First Aid in the Field

[Madison5716]

When you're out in the woods, it pays to have a good first aid kit. I like this guys lists.  Some would go in your pack, and some in a larger kit in your truck.

 

I would also add tampons (for puncture woulnds) and full size menstrual pads (for large wounds). Cheap and designed for it.

 

And a clotting pad or two (i think its called QuikClot)?)?

 

https://homesteadsurvivalsite.com/first-aid-items-homesteaders/

Edited July 15, 2019 by Madison5716

[Catmandoo]

I found a nice kit at Forestry Suppliers.

http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/Search.php?stext=first aid kit

I have kit #25259. Plastic case with o-ring seal. Plus 1 inch wide Gorilla tape, Bag Balm and flexible aluminum splint.

The debate on tampons for puncture wounds rages on. Maybe yes and maybe no. Gut call on use. A tampon can carry foreign material deep into a puncture wound.

Forget about the CPR mask. Pound on the face and blow on the chest........................

Edited July 16, 2019 by Catmandoo
more text

[wiiawiwb]

Catmandoo - that is an excellent kit. I couldn't find the weight anywhere in the specs. Any idea how much it weighs? I have a feeling it will be substantial which is irrelevant if you get to your destination using a motorized means.  It is likely heavier than I would want in a backpack.

[Madison5716]

What I carry serves two purposes - to get an injured person back to the truck if mobile, or as comfortable as possible if we have any injury that can't be moved and someone has to go for help or we wait for rescue. 

 

I carry alcohol wipes, sterile pads of various sizes, antibiotic cream, a few bandaids of various sorts, leukotape, a tampon, a pad, some Advil, some Advil Migraine, caffeine pills, an emergency blanket, extra doses of my son's prescriptions, tweezers, gloves, a QuikClot pad, a bite/sting wipe and a bandana. I'm sure it's barely enough, but more means more weight. I have a bigger kit in my truck.

 

What do you carry? 

Edited July 16, 2019 by Madison5716

[Belpherion]

I carry a more substantial kit than most, but I'm EMR rated, so I'm a nerd on a stick when it comes to TCCC gear.

 

TFAK/IFAK (Condor Tear Away Medic Pouch [full size 5"W x 9"L x 6"D]):

1 Swat-T tourniquet (not good for self-application)

1 Sof-T Wide tourniquet (external mount)

2 Israeli 6" compression bandages

2 North American Rescue 4" X 4 yard compressed gauze.

2 28Fr Nasopharyngeal Airways w/lube

1 North American Rescue S.P.E.A.R. decompression needle

2 Hyfin vented chest seals

1 1" roll of Gorilla tape

6 feet of 2" Gorilla tape

4 5x9 gauze pads

1 3" ACE bandage

1 3" roll of compressed Curlex

1 60 ml sterile saline wash in bullet tube. 

4 pr. Nitrile gloves in light blue.

1 pr. Nitrile gloves in black.

1 pr. Trauma Shears

1 SAM splint

2 Mylar Emergency Blankets

Total weight: 2 lbs.

 

Boo Boo Kit (Condor Tear Away Individual First Aid Kit):

Band Aids: 4 each in all the sizes.

Triple Antibiotic ointment

1 Triangle Bandage

8 4" Gauze Pads

8 2" Gauze Pads

Benadryl

Imodium

Tylenol

Dermabond

Total weight: Less than 1 lb.

 

Truck Kit (Bag varies on anticipated conditions)

Double everything above plus:

1 Pocket BVM (Bag Valve Mask)

1 Suture Kit + associated tools

1 Full set of Nasopharyngeal Airways w/lube

2 Staple Suture guns + staple remover tool

1 MDF Acoustica Stethoscope

1 BP Cuff

1 GPS Emergency Beacon

 

It sounds like a lot, but it's less than 3 lbs on my person for the TFAK and the Boo Boo kit.  Less than 12 lbs for the truck kit. I've been doing this for 30 years, so I've seen some weird injuries.  We had a team member get a concussion from a hedgeapple (osage orange) falling out of a tree he was under, then another guy twisted an ankle stepping on another hedgeapple trying to get to the first guy.  A couple of years later, we had a member take a tumble down a hill and impaled himself on a tree branch that had been broken off about 8 inches from the trunk.  That's when I decided to get the proper training and gear to take care of most things long enough to get them advanced care. 

 

You might notice that I didn't list a hemostatic agent like Celox or Quick Clot.  I just don't have any at the moment.  I'm a fan of Celox Combat Gauze Rapid.  Stay away from powders.  If a wound requires hemostatics, powder will flow right out of the wound and do nothing.  Wound packing with a hemostatic gauze is preferable and applying direct pressure, but hemostatics will leave some nasty scars.

 

Get some basic training and be safe out there! :-)

 

[Belpherion]

Here are a couple of good sources for information and equipment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf_PPQOrKIc&t=467s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pXDEN1xahI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX0mqbsUOq0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWVne7cUrm8

 

SkinnyMedic and PrepMedic are awesome channels on YouTube.

 

The Red Cross has an awesome Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) program if they offer it in your area.

https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/emergency-medical-response 

[Redbone]

My first aid kit contains 4 generic band-aids along with my lens wipes in a plastic soap container. So far it has been good enough. 

[MIB]

I don't carry a first aid kit.   I'm not accident / injury prone nor am I particularly aware of whatever scrapes and dents I collect 'til I get home, hit the shower, and find something because it stings when the water hits it.    A kit is useless weight and bulk for me.   In contrast, one of my friends carries a kit and uses it frequently on himself.   He's constantly trying to do just a bit more than he can actually do safely .. and he has the scars to prove it.

 

MIB

[NorthWind]

Among the basics, I always carry gauze and feminine pads, too. I have some injectable lidocaine, a suture kit, a scalpel or two, and fifty feet of paracord, in case I need to fashion an emergency tourniquet or tie up bandages or a splint. Sterile saline is a great idea, especially of there is an eye injury such as a foreign body. It's really easy in places I go to walk into a small tree branch right at eye level. A plastic eye patch is nice to have in case of eye injury such as a foreign body. Cover the inured eye with gauze, and punch a small hole in the plastic patch. Place the patch over the GOOD eye. The good eye will look out the small hole only, like blinders, and help to prevent the injured eye from moving around causing more injury.  I like to carry a disposable shaving razor, too, in case I need to shave an area before treatment, and in case I am with my dog. A small mirror is handy for self treatment if you cannot see the area you are injured on.  Can be used as a signalling device, too.

Edited July 16, 2019 by NorthWind

[Huntster]

14 hours ago, MIB said:

I don't carry a first aid kit.   I'm not accident / injury prone nor am I particularly aware of whatever scrapes and dents I collect 'til I get home, hit the shower, and find something because it stings when the water hits it.    A kit is useless weight and bulk for me.   In contrast, one of my friends carries a kit and uses it frequently on himself.   He's constantly trying to do just a bit more than he can actually do safely .. and he has the scars to prove it.

 

I'm like your friend, but without the kit. Lots of scars. All I carry is quik clot, iodine, ibuprofen, tweezers, a needle, duct tape, and will use my second shirt for bandage material. My camper kit has more, but if I make it to the camper, I can either call for help or start my own transport. If neither are possible, at least the authorities don't have to risk their lives or safety to find my carcass.

[Madison5716]

Just added some electrolyte tabs, since it's summer and a bit of aloe Vera gel. I downloaded a First Aid booklet to my phone and can read it offline.

[Catmandoo]

What happens when the battery in your phone dies?  Do you have a power pack to charge / extend run time?

[Huntster]

10 minutes ago, Catmandoo said:

What happens when the battery in your phone dies?  Do you have a power pack to charge / extend run time?

 

Times have come to the point where solar re-chargable battery packs are required equipment. Charged before a trip, and slowly re-chargable in the field, I get several recharges on my phone. 

[MIB]

One additional thought ... what you carry doesn't matter if you don't know how to use it.    Seems like today we try to buy stuff to make up for lack of time learning to use what we already have.   Don't fall into that trap with your first aid stuff.    If you're concerned enough to carry first aid stuff, first take a basic Red Cross course, then follow up with a wilderness first aid class.   Check REI's offerings.   IMHO if they're facilitating, the instruction is more likely to be competent than if you're trying to locate training on  your own.

 

MIB