Member Blog Post / Gear / Technology

Finally…A Practical 1st Aid Kit for Backpacking

by Zachary

March 19, 2023

Finally…A Practical 1^st Aid Kit for Backpacking

As backpacking has developed into a much more mainstream activity, participants have also learned to systematize their gear for efficiency & effectiveness. This is the first video in a new series where I explore each of the items I select from when putting together my backpacking system for any particular trip. My backpacking system is made up of kits and each kit has gear in it that falls under one of three components: essential (I’ll absolutely use it), contingent (I might use it), and luxury (it will make my backpacking experience more enjoyable).

Having a first aid kit while out in the backcountry should be an essential item in every backpacker’s system. In this video, I explore each item in my 1^st Aid Kit and why those items are included. Please note that I am not professional medical provider and I am not offering medical advice, this is simply a presentation of what items compose my 1^st Aid Kit.

Hopefully, you will find this information useful. Please leave a comment to help me see what information you found useful or otherwise. Thank you for watching and please consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel.

Blister Control Addendum

https://youtube.com/shorts/qcF8oRrkIIs?feature=share

Discussion

This topic has 9 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by Zachary.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

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Feb 18, 2023 at 7:07 am #3773445

Zachary
BPL Member

@tropicalzach
Locale: Pacific Northwest

Companion forum thread to: Finally…A Practical 1st Aid Kit for Backpacking

As backpacking has developed into a much more mainstream activity, participants have also learned to systematize their gear for efficiency & effectiveness…

Feb 18, 2023 at 7:57 am #3773447

Paul Wagner
BPL Member

@balzaccom
Locale: Wine Country

Hey Zacahry

Lots of good ideas there. A few things caught my attention. It takes more than 4:30 to get to the kit. I understand the disclaimers, but that’s a long time to wait to get to the good stuff.

I love the idea of using a handwarmer to heat up a cold stove canister. And I really like the comment about taking notes as you treat–if nothing else, so that any subsequent medics know what kind of meds the patient has already been given.

You have excellent suggestions on wound treatment–but my experience in the back country is that I am more likely to see sprains, pulled muscles/tendons, or broken bones, rather than wounds that would require suturing, for example. You don’t seem to address these at all. I know you aren’t going to carry plaster to set a broken arm, but you might want to mention how to use a bandana to make a sling…or at least what multiple-use items can be of service for other medical situations.

Feb 18, 2023 at 4:10 pm #3773506

Mark Verber
BPL Member

@verber
Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

Thanks for making the video. +1 to all of Paul’s comments.

I expect the tick removal device works well. I seem to have a very indelicate touch and have often left a bit of the tick behind using a variety of methods/tools, but so far I have 100% success with the Pro Tick Remedy.

I would add superglue for wound closure

For blisters I have fallen in love with compeed blister pads. just the right padding for me, and they were still attached to my toe after 100 miles and some water immersion.

Aleve: bring 2. You want a loading dose to get it to effective levels, After that 1 every 8/12 hours is fine.

Feb 19, 2023 at 9:51 am #3773546

Zachary
BPL Member

@tropicalzach
Locale: Pacific Northwest

Paul, first off thank you for watching, and thank you for wading through the intro. Sorry for the long delay to the good stuff; this is the first in a series so I wanted to give a bit of context for the rest of the videos…future videos will not have such a long delay before I get to the topic at hand.

You are 100% correct about the sprains, strains, broken bones, etc. being far more common. However, imho those require more first aid knowledge/skills/techniques to address rather than something that I would carry in a first aid kit. I forgot to mention in the video that the single most valuable item that is in my 1st Aid Kit should be my ability to problem-solve using my other backpacking gear (trekking poles for stabilizers, belts/straps for tourniquets/slings, handkerchiefs for wound dressing, etc.). I’m not qualified to produce a video on first aid and/or medical techniques, but I could create one that shows how I would handle a medical situation with my limited skill level. Good idea, thanks.

***

Mark, thank you as well for watching the video and offering some solid suggestions.

I’ve never heard of the Pro Tick Remedy until now. I just looked it up and it looks like a very effective system, especially the tick identification. I pack superglue primarily for gear repair, but will use it for first aid if necessary; that is in the next video on my Emergency Kit. As for the Compeed Blister Pads, I totally forgot about them…what a great suggestion! I’m going to switch out my mole-skin for them as they are far superior. Finally, solid advice on the front-loading of pain meds. I carry a packet for each day I am on the trail (i.e. for a two night trip I’ll bring three packets because I’ll be out for three days), so I can always appropriate from one of the other packets. All super valuable insights, thank you.

Feb 20, 2023 at 7:57 am #3773651

Paul Wagner
BPL Member

@balzaccom
Locale: Wine Country

I think I’d rather sling an arm or wrap a sprained ankle then suture a wound that needs it…

Feb 20, 2023 at 8:04 am #3773653

Zachary
BPL Member

@tropicalzach
Locale: Pacific Northwest

Just a clarification for all on the suture…as mentioned, I carry it primarily for gear repair. The only reason I keep it in my 1st Aid Kit is because that is the most practical place to keep it. Full disclosure, I’ve never used a suture in the backcountry to close a wound, but I have used them to repair gear. Obviously, the most valuable type of gear to carry is the one with multi-use options and a suture can serve that well.

Apr 11, 2023 at 4:10 pm #3778655

Kevin Garrison
BPL Member

@kgarrison
Locale: SF Bay Area

Thank you for taking the time to make this video. As a Wilderness First Responder, I was very glad to see someone take a shot at building a decent first aid kit that still fits with the UL ethos. Some items you might consider adding to your first aid kit: (1) steri-strips (wound closure) instead of the sutures; (2) Diamode (anti-diarrhetic); (3) aspirin (blood thinner); (4) prep iodine pads (clean wounds requiring steri-strips); (5) skin tac wipe (helps things stick); (6) alcolak (antacid); (7) tagaderm film (wound care); (8) multiple triangular bandages (many, many uses); (9) medical tape (don’t remember seeing this in your list; and (10) more wrap/ace bandage material. I keep mine in a HMG butt bag that i can carry on quick day trips and longer outings. The whole thing, including the butt bag weighs 13 oz and I have multiples of the items you carry, others noted above, and a few other items. One other thing you might consider is updating your note page. I love you that have this btw. I would include Danger and Response before the ABCs, include a note yourself to establish spine control; and to check for other issues (fractures, bleeding, response to stimulation, mental awareness, etc) before jumping too quickly to the obvious ones. Taking a Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder course is another great thing to do. WFA is quick and fairly easy. WFR takes a little longer (couple wks) but is incredibly valuable.

Apr 11, 2023 at 6:35 pm #3778666

David Thomas
BPL Member

@davidinkenai
Locale: North Woods. Far North.

I like the single-serving packets for antiseptic and pain relief, although you advise a 2% lidocaine for poison oak/ivy while my mind goes to topical steroids (for which I score those tiny professional samples from a dermatologist). I bring single-serving packets of topical antibiotic whose biggest benefit is as a moisturizer to keep the wound edges from drying out.

I love the provision for writing notes – something I’ve long advocated (and have a great anecdote about). A pencil isn’t wrong, but those tiny free pencils Time Magazine sent out decades ago are 1/10 the weight of a classroom #2. I usually skip the pencil and go with the smallest permanent marker I can find because then you can write on gear, trail signs, the victim, etc.

IME, thick Moleskin is handy for pressure point on the front of toes (cut into a doughnut to relieve pressure on the sore spot). For friction areas on one’s heels, sometimes more volume isn’t good and then I prefer Adhesive Knit to take that friction without adding bulk. For a larger group, however much you tell them to stop and treat hot spots early, some guy (and it’s always a guy) is going to hike till it’s bloody and then you want Second Skin.

We’ve got some of the original military-style and -sized clotting dressings from when they first came out in the civilian medical market (professional samples). It’s the size of a dang MH FD two-person meal. I’m glad to see they’re offering smaller dressings for, say, a bad knife cut versus having jumped on a grenade. Still quite pricey for some bentonite clay on cotton cloth. When is that patent going to expire?

For me, modern pharmaceuticals are SUL for their benefit and impossible to fabricate on the trail (aside from, theoretically, extracting salicylate from willow bark). So I’d add aspirin as a blood thinner, an anti-diarrhetic like Imodium, plus the diphenhydramine HCl and NSAIDs you mentioned.

Diaper ointment can help with raw and chafed skin.

I put a Mini-Bic in my FAK, not a one-time use handwarmer. Either can warm up a butane canister, but the Bic can start a campfire or sterilize a needle. It’s always there as a back-up to my primary lighter in the kitchen bag. For a car or cabin FAK, though, the 8-hour iron-filling hand warmers are great. $1 each when on sale at Sierra Trading Post.

You speak clearly and without the um’s and ahh’s many people use and that’s great. You also speak slowly. Enough so that I cranked it up 1.5x which was still perfectly understandable and made the long intro easier. My kids would have cranked it to 2 or 2.5x – that’s now they got through HS and college. I’d assume you can convert a carefully spoken 17 minutes video into a tighter 11-minute one before posting. If anyone has trouble keeping up, they can select 0.75x for playback.

Apr 15, 2023 at 8:17 am #3778954

Zachary
BPL Member

@tropicalzach
Locale: Pacific Northwest

Thanks for watching and commenting Kevin; it is much appreciated.

Your points are well considered and I agree with the anti-diarrhetic/blood thinner (which I have since added to my kit) as well taking a wilderness response course (which is part of the problem solving skills I discuss in my Emergency Kit video). The other items you presented are equally as valuable, but I have alternatives within my FAK/Emergency Kit or other backpacking gear that I can use instead.

Regarding the instruction sheet, adding the situational awareness is an excellent point as is determining patient response (both belong before any treatment actions), but this sheet is more of a cheat sheet for me once I am into patient care then step-by-step instructions. I recommend each backpacker carry a sheet like this, but what they put on it should be dependent to what they believe they will need to reference in a first aid situation. What are your thoughts?

Again, thanks for watching and providing some great feedback/suggestions.

Apr 15, 2023 at 8:41 am #3778955

Zachary
BPL Member

@tropicalzach
Locale: Pacific Northwest

Dave, thank you for watching and commenting. I always enjoy reading your feedback in various community discussions…you have a massive amount of valuable information.

Your points are all useful. I had not considered single serve topical steroids vs. wipes…I’ll look into that. As for the writing instrument, I’ve added the marker to my Emergency Kit, but I keep the pencil in my FAK because the note sheet is “Write in the Rain” paper and the golf pencil I use works well for that (plus I can sharpen the pencil with a knife and use the shavings as a blood-clotting agent – LOL – JK). I’ve since dumped my moleskin and added the Compeed Blister Plasters, so much better. I have also added the anti-diarrhetic and the blood thinner. For raw/chafed skin, I will cut off a bit of my lip balm and use that…works great. I carry two lighters (one in my cook kit, one in my fire kit) so I’m good there.

Thanks for the feedback on the video length. This one was the first in my series about what makes up my backpacking gear system so the first five minutes were sort of a setup to the series and some disclaimers (welcome to our litigious society). I’m trying to keep these videos between 10-15 minutes with valuable information, but would appreciate any feedback to improve them for better watchability. Keep in mind that they are meant to be informative videos so there is always going to be some setup required prior to getting into the meat of the topic.

Again, thanks for watching & commenting.
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