First aid kits on the road?

[beau riley]

I recently burned myself pretty badly while baking, and it brought a question to mind.
How would you take care of that sort of injury (or a similar open wound) while traveling? I bring a small first aid kit whenever I go hiking, but I know spending weeks on the road can be dangerous health-wise if you don't know what you're doing. Does anyone have any tips on the most important first-aid tools?

 

[Bibs]

I'm an RN by trade and in a best case scenario the following are what I would like to have on hand at all times. It comes up to around 6lbs of gear so quite a hearty load for medical supplies, but you can stabilize most common injuries with these. If you're looking for reading material on the subject I'd recommend "where there is no doctor/dentist" and "the boy scout manual on first aid and wilderness medicine" both are written with the assumption the reader has zero medical knowledge and as such are great for the aspiring barbersurgeon.

As far as treating lacerations goes, which is what I'm assuming you're asking about regarding "cuts". If you have absolutely nothing to work with: make a fire, burn wood until it's white ash, pack the wound with ashes until you can get proper treatment, ashes are sterile and will help absorb the blood and promote clotting. If you have sutures you can attempt to stitch it yourself, but that shit isn't like the movies and if you have a wound that needs stitching it's gonna hurt like a motherfucker. If you have absolutely nothing for pain sit on your arm until it goes numb or tourniquet it. It'll dull the pain enough to get the needle in, you'll need to stich at least a quarter inch down to get the flesh to bind.

If you break your leg, you're fucked more or less and if the pain doesn't knock you out the shock eventually will and for all you know you could busted all kinds of blood vessels and are bleeding out under your skin so scream and holler and try and get some help, call the cops on yourself if you have too.

Also take care of your feet, no feet = no travel. Stop and change your socks every four hours minimum.
If this info was any help to you at all please share it with other to help ease their burdens as well. We gotta stick together out here.
Be safe have fun and may everything you attempt instantly succeed.

The Holy Grail of medical shit
+2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
+25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
+1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
+5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
+5 antiseptic wipe packets
+2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
+1 emergency blanket
+1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
+1 instant cold compress
+2 pair of non-latex gloves (size: large)
+2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
+1 3in. gauze roll (roller) bandage
+1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
+5 3 in. x 3 in. sterile gauze pads
+5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
+Oral thermometer (mercury if you can keep it secure, Non-Mercury if you're clumsy )
+ 10 activated charcoal tablets (alcohol/food poisoning)
+1 6oz bottle ipecac syrup (to induce vomiting)
+5g ammonium carbonate (smelling salts)
+2 triangular bandages
+Tweezers/Avulsion Tweezers
+ 4 Morphine ampoule (illegal but good to have)
+2 narcan (syringes not nasal spray)
+99 pairs of socks

 

[beau riley]

I'm an RN by trade and in a best case scenario the following are what I would like to have on hand at all times. It comes up to around 6lbs of gear so quite a hearty load for medical supplies, but you can stabilize most common injuries with these. If you're looking for reading material on the subject I'd recommend "where there is no doctor/dentist" and "the boy scout manual on first aid and wilderness medicine" both are written with the assumption the reader has zero medical knowledge and as such are great for the aspiring barbersurgeon.

As far as treating lacerations goes, which is what I'm assuming you're asking about regarding "cuts". If you have absolutely nothing to work with: make a fire, burn wood until it's white ash, pack the wound with ashes until you can get proper treatment, ashes are sterile and will help absorb the blood and promote clotting. If you have sutures you can attempt to stitch it yourself, but that shit isn't like the movies and if you have a wound that needs stitching it's gonna hurt like a motherfucker. If you have absolutely nothing for pain sit on your arm until it goes numb or tourniquet it. It'll dull the pain enough to get the needle in, you'll need to stich at least a quarter inch down to get the flesh to bind.

If you break your leg, you're fucked more or less and if the pain doesn't knock you out the shock eventually will and for all you know you could busted all kinds of blood vessels and are bleeding out under your skin so scream and holler and try and get some help, call the cops on yourself if you have too.

Also take care of your feet, no feet = no travel. Stop and change your socks every four hours minimum.
If this info was any help to you at all please share it with other to help ease their burdens as well. We gotta stick together out here.
Be safe have fun and may everything you attempt instantly succeed.

The Holy Grail of medical shit
+2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
+25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
+1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
+5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
+5 antiseptic wipe packets
+2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
+1 emergency blanket
+1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
+1 instant cold compress
+2 pair of non-latex gloves (size: large)
+2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
+1 3in. gauze roll (roller) bandage
+1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
+5 3 in. x 3 in. sterile gauze pads
+5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
+Oral thermometer (mercury if you can keep it secure, Non-Mercury if you're clumsy )
+ 10 activated charcoal tablets (alcohol/food poisoning)
+1 6oz bottle ipecac syrup (to induce vomiting)
+5g ammonium carbonate (smelling salts)
+2 triangular bandages
+Tweezers/Avulsion Tweezers
+ 4 Morphine ampoule (illegal but good to have)
+2 narcan (syringes not nasal spray)
+99 pairs of socks

thank you so much this is great!

 

[Bibs]

thank you so much this is great!

You're welcome my dude I'm glad you found it useful ^-^

 

[ali]

+99 pairs of socks

🤣

I don't have much to add to Bibs' excellent response, but i can say that I have struggled with the same question when traveling. First aid kit is like insurance, you hope you will never need it. From my personal experience, most stuff in "basic" medkits i never had to use before, but this is stuff i definitely have used:

• water
• tweezers
• needle
• tape
• gauze
• bandages

That will get you through minor cuts and scrapes, splinters, blisters and sprains. It will not help if you get a serious injury, but in that case i figure you're better off calling a professional. Do not underestimate the importance of having access to clean/potable water. Aside from being good to drink, if you need to flush out a wound, you're gonna wanna have extra.

 

[texastraveler]

When I did wildland fire our first aid kits were geared more towards saw trauma, insects and burns, but it wouldn't be too bad to have on the road. Burn cream inside of a sterile exam glove might help you out if it's that bad(in lieu of real medical care), but it feels very uncomfortable lol. Anyways, here's the list of what I remember us having in our very small kits:

-A handful of large gauze pads
-Smaller gauze pads
-Gauze compresses (i prefer "israeli bandages")
-Band aids (a fuckload)
-Triangle bandages
-Burn dressing
-Self adhesive bandages
-Sting relief wipes (a fuckload)
-Benadryl (lots)
-Tweezers
-CPR mask
-Tourniquet


They didn't give us any antibiotic ointment for some reason, lol. I also started carrying a lot of neosporin, alcohol wipes, eye drops, a burn bag, SAM splints (these are great but they're bulky) and quickclot.

 

[Theturk47]

I carry a med kit in my bag with a Israeli bandage and emergency blanket and gauze Advil and disinfectant spray bottle

 

[Bibs]

When I did wildland fire our first aid kits were geared more towards saw trauma, insects and burns, but it wouldn't be too bad to have on the road. Burn cream inside of a sterile exam glove might help you out if it's that bad(in lieu of real medical care), but it feels very uncomfortable lol. Anyways, here's the list of what I remember us having in our very small kits:

-A handful of large gauze pads
-Smaller gauze pads
-Gauze compresses (i prefer "israeli bandages")
-Band aids (a fuckload)
-Triangle bandages
-Burn dressing
-Self adhesive bandages
-Sting relief wipes (a fuckload)
-Benadryl (lots)
-Tweezers
-CPR mask
-Tourniquet


They didn't give us any antibiotic ointment for some reason, lol. I also started carrying a lot of neosporin, alcohol wipes, eye drops, a burn bag, SAM splints (these are great but they're bulky) and quickclot.

Good call on the Israeli bandage, tourniquets and CPR masks 👍 I completely overlooked those.

 

[Colinleath]

I've been living on the road a long time and this is what I make sure to have:

1 small roll 1/2 inch cloth medical tape (this can be used to make your own band aids, fold a piece in half to make the pad)


1 pack band aids (easier than making your own)

Shea butter (the only thing I've found to help with my skin cracks on my feet)

Knife (prefer ceramic) for trimming foot calluses (I wear Huaraches year round and due to foot fungus / keratinosis one foot is more likely to have painful cracks than the other)

Needle (carried for sewing, but useful for trying to get out thorns)

Small water bottle with a hole punched in the cap for wound irrigation, cleaning my butt with, squirting at belligerent animals.

Some soap.

The reason they're not giving people antibiotic ointment any more is (according to my WFR training) it's not necessary. Irrigate wounds with fresh water clean enough to drink, scrubbing them clean to remove all dirt if necessary. . . Even soap is optional apparently but I think it helps. And keep wound covered, replacing bandage occasionally and give wound some uncovered time too.

I'm a bicycle traveler though so I'm usually not far from help if I need more.


Figuring out how to deal with foot cracks took me the longest and was the most painful thing I had to deal with so far. Aside from back pain--solution to that was morning/daily exercises and posture adjustments and sleeping in a hammock when possible.

I guess the demise of the site was greatly exaggerated? I thought it was going away?

 

[Colinleath]

I've been living on the road a long time and this is what I make sure to have:

1 small roll 1/2 inch cloth medical tape (this can be used to make your own band aids, fold a piece in half to make the pad)


1 pack band aids (easier than making your own)

Shea butter (the only thing I've found to help with my skin cracks on my feet)

Knife (prefer ceramic) for trimming foot calluses (I wear Huaraches year round and due to foot fungus / keratinosis one foot is more likely to have painful cracks than the other)

Needle (carried for sewing, but useful for trying to get out thorns)

Small water bottle with a hole punched in the cap for wound irrigation, cleaning my butt with, squirting at belligerent animals.

Some soap.

The reason they're not giving people antibiotic ointment any more is (according to my WFR training) it's not necessary. Irrigate wounds with fresh water clean enough to drink, scrubbing them clean to remove all dirt if necessary. . . Even soap is optional apparently but I think it helps. And keep wound covered, replacing bandage occasionally and give wound some uncovered time too.

I'm a bicycle traveler though so I'm usually not far from help if I need more.


Figuring out how to deal with foot cracks took me the longest and was the most painful thing I had to deal with so far. Aside from back pain--solution to that was morning/daily exercises and posture adjustments and sleeping in a hammock when possible.

I guess the demise of the site was greatly exaggerated? I thought it was going away?

And when I'm in the middle of nowhere (Backcountry hiking) I try to keep the safety prayer on my lips, pretty much always trying to keep safety on my mind at all times with each step. But even then there's that one loose rock that breaks when I step on it etc. ultimately we're all "living in the hands of God" to take a line from one of Daniel Quinn's Ishmael books.

 

[laughingman]

I'm not much of a medical mind. I have patched myself up a few times but I try to be big on safety. Not getting hurt is the best cure I have found. I carry some basic stuff like tweezers and band-aids, Luka tape, 1 gauze pad, soap, and ducktape. Ive always figured that anything so big and bad that I would need a full trauma kit for is going to kill me before I really have the chance to get to the kit and use it. But as I read the responses here I wonder if I should not be giving this more thought.
Always nice to have the input of more clever people then myself.

 

[Theturk47]

The Israeli bandage is a pressure gauze

 

[klaaayyyy]

One time I sliced my foot open on some rocks while portaging in Northern Ontario. I was five days out of service and the cut was pretty deep, and I still had to carry my shit overland. I washed it with vodka and bound it tight with electrical tape, a sock overtop, and that made the pain bearable until I was back and able to seek medical care. Vodka optional, but I always bring electrical tape with me now.

 

[timeeeee]

I think about this general strategy: Stop any bleeding, then keep injuries clean (clear of crud, use water and a little soap but not too much), closed, and bandaged (we can list sizes and categories of bandages all day but all we're doing is finding something clean to keep it covered). "How bad is too bad" is beyond the scope of an STP thread but even the bad ones, this is a good strategy until you get to good medical care.

I try to weigh size of my first aid kit against the impact I can have against the acceptance that some injuries need a real nurse or doctor with real resources. My sense is that rather than 100 shapes of bandage, a good amount of gauze and tape are adaptable to a lot of different situations without taking up too much space. (The tape is good for covering up any skin that's getting chafed before it blisters, too)

... so for me, aside from the water and Dr. Bronners I'm carrying anyways:

• plenty of gauze of any size
• any good tape that I'm comfortable putting on my skin
• tweezers
• trauma shears
• ibuprofen/acetaminophen (pain/swelling)
• aspirin (in case somebody has a heart attack)
• benadryl (in case somebody has an allergic reaction to something)
• narcan (in some cities you can get this for free)
• iodine water purification tablets

If you can find it, the tip of a hyperdermic needle is excellent for fishing things out of your skin.

Many thanks to the people with good medical experience weighing in on this thread!