Adv Moto First Aid kits

[1leglance]

So per a suggestion by another member it seems like a good idea to start a thread on Adv moto first aid gear. Since my younger son is now taking solo moto trips this is actually something we have been putting together for him.
I will start off the talk lightly then delve in later with more thoughts and pics.

First off let me say that as an ICU & Surgical Recovery RN, Wilderness EMT and all around lazy fool I have seen folks spend way too much on nifty little kits that did NOTHING good for them in the outdoors.

On a moto you need a kit that is light, packs well yet covers the majority of what you are going to deal with....so let's start with likely injuriers

Sprains, Strains & breaks on muscle & bone
This is a result of a bad get off, a parking lot fall or a stumble around camp.
You need an NSAID (ibuprofen is great, asparin if you aren't bleeding) and an elastic wrap. Ice if you have it and elevating the limb in camp.
Breaks are all about securing the limb against additional damage while on the way to real help. Using a tire iron or screwdriver and ace wrap will do that.

Scraps, puctures and other skin ouches.
So this is when infection is more likely to be an issue. Again these happen usually as a result of an off or something that breaks the skin.
Wound washout is key and then coverage with something clean and secure.
A 10ml syrine is great using water clean enough to drink (use this syringe for getting stuff out of eyes also), flush the wound, flush some more and flush again until you are sure there is no dirt or other nasty in there.
Then just cover it with gauze and repeat often. The worst thing you can do is dress and forget. You need to check the wound a couple of times a day.
Forget all the triple ointments, water and clean gauze is plenty.
Coban or other stretchy wrap is way better than tape, although an outer layer of duct tape is sometimes needed on hands or such.
On the gauze forget all those cute paper wrapped singles. Get rolled gauze called Kerlex or something like that...a nice long roll you can cut off what you need, wrap the wound if that is easier or shove the entire roll into a gaping hole.
Moleskin type things are nice if you get foot blisters but that is up to you.

Stomach, head or other internals...
Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Asaprin, Pepto tablets...all good stuff to have around, buy the normal home size boxes with blister packs and just take a few of each.

Other gear...
Good Adventure Medical kit small tweezers can be a god send. Something small & made for quality first aid kits.
Sam Splint ONLY AFTER YOU BOUGHT EVERYTHING ELSE...spend money on everything else first and then if you want you can buy one of these.


Training, of course....get a good Wilderness first aid or first responder course. We have Desert Girl around here in the West or find a NOLS course near you. Knowledge beats gear everytime.

So to rough out the list....pics to follow soon..
Ace Wrap
Coban roll
Rolled Gauze
10ml Syringe with blunt needle and duct tape wrapped around it.
Sharpie to draw around redness to see if it is swelling and to wrap any allergies or medical issues on YOU if you think you might pass out waiting for help to arrive.
Med kit with Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Asaprin, Pepto Tabs and whatever else you want.
Small Tweezers
Leatherman Wave which give us a knife and scissors, or carry some other way to cut the gauze as you need it.

More thoughts to follow.

 

[KLRTim]

Fantastic Thread

Fantastic thread thank you, I have my advanced first Aid Cert , But I appreciate any and all input on the topic as it is a constantly modified field in some aspects.

Thank you for Sharing your knowledge.

Ps hope you all stay safe Stay Upright

 

[Overland Hadley]

Thanks for starting this thread, now that I moto I need to put together a kit that stays with the bike.

 

[mkitchen]

Thank You

I have been wanting to put together something that I can switch between bikes so I look forward to seeing your suggestions. I just need to keep myself from robbing the bigger kit that I take with the 4x4. Your guidance is greatly appreciated.
Mikey

 

[Cabrito]

Great info and great idea for a thread.

Questions on these items.

Coban roll
Rolled Gauze
10ml Syringe with blunt needle and duct tape wrapped around it.

The Coban roll and the gauze - what width do you recommend?

The syringe - There are a few different types out there. I'd like your opinion on these.

I carry one of the 12ml oral irrigators. It has curved pointy end and you can get some real pinpointed pressure out of it, but I'm not sure how useful it would be on a larger wound.

I also found some 10ml Oral syringes that look like they are for giving liquid meds to babies. They have a short blunt tip built in. Let's see if I can post a direct link from Amaz*n

 

[1leglance]

So to try to answer all the comments...

Mikey...you can make a small pack that gets taken out of your larger 4wd kit and goes with the bike. Your larger pack would just have MORE gauze, more tape, and anything else fancy that you might want to add.
That said if you are anything like me the act of remembering to move a pack back and forth is not worth the hassle. Between a Goodwill small bag (I like the little soft makup ones or such) and cheap supplies it doesn't cost much to put together a moto kit.


On the Coban I reallly like a 2in width. Mainly because anything thinner is useless and anything wider is too wide for small stuff.
Getting the stuff for pets is often cheaper than the stuff for humans even though it is the same thing
Personally I keep having rolls follow me home from the hospital

On the rolled gauze I like about a 4in width. That is wide enough to make a good mass to stuff in a real nasty wound, allows you to slip a little out and cut it to make a small finger wrap or small dressing.
This is also something that follows the Coban when it follows me home from work

On the syringe I like anything at least 10ml and any sort of pointy tip so you can get some pressure for wound washout. Just don't get anything too large or it is hard to fit in a bag.
And on the syringe thing if anyone wants one just pm me an email and I will drop a couple in an evelope and mail them out. I end up with 2-4 a week.
And remember to wrap some duct tape around it so you have some ready in a pinch.

 

[bobboberson]

Some other great stuff is H&H compressed gauze. It's a standard kerlex roll but it's been vacuum packed to an unbelievable size. I also really like the Israelis combat bandage. It has a large pad and can be used for alot of different things. If you google IFAK their are alot of really good military surplus first aid items.

 

[FAW3]

Excellent!!!

I think the best "wisdom nugget" is having roll bandaging that you cut and/or wrap to fit, and tape and/or an elastic ACE bandage to secure it.

I have in the past bought or been gifted the "small commercial kits"...but when the time came I did not need most of the "single purpose" small bandage stuff in the bag. What I needed was 4x4's and an ACE wrap to secure it.

 

[RHINO]

a good start,,, two things i carry that i thought would be overkill but ive used them both,,, chest seals and isreali bandage

 

[java]

Great thread. Depending on the bike, there is often a fair bit of room under plastics, in airbox etc, where a small kit can be stashed and not forgotten!

 

[Cabrito]

On the Coban I reallly like a 2in width. Mainly because anything thinner is useless and anything wider is too wide for small stuff.
Getting the stuff for pets is often cheaper than the stuff for humans even though it is the same thing
Personally I keep having rolls follow me home from the hospital

I got some of the stuff for pets for my recent ride down to Baja and gave it the "lick test" Oh man does it taste nasty!

Thanks for the tip on the pet product though.. It was a lot less in price..

 

[Advmoto18]

IMO, the best thing you can carry with you is knowledge and training on "life saving treatment". Everyone wants the "best" kit, but, the knowledge gleamed from wilderness and general life saving classes will be invaluable, if ever needed.

Before a service member or contractor deploys down range, one receives many days of life saving training. Yes, a lot is oriented towards projectile tissue damage and resulting complications, but, a lot of training is also focused on injuries suffered from events such as roll-overs resulting in compound fractures and blunt force injury. Not much unlike you'd find in a motorcycle accident.

Kits...
There are many on the market. Everything from a simple Boo Boo Kit to a full blown, backpack trauma/surgical kit.

IMO, one of the best lists for DIY medical kits was put together by Paul, owner of Highway Dirt Bikes. His list was developed for HIS needs. One can easily adapt it to fit your training and requirements.

http://www.highwaydirtbikes.com/HDB_Shop/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=display&ref=faidkit

One thing I have often noticed, most cyclists carry their first aide kit buried deep down inside their saddlebag or other inaccessible place. The kit needs to be placed where one can easily gain access if an injury results in decreased mobility and dexterity.

I carry my "enhanced" Boo Boo Kit (actually a trauma kit)(flap closes with Velcro)) lashed to Molle straps on top of my most rear, centered bag. Most motorcycle crashes result in the scoot laying on one side. If I am forced due to injury, crawling back to the scoot, I can still gain access to the contents of the medical kit. While of limited use, I also carry an old, no longer on a service plan, cell phone in the medical kit. If by chance you can't gain access to your primary cell phone, you can use that old cell phone to call 911 (assuming reception). A call to 911 is going to get first responders rolling faster than signaling with inReach or SPOT. I often carry my inReach in the Medical kit as well.

 

[mkitchen]

Lots of good suggestions

I have read lots of good suggestions here. I want to thank Lance for getting me started on this issue. Is there going to be another Wilderness Weekend Skills Class this year?
I have been going through my bag I carry in the 4X4 and have an idea of what I will take on the bike. Again, thanks all.
Mikey

 

[Hltoppr]

I use an Adventure Medical Kits Comprehensive kit, with an added stethoscope, dental kit and IV start kit for Mexico travels (carry my own sterile IV stuff...). Good size that fits in a pannier, and has what I'm likely to need.

-H-

 

[BritKLR]

ATC Custom MedicRoll

We made some of these custom MedicRolls for some adventurers that wanted something that could be deployed and in one glance see all their medical supplies, without digging into the bottom of a bag. They work great, still have them banging around in my rigs. Be safe.