first aid kits for camping and hiking

Introduction

a basic first aid kit should be carried by most hikers
a more extensive one can be carried in your car
whilst you can buy an off-the-shelf kit, you probably should think a bit more logically and strategically about what is really needed for your likely needs

Failing to plan is planning to fail
Prevention is better than cure - don't take unnecessary risks and take care
- prevent blisters or chafing developing - manage early!
- don't chase snakes and avoid running where track vision is limited, consider long gaiters!
- wear snow goggles to prevent very painful UV burns to eyes which will impair vision until they subside
- even minor scratches, abrasions or blisters can lead to severe life threatening infections if there is delay to care of several days - wounds should be cleaned as soon as possible and any foreign matter removed if practable and reasonable
- avoid washing/bathing open wounds in rivers or the sea unless boiled or sterile water is not available
  - despite popular opinion the sea and rivers are teaming with bacteria - many resistant to usual antibiotics
  - that said, if there is no sterile or potable water available, then irrigation of a dirty wound with river or seawater is probably much better than leaving it dirty

Minimum components of a first aid kit

as a minimum you should carry:
- your essential medications
  - for diabetics this is your insulin, blood glucose tester, source of oral glucose, etc
  - for asthmatics, this is your inhalers and a course of prednisolone
  - for those with past history of anaphylaxis, you should have a EpiPen
  - for those with migraines, consider your anti-migraine meds
  - analgesics such as paracetamol and ibuprofen
  - consider meds to help with gastro such as imodium for diarrhoea and ondansetron for nausea / vomiting
- a 10-15cm elasticated bandage(s) for snakebites
  - whilst uncommon, these can be very unexpected and a bandage could be lifesaving until you get help
- combine or sanitary pad to allow pressure on a bleeding wound - keep it compressed until bleeding stops - don't keep checking on it though
- an aspirin in case of unexpected heart attacks if you are older than 35
  - uncommon but unpredictable
  - taking an aspirin early significantly improved outcomes
- a couple of triangular bandages with large safety pins
  - can be used as a sling for an injured arm or collarbone
  - can be used to splint an unstable fractured limb to a stick or similar
  - can be used to compress a bleeding wound in conjunction with combine or similar
- cotton buds to remove dust or other foreign bodies from eyes or under the eyelids
- cotton wool and Vaseline - can help with pressure sores / blisters and also the combination makes excellent fire starters
- scissors
- tweezers/forceps to remove splinters, etc
- waterproof extra strong Elastoplast bandaids or similar for small lacerations or wounds
- sterile dressings for open wounds
- Elastoplast adhesive tape or duct tape to keep bandages or splint in place and can be used to splint broken fingers, etc - duct tape has lots of other uses as well
- space blanket
- tick removal spray if in tick prone areas - do NOT use tweezers for removing ticks
- ideally a way to force potable clean water into wounds to irrigate them to stop infection
  - a 50mL syringe and blunt 18G needle is ideal to generate the pressure but a hole in a water bottle cap and squeezing the bottle will also suffice
  - ideally you should use around 1L of water to irrigate a sizable wound

For longer trips, consider adding the following

First Aid manual
blister care dressings
open wound / laceration repair kit such as:
- sterile saline
- sterile forceps to avoid contaminating the gauze with fingers
- gauze to dry the wound and also some to cover it
- skin glue (supaglue will do if you are stuck - but it must be applied to the OUTSIDE of a dried, closed wound)
- steristrips
additional bandages
- 7.5-10cm wide is most useful
burn management gear
- BurnShield or cling film
surgical gloves - preferably sterile
paper clip or similar can be used heated by a flame to melt a hole in a nail to release the painful, pulsating pressure of blood under the nail
EpiPen even if no one in group has known allergies
antibiotics to treat skin infections if there will be delay of some days getting to medical help
dental repair kit to manage unexpected broken teeth (dentists are hard to find on weekends let alone in in rural areas) from biting down on those hike nuts or from a fall
- eg. Dentafix temporary dental filling

Extra gear for Medicos to consider

sphygmomanometer
stethoscope
oxygen saturation finger probe
digital thermometer
blood glucose tester
urine test kit including pregnancy test (abdominal pain in a female hiker could be pregnancy related)
source of oral glucose
suture pack with sutures, antiseptic solution, sterile saline, needle holder, etc
scalpel to lance boils, etc
splinter removal forcep
aluminium padded splint
bag valve mask (BVM), Guedel airways
needle and valve for tension pneumothorax
nasal pack for severe epistaxis
topical steroid cream / antihistamines for contact allergies
Doctor's bag medications:
- epinephrine or Epipen
- stronger analgesics - oxycodone, Penthrane, etc
- prednisolone for asthma, croup, etc
- salbutamol inhalers with spacer
- antiemetic such as ondansetron
- aspirin
- antihypertensive such as a ACEI
- laxatives?
- additional antibiotics:
  - cefalexin for most skin infections, UTIs, etc
  - augmentin
  - metronidazole suppositories - can be used with augmentin or cefalexin to conservatively manage appendicitis if there is delay to care
special gear for high altitude hikes over 2500m such as bottled oxygen, acetazolamide, dexamethasone, nifedipine, salbutamol inhalers,

Table of Contents

first aid kits for camping and hiking

Introduction

Minimum components of a first aid kit

For longer trips, consider adding the following

Extra gear for Medicos to consider