First aid is an important topic on the trail, because something can always happen. In the following, I will say a few words about my first-aid kit and its uses. To be clear: this first-aid kit is tailored to my needs and is not universal. Some things that are normally in a first-aid kit are part of my other kits. To be able to reach the kit quickly, it should not be buried too deep in the backpack. I make no claim to completeness for my kit; in case of emergency, I only want to get back to the next civilization with it.
Band-Aids & UrgoStrips
For minor injuries or blisters, it has proven useful to carry a few band-aids now and then. The strips are very tear-resistant closure plasters for larger wounds.
Dressing packs
Two dressing packs are my insurance for larger wounds. With two dressing packs and a sterile wound dressing, a heavily bleeding wound can be stopped with a pressure bandage.
Sterile wound dressing
With a pressure bandage, the sterile wound dressing lies directly on the wound and prevents further foreign bodies or germs from entering it.
Medication
A little Ibuprofen 800 for pain relief and fever, an antidiarrheal against Montezuma’s revenge, and an antiallergic against insect bites. That is all the tablets I carry.
Alcohol pad
Should I ever have to disinfect something, I’d rather have a pad with me than nothing at all. As a rule, however, I don’t disinfect wounds at all; my immune system has coped well with that so far. It might be worthwhile to add a small bottle of Octenisept for disinfection. Alcohol pads can also be used to clean a sleeping pad before patching, so the patches hold longer on the material.
Gloves
When I have to give first aid to others, it is a very reassuring feeling to significantly reduce the risk of infection with blood-borne diseases.
Burn gel
Anyone who has ever burned themselves on a hot pot on the trail learns to appreciate the cooling effect of such gels!
Medical tape
My beloved all-rounder, for blisters, small cuts, etc.
When climbing, there is the following rule: "If you can’t fix it with tape, you’ll have to go to the hospital!"
This rule can also be applied to hiking. If the contents of this kit are not enough, then it has to be enough to get me to the hospital with this kit. That’s where a well-sticking tape helps. I rolled a little over a meter of the tape onto a straw to further reduce packed size and weight.
Table overview
Here is the complete list of the kit.
Dressing packs
8g
Dressing packs
8g
MYOG stuff sack
6g
Ibu 800 + antidiarrheal + antiallergic
8g
Medical tape
2g
Band-Aids
2g
UrgoStrips
2g
Wound dressing
2g
Alcohol pad
1g
Gloves
10g
Burn gel
8g
Total
62g
Room for improvement
In any case, I will sew a waterproof stuff sack for the kit, because the one currently in use is too big, too heavy and not waterproof.
Tweezers for ticks and a pair of scissors would be sensible additions. But since I carry both with me in my EDC, they are redundant in the first-aid kit.
An emergency blanket would be another sensible addition to this small kit.
In addition, I recommend that others also take a wound disinfectant on their trips!
