First Aid Kits

D

Deertick

New member
Mar 2, 2014
1,763
Bullnuts thought maybe it was time to start a thread about First Aid (from his post on the \"Tips\" thread) ... and I thought I\'d start things out.

First off ... I am NOT an Army medic, or a paramedic, and I have not completed a Wilderness First Responder course. I do have a medical degree, and have done plenty of work with injuries and trauma but my \"in field\" work has been like most of you -- you hear a \"thump\" or a \"Sh$t!\" while camping or hiking and go looking out of curiosity and end up trying to help somehow.

Because I\'m a physician, other people often come to me (or my wife, who actually practiced emergency medicine for about 10 years) with in-field injuries, human or veterinary. In camp (a vehicle camp, that is) they are right to assume that we have a fairly well-stocked first aid kit. I\'ve stitched/stapled quite a few people/dogs/horses when they\'ve lacerated their skin.

But ... for the most part ... the contents of that first aid kit are luxuries and conveniences, not necessities. What I mean by that is that they saved money and time, but not lives. By having me stitch someone up at camp, it saves them a day of their trip and a costly portion of their deductible to get the same thing done in a modern ER. But it didn\'t save their life.

And that\'s an important \"DISCLAIMER\" ... while you can conceivably take an entire ER and half of a pharmacy with you, those entities are NOT \"first aid\" centers ... they are what I call \"secondary aid\" centers.

So ... \"First Aid\" = stabilization; and \"Second Aid\" = treatment. This is a major concept that you should think about while packing.

I\'ll break up this thread into separate posts to keep the main ideas separate for commenting.
 
So, let\'s talk about FIRST AID ...

First of all, I think there are a couple essentials that one should always carry. They are:

Duct Tape

A first aid book

Some form of communication

There you go ... that\'s my \"in-field\" first aid kit. I have been practicing medicine now for a couple decades, but I still put a first aid book in my pack. See, it\'s been a long time since I reduced an elbow dislocation, and if you and I are hiking together, and you dislocate your elbow, I\'m going to read about it first. You\'ll be upset that I\'m taking my time, but you\'ll be glad I do it correctly, too. For those of you who have never looked at a bone sticking out of an ankle before, you may rightly wonder just how to handle that.

As they say, \"There\'s an app for that\"! Use it. I bet you smartphone users could download a serious wilderness medicine emergency book and pick up ZERO additional ounces in your ultralight pack. It\'s the most important part of your first aid (um, \"instructions\") and it costs you nothing in terms of weight. Do it.

People often think of first aid as something of a critical emergency requiring instinct and reflexes instead of calm, rational, deliberate, well-thought actions ... First aid, though, is RARELY something that require reflexes to practice properly. You have time.

(If someone breaks their arm with you on a hunt, take time and think about what to do -- it\'ll still be broken, and won\'t get broken-er while you\'re considering options!)
 
If you look at the first aid book (and of them), you\'ll find that most of what they suggest is NOT equipment-based. You can improvise just about any equipment. There are some things that improve your ability to improvise ...

Duct tape, safety pins, para-cord, clothing (I hope you have that, unless you\'re one of those \"traditional\" guys), and a knife.

I carry all that with me. Oh, and the zip-ties from the \"Tips\" thread, but I haven\'t used them for first aid, but I could see how they could be used for substitutes for safety pins.
 
Let\'s talk about major stuff ...

Everyone wants to know if I care Quik-clot or a touriquet.

I don\'t. If someone gets shot while I\'m in the field, they may be S.O.L. I have a hard time imagining a scenario in which I would be close enough to another hunter who is shot, who is still alive, and I have time to retrieve my Quik-clot, and apply it, and then ... this is the idea, right ... evacuate that person, alive, in time for life-saving therapy.

While I suppose it could happen, that\'s a stretch, guys, and if I agree to carry Quik-clot with me for THAT situation, I would have to say that I should carry it any time I am in a car, as such scenarios would be much more likely in a car accident.

As for tourniquets, I\'d improvise. You would, too. You would, I say, even before you emptied your pack looking for the tourniquet that you put in the bottom. If you need a tourniquet, you need it NOW. If you carry one, carry it in your hip pocket.

Remember, elk regularly get hit with non-vital shots with bullets and broadheads, and they survive with NO therapy at all. Regularly. You will do well with improvised therapy. Or not.

But my thinking has been that I can\'t carry the whole ER on my back waiting for what would be an exceedingly unlikely injury happening in an exceedingly unlikely scenario wherein I have the time and ability to treat it and evacuate the person.

So, if you are shot in your aorta while hunting with me, you are going to die. Sue me.
 
Medicines.

I take medicines, and keep them in camp. Here\'s the list.

Antibiotics: Cephalexin is useful if I get a wound that will get infected. I don\'t want to waste a day of my vacation running home for it.

Analgesics: I take Ibuprofen and Percocet. (The percocet is not for me ... if you are in pain to the degree that you need opioids, you are in a situation where you need to go home. And if you are that injured, you need your wits about you ... unless there is someone else to navigate your way to your pickup and drive for you.)

Aspirin: THE MOST IMPORTANT MEDICINE. How do people actually, you know, DIE in the backcountry? Heart attacks. If you or someone you find is having a heart attack, give them aspirin. It is the ONLY thing that will likely keep them alive until evacuation.

Antihistamines: Benadryl, for the unlikely allergic reaction. Could I bring an epi-pen? Sure, but I don\'t have a history of severe allergic reactions.

Personal medicines: I take a blood pressure pill and some asthma inhalers.

How do you get medicines:

Go to an older doctor. One who does outdoor stuff. Explain that you are not an idiot, and that you are not trying to be \"camp doctor\". Explain that you go to places that may take >1 day to get out of. (And \"no\", I won\'t prescribe anything for any of you ... doing that safely requires me to know more about you than your ElkMentor handle!)

If I was going to go to AK, by the way, where help may be more than a week away, this would be a longer list -- and so, too, with the list for equipment.
 
At the vehicle.

At car-camp, weight is not an issue, and \"Second-aid\" stuff seems more reasonable. This is where I keep \"Second-aid\" stuff:

Bandages, to replace the bloody clothing that I improvised with.

Braces, like an ankle brace you might save after your kid pays too much for one in an ER.

Stitches. You may not have the training for stitches, but you can always get a skin stapler. They are very useful on dogs and horses, and they work on humans, too.

Ice-packs, slings, etc.

Try to separate \"First Aid\" from \"Second Aid\" and you\'ll know where to put what.
 
Oops.

I forgot about one other thing I carry in my pack.

Super glue.

Non-serious cuts can still be painful and catch on everything ... super glue works well for that.

Oh ...

And how do you clean a wound, anyway?

Well, it\'s been studied, and irrigating a wound with soap and water, or hydrogen peroxide, or bactine is NOT superior to just irrigating with potable water, so ... just take a zip-lock baggie and fill it with drinking water, poke a hole, and use it to gently irrigate a wound. That\'s it.

Honestly, if a wound needs more than that, it needs to be in an ER. Get moving!
 
Good info Deertick. I actually do carry quick clot and tourniquet in my pack because I hunt with my kids and if an emergency arises that I can do something about, I\'ll be close enough and equipped to deal with it. Most guys carry comfort stuff in their packs - stuff to deal with aches, pains, sprains, and cuts. Yes, it sucks to cut a finger on a broadhead or have an achy back, but hell, this is hunting and that stuff happens. I keep that stuff in the base camp and if you have an owwwey you can deal with that when you get to camp. Otherwise, rub some dirt on it and lets carry on.
Like you, I don\'t carry everything I\'ll ever need for an emergency - there\'s not enough room in my pack, and I\'m not heading into the woods anticipating that I\'ll need all that stuff. I figure the best I can do is stop the leaking, stabilize, and transport. I don\'t have an AED but I know CPR and I can clear an airway if you start choking on your granola bar. I also carry a chest needle that I hope I never have to use, but I\'m trained to do it, just in case. The whole kit fits in a little 4X4X2 inch med kit that fits in my pack.
 
I\'ll give you all exactly what you shouldn\'t do.

I carry no first aid kit at all, except maybe a couple of band aids.

Nobody ever knows where, or when i\'ve gone in the mountains. Probably, because I do it almost everyday, and don\'t always know where i\'ll be.

I carry no communications.

I carry no compass, map, or GPS. Yet, i\'m almost always in wilderness areas.


I could go on, but that\'s enough for you to get the picture. Have I been lucky over the years? You bet. You might not be.
 
Thank you for all for honest real world posts.

2 years ago, I took the NOLS Wilderness First Aid course. I am the most ignorant person when it comes to medicine. Since I go solo into the woods, I felt this may enlighten me. I got a small water resistant First Aid Guide. I did not memorize it. Despite taking the class, I would need to read it before treating myself for an injury.

I started out with the ER equipment in my pack and quickly switched to leaving that stuff in my car. The NOLS class did teach us how to improvise with the stuff we carry in our pack.

After the class, I bought a SPOT. The class did not make me that much more skilled on first aid. However, that is not the fault of the class. It was an excellent hands on experience with real life wilderness first aid scenarios. I became wiser. I am not as tough as an elk. If I can\'t walk myself back to my car within 24 hours after an injury, I will need to suck it up and push the SPOT\'s SOS button.
 
Thanks Tick for posting this. I see a need to make a few changes in my 1st Aid and 2nd Aid equipment. I have been about where Still Hunter is, and it has been a little troubling. I do not want to be weighted down with 1st Aid supplies, but want to be basically prepared to deal with an emergency. I too hunt alone and often camp alone. If an accident happens, no one is coming today, and probably not tomorrow either.
The information you posted would be great to take to other hunting forums. It could save a life.
 
Great post, Deertick! Much appreciated insight from somebody with real medical training.
 
John, thanks a bunch for all of the great information, very helpful!

One question for all of you guys regarding para-cord: I see a lot of people who carry this. My question is, what is it for? It seems to be very popular, but I guess I have never caught on to exactly what you guys are using it for. Just curious!
 
\"cohunter14\" said:
John, thanks a bunch for all of the great information, very helpful!

One question for all of you guys regarding para-cord: I see a lot of people who carry this. My question is, what is it for? It seems to be very popular, but I guess I have never caught on to exactly what you guys are using it for. Just curious!
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Paracord ... the stated reason in the Boy Scouts right up through NOLS and the \"survival\" guys is that you can take it apart to make little bitty strings to fish with ... or use it all together to bind things tightly.

I figure (and this deviates away from 1st Aid and toward \"the unexpected night out\") that it\'s the bare minimum for a shelter ... you can use it to string branches and what-not together.

MtnMutt ... have you done other NOLS courses? (I haven\'t, but Son #2 went to Alaska with NOLS and it was a great experience.)
 
great info john, could save anothers life sometime. i am a nurse an got a nice lightweight first aid pack that i carried, for the first couple days, then it went in the car an stayed there. i just dont carry anything anymore. i may pay for that someday, dont do as i do.
 
I\'m seeing that several have said that they don\'t carry anything and I have to wonder why? Is it weight, the fact that you don\'t expect to ever need it, the trouble it take to learn to use it? I figure my kit is kind of like a seat belt. I put it on every time I get in the car, I don\'t expect to really need it, but the first time I do I\'ll be really happy to have it on.
 
I guess it\'s because after decades of not needing something you just stop thinking about it, and stop bringing it.

As for the question on the para-cord. I use it to tie off legs during skinning/quartering, and hanging bags of meat.
 
\"Deertick\" said:
MtnMutt ... have you done other NOLS courses? (I haven\'t, but Son #2 went to Alaska with NOLS and it was a great experience.)
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No other courses. A CO Mountain Club member steered me away from the American Red Cross course on Wilderness First Aid because the NOLS\' one was so much better. Definitely high quality courses that are worth the money and time. They have 2-3 in Colorado each year in Spring/Summer.

I have a small quart sized NOLS water resistant bag with about half the kit\'s contents removed. I did get a syringe for irrigating a wound, however, the suggestion of using a ziplock bag with a small hole was a very good suggestion. I have extra motrin because that needs larger doses if I have severe pain. When backpacking, I take slightly more items in my first aid kit for blisters which I needed once on a backcountry hunt.

My most likely injuries are blisters, cutting myself and twisting my ankle. Therefore, I did start carrying a small size QuikClot. I have hiking poles. I can improvise to make a splint and wrap. I prefer to get myself back to my car without assistance. I only added the hiking poles in the last 2 years. While hunting, they stay attached to my pack.

Make a list of your most likely injuries. Dump the stuff out of your pack. Select the items from your pack or in your forest/hunting area (sticks/logs) that can help treat those injuries. If you do not know how to use something in your first aid kit, toss it. No sense carrying something you do not know how to use. Just my 2 cents.
 
So, pretty much paracord is being used instead of rope for most of you? I always have some rope in my pack, which can do most of what you all listed. Is para-cord lighter or easier to use than rope? What is the reason you all prefer it over rope?
 
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