# First aid kits for rafting



## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

I've allways had those blue kits you get at sporting good stores and thankfully really only have used band-aids. I left a bag un zipped on my snowmobile and gifted my kit to the trail this winter. Iam usually in charge cause iam dad and wanna get a good kit just for the boat. Any one recommended? Or should we make a list that could be used by everyone? Any medics , firt responders or wilderness emt s out there want to offer advice? Thanks Charlie


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## kayakfreakus (Mar 3, 2006)

Gotta know how to use what you have, carrying a kit you are comfortable with and know makes a big difference.

I went down the road of trying to have everything and ended up with some equipment I would not know how to use and useless without a medical professional on the trip.

I’d vote for a kit that meets Grand Canyon major medical requirements, and then add what you find most useful. Splints/eye drops/dental fixes/blood clot additions are all I have made and feel comfortable with the setup:









NRS Comprehensive Medical Kit


The NRS Comprehensive Medical Kit includes the essentials for handling most emergency situations off the grid. When you're gearing up for a large multi-day river trip or heading into the backcountry for an extended amount of time an inclusive first-aid kit is a necessity.



www.nrs.com





Do think it helps to buy an otter box or other hard sided/briefcase makes it easier to use and organize than a dry bag. Training in CPR, first aid, wilderness medicine and practice make the difference that I have seen.

Look forward to other thoughts.


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## mkashzg (Aug 9, 2006)

As you mentioned above any equipment that you are not educated how do use is not going to be very helpful. Having some basic outdoor medical first aid training is definitely recommended and not wasted time. Just like the tool kit and spare parts a good first aid kit able to deal with most minor situations is necessary on multi-day trips. There are also some very comprehensive first aid pocket guides that are very useful in helping remember everything and also is helpful in diagnosing ailments and recommended treatment which I carry in my first aid kit.


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## michael_mcc1 (Jul 8, 2012)

Also broadcast where your kit is stowed. You dont want to be the only one knowing where it is in an emergency. And what if you're the one injured?


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Well I saw online kits that had individual kits inside that wear different colors and labeled "burbs" "fractures" ect. Has a guide book to they market as comprehensive? I allways say with my kids out doing all manner of dangerous stuff I should do a course but I never have. I do cpr every so often for work but...I usually tell them to rub dirt on it and relax. Maybe not the best wilderness first responder!


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)




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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Oh jeez nevernind that's 900 dollars!


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## k2andcannoli (Feb 28, 2012)

Make your own, that way you know everything that's there...find an EMT friend, lots of good stuff fall out of the back of ambulances all the time.

I just had a good incident while on the river. Thankfully one boat had a ZipStitch kit (which I now highly recommend everyone carry)... the innovative bandage allowed our group to remain on our schedule while allowing me to avoid riverside stitches.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Ouch! Can't rub dirt on that! My father in laws a retired fireman I'll ask him too and use the grand canyon regulations and that should be about right for us. Just to complicate matters. We have to train on defibrillators at work (schools) and have these really small units that are really easy to use and honestly anyone could use they are so specific and simple. After the training and talking with the nurse it seems they are oftentimes needed. Do big outfitters carry these? Just curious.


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## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

Pinchecharlie said:


> Well I saw online kits that had individual kits inside that wear different colors and labeled "burbs" "fractures" ect. Has a guide book to they market as comprehensive? I allways say with my kids out doing all manner of dangerous stuff I should do a course but I never have. I do cpr every so often for work but...I usually tell them to rub dirt on it and relax. Maybe not the best wilderness first responder!


All of the above, very good advice
Your best piece of equipment is your brain; seriously consider taking at least basic First Aid course, even better if the focus is in the outdoors, STOP (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan...very old
school, but works), scene survey, patient assessment, delegating and keeping busy those who would like to assist, and of course, do no harm








First Aid | Learn How to Perform First Aid | Red Cross


Get the First Aid training you need. The Red Cross offers online, in-person, and blended courses to help you learn the latest First Aid techniques.




www.redcross.org




Basic, but usually affordable
Make sure someone else that you travel with takes the course also; if you go down, who's going to help you?


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

All good advice. I've been EMS all my life, and this is what I carry more or less








EMI Pro Response II Medical Trauma Bag


DetailsEverything you need to handle most serious medical and trauma emergencies. This complete kit features the EMI Pro Response 2 Bag. The durable and rugged 1000 Denier nylon bag has a removable center section with 11 padded compartments and 3 adjustable sections. The top flap has elastic...




www.theemsstore.com




Most of what you'll deal with on the river can be loosely described as trauma, and some of it IS truly trauma. The only 2 things that I'd add to this kit, and one is specific to a river in the shoulder season, the Grand to be precise, is a 6x8 foot hot pack for hypothermia, and a BVM (Bag Valve Mask) as I really hate when I'm doing rescue breathing and the patient vomits. But this kit supplemented with whatever it is you think you'll need should take care of 99% of anything that happens on the river. 

Couple tips. EVERYONE should know where this kit is, and it should be rigged in an OBVIOUS place, not buried under gear or in hatches, and plainly marked as to what it is. Basic First Aid / WFR is highly desirable, as is CPR too..


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## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

MNichols said:


> All good advice. I've been EMS all my life, and this is what I carry more or less
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh yes, the sights and smells of rescue breathing, ribs cracking doing CPR....no classroom course will prepare you for the potentially chaotic scene of an emergency
But, as my favorite instructor/Vietnam medic used to say, "You have the rest of your life to freak out"


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Calm Cool and Collected, always.. Keep helpful bystanders, no matter how well meaning clear of the patient. Assess the patient, make a plan and follow that plan until something changes.. In a Serious accident, remember that there's little you can do but stabilize and transport the patient to the next level of care.

These days, professionally we use a Lucas Auto Pulse for CPR





LUCAS - Chest Compression System







www.lucas-cpr.com





Greatest boon to EMS since the pulse oximiter.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Dang...you guys are day in and out deep in pain .I don't know how you do it. My father in law (80) tells really awful stories and were convinced has ptsd from all the awful stuff he had to see in the fire department. Can't even imagine having a almost dead person vomit in my mouth or seeing all that awful car accident stuff. Thanks for committing your lives to saving ours!! I asked Ronnie if he thought it was worth it (being a fireman) he said once he had resuscitated an infant in front of her mother and father and saved her and that he knew that babies kids now in great falls. Unfortunately he said it with alot of pain in his eyes. Makes me tear up to think about. Crap I better get a course going!


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

You learn to deal with it, you can't let it consume you. The worst I've ever dealt with was an 18-month-old infant in a car seat sitting in a lawn chair in a campground, gust of wind came up blew the infant face first into the campfire... Thanks to Shriners hospital in Texas the child made a full recovery and is a normal 8-year-old..


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## dirtbagkayaker (Oct 29, 2008)

k2andcannoli said:


> *Make your own*, that way you know everything that's there...


2nd this.


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

There are some good threads on this, but I found a good starting place to be the Grand Canyon Private Trip recommended first aid list. I figure if I have everything on the list, no ranger can deny that my kit isn't "major" enough for any length of trip.



https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/upload/Noncommercial_River_Trip_Regulations.pdf



Supplement as needed. One of the biggest things I've come to realize is that alleviating minor issues can be as big of a deal as major trauma. I split up my kit into separate ziplocs for different things - minor wounds, major trauma, drugs, skin issues, etc. I use the "minor wounds" the most, and some of the other odds-and-ends, like eye drops, have certainly gone a long way to make people more comfortable, even if the issues weren't life-threatening.


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## Flaco (Nov 18, 2014)

I also recommend throwing a couple maxi pads in a zip lock in the top of the kit. I bled all over my first aid kit trying to get the band aids out when I cut my finger on a beer can.


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## suburbs (Feb 12, 2015)

x1,000 to take a course, sit down with an experienced field medic, or at least watch some youtube. 
Off the top of my head, this is what I carry on field missions: 

*Bleeding control.* Various types of gauze, if you can find it saline flush syringes and a suture kit if someone qualified happens to be nearby.Superglue if not. Tourniquets are like $8 on amazon and take up no space, must easier than trying to improvise one in the field. Disinfecting ointment. (The wetnap style alcohol pads dry out way faster then you would think.) Lotsa nitrile gloves. Bring a seperate stash for groover duty so your medical supply doesn't get pillaged without you knowing.
*Ortho repair. * Cravats and coban for multipurpose use. A SAM splint is awesome for wrist, arm, leg injuries, a C-Collar in a pinch.
*Drugs: *All the over the counter you can think of, pain, stomach, allergy. If you can find Zofran it comes in very handy for the morning after a big night. Some kind of rehydration tablets to add to water. Some benadryl and epi if you can find it. Glucose.
*CPR:* A pocket mask if it makes you feel better. I wouldn't take the space required for BVM. Needle decompression kit would be a way better use of space imo.
*Tools:* Nail clippers, tweezers, eye drops, trauma shears, multi-tool. 

This is where I would start, but it should be personalized to the equipment you learn to use and are comfortable with. 

But seriously, almost none of the gear is helpful if you don't know how to use it effectively. With the amount of free knowledge out there, no excuses.


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

On the education front, keep in mind that even if you can't swing a WFR course, you can pickup the textbook. Libraries have them too.

I also think it's worthwhile to keep a small wilderness first aid field guide in the med kit. Your most educated member may be the one getting hurt, and it's nice to have a guide at-hand if your first responders get frazzled.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

suburbs said:


> x1,000 to take a course, sit down with an experienced field medic, or at least watch some youtube.
> Off the top of my head, this is what I carry on field missions:
> 
> *Bleeding control.* Various types of gauze, if you can find it saline flush syringes and a suture kit if someone qualified happens to be nearby.Superglue if not.
> ...


I can't imagine the need to close a large wound on a river.. If it's that bad, call a chopper. 

Zero way to ensure sterility, all that you'll accomplish is to close in contaminants in the wound allowing them to grow and fester. Leave the would open, coat with antibiotic gel such as bacitracin, keep dry and change the dressings often. Move the patient to the next level of care as rapidly as possible.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Ok now iam terrified iam going to be in charge and not know what to do. Can only rub dirt on a "ouchy" not a "wound". 
So what would be a good course to take for a begginer?


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

Look for courses focused on wilderness first aid, as opposed to "standard" first aid. The main difference is the amount of time you're likely to be away from help.

Wilderness first aid courses are usually 16 hours - a lot of providers do them in a weekend or long weekend. The next step up would be a wilderness first responder course, which is 40 hours. More than that is probably overkill for a recreational student. And if you can't make a formal course work just yet, there are plenty of self-study options.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Pinchecharlie said:


> Ok now iam terrified iam going to be in charge and not know what to do. Can only rub dirt on a "ouchy" not a "wound".
> So what would be a good course to take for a begginer?


Just remember, everything stops bleeding eventually..

I'd follow craven's recommendation above..


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## dwjohnson (Mar 1, 2020)

I'm a EMT & most of my kit is devoted to the emergency I'm likely to have on the river. 1. Drowning or near drowning: bvm mask for cpr, nasal airways, bulb suction. 2. Hypothermia: heat packs, several space blankets, space bivy (also can be used as a litter) 3. Trauma: Sam splints, swat t tourniquet (rubber band one that is dual purpose) dressings, vet wrap, tape,cold packs 4. Boo-boo aid like bandaid, blister, sunburn gel, Tylenol, pepto, benadryl, flashlight. This seems to work for either a day or multi day trips & fits in a pelican type case and strapped to the stern of the boat where it's easy to find and access in an emergency


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## MikeG (Mar 6, 2004)

Pinchecharlie said:


> We have to train on defibrillators at work (schools) and have these really small units that are really easy to use and honestly anyone could use they are so specific and simple. After the training and talking with the nurse it seems they are oftentimes needed. Do big outfitters carry these? Just curious.


Funny, I just asked my wife if we should have one of these. She is a PA who has worked mostly in the emergency department and used to work on an ambulance as a medic. She kind of scoffed at the idea. Yup, they work well and are easy to use but are meaningless if you can't get the person to a high level of care within 30-60 minutes. In a place like the GC, that might be possible. Most other rivers, probably not (but maybe). They also need to be maintained and are water/heat sensitive. So I heard that maybe we should have one. If there is a small chance it could save someone then maybe it is worth the $1000 expense (for a richer person than me). Most big outfitters carry them.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Well even though iam to busy to do anything really, I signed up for a "wilderness first aid" class. It's only three day so I don't think it's advanced but it will be a way to understand what I need to do going forward. I'll bother the instructor after class about the first aide kit too. Iam hoping work will give me payed time off for it lol. Mnichols post with link has really good stuff for sale. You can buy "refills" for kits at a reasonable price. With these basics and others suggestions AND 30 hrs of training I will st least "feel" a bit more prepared. I allways hated injuries and even though iam not to squeamish , I was the little kid who would scream, "his arms broke!!!.....everyone ... RUN!!!!!


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## Icecreamman (Jun 1, 2015)

This is a great discussion with sound advice. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned, perhaps it’s obvious.. is an easy way to inventory your kit. In your kit, keep a printed, detailed list of all items and quantities in the kit. As you use an item, note it on the list so restocking is easy. Always start the trip confident that your kit is fully stocked. Too often (not on the river necessarily.. at friend’s home for instance), I’ve opened a first aid kit that’s unorganized with random items missing.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Perhaps cause I'm EMS, I always do a PCR (patient care report) when I'm working on anyone, it details vitals, a narrative if appropriate, and a list of things I've used in their care, when I get home I immediately restock the kit to maintain stock levels as it were.


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## Z_in_MT (Mar 30, 2017)

Hi Charlie, I took an EMT course a few years ago and carry a trauma kit with pocket mask. I made my own kit from a bunch of older, smaller kits I collected. Just bought the bigger bag, threw out expired stuff, and replaced with 'refills'. But that kit MNichols posted is basically what I ended up with. Definitely want a pocket mask vs. the plastic shield. BVM is too big for the river kit. Defib would be nice to have, lots of the emergencies on the Grand Canyon are heart attacks, but defibrulators are expensive and only help until you can get to a hospital or ambulance with better care. In many cases on MT rivers, you may not be able to get victim to more advanced care in that time. Sooo.. Defib if you can afford it, but it's not required for your kit. Also consider a hemostatic / quick clot bandage/gauze for those larger wounds. Lots of this stuff requires training!

As everyone stated, having some training and knowledge is more important than having a bunch of stuff you don't know how to use. Stoked you're taking that course! You can also watch a lot of YouTube videos on first responder care.


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