 20 blue plasters (in fact why do you need blue plasters?, you are not running a catering establishment.)
That is great. You are just the kind of guy who know what he is talking about in the really right context. I didn't realise they were blue when I ordered them. Why not blue though. Be reassured that im not taking 200 alcahol wipes but only about 10.
Also why not burn cream/gel. I think it's marvellous stuff. And also why not wound cleaning wipes. Any more good tips you have please share. Need all the help I can get.
Thanks
Jacob
The tweezers will double as your tick removal tool surely!! as much as I dont like buying things from ray mears, those wee tweezers are greta for getting ticks off as they are dead pointy and get right at the head!!
Mini EMT shears are good, better than standard scissors, great for millions of other things as well!!
Mini EMT shears are good, better than standard scissors, great for millions of other things as well!!
i think the comment about blue plasters wasn't so much that they're not suitable, more why bother with blue if you don't need them, there's nothing at all wrong with blue plasters, just a tad odd outside of catering
as for the burn gel and/or wound cleaning wipes, the thinking is that with both of these products you could be introducing more foreign bodies and/or infection to the wound. as you're not going to be far at all from "real" medical assistance you'd be better off in both cases just flushing the wound out with clean water before dressing it and letting the professionals deal with any further cleaning that may be needed. allergies could also be an issue but i'm guessing with that bit
HTH
stuart
Thanks for clearing that up stu. I just didn't realise they were blue when I ordered them. The burn cream is not used to apply on major burn more minor ones that you don't need to call an ambulance on. I out it on my thumb whenive burnt myself slightly to ease the pain. It works a treat.i think the comment about blue plasters wasn't so much that they're not suitable, more why bother with blue if you don't need them, there's nothing at all wrong with blue plasters, just a tad odd outside of catering
as for the burn gel and/or wound cleaning wipes, the thinking is that with both of these products you could be introducing more foreign bodies and/or infection to the wound. as you're not going to be far at all from "real" medical assistance you'd be better off in both cases just flushing the wound out with clean water before dressing it and letting the professionals deal with any further cleaning that may be needed. allergies could also be an issue but i'm guessing with that bit
HTH
stuart
Thanks
Jacob
i keep some in my FAK mate, it's good stuff, i'm just trying to give you the "official" line on this one
i keep some in my FAK mate, it's good stuff, i'm just trying to give you the "official" line on this one
Oh right. Ok thanks for clearing that up. It is wonderful stuff. Thanks for your help.
It's not so bad here at home, but at our summer house we were digging out several ticks a day out of the dog.
I had a few different tools, from different types of tweezers, to the specialist tools like the string loop, and hook devices.
We found tweezers really really difficult to use and still get the whole tick out.
We tried pointed ones, ones angled inwards at the top, and ones that were sharp and angled, and i'd guess 4 out of 5 ticks didn't come out well.
The hook type tick remover was better, but still if the tick had been given enough time to dig in, it was really difficult to get it all out in one go without crushing it.
The loop type was absolutely fantastic.
We used this the rest of the holiday and out of at least 100 ticks i removed from various dogs, animals and people (we took out over 20 on the bro-in-laws dog one night alone) i was able to remove every single one as a whole tick without squashing the body at all.
Weight wise, it's a non issue really.
The shape is a bit bulky at the top, but if you have enough room to fit a pen, then i'd say you can easily fit a tick remover.
If it's worthwhile or not really depends on where your hiking.
We (the dog and i) tend to average around 70km of hiking a month, if we stay around Athens we can go for months without having a single tick.
If we go out of Athens to areas with lots of livestock then it's literally crawling with them.
So if it's likely your going to come into contact with ticks if it was me personally i'd want a loop type remover with me rather than trying to dig the remains of a tick out of my belly button (for some reason ticks seem to head there on me).
Cheers
Mark
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That's the hook one i was on about Andy.
It was certainly better than tweezers but i found it really tough to get a whole tick out with it.
This is how you use the loop one.
For the ones that were already dug in i found this worked better than the fork type.
It was certainly better than tweezers but i found it really tough to get a whole tick out with it.
This is how you use the loop one.
For the ones that were already dug in i found this worked better than the fork type.
That's the hook one i was on about Andy.
It was certainly better than tweezers but i found it really tough to get a whole tick out with it.
This is how you use the loop one.
For the ones that were already dug in i found this worked better than the fork type.
i've never had a problem with ticks at all, so i don't carry any kind of removal tool (not exactly the approach they taught me in the boy scouts i know, but we all have our failings
), but from the pictures that you've posted there it looks like something that could be improvised if need be. i'm not suggesting that improvising one is a substitute for carrying one, and it sounds like some of you are in areas where you really do need to carry one, but maybe a technique for emergencies. a loop of thread through a needle maybe 
any thoughts?cheers
stuart
I'm trying to remember if i ever had a tick stuck to me when out around Derbyshire and i can't think of 1 instance Stu.
I certainly never took any tick removing tool with me.
I have had ticks in Scotland though and the kids as well.
That is the thing i think.
Once you've found a tick on you it's a very unpleasant discovery for most, i've seen big burly Navy Seals absolutely freak out at finding ticks stuck in them.
To the point where they panicked and scratched them or burnt them off rather than wait to get them removed properly.
So although i have never had a tick from around Derbyshire, these days i do take a tick remover with me when i return (to Derbyshire) for the simple fact that, if i find one attached i want to remove quickly and remove it correctly.
If the ticks not on you (i.e. on your dog) or your a very calm person, then you could probably fashion something together, if not you could certainly remove one (eventually) with tweezers.
But for the sake of a few quid, 9 grams and something about 3/4 the size of a biro, for me personally it's just not worth the risk of squashing the tick or having it rip to pieces as i'm removing it.
Should say that i have had many leeches attach and gorge themselves on me over the years and found that unpleasant, but if given a choice i'd sooner have leeches on me than ticks.
It's just something about their size, sneakyness and the way they burrow into you that i find particularly unpleasant.
I certainly never took any tick removing tool with me.
I have had ticks in Scotland though and the kids as well.
That is the thing i think.
Once you've found a tick on you it's a very unpleasant discovery for most, i've seen big burly Navy Seals absolutely freak out at finding ticks stuck in them.
To the point where they panicked and scratched them or burnt them off rather than wait to get them removed properly.
So although i have never had a tick from around Derbyshire, these days i do take a tick remover with me when i return (to Derbyshire) for the simple fact that, if i find one attached i want to remove quickly and remove it correctly.
If the ticks not on you (i.e. on your dog) or your a very calm person, then you could probably fashion something together, if not you could certainly remove one (eventually) with tweezers.
But for the sake of a few quid, 9 grams and something about 3/4 the size of a biro, for me personally it's just not worth the risk of squashing the tick or having it rip to pieces as i'm removing it.
Should say that i have had many leeches attach and gorge themselves on me over the years and found that unpleasant, but if given a choice i'd sooner have leeches on me than ticks.
It's just something about their size, sneakyness and the way they burrow into you that i find particularly unpleasant.
I prefer I tick tool easer and normally gets the whole tick out - tweezers can break the tick and leave the head in!!
i think that maybe you've just about talked me into getting some kind of tick removal tool, sneaky flesh burrowing insects don't sound a great deal of fun to be honest. i'll have a look for one the next time i'm in town.
cheers
stuart
Can't see you needing it much, but i recon it's one of things that when you do actually need it your mighty glad you have one.
Thinking about it, my tick remover is THE most used item in my hiking FAK.
Used to go through plasters at a rate we could have plastered the fourth bridge in a year, but now the kids are older they don't tend to need plasters much anymore as when they were younger i recon 99% of usage was for physiological healing rather than physical healing.
It's amazing how quickly the tears stop after a plaster has been applied.
Thinking about it, my tick remover is THE most used item in my hiking FAK.
Used to go through plasters at a rate we could have plastered the fourth bridge in a year, but now the kids are older they don't tend to need plasters much anymore as when they were younger i recon 99% of usage was for physiological healing rather than physical healing.
It's amazing how quickly the tears stop after a plaster has been applied.
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