What should I put in these first aid kits?

March 29, 2022 11:29 AM

I'm trying to assemble two different first aid kits, one for backpacking and one for my car. What should go into each one?

If there are specific pre-assembled kits that you recommend, that's great, but I'd like to start from a comprehensive checklist. I assume that I will assemble the final product from individual purchases rather than pre-made kits, unless I learn something here that changes my mind. I have a special interest in things that can be used for multiple purposes.

-- For the backpacking kit: Assume I'll be 2 to 10 miles walking distance from my car, let alone a clinic or hospital. Obviously weight, volume, and comprehensiveness are the tradeoffs I'm balancing here. I live in Los Angeles, and typically I will be in the Sierras, the desert, or the central coast. (Maybe some minor snow camping but no Sierras-in-February, look-out-for-that-avalanche type of camping for me. No one's doing any fishing, for what it's worth. Once in awhile someone drinks some alcohol or does some mushrooms. No children ever on backcountry trips, so far.)

-- For the car, I'm not sure what details are relevant. Again, I live in Los Angeles, I drive a Prius, and once every couple months I take a long trip (200 miles) up the 5 to visit family.

-- If there's a bag, box, or container that you like and recommend for either kit, I'd love hearing those recommendations.

-- If you have a view on "What is the single most important item in your first aid kit?" I'd love to hear that, not necessarily to cut other things out, but just to know how people think about this stuff for their own lives.

The health, preparatory, and related concerns that I've come across among people I've camped with have been: dehydration, minor elevation sickness, minor poison oak, unanticipated menstrual cramps and menstruation, a gash from getting shouldered off the trail by an inconsiderate hiker, and a bloody but not very serious toe injury sustained while getting out of a lake. But I'd like to be prepared for other likely or not-likely-but-serious events, as best I can.

posted by kensington314 to Health & Fitness (18 answers total)

My biggest recommendation is a trauma pad such as a a QuikClot pack and some additional sterile gauze and tape to secure it. It can mean the difference between life and death without resorting to a tourniquet (and for head and torso wounds a tourniquet isn't an option anyway). I've had to use one once and they really are quite amazing.

My second biggest recommendation is anti-diarrheal medication. It can be life-threatening if you have limited water and a long way to hike, but even in milder circumstances it can mean being able to continue a hike and having an unpleasant trip back to the car.

Some other recommendations: a space blanket in case an injury, weather, etc results in having to shelter in place over night; an emergency whistle if your backpack doesn't already have one integrated into the straps.

I like Adventure Medical Kits, as most of them include a trauma pad or have room for one if they don't. I usually swap out the included band-aids for better ones, though.
posted by jedicus at 11:48 AM on March 29, 2022 [10 favorites]

Focusing on the outdoors kit, I carry skin-repair things, so a variety of bandages/sizes, some neosporin, superglue, and a tampon (really good for a puncture wound). Pair of latex gloves, bunch of alcohol wipes. A tin of meds (pain, Benadryl, GI meds) -- *labeled*. Space blanket. Most crucial thing is tape (a good amount), and the idea of how & what I'd use to make a splint (pack stays). We often carry a single collapsed hiking pole, just for that reason (and it's light and easy) and because we're climbers, where the most common injury is ankle/foot. The inability to self-transport back to better care is the biggest and most likely risk that you can potentially actually solve.

For carrying: a gallon-size Ziploc, because you (and other users) can see what you have.
posted by Dashy at 11:54 AM on March 29, 2022 [4 favorites]

Snake bite extraction kit for the hiking kit.
posted by sevenless at 12:10 PM on March 29, 2022

I keep BleedStop in my kits, which is a powder for speeding the blood clotting process. It's particularly important for people on aspirin or other blood thinners, even a small nick can get quite excessively gory for us.

Definitely some travel-size packets of common household medicines. My kit has an anti-diarrheal, aspirin (it can be chewed in the event of a heart attack), benadryl (useful for allergic reactions), and Tylenol/ibuprofen. I also keep a little tube of hydrocortisone cream for skin problems, and my kit has a little tube of hand sanitizer clipped to the outside of it.
posted by champers at 12:41 PM on March 29, 2022 [3 favorites]

Regarding snakebite extractors:

"good scientific studies have shown that these devices are incapable of removing enough venom to prevent serious systemic effects. However, they do somehow seem to increase the amount of local tissue destruction without helping to reduce those serious systemic effects, which could be fairly described as a lose-lose situation."

What you should actually do to survive a snakebite in the backcountry. tl;dr: a marker, a cell phone, and and an EpiPen, if available. The goal is to get to medical treatment as quickly as possible: "time is tissue."
posted by pullayup at 12:44 PM on March 29, 2022 [4 favorites]

So sounds like you want something that's above a typical "boo-boo kit" (i.e. first-aid kit, pretty much supercial non-life-threatening stuff)?

One of the more relevant question here is... Do you have ANY training? Do you know how to use a tourniquet correctly? How about a blood clotting bandage? If not, would you be willing to pay for a course? If you don't or won't, then no reason to pack those in your kit. And it's what separates a "trauma kit" from a "first aid kit".

Typical hiking... I'd say "Hiker Medic" pack is a pretty good starter, as it's got whistle, emergency blanket, water purification tablet, and the like. Personally, I'd also get a good permanent marker and some write-in-the-rain type notepad in case you need to leave notes that won't be washed away by rain. Maybe a flashlight as well. And depending on how much of a boy/girl scout, some fire-starting supplies.

For the car, I personally would pack an emergency kit mechanic kit rather than medical kit, as again, assuming no training. Spare foldable containers (for fuel or water), spare emergency starter, some emergency tools, maybe even a burner phone, spare USB cables with those multi-adapters, car charger, at least two good flashlights, extra pack of that Hiker Medic, maybe even some emergency food if you want to be REALLY prepared.
posted by kschang at 12:45 PM on March 29, 2022 [6 favorites]

If you do a lot of back country stuff highly recommend taking a Wilderness First Aid class - the one I took through REI taught by NOLS was invaluable and came with a useful card with instructions for various injuries - helpful. One does need to re-certify these things periodically and they typically don't cover CPR. Also whatever kit you carry should be checked at least annually - drugs get post-date and bandages get brittle, esp if they are living in a hot car.

Also that training will highly endorse keeping good notes on your phone with an app or on paper if you are dealing with a serious injury. Given where you're hiking I'd go so far as to say you make sure you are carrying the 10 essentials not just a first aid kit.
posted by leslies at 12:53 PM on March 29, 2022 [3 favorites]

Don't bother with QuikClot, especially in the car. You just need pressure and a little gauze followed by an old clean shirt and more pressure.

Take a Stop the Bleed course (anyone in CT who wants one can me-mail me) and also take a class in Narcan and carry that.

Cleanser wipes will be less heavy than water, that and tape and gauze will get you through most things.
posted by cobaltnine at 1:13 PM on March 29, 2022

A triangular bandage is one of those things I don't see mentioned very often. It's not really necessary for a car kit, but for backcountry hiking it can be very useful as a multipurpose first aid tool. It was absolutely essential on one particular trip when my hiking partner had an arm fracture in a minor stumble on some rocks.
posted by theory at 1:20 PM on March 29, 2022

Car: a roll of (cling-film = saranwrap) in case you come across a car-wreck. It is effectively sterile; can be used to staunch and compress esp. limb wounds; is see-through & non-stick for when the paramedics arrive to clean up.
posted by BobTheScientist at 1:56 PM on March 29, 2022 [4 favorites]

I do a balance of most likely and most uncomfortable for my hiking:backpacking first aid.
- compeed bandages for blisters (and you could throw them on a cut in a pinch)
- advil/excedrin because I get migraines but it’s helpful in general
- Nuun/rehydration salts for dehydration and the aforementioned migraines.
- depending on trip length burn cream. Burns hurt worst than most other stuff
(But is also day adjust to you and throw in an ace bandage is you have historically bad ankles, etc)

Car- water and a blanket. Most of the rest is convenience
posted by raccoon409 at 1:56 PM on March 29, 2022

It's not usually considered first aid and may be obvious, but water purification tablets and a collapsible water bladder (if you don't already have water containers) may be more likely to save you life in either case than the stuff that is typically in a first aid kit. Also, a backup cell phone battery charger.

I'm not a first responder, but 2-octyl cyanoacrylate glue (labeled for medicine, or even veterinary medicine) can close a wound that would otherwise need stitches and leave you without a scar later. Getting to a hospital quickly is better, of course. A tiny bottle of 95% isopropanol is good for making a wound clean. It's worth spending a few minutes reading about when and when not to use glue if you decide to do so. (Some people will tell you it's always a terrible idea. They might be right, but I've seen it work well and let people continue on trips happily.)

For the car, or if you happen to hike with people who might be taking opioids, naloxone (Narcan) can save lives. You have to request it from a pharmacist, but it's not expensive and (in the US) doesn't require a doctor.
posted by eotvos at 2:13 PM on March 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Take half the time and energy you would spend putting together a first aid kit and put that toward training and prevention. this would be the "single most important thing in your first -aid kit" your brain.
A first-aid training course will give you years of confidence in being able to handle true first-aid with the things you've already got at hand. learn the signs of shock and how to respond.
when you hike and backpack, wear proper clothing, take care of your feet and skin, wear sunblock, eat and drink. wear gloves around camp for working with wood. wear eye protection.
Accidents still happen. Lightweight items that are useful:
tweezers to remove splinters
treatment for blisters
treatment for burns
small bandages and/or tape
space blanket
extra meds of any kind that folks in your group might need, like anti-diarrhea, otc pain meds, something for heartburn.

Others have made good comments on what to have on hand in a car.
posted by OHenryPacey at 2:27 PM on March 29, 2022 [4 favorites]

I'm in New England so my car first aid kit is a bit more concerned with staying warm than it is with staying hydrated, but generally speaking: emergency water and food, if I was in CA I'd bring a bunch of good masks in case you're ever in proximity to a fire, bandaids, antiseptic cream, advil, benadryl or antihistamine, epipen. A lot of car stuff is making sure you're set for other things that might happen in/with a car so duct tape, chargers, space blanket, hazard signs, working spare, etc.
posted by jessamyn at 5:53 PM on March 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Include:
* Tourniquet
* Cling wrap
* Space blanket (to help with shock, which can result from trauma, etc.)
* Burn cream
* Triangular bandage


For the car, look for a container that will attach and store behind the seat headrest. Then if you need to use it for a real emergency, it will be super handy. You don't need to worry about how to get it out of the trunk if you are rear-ended. If you are in a crash yourself, a passerby might use it for you.

Unfortunately, I don't have a specific one to recommend. The one I bought last time I made kits is no longer sold.
posted by NotLost at 10:55 PM on March 29, 2022

Best answer: The folks who say your training is the most important first aid item are right. If at all possible get a good first aid course, preferably Wilderness First Aid, but any course is better than none at all.

Other good wilderness first aid kit ideas:

* SCISSORS (preferably trauma shears)
* 2 large plastic "lawn-and-leaf" bags. Better than space blankets for conserving body heat. Also makes a great improvised rain coat if the weather surprises you.
* water purification materials (Tablets take less room, but an iodine bottle and eye dropper, will do.)
* a small quantity of salt to make rehydrating fluid in hot weather (1/4 tsp in 1 qt water)
* 4 to 6 blanket pins (very large safety pins)
* duct tape - if a roll is too bulky, pull off 2 or 3 yards and wind around a pencil stub
* prepared tourniquet
* 3 or 4 triangular bandages (for slings, bandaging, improvised tourniquets, etc.)
* various size dressings from band-aids to trauma pad
* 1 roll of gauze (for wound packing, etc.)
* elastic bandage
* mole skin or other blister treatment
* needles, tweezers, cuticle scissors (for splinters, troublesome hangnails, etc.)
* small quantities of: aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, immodium, antacids, antihistimine, anti-nausea meds. Keep these from contacting each other in case of anyone being allergic to one or more. If wrapped in cellophane, many can be fit into a pill bottle or film canister and still be separated.
* any prescription meds you might need if you are longer in the wilderness than planned.

** Consider getting a prescription for an epinephrine autoinjector and a bronchodilator inhaler if anyone you're likely to hike with has allergies and/or asthma.

** If you're of a certain age (like me) consider a pair of the strongest reading glasses on the rack, so you can focus on the tiny splinters, stingers, etc.

This may seem like a lot, but with careful selection and jigsaw-puzzle packing, much of it can be fit into a medium-small food container.
posted by wjm at 11:32 PM on March 29, 2022 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Hi folks. Really appreciate the responses. Should have mentioned in the question that I have taken a really excellent Wilderness First Aid course recently, and while many of these items came up in instruction, there wasn't any takeaway about just creating our own first aid kits. Thanks for all these responses.
posted by kensington314 at 9:26 AM on March 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

Cool, I was going to n-th the take a course thing. Maybe check out local Red Cross, I did the First Aid, CPR, blah.... for Lifeguard certification. And later in life knew a couple of RC disaster response type people. For the car I would add road flares to the list of things, keep other cars from crashing into whatever happened.
posted by zengargoyle at 3:25 PM on March 30, 2022