Jan 26 2009
Day Hike Medical Kits
Specifically, day hiking first-aid kits are going to change from region to region if you like to customize and change things to better suit your liking and environment. In general, there are a few things that should remain constant from one kit to another, however. These are the essentials that will let you treat injuries that may be inflicted from short hikes. Kits like this should be able to be improvised to treat both minor and moderately serious injuries, such as fractures. Below is the contents of a kit that I acquired a number of years ago from the product’s web page that can be improvised to suit almost any minor first-aid situation:
- Zippered nylon case corrals contents, with hang loops for easy carrying or storage
- Comes with ”The Wilderness First Aid Manual” by Dr. William Forgey for quick reference while on the trail
- Wound materials: five 0.75 x 3 inch adhesive bandages, five 1 x 3 inch adhesive bandages, five knuckle elastic bandages, five fingertip elastic
- Two 2 x 2 inch gauze pads, 5 x 9 inch abdominal/pressure pad, six butterfly closure strips
- Two 4 x 4 inch gauze pads, two 2 x 3 inch non-adherent pads, 2 inch x 4.1 yards stretch gauze roll
- Sanidex wipe, four antibacterial wipes, three triple-antibiotic ointment packets, two pvp iodine wipes, three Soothe A Sting wipes
- For sprains and blisters: 2-inch elastic bandage, two 3 x 4 inch moleskin, 1 inch x 10 yards porous tape
- Medications: four Cetafen Extra®, four Nutralox®, four Proprinal®, two antihistamine, plus two pill vials and two labels
- Equipment: 4.5-inch stainless-steel bandage scissors, 3.5-inch splinter forceps, NeoPro latex-free gloves, 3 safety pins, accident report form, pencil
This kind of kit will let you treat most injuries without too much of a problem, and still be comprehensive enough to improvise for more serious ones. On that note, be safe and have fun hiking!
