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What's In Your First Aid Kit?

284 Views 8 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  Cricket
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Let's talk about first aid kits! What essential items do you always pack in your kit when heading out on a camping trip?

Do you prefer to buy pre-made kits or build your own?

And have you ever had to use your first aid kit while out in the wilderness?

Share your tips and experiences with us!
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I usually grab a first-aid kit from Walmart, but I think I should maybe put something together that includes wound sealer powder and closure strips.
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After seeing the story on CNN about an elderly man stuck in the snow in his car for a WEEK makes one think twice about the First Aid Kit and expand it to cover the "What If" situations. We all hear of cars running off the road into the woods or ravines and the driver is trapped for days on end. But, in a snow bank for a week?? Makes me think of the bottled nutrition drinks like Boost & Ensure, a box of Granola bars, etc. I normally have a few bottles of water. But, the food items are the next addition to the injury items.
Hopefully, they will expire and never be used (in a bad situation).
After seeing the story on CNN about an elderly man stuck in the snow in his car for a WEEK makes one think twice about the First Aid Kit and expand it to cover the "What If" situations. We all hear of cars running off the road into the woods or ravines and the driver is trapped for days on end. But, in a snow bank for a week?? Makes me think of the bottled nutrition drinks like Boost & Ensure, a box of Granola bars, etc. I normally have a few bottles of water. But, the food items are the next addition to the injury items.
Hopefully, they will expire and never be used (in a bad situation).
I was thinking about this very thing recently on another site I work with.

I am working toward my lifelong dream of living full-time in my van. This means I won't be able to have a room or even a closet filled with my preps, but I can still be prepared. I bought a strong tote from my local Costco that fits under my built-in bed. Within it, I will store canned meat, tuna, real butter powder, sour cream powder, heavy cream powder, freeze-dried ground beef, freeze-dried veggies, Augason Farms dried whole eggs, and of course, freeze-dried coffee.
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aaahhh yes - which also brings up the health issues that a person may have. Without their meds, how long would it take before they entered the "danger zone" of being critical ??
This is what I'm working on to be "in addition to" a first aid kit. More of a "survival" kit vs first aid. I have most of it on hand now, just not organized into a plastic tote yet.
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Do you prefer to buy pre-made kits or build your own?
And have you ever had to use your first aid kit while out in the wilderness?
Only once. I was at the head of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. The Amicalola Falls Trail has over 700 feet of vertical winding stairs from top to bottom. (5 times taller than Niagara Falls). We were half way down and this young mother and her 6yo son were coming up and we met on the landing and somehow, this little boy gashed his finger right there really bad and blood was pouring out. For a little finger the size of a pencil, it looked really bad. I got the bleeding under control, put hydrogen peroxide on it, wrapped it in gauze, made him an arm sling out of a bandana I had (cowboy style) and walked with them back up the 300 feet of stairs with carrying him part of the way. (just another day in the park for me). The mother went to her car and was off to the hospital. (after many thanks, of course).
Anyways - in my fanny pack, I had a two ounce bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and in smaller bottles; aspirin (for heart attack) Tylenol (for pain) 4% Lidocaine gel, Benadryl gel, Sting-Ez pen, Epi-Pen, rubbing alcohol & various bandages. I save the small bottles like Nasal Spray, etc. In the pharmacy section of stores like WalMart, Walgreens, etc. and of course, craft stores, you can buy small plastic bottles. Way more convenient for a day trip fanny pack vs the full size items for a first aid kit. (just label them accordingly). Another item I just hought of would be a sterile eye wash bottle and a pair of rubber gloves in a small ziptop bag.
Just always remember - when you are in the woods, there is always something that wants to stick you, poke you, bite you, sting you and sometimes kill you. Even a 1/4 mile crawl back to your car could be a life and death struggle. AND - It may not always be for "you". It could be for a fellow hiker that gets into trouble.
Happy Trails !!
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Updated Video: 04/27/2023

Back to the topic: "what's in your first aid kit" and "Do you prefer to buy pre-made kits or build your own"?
This video is to discuss some of the options for an "On the Trail" first aid kit tailored to an individual's geographic area and style of hiking. This is in no way suggesting changes for the "in vehicle" main kit. This is for the Day Hikes once you have your base camp established (or parked at a trail head) and for inspiration only should you want to make a traveling kit. I for one, have gone into the wilderness wtih only the clothes on my back, a bottle of water (most of the time) and a stick just to see "what's over the hill or around the bend". Probably 90% of the time, I never entertained the "what if" scenarios. As we get older and wiser, we really need to prepare outselves for the "what ifs". There are just too many documentaries on TV now about people starting out on a short hike and end up in a very serious situation that could become life threatening. Please take the information as for inspiration only.

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Thank you for this video! I have a kit for my van but have not put something together for my hikes.

I am going to get this done now!
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