# First Aid



## benrodda (Mar 27, 2004)

on that note.... I took an advanced wilderness first aid class through NOLS. I would totaly recomend it to you folks.

elvis can you get "opsite" wound kits at a decent price?

ben


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## abron (Nov 19, 2004)

*overboard...*

so this made me think of a little article in our friendly northern neighbors' cool paddling mag ... and i was able to find it quite easily.... check out this for a very good minimal kit- actually geared for paddling, but a nalgene will fit just as well in your pack. 

https://www.rapidmedia.com/onlineissues/index.php/rapid/v6i4/22/0 

My take is that you want to have the basics for bleeding control- gauze, bandages,neosporin, alcohol swabs, butterfly bandages (Steri strips), etc... med tape, a bit of duct tape, ace bandages, lighter, Vitamin I(buprophen), benadryl in case of an anaphylactic reaction, wire splints, triangular bandages, sharpie, flashlight, emt shears, Mole skin, sunscreen, tweezers, TP, ASA, Tylenol, Pepto tablets, Imodium (anti- diarrheal) In case someone gets the squirts,(AKA la tourista), a Sawyer extractor for snake bites (or bee or misquito bites) albuterol inhaler for asthma, (OTC Epinephrine inhalers are available at drug stores...)....ummm, did i mention the TP? and a lighter? and a little petzl tikka headlamp isn;t a bad idea....

Obviously this is the stuff i could think of of the top of my head from my 1st aid kit that i have randomly collected from the drugstore, and from my volunteer FD and regular services' stockrooms ( with permission...mostly...) and it all (barely) fits into a 14" pelican box. it is geared toward having hopefully a little something of everything, and i did put it together for rafting as my companies kits were pitiful- it's probably not good to have to wring out the river water from your gauze for a custie's owie on their knee....

I think the other kit is (obviously) much more basic and relevant to most trips. the stuff i actually use most is definitely bad-aids, sunscreen, duct tape, and advil.Oh yeah, and since theres a buttload of my most favorite plant in the world on the Taos box, i have a a little ziploc with Technu, Zanfel, and various other possibly mildly helpful meds for Poison ivy. i lied- it's really not my favorite s#*t.at all. 

so in short (ha) bandages, headaches, allergies...
- and I definitely second the recommendation of WFA or even better (but like 6 days/ or @40 Hrs instead of a weekend )- the wilderness first responder course (WFR). it is really pretty thorough, minus the emphasis on the relying on an ambulance full of equipment and crap; and you can do stuff non wilderness EMTs can't do, like reduce shoulder, and patellar dislocations, and do whatever you have to do to assess, treat, stabilize your Pt, and transport them out on whatever you got. (rope litters, paddle/ PFD combos, skis, thermarests.... all make wilderness splints.)

NOLS is a wonderful, life changing organization- and they joined with WMI. i think theres schedules of courses at [email protected] or just www.nols.edu
hope this helps a little- i am dorking out in Paramedic school right now, so believe it or not it's actually kind of fun to think about wilderness stuff.....


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## TEMPLE (Mar 2, 2006)

*med kit*

pocket mask, medical tape, emergency blanket, painkillers(?). everything else can be improvised.


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## brendodendo (Jul 18, 2004)

Talk to your veternarian about medical grade super glue. If you know a nurse pick up a suture kit. Keep some of those pain killers from when you hurt you back at work. Maole skin sucks, band-aid make a better product called Blister Ampoules. A little whiskey is good to. Everything else can be improvised with stuff from wall-mart (boo).


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## couloircat (Nov 4, 2005)

definitely have a pocket mask and the knowledge to use it... as well as stuff to stop major bleeding (minor bleeding can be cleaned/ taken care of at home), clean the wound, and seal it... whatever you see fit I like gauze, a syringe, and krazy glue... and some pain killers (the good shit like oxy's), as mentioned anything else should be able to be improvised with a little creative thought. that's my take but I don't see the point of carying a bee sting kit/ in the winter...


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## abron (Nov 19, 2004)

Umm, yeah, I was just rattling off stuff from my first-aid kit for commercial river trips-just food for thought. everbody needs different specifics. I don't take a big ol' pelican box kayaking or skiing. i do think the nalgene bottle first aid kit is pretty cool for a low weight waterproof kit tho....


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