For those who camp . . .

[Guest]

Have you bought a first aid kit? Or do you put your own together? Looking for suggestions for specific kits or what you put in yours. (This is just for camping, no river/lakes/fishing.)

 

Thanks!

[Cricket]

My first aid kit is large and keeps getting bigger. Lol! I have athletic tape, pads of various sizes, band aids, antibiotic ointment, Prids drawing salve, calamine lotion, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, pain relief cream, junior Tylenol, adult tylenol, ibuprofen, sewing needles, razor blade, gauze, probiotics (kept in the cooler with the food), scissors, tums, airborne, instant cold pack, arnica herbs, thermometer, Benadryl, hand sanitizer, some kind of glow stick.

 

I use one of those Rubbermaid containers with a lid that has a handle. We went camping this weekend and all we needed was the athletic tape to tape sticks to one of our tent pole that broke and to tape the end of one fishing pole that snapped.

 

I should add a first aid manual.

[Wheres Toto]

We put together our own in a shoe box size plastic container. We include: tick removal kit (tweezers, small bottle of alcohol to hold tick), neosporin, bandaids, Advil, Benedryl, Children's Tylenol, gauze, tape, anti-itch cream for bites, sunburn gel, safety pins, ace bandage, ice packs, antiseptic spray, thermometer, small pair of scissors, a small supply of any prescriptions (mostly my allergy/asthma meds), alcohol, cotton balls.

[Guest]

Great suggestions! I am going to print these out and take to the store.

 

Any more ideas?

[mysticmomma]

Me too

[Tess in the Burbs]

We have bought some but usually add a few things to them. I like the small prepared ones for hiking. For just camping the put together in a tote is fine

[tabinfl]

I was an EMT in a former life, and I still try to keep a well-stocked kit handy if we're away from immediate aid. Here are a few good additions to the "comfort" items (band aids, antibiotic cream, sting stop, etc.) that come in most consumer first aid kits:

 

SAM splint. It's a flexible strip of aluminum, padded on one side, very light weight. Comes rolled up not much larger than an elastic bandage; you can bend, fold, cut, and squeeze it to form (along with an elastic bandage or some tape) a rigid splint for anything from a finger to an arm or leg.

 

A pair of bandage shears (the ones with the bottom point flattened out) -- if you have to cut clothing to deal with an injury (you don't want to try to pull jeans off of someone with a broken leg!), these are invaluable.

 

A packaged sterile burn sheet -- especially if you're dealing with campfires.

 

Several triangular bandages -- you can make these yourself out of muslin, or buy them pre-made. They're quite versatile and can serve as a pressure dressing, splint fastener, sling, and more.

 

Benadryl (in case of an allergic reaction).

 

Sterile saline and/or water (eye or wound wash).

 

A "space blanket", especially if you'll be dealing with temperature extremes (they reflect sunlight as well as help retain body heat).

 

A spare dose or two of any medication needed by anyone in your family, packed in a separate area from their main supply.

 

You might consider an airway kit, BVM (bag-valve-mask), possibly even a portable automated defibrillator if you can swing it -- even if you don't know how to use all of it, someone nearby might and these are the things that can truly mean the difference between life & death when an ambulance is many miles away.

 

These are more important if you'll be camping away from paved roads or anywhere an ambulance might not be able to get to you quickly. Consider taking a good first aid & CPR, wilderness rescue, or even EMT course if you will be way out there. They will teach you what you need to perform basic life support and transport someone without causing further injury.

 

You can find good first aid supplies (sometimes even pre-packaged kits for various situations) at a medical supply store or mail order, I think Amazon even has some now.

[itsheresomewhere]

We bought one from a guy who was an EMT. He started a business making real first aid kits for camping/hiking, etc. It has everything you can think of and it was cheaper than me buying the same supplies. Otherwise, we would make one.

[Donna]

I bought a simple first aid kit and added to it though I don't think there is as much in it as tabinfl has in hers. :001_rolleyes:

[Catwoman]

I have nothing worthwhile to add. I just like to say I participated in camping threads, and any other threads related to the Great Outdoors.

 

It's fun to live vicariously through you more rugged types, without the actual "being outside and roughing it" part. ;)

[datgh]

Did I see anyone mention latex or non latex gloves?? I don't mind treating my own family without them but my first aid kit has come to the rescue of others and others have come to my sons rescue.

[JNW]

I don't think anyone has mentioned anti-diarrhea medicine or Tums or Pepto. But really, when camping, I can think of only a few things worse.

[Live2Ride]

Did I see anyone mention latex or non latex gloves?? I don't mind treating my own family without them but my first aid kit has come to the rescue of others and others have come to my sons rescue.

 

I carry both in separate baggies as my husband is actually allergic to nitril gloves

[Catwoman]

You know, I started reading this thread because it was about camping, but it's turning out to be quite educational in a general sense, because I'm one of those idiots who packs a big first aid kit when we go on any kind of trip -- and we stay in hotels. I just like to be prepared for illnesses or injuries as best I can. I started out by using the first aid kits that came with the cars when we bought them, and then added a ton of stuff from there.

 

The things we have used the most over the years are the Polysporin, Band-Aids, and Tums/Gaviscon stuff.

 

Fortunately, we have never needed the tourniquet, although I'm pretty sure one came with the kit. ;)

[LifeLovePassion]

this reminds me, I need to get one put together for camping.

[OrganicAnn]

We bought a first aid kit when DD was a baby. But we take it and other things when camping.

[Mrs Mungo]

I bought one because it was easier than ordering big boxes of individual wipes, antibacterial cream and so forth. I added stuff to it. Look in a camping catalog. You can see what a large one has, then buy a medium one and add stuff to it. The large ones tend to contain things you could easily add like tweezers.

[Serenade]

SAM splint. It's a flexible strip of aluminum, padded on one side, very light weight. Comes rolled up not much larger than an elastic bandage; you can bend, fold, cut, and squeeze it to form (along with an elastic bandage or some tape) a rigid splint for anything from a finger to an arm or leg.

 

 

A packaged sterile burn sheet -- especially if you're dealing with campfires.

 

 

 

 

Could you recommend something specific for these two items? I was just working with one of my sons today, on a first aid kit for Webelos (cub scouts), and the notes mentioned several things that surprised me, including the splint. I had never thought of carrying a splint in a first aid kit, but it makes sense. I was just looking on Amazon, and there are different options with vastly different prices, and I was wondering what would be adequate? Same for the sterile burn sheet -- I was trying to figure out what to do with it -- it's to cover someone with? I had thought to use as a bandage?

[elfgivas]

when we backpack, its a trade off for weight vs. usefulness. we take moleskin, guaze, antibiotic ointment, a tensor bandage (that i often wear rather than pack in), iodine tablets to make water drinkable, painkillers..... we can make splints out of pack liners, etc... most of the things many folks have listed would require us to pack out anyway.

 

for car camping, we reckon that anything beyond bandaids will be available from rangers/stores, etc....

 

fwiw,

ann

[MtnTeaching]

We have a pop-up tent camper and I put my kit together myself. I bought a fishing tackle box specifically to use as a first aid kit and I replenish the ointments, pain relievers, etc. each year. I have found a few of the things I use the most (other than antibiotic ointment, band-aids, and Advil) are Aloe Vera gel for sunburns, mosquito bite anti-itch cream, and tweezers for getting out splinters.

 

I even keep a snake-bite kit in there - just in case. We do have rattlers around here.

[tabinfl]

Could you recommend something specific for these two items? I was just working with one of my sons today, on a first aid kit for Webelos (cub scouts), and the notes mentioned several things that surprised me, including the splint. I had never thought of carrying a splint in a first aid kit, but it makes sense. I was just looking on Amazon, and there are different options with vastly different prices, and I was wondering what would be adequate? Same for the sterile burn sheet -- I was trying to figure out what to do with it -- it's to cover someone with? I had thought to use as a bandage?

 

 

SAM is a brand name for that type of splint, and I think they only came in one size when I bought mine... it was a while ago, when I was still young enough to handle a 2am call (volunteer first aid squad) & be at work the next morning. :) The best I can recommend is to consider the size of the people you may need to treat and how much space & weight you want to use. A larger splint can always be folded or cut down; smaller is not as versatile but takes up less space.

 

The burn sheet is a sterile blanket that can be used to cover 3rd degree burns to prevent additional contamination & infection, and are the only rhing that should be put on a severe burn in the field. You want one large enough to cover most of a person's body in case of extensive burns. They're very lightweight material, so even a big one doesn't take up much space in your kit. There is also a gel dressing available now, but I don't know much about those.

 

You might try contacting your local emergency medical services (ambulance / paramedics) -- they would probably be happy to work with Scouts on assembling a good kit, or at least provide some specific and up to date recommendations!

[Serenade]

SAM is a brand name for that type of splint, and I think they only came in one size when I bought mine... it was a while ago, when I was still young enough to handle a 2am call (volunteer first aid squad) & be at work the next morning. :) The best I can recommend is to consider the size of the people you may need to treat and how much space & weight you want to use. A larger splint can always be folded or cut down; smaller is not as versatile but takes up less space.

 

The burn sheet is a sterile blanket that can be used to cover 3rd degree burns to prevent additional contamination & infection, and are the only rhing that should be put on a severe burn in the field. You want one large enough to cover most of a person's body in case of extensive burns. They're very lightweight material, so even a big one doesn't take up much space in your kit. There is also a gel dressing available now, but I don't know much about those.

 

You might try contacting your local emergency medical services (ambulance / paramedics) -- they would probably be happy to work with Scouts on assembling a good kit, or at least provide some specific and up to date recommendations!

 

Thank you for this -- it is very helpful. I have to look for those gel dressings -- I know they are very expensive. My hospital gave them to me after I had babies to ease the pain of breastfeeding. I don't know if that was common or not, but I loved those things. I had to beg them to give me extras...

[Lizzie in Ma]

Yup.

Band aids, gauze, big pads, ace bandage, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, antibiotic ointment, benydryl, tums, pepto, tweezers and a needle for splinters, a spray bottle with a water/vinegar mix for jellyfish stings, burn ointment, instant cold packs, ibuprofen, aloe gel, babywipes, steri-strips, skin glue, nail clippers and a lighter.

[jenn-]

We have some pretty decent store bought kits. My FIL invested in them, so I don't know where he got them. That said, when my child decided to take a small chunk of his head in his hair, we couldn't really find anything appropriate for the job. We probably should have taken him in to the doctor for some dermabond, but my FIL came to the rescue and brought us a bottle of New Skin. Now my kids HATE New Skin, but it works and it held his head together well enough that we avoided the doctor's visit. Now we have some dermabond that we ordered offline to use for the next time.

[LifeLovePassion]

I thought of one thing, if you also fish. A really good, quality side cutters for cutting the barb off a hook should you need to remove it from your body. DH's grandpa got hooked last year and we realized that a quality cutter would have helped tons. That and a sharp razor blade to cut his calloused skin to poke the hook back through. Not a fun day, but a good reminder to be prepared.