First Aid Kits - what to buy

[CalicoPenn]

WildernesStudent asks for advice in another thread on what kind of first aid kit to but, hinting that her outdoor club has decided to buy a big one for the upcoming year. Please chime in with your thoughts.

 

In the meantime, here's mine:

 

With first aid kits, bigger is not neccessarily better. First aid kits should be chosen with an eye to the expected use, activities, location, number of people, etc. A personal first aid kit may be all that's needed for one person, but not appropriate for a 6 person crew. By the same token, a larger fist aid kit thats good for 6 to 10 people is probably not needed for just one person.

 

Buy too large of a first aid kit and you'll eventually stop carrying it because its just not convenient to do so. If your doing mainly day and weekend overnights, a $100 or more "expedition" kit is probably too much. One respected "manufacturer" of outdoor first aid kits is Adventure Medical Kits. Their kits are available at REI and most other outdoors stores. Check out the sporting goods stores too, in their camping section. They may have something as well.

 

My suggestion, though, is to go and look at the first aid kits that are out there, and compare them before buying. Adbenture Medical kits have some great stuff in them, but also have a lot of questionable stuff in them - especially for groups. One of the things they're heavy with is various OTC medicines - ibuprofens, acetemenophines, and the like, in double pill packets - and that's fine for families or individuals, but I wouldn't recommend that a group supply OTC meds to it's members - if you have memebrs that are prone to headaches or pains, they should be encouraged to bring their own - and if they share, that's up to the individuals involved. Your providing first aid, and that should never include the dispensing of any kind of drugs - even asprin.

 

Also, don't rely on the recommended number of people the kit can be used for to make your decisions - those numbers are, frankly, a bit arbitrary. For instance, a kit may be called aq 5-person kit because it contains 5 "bandaids" of one size. That same kit can be used for 10 people just as well - how often will you have five or more people needing a bandaid? Remember, its a first aid kit.

 

Here's what I would do - if I'm going to spend $60 on a first aid kit, I'd rather build it myself.

 

One thing you can do is go on to the Adeventure Medical Kits website and look at the supply lists for their different kits. Discount the drugs right away and look at the first aid supplies. Another source for first aid supply lists would be the Boy Scout Handbook. Write down the supplies you think you need, such as gauze rolls, gauze pads, bandaids, etc. etcc. in the quantities you think would be sufficient (use the AMK supply lists as a guide, and adjust accordingly). Go out and buy an inexpensive carrying bag, head to CVS or Walgreens and but the supplies, put them into the carrying bag, and viola - you have your first aid kit.

 

If you still want to buy a kit, check out the Adventure Medical Kit "Weekender" - cost is $60. The dispose of the drugs.

 

Calico

[Gold Winger]

" Your providing first aid, and that should never include the dispensing of any kind of drugs - even asprin."

 

I don't know about that. My son's troop has a full complement of EMTs, PAs, RNs and Sharks . . . lawyers, and our first aid kit includes bendryl, tylenol, immodium, and pepto-bismol. The standard waiver includes a place for excluded over-the-counter drugs.

 

If you buy the OTC stuff at Mart-mart, it comes in blister packs of about 15 pills per card.

 

 

[Gold Winger]

One other thing. If you decide to build your own first aid kit, you might suffer sticker shock. If you have a friend who works for a doctor or at a hospital, he might be able to get things like gauze, betadine, bandages donated.

 

Look at some of these

 

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/search/search.asp?r=Page%3A+%2FDefault.asp+KW+Box&s=SEARCH&a=search&k=first+aid

 

 

[Gunny2862]

I am of two minds on the OTC drugs in the First aid kit.

 

1) For Adult Scouters and WildernessStudents purposes these folks should provide their own supplies of OTC medications carrying what they know they are accustomed to taking - i.e. for me (Loratadine(in season), Ibuprofen(always) and Immodium &/or Pepto-Bismol tabs(if necessary-boy I hope not ) so as not to require the Troop to provide for them.

 

2) As allergies to various substances can develop quickly and with no notice in mild to severe levels I do think that antihistamines are an appropriate inclusion in a Troop/Patrol First aid kit. Aspirin is problematic for youth, but good to have if an adult is having symptoms of a heart attack - and can provide more time to get them to advanced help. The limited number of OTC's in these kits are to manage the patient who is in PAIN or TRAUMA not because you have a headache or are sore from yesterdays exertions - and with that in mind I tend to keep much of the OTC's in First aid kits.

 

First aid kits like the Weekender previously proposed are great kits BUT - You should look at them with an eye to what activities you are likely to be involved in and add to them those items that may not be included for riskier or further in the backwoods activities i.e. Sam splints, one or two Trauma pads, perhaps even a QuickClot package. But again the training to use these things properly is and should be ongoing. And not just for one or two people on the trip.(This message has been edited by Gunny2862)