First Aid Kit: what would you put in it?

[frog71_uk]

Hello;

I hope I'm posting in the correct place this time, and if this has already been discussed, my apologies, but please do send me the thread

What do you / would you take with you in a first aid kit?

Say you're going out in a remote place for a day?

What about for 5 days? This may be a silly question, but do you multiply whatever you need for a person per day by the number of people and the number of days ... or do you make a "probabilistic" guess about the quantities you may need?

How do you keep a kit useful without having to carry too much? I don't know if you've seen the kits from the red cross, they look very handy, but very heavy too especially with the stretcher and all ! lol

I know you can buy already made kits, but because I'm a bit tight , I was hoping to make my own at the chemist and hopefully get a better fit for less money .... Any shopping list ideas?

Thanks for this great site, take care,
Loic

 

[Gary]

To confuse matters further I would say content is dependant on experience!

Usually I carry a medium dressing in my pocket - primarily because if I cut myself it will likely be a major cut - small minor cuts you can or at least I tend to ignore.

On/in my pack/possibles bag carried a small first aid kit with plasters, dressings, paracetmol, tweezers, anticeptic cream etc - pretty much as youd buy one.

For long trips you need to consider where your going first - cold injury treatments arent much use in the jungle. Also again consider experience and dont be dragged into the just in case scenerio - I have seen guy with first aid kits most hospitals would envy.

Finally as well as pills and potions remember the biggest killer on the hills is Hypothermia - also rememeber most injuries are often associated with shock. So to help treat both of these remember to aid a space blanket, heat pads or something similar.

And ultimately lets hope we never need to use them!

 

[Adi007]

I'll second what Gary says, with the exception that I normally carry 2 x medium and 1 x large first field dressings and I replace the antiseptic cream for either water or a liquid. I also add a needle or two for thorn removal.

Small cuts either get ignored or taped over and forgotten.

 

[george]

Hi Frog71

You did say in a kit for a day trip.

I'm a big fan of Gaffa tape - I reckon it should be included in every first aid kit.

Think about it - you can use it on top of clothing to immobilise a broken bone, to improvise a dressing (along with something absorbant) ,you can use it to make a sling, splints, hold a pad on - in fact just about anything. Including repairing damaged clothing or sticking a bivvy bag or space blanket together to make a more effective shelter. Just don't use it on bare skin!!

If I was to take just 2 items in a first aid kit for the day, it would be gaffa tape and absorbant dressings. The minor stuff can be ignored til you get off the hill and the major stuff needs to be stabilised until you can get help.

Different if you're going for a long time where you need to look after the small stuff so it doesn't get any worse, but if you add in a few plasters, some antiseptic wipes and maybe some painkillers as Gary says then you should do ok for a day trip.

Anyone else like Gaffa?


George

 

[frog71_uk]

I'm a big fan of Gaffa tape - I reckon it should be included in every first aid kit.

------

George; sorry I realise I probably sound daft, but what's Gaffa tape? Is it
the stuff Mc Gyver never does without? :-D
Loic

 

[Adi007]

Yep, the stuff MacGuver used to use (along with a SAK) to do everything from stop a leak at a nuclear power plant to correct the moon's orbit.

Gaffa tape = duct tape = Duck tape (a brand) = 100 mph tape. Not all the same but similar stuff.

 

[Andy]

i find Zinc oxide tape works better in a First aid environment. I have a white tape which is very good but i don't know what it is, I'll find out for ya.
I would again agree on the kit depending on training
4 triangular bandages as some dressings is a good place to start

 

[Adi007]

The white tape will be Micropore or a similar derivative.

The best (albeit expensive) plasters I've used are OpSite. Hard to get better and the only drawback is that they don't come in small sizes.

 

[Stuart]

my surgical staplers just arrived in the post!

 

[Adi007]

my surgical staplers just arrived in the post!

What do you do wuth those and what size staples to they take? ):

 

[EdS]

I'm a big fan of gaffa tape as well - usually have a roll to hand somewhere.

Also in the FAK I tend to carry superglue. Great for small wounds - after all it was designed to stick combat damaged GIs together long enough to get them to a field hospital.

 

[Stuart]

its for closing wounds, i usually carry a suturing set but a diposiable surgical stapler is easier and smaller

 

[george]

i find Zinc oxide tape works better in a First aid environment. I have a white tape which is very good but i don't know what it is, I'll find out for ya.
I would again agree on the kit depending on training
4 triangular bandages as some dressings is a good place to start

Yeah but in an accident in the hills It's often best not to undress the casualty to get at the injury site unless you can stabilise their heat loss too.
(I mean if it was a broken lower arm for example - not major open wounds!) In that case Gaffa works better than zinc oxide for sticking to clothing - in the broken lower arm scenario you could simply run a length of Gaffa along the length of the sleeve and then stick the other end over the shoulder or around their back to stabilise the arm in the most comfortable position. No circulation stopping bandaging, no exposing them to the elements to get at the break site. Quick easy and no fuss. When they get to the ambulance (or hospital or chopper) it's easy to snip off the Gaffa with as little disturbance to the injury as possible.

Think about immobilising a broken leg - easier to gaffa them together over the trousers than it is to tie triangular bandages in wind and rain.

I'm sure their are loads of better things to use in a long term scenario but if your aim is to stabilise until help can get there then you could do a lot worse than thinking about Gaffa.

George

 

[Andy]

very good points. i carry both anyway. never had trouble using triangular bandages in bad conditions but yes "the force" is good. the advantage of triangular bandages is you dont get sticky stuff on your clothes, not a major thing though

 

[george]

The other good thing about triangular bandages (if you have the old cotton type not the new plastic things) is that they make great filters for getting sand/mud/gunge out of water before you purify it!

Not as good as a millbank bag but a hell of a lot lighter.

George

 

[shaggystu]

just had a quick glance in my daysack, i found: duck tape, an old for sale sign (corugated plastic makes great splints) 2 medium absorbant dressings, 2 small absorbant dressings (always ultra i think!!) sting/bite relief stick, and a 2" crepe bandage. can't actually remember the last time i used or replaced anything but that's more or less the kit that's kept me going for about 5 years now. i'm a big fan off duck/duct/gaffa tape in first aid kits, there's very little you can't do with it in my experiance, just remember that if you need to use it as a bandage put in on backwards, you really don't want to be waxing your legs with the sticky side, trust me on this!!

stuart

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

If you have the foresight to carry even one plaster: Then go further and LEAVE WORD of your planned itinary. No amount of plasters will balance out major injuries that require evacuation. The recent lionization of the 'experienced' climber who amputated his own boulder pinned arm being case in point. Basic supplies will stabilise wounds and keep things from getting worse. The survivalists love to carry those field surgery kits with visions of sewing up bullet wounds from black helicopters and delivering new christian babies to be baptised in canned water caches. Their bushcrafter equivelent is the hiker with a triag unit taking up half his kit. To much FAK instills the same overconfidence as to much kit. The suggestions listed are well balanced. Take a first aid course. Look over what other experienced people carry. Above all, go slow and think about everything first. This is what every explorer or advenurer ( the ones who lived) learned early. After all, we aren't out there to meet a quota, punch a timeclock or break some record.

 

[the naughty boy]

I'm a big fan of Gaffa tape - I reckon it should be included in every first aid kit.

------

George; sorry I realise I probably sound daft, but what's Gaffa tape? Is it
the stuff Mc Gyver never does without? :-D
Loic

:rolmao: congratulations m8
thats the funniest thing i,ve read on here yet.priceless :-D

but your right,a big roll of duck/gaffa tape has loads of uses, including body repair.
as i said in an earlier thread...you may have all you need and not realise it.ducktape,paracord,superglue,scrimcloth scarf,enough to get by ,but not in a nice box with a red cross on it

but you can carry one of those too if you like. :roll:

 

[mercury]

My FA kit contains

( deep breath )

1 first field dressing
1 triangular bandage
medium sized plasters
immodium
paracetomol
Adhesive tape
Blister strip
Safety pins
2 medium sized bandage
1 wound dressing
antiseptic wipes


But then a usual weekend away for me is with the TA