Author Topic: First Aid Kits  (Read 3506 times)

tom83

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First Aid Kits
« on: 18:28:56, 11/01/18 »
Im currently doing my First Aid refresher course through work. Im doing it with St Johns Ambulance, and they are selling a really good aid kit, but its a bit on the bulky side and would take up quite a bit of room in my rucksack, which I would rather avoid. Admittedly I haven't carried an aid kit on a walk, mainly because I haven't done enough walking for me to have considered it. This year Im hoping to walk a lot more, and for longer distances, and I am now realising a first aid kit is actually a essential item that I need to carry, but instead of buying a bulky one, Im thinking of making a smaller one up to suit me.


I was just wondering if anyone could recommend a smaller first aid kit thats suitable for walking etc?


Or tell us what you carry in yours, and offer inspiration for me to make my own.


Ta.

ninthace

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #1 on: 19:09:35, 11/01/18 »
Why not pop along to Boots, Go Outdoors, Cotswold etc. They sell small first aid kits. I bought one that way and the only thing I have added is a few ibuprofen tablets and a tick removal tool.
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harland

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #2 on: 19:20:12, 11/01/18 »
And Compeed.

ninthace

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #3 on: 19:33:56, 11/01/18 »
And Compeed.
yes, I forgot the Compeed.
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fernman

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #4 on: 19:41:14, 11/01/18 »
Some people in this life are accident-prone and some are not, and I firmly believe I'm one of the latter.
I'm not saying it's the right choice for everyone, but I don't carry any first aid items (other than tick removers when I go backpacking, and I've only had them for a couple of years).
In 39 years of walking I have never needed anything of the like, and I always reckon that if the worst comes to the worst I'll bind myself up with the handkerchief out of my pocket or something. The only two incidents I have experienced in all that time were a jogging vicar (!) who was laying hidden in some bushes with a sprained ankle and myself when I did a forward slip coming down a wet mountain, didn't fall but broke a bone in my foot - and in neither of the cases would a first aid kit have been of any help.

[Rgmw]largie

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #5 on: 19:43:15, 11/01/18 »
Hi, I've steristrips. Germolene ,cleansing wipes, ibuprofen  two different size dressings and a bandage in a ffd (first field dressing pouch) on the front right strap of my rucksack as well as a swiss army knife and a whistle on lanyards attached to it. I also have a blood type patch on the front.


I also have some other plasters/dressings, emergency blanket, micropore tape in a pack on top of my rucksack.


Cheers


Dave
« Last Edit: 20:50:21, 11/01/18 by [Rgmw]largie »

Mel

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #6 on: 20:16:42, 11/01/18 »
My first aid kit comprises of nowt much more than a few plasters, a sanitary pad, a shoelace, some antihistamine cream, some paracetamol, a handkerchief and a packet of tissues.  I'f I'm needing to administer first aid to myself or an other for anything more than a cut or a scrape or a sting or a sprain then I'll be calling out the rescue teams. 


Occasionally I carry an emergency foil blanket thing but I rarely walk in locations/conditions that would ever require it's use in an emergency.

Dovegirl

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #7 on: 20:36:47, 11/01/18 »
My first aid kit, such as it is, consists of plasters, paracetamol, tissues and cleansing wipes

Pura Vida

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #8 on: 21:49:06, 11/01/18 »
Things to consider for a First aid kit in a remote setting
Are you on your own or in a group? On your own you might need a bit/lot more. In a group between you you would have a lot of resources.
Are you on day walks or Long distance?
What have you needed in the past? (very little i suspect)
Youve learnt from your course what you need to address and in what order. If its serious you need help, phone, whistle, torch. Open an airway, check for breathing. If they are not breathing, once you have called for help you need tobreath for them. If they are breathing then are they bleeding? Until you get to that stage you don't need much kit.
ONE thing that is really important in a remote setting is keeping the casualty warm. They will get cold very quickly if they are imobilised. That will complicate whatever befell the casualty in the first place.
Other than that you need a few bits and pieces for running repairs. Plasters, compeed, a dressing of sorts, maybe a triangular bandage, personal painkillers, wipes, tick removal tool,tape, suntan lotion, insect repellant. And put it in adecent bag to keep it dry.
NO don't buy the SJA kit as it is designed for a workplace, not a rucksack.


Robin, First Aid trainer.
Show a man a route then he will have an Adventure; Teach a man to navigate then he will have many adventures

tom83

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #9 on: 22:48:38, 11/01/18 »
Things to consider for a First aid kit in a remote setting
Are you on your own or in a group? On your own you might need a bit/lot more. In a group between you you would have a lot of resources.
Are you on day walks or Long distance?
What have you needed in the past? (very little i suspect)
Youve learnt from your course what you need to address and in what order. If its serious you need help, phone, whistle, torch. Open an airway, check for breathing. If they are not breathing, once you have called for help you need tobreath for them. If they are breathing then are they bleeding? Until you get to that stage you don't need much kit.
ONE thing that is really important in a remote setting is keeping the casualty warm. They will get cold very quickly if they are imobilised. That will complicate whatever befell the casualty in the first place.
Other than that you need a few bits and pieces for running repairs. Plasters, compeed, a dressing of sorts, maybe a triangular bandage, personal painkillers, wipes, tick removal tool,tape, suntan lotion, insect repellant. And put it in adecent bag to keep it dry.
NO don't buy the SJA kit as it is designed for a workplace, not a rucksack.


Robin, First Aid trainer.




Brilliant, thank you for your advice Robin, and thanks to everyone else for replying.

NeilC

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #10 on: 23:39:08, 11/01/18 »
Since my wife sprained her ankle coming down Hellvellyn I'm a big believer in having a proper wide, strong bandage to strap up such things. How she carried on the last 40 mins with her foot and ankle blue and swollen to twice it's normal size I don't know. Before that I had a crappy little crepe bandage one as my only bandage.
« Last Edit: 09:52:47, 12/01/18 by NeilC »

RogerA

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #11 on: 09:14:03, 12/01/18 »
I have no particular expertise, nor am a particularly experienced hiker and dont do overnight hikes.

I did however look to buy a small first aid kit for my backpack, I looked at many of the prepackaged kit contents on amazon and in the equipment shops and found the contents varied so much I began to wonder how much they were actually just offering reassurance of having a kit with you rather than actually being practical help.

For safety equipment I always carry with me:
Spare boot laces (anything that can double as string can be a help in many situations), a credit card style metal multi tool, chocolate. And of course a phone battery charger pack.

I sometimes carry with me (depending on the walk):
Backup torch, whistle, light emergency blanket

As far as first aid goes all I carry are small reels of Duct tape, durapore tape and micropore tape and ibrupofen.

With these I'd hope to be able to put pressure on a bleed, strap up a limb etc. (as well as patch a torn jacket/pack/zip etc.) ... hopefully enough to get to civilisation / call for help should the need arise. I figure that if anything happens more complicated than I'd be able to handle with this then no amount of equipment I could carry is going to be of use to me with my level of knowledge / experience.

This also helps keep my pack weight down.

 
« Last Edit: 09:22:03, 12/01/18 by RogerA »

fernman

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #12 on: 09:22:34, 12/01/18 »
Since my wife sprained her ankle coming down Hellvelyn I'm a big beliver in having a proper wide, strong bandage to strap up such things. How she carried on the last 40 mins with her foot and ankle blue and swollen to twice it's normal size I don't know. Before that I had a crappy little crepe bandage we my only bandage.

That's where a pair of poles comes in handy. You can use them to the extent that you barely need to place any pressure at all on the affected foot as you progress.

NeilC

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #13 on: 10:16:49, 12/01/18 »
That's where a pair of poles comes in handy. You can use them to the extent that you barely need to place any pressure at all on the affected foot as you progress.


Good point. We only had one pole but wasn't a huge lot of use particularly as the path down to Patterdale is very rocky making it hard to put much weight on it and move at any sort of speed. I've not seen a sprain like that before where you can literally see it swelling before your eyes and the whole foot and angle turns blue looking like you're wearing a blue sock. Took months to go away.


My kit is based on things that have happened to me and focused on reducing discomfort so I can carry on enjoying my trip, rather than just dealing with medical emergencies. Over the years I've had headaches, backache, sprains, trapped wind (it's no joke! lol), bites/stings, blisters, scrapes etc so it consists of: One large bandage for sprains/breaks, a few plasters for cuts, antiseptic wipes for cleaning up scrapes, ibuprofen & paracetamol for general illness, valium (I get back spasms), a couple of Windeze, insect bite wipes, a couple of Imodium (I've not had diarrhoea miles from anywhere with only a limited supply of toilet paper, but I'm guessing it's not fun), an anti-blister lube stick, blister plasters, tiny tube of sunblock. I have a little Swiss Army card knife thing with scissors, blade, tweezers etc in my bag anyway.

ninthace

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Re: First Aid Kits
« Reply #14 on: 11:42:44, 12/01/18 »

........... a couple of Imodium (I've not had diarrhoea miles from anywhere with only a limited supply of toilet paper, but I'm guessing it's not fun)..............


It is even less fun if you are not miles from anywhere and there are folk wandering about but still no loo for miles! Been there, didnt do that!
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