first aid kits

[dizzy 0]

what's in your first-aid kit?

 

this is mine from the summer, will adjust for winter, adding hotpacks, "makiron" (antiseptic):

from top left down:

vitamin C, multi vitamin;

bandaids, Q-tips (for injures, not ears);

whistle (now on my jacket zipper)

plastic cover for CPR;

 

sore-throat medicine, aspirin;

i don't know what you call in english "shippu";

moist toliets, waterproof matches; emergency blanket;

gauze, tiger balm, tp, extra contacts

 

does anyone have any tricks, i.e. use toliet paper not paper towels in the bc as paper towels/kitchen paper doesn't biodegrade but toliet paper & tissue does, or roll some duck tape on your hiking poles, you can use it anytime.

[damian 0]

Jesus! That a lot of stuff for winter. All you need is enough to stop the situation getting worse, and you can use spare clothing for a lot of things, like applying pressure to a bleeding wound, strapping etc

 

I have:

 

Triangle bandage,

elastic bandage,

Sam splint (vital),

mixed pain killers,

a couple of bandaids.

 

That's it.

 

I used to carry sports tape for sprain strapping and for blisters (bandaids are often useless), but now I just use duct tape for blisters, strapping, clothing and gear repair etc.

 

And I don't use a big bag that pre-packaged first aid kits come in. Just use a mini light weight waterproof stuff sack. Those things are awesome.

 

I also carry an vacuum sealed emergency sleeping bag that I have linked to several times on this forum. Plus mini gas burner and gas tank, sugar, tea bags, alu cup. Just in case I go down in an avalanche I also carry a spare light weight fleece beanie and gloves and spare thermal underwear top and bottom. I can fit all of it into something the size of your first aid bag.

 

As for poo in the back country: you really should carry it and your toilet paper back out with you.

[daver 0]

"As for poo in the back country: you really should carry it and your toilet paper back out with you."

 

do you do that little maneuver with an inside out plastic bag, the same way you would pick up your dog's?

[Ezorisu 0]

Little scissors, or one of those little Victorinox knives or Leatherman tools comes in handy if you don't already have something similar elsewhere in your pack or on your person.

 

For $hits and giggles, when your emergency blanket gets all ratty and requires replacement, open it up and try it out - if you haven't already "had to" use one, this is often an enlightening experience...

[dizzy 0]

cheers guys. yea, db i want one of those bivy sacks you've put up in the past

i'll prolly remove some of the bandaids and not carry so many vitiamins with me.

 

i bought the bag separately and filled it w/ my own stuff, it's a bout the size of the ziplock folded in half. i would never use spare clothes on an open/bleeding wound for risk of infection unless there were no other options.

 

duct tape sounds painful on blisters. i got Second Skin, it works wonders.

 

after googling Sam Splint, it seems like a good little gadget to have.

 

poo does biodegrade and i am not a pet dog. pooing in the nature is very solemn

 

hokkaidorisu, that sounds interesting. could you tell me more?

[Hannahs'dad 0]

Hi Dizzy,

 

Just checked your post out and it looks as though you take care, just wondering if you have any first aid training? i have just completed my Leaders wilderness first aid course and would highly recomend it, a great course!

[dizzy 0]

just the basics. (american) first aid, CPR, but i need a refresher. and first-aid CPR in Japan in spring, but it was done in Japan, thus, i need a Western refresher. the differences in techniques that are taught are interesting.

[dizzy 0]

is there a difference between wilderness first aid and Leaders wilderness first aid, H's dad?

[Hannahs'dad 0]

Leaders is a 80 hour course opposed to the 40 standard, just covers things more indepth and you can teach basic WFA after the LWFA.

[Ezorisu 0]

Hey Hannah's Dad,

 

About emergency blankets, I recently had to use mine after witnessing an auto accident where the vehicle overturned and the driver was thrown out. While opening up the blanket to cover the victim, I found that the exceedingly thin mylar material was very difficult to unfold/unpeel down to the maximum advertised blanket size. This process would be nearly impossible with gloves or cold hands. Also, the light material tended to be blown about very easily, almost being lost several times. Since they work by reflecting body heat back and trapping a small layer of warm air around the body, this whole "flapping about" business would be a problem since the air layer would be lost. The unfolded size, while looking good on paper, seemed too small, especailly when trying to tuck it around a person.

 

I have seen a mylar blanket that is seamed into a tube, yielding something more akin to a sleeping bag. It will probably be equally difficult to unfold, but would probably hold in the heat better. I guess a regular sheet could be turned into a tube with handy duct tape, but in a situation where the emergency blanket gets deployed, using duct tape in a detailed manner may be problematic.

 

I have gone back to using a heavier "tarp-like" emergency blanket which is more durable and easier to use, but of course is much larger and heavier. If I fold it to the footprint of the back of my pack, it is unobtrusive, and also helps keep my hydration reservoir from getting too cold.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

Id like a refresher course on CPR - havent had done a course since I was in Uni...wilderness first aid would be good for me too.

[AK 77 0]

db - what's a "sam splint"

 

dizzy - what are the differences in CPR technique between Japan and USA that you have encountered?

 

This thread has reminded me that my winter first aid pack needs checking and restocking, as I dip into it from time to time in the summer.

 

It doesn't have any medicine in it tho, like Dizzy's, just stuff to clean and dress a wound, plasters, tape and triangular bandage/elastic bandage. And medical scissors (rounded tips). And my opinel.

 

Oh, and probably my whistle, compass and headtorch at the moment too, I haven't seen them for a while... must be in there.

 

Ezorisu - are you referring to the same vacuum packed emergency blankets as spud has? I think I have the same, and have considered unpacking it and repacking it, as i imagine it must be pretty well stuck to itself after never being opened up, but I wonder if i'd be able to get it back in it's bag.

The old emergency bivvy bags were always useful for sitting on or putting your rucksac in at night if you were in a small tent.

[damian 0]

Emergency blankets are useless.

 

Really good kit, but not as small and compact even though it is vacuum packed. Its the size of a VCR cassette.

http://www.blizzardprotectionsystems.com/acatalog/detail_bag.html

AK - if you unpack it then you will never get it as vacuum compact again. By virtue of their design (multi-layer cell construction with air pockets) they don't stay all stuck together like fine layers of space blanket does. Rather they naturally expand.

 

A Sam splint is a very adaptable splint can be used in all sorts of ways to immobilise injuries of bone, tendon, muscle. It is very light and the packaging is the size of a medium apple.

http://www.sammedical.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/SamSite.woa/wa/Products/Splint

 

Duct tape on blisters doesn't hurt, it sticks really well and covers the whole sore area in a protective thick surface that has almost no friction since it is so smooth. Plus it means you can triple the application of one item in your pack.

 

I really recommend carrying a micro gas burner and gas tank. Getting hot tea into you when you are feeling in the shit is a huge moral boost.

[dizzy 0]

db, good stuff thx for the info. i picked up a sam splint here http://www.andromedan.com/sam/

should arrive a week or so.

 

ezo, was that emergency blanket you used a number of years old, by chance? i've heard that the older they are (say, 5+ years), the harder they are to get open. they are like fire exstinguishers: you should get them replaced every two years.

 

ak, japanese people don't know what the Heimlich Maneuver is; i can't remember exactly what they taught in CPR/first-aid in this country, but it was something like find a chair and JUMP on it so as your stomach hits the backrest. ??? i ignored that part of the class. another diffence that still stands out is the lenth of time you wait between giving breathes for toddlers (2-5 years old) during CPR. in japan, it's less often.

 

H's dad, i'd be interested in taking a WFA. that sounds cool.