UL bare bones 1st aid kit...

[case]

I have a good sized, well thought out kit that I take hiking on longer trips and overnights.
Recently I've been trying to put together a very small kit for caving, running and quick hikes. Basically something I can grab on the spur of the moment and go.
A couple of friends, one a doctor and another a SAR veteran who spends most of his free time in the woods, have both recommended the following:

-OTC pain meds.
-duct tape
-med tape
-a few large gauze pads
-a standard gauze roll
-a Kerlix gauze roll
-mini-BIC lighter

They say that this will be enough stop bleeding or take care of a sprain. Wrapping the tape around the pill bottle I can make the kit fit in a very small container.

Are there any more "essentials" that I should add?

 

[adrenaline503]

A pair of medical scissors.
I like a bottle of sterile saline for flushing.

 

[Martyn]

I'd suggest QuickClot blood coagulant.

I use a Field Trauma Kit, I take it everywhere with me.

We have a video on it here http://www.adventuretrailers.com/accessories.html and list of it's contents here http://www.adventuretrailers.com/fieldtraumalist.html

It may give you some ideas of a few other essentials to bring along.

 

[SunTzuNephew]

How UL do you want to be? How much training do you have?

You can make saline for irrigation with a level teaspoon of table salt in a quart of water - it's remarkably close to 0.9% by weight, just like the real stuff. BTW, there isn't much evidence that saline flushing is better than plain (clean) water flushing...Or adding povidone-iodine (Betadine (tm)) helps much either.

The lighter is something you should be carrying anyway (firestarting aid, one of the 10 essentials). Scissors can be part of a SAK or multitool. Duct tape might be something you carry routinely as well.

I'd put some 'combat gauze' in, for difficult to stop bleeding. A modern design tourniquet wouldn't be a bad idea. For medical tape 1" athletic tape is pretty good, waterproof and durable. It can be used to tape sprains as well.

A couple of foil packs of antibiotic ointment? A chest seal? Plain old bandaids? A Spenco blister kit? Tiny bottle of hand sanitizer? Elastic (Ace) Bandage? A large metal paper clip, to trepan a mashed fingernail (heated with your lighter).

 

[Dave Bennett]

I'm a HUGE fan of Coban. Many uses

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I have a good sized, well thought out kit that I take hiking on longer trips and overnights.
Recently I've been trying to put together a very small kit for caving, running and quick hikes. Basically something I can grab on the spur of the moment and go.
A couple of friends, one a doctor and another a SAR veteran who spends most of his free time in the woods, have both recommended the following:

-OTC pain meds.
-duct tape
-med tape
-a few large gauze pads
-a standard gauze roll
-a Kerlix gauze roll
-mini-BIC lighter

They say that this will be enough stop bleeding or take care of a sprain. Wrapping the tape around the pill bottle I can make the kit fit in a very small container.

Are there any more "essentials" that I should add?

Ace bandage, to make a pressure dressing.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I'd put some 'combat gauze' in, for difficult to stop bleeding. A modern design tourniquet wouldn't be a bad idea. For medical tape 1" athletic tape is pretty good, waterproof and durable. It can be used to tape sprains as well.

CAT Tourniquet's go everywhere with me: http://www.combattourniquet.com/

As for "combat gauze", it's nice... but a roll of gauze and a ace bandage can do the same job in a pinch.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I'd suggest QuickClot blood coagulant.

I use a Field Trauma Kit, I take it everywhere with me.

We have a video on it here http://www.adventuretrailers.com/accessories.html and list of it's contents here http://www.adventuretrailers.com/fieldtraumalist.html

It may give you some ideas of a few other essentials to bring along.

What version of quick clot do you guys use?

 

[Martyn]

What version of quick clot do you guys use?

We use the QuikClot Sport in the Field Trauma Kit

 

[Deleted member 9101]

We use the QuikClot Sport in the Field Trauma Kit

Lol... I kind of figured that one ;-). What generation of quik clot? Is it the powder, or the granules? If its the first generation I would not use it unless absolutely nothing else worked to stop arterial bleeding.

EDIT* never mind just googled it... its the "dummy proof version"...lol

 

[Martyn]

Lol... I kind of figured that one ;-). What generation of quik clot? Is it the powder, or the granules? If its the first generation I would not use it unless absolutely nothing else worked to stop arterial bleeding.

EDIT* never mind just googled it... its the "dummy proof version"...lol

We try to use 100% dummy proof products, the end results are much better :elkgrin:

 

[Deleted member 9101]

We try to use 100% dummy proof products, the end results are much better :elkgrin:

Yeah.. I got a little scared when quikclot was brought up. Back when it first came out it was a powder and was a very last ditch effort to stop the bleeding due to the nasty side effects. I was going to crap my pants if the civilian world started using that version...********


The one you use is cool because you can either pack the wound and hold pressure, or you can tear it open and pour it in and get a better results. As long as you knwo how to use it, the new versions are great.

 

[SunTzuNephew]

What version of quick clot do you guys use?

The combat gauze version: http://www.z-medica.com/products/quikclot-combat-gauze.asp

Or the ACS: http://www.z-medica.com/products/quikclot_ACSplus.asp

 

[Deleted member 9101]

The combat gauze version: http://www.z-medica.com/products/quikclot-combat-gauze.asp

Or the ACS: http://www.z-medica.com/products/quikclot_ACSplus.asp

I am a big fan of the gauze... not so much of the sponge. I do like how they have the gauze displayed improperly...lol. You put it in your arm pit and pull it from the inside and pack the wound... not the outside...lol.

 

[Hltoppr]

I use the WMI/NOLS restock kit if I'm going light...simple and cheap.
http://www.nols.edu/store/product.php?productid=16451&cat=282&page=1

Otherwise...duct tape and ibuprophen.

-H-