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Q:
If you need to pack light and are limited on weight, what are the necessary supplies you carry for your first-aid kit?

Question by kjflorian. Uploaded on January 30, 2009

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Answers (30)

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from jbonifer24 wrote 42 weeks 18 hours ago

Guaze, butterfly bandages, medical tape, alcohol wipes, iodine, and some Neosporin. This is about as basic as I go, and this is only what I put in my day pack. I have a full sized first-aid kit I pack in and leave at camp.

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from herbie57_57 wrote 42 weeks 18 hours ago

jbonifer has a good list, I could do without the wipes, iodine and neosporin till I got back to camp though. I also carry vet wrap, it helps hold gauze in place and can hold splints in place if you need it.

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from T wrote 42 weeks 17 hours ago

A ace-wrap bandaide would be another thing. Check out the article Field & Stream made about the DIY Altoid tin emergency kit too.

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from koeka wrote 42 weeks 15 hours ago

From my experience a major threat to hikers/hunters or anyone walking around camp areas and which is often overlooked is the threat of exposure to cold, a must in any pack has to be an emergency blanket (the one that looks like aluminum foil developed by NASA).

Even in the summer season if you are injured and unable to return to camp and are waiting rescuing, the night temps can drop below enough for you to be at risk for hyperthermia.

Also, camping matches, lighter or the best device is the magnesium stone is must to start a fire. Fire has been providing physiological comfort to those either lost or waiting for rescue as well as an obvious heat source.

I would also consider carrying a whistle and a small length of cord and a backup compass just in case…

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from kjflorian wrote 42 weeks 4 hours ago

Thanks for the input, all good answers. Best to be prepared.

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from Christian Emter wrote 41 weeks 5 days ago

Matches compass water fire starter and flares

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from texasfirst wrote 41 weeks 3 days ago

OK, first aid kit, not survival kit:
1. bacitracin or some sort of triple antibiotic.
2. roll of gauze.
3. needle and clean (preferably sterilized) cotton thread.
4. aspirin

These are your pack light survival kit essentials.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Clay Cooper wrote 41 weeks 2 days ago

In addition to the above in my pack I carry a small bottle of Vaseline and it has more uses than anything else you can carry. Being a former Search and Rescue member, keeping your wound clean, moist and covered is what you want. Once you get out you can get the additional care you need. One of the best uses for Vaseline and a magnesium fire starter stick is the best way for starting a fire under the most extreme conditions, been dar and dun dat!” Take a 2x2 inch piece of cloth that can also be used as a bandage and saturate it with Vaseline and scrape a little “magnesium on it and hit it with the flint side and now you have instant fire 6 to 10 minutes of flame. I still got the same Vaseline jar in my back pack some 10 years ago and still work as good as the day I put it in.

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from Clay Cooper wrote 41 weeks 2 days ago

PS Matches of any kind is a waste of money!!!

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from CPT BRAD wrote 41 weeks 2 min ago

OK FIRST AID NOT SURVIVAL KIT

2 rules of thought on this
Altoid size can or 6x9 dayplanner size.
Altoid first, Asprin, triple antibiotic, 2x3 bandages, bandaids, tweezers and a needle.
for a dayplanner size go on EBay and search it.
you can get a 200 piece set with anything you want.
THAT'S ONLY FIRST AID
For a survial kit your up to fanny pack size, and should think about food, shelter, fire and living for about 3 days. you can and will use stuff from your first aid kit for survival. Clay had a post about using your vasaline for a fire starter that I had never thought of, and you could always fish with a needle but I would add fish hooks.
I also have some items that I just use for camp such as immodium, chapstick, sunscreen, more asprin, and all of my gause and tape because it won't go in a small kit. when I hunt I usually never get over 4 hours away from the truck or camp so you can wait to actually clean and dress that wound till you get back. That's just me and I'm a little paranoid when it comes to that, I have bought everyone in my family a vehicle first aid kit and keep them stocked at deer camp. NOTHING makes for a more miserable trip than diareha for about 3-4 days.

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from wally wrote 40 weeks 5 days ago

If you just want to spend some money you can pick up a kit at Sportsmans Warehouse,Gander Mountain, or Cabelas for like 15-30 dollars with gauze, aspirin, gloves, the whole 9 yrds in a compact case.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from huntergatherer wrote 39 weeks 6 days ago

I like tweezers but that is because I hunt in cactus country quite a bit.

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from ETangler wrote 38 weeks 5 days ago

add an ace bandage.

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from M Fet wrote 38 weeks 20 hours ago

Also doesn't hurt to put a few bandades for small cuts to limit the chance of infection.

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from t_holinka wrote 37 weeks 17 hours ago

They make little iodine ampules that will cover all of your open wounds. DUCT TAPE. Cloth. medical reference book.

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from pennst8hunter wrote 33 weeks 6 days ago

I carry Adventure Medicals little pocket doctor in the waterproof bag it comes in. I added some alchahol pads, bandages, and some TP. I held the kit underwater, and under my faucet on full blast, and not a drop of water got in. The kit cost me about 8 bucks!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from pennst8hunter wrote 33 weeks 6 days ago

I carry Adventure Medicals little pocket doctor in the waterproof bag it comes in. I added some alchahol pads, bandages, and some TP. I held the kit underwater, and under my faucet on full blast, and not a drop of water got in. The kit cost me about 8 bucks!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from notquite wrote 33 weeks 18 hours ago

I reccomend some hooks, line, matches coated in wax, match strike paper, compass, and water purifier.
all packed in plastic waterproof bag.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from smolt66 wrote 32 weeks 1 day ago

Don't forget some Quikclot gauze pads. Stops bleeding quickly. Used it at home and it worked.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from kishkin wrote 31 weeks 3 days ago

This is more a question than an answer. There were no mention of any antihistamine for the 1st aid kit (perhaps, I missed it). I have no experience with survival, but to me it make sense to have one. You never know what you may have, or develop an allergy for. And this thing can make a big difference before you get back to the camp and does not take much space. Just my opinion. Have anyone experienced a need for it?

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from drifter66 wrote 30 weeks 1 day ago

I keep Quikclot gauze pads in my first aid kit. It is a product that has been used by the military for several years and has saved numerous lives in Iraq and Afganistan. It is now available for civilian use.

I have used it on a hiking friend who took a bad fall and cut his leg badly. We tried using conventional gauze pads and pressure, but couldn't stop the bleeding. I took out a Quikclot gauze pad and pressed it to his cut for a couple of minutes and bleeding completely stopped. We bandaged him and got him back to the trailhead and took him to an ER for stitches.

Quikclot comes in packaging that is perfect for a personal first aid kit and is available at Quikclot.com, Cabelas and REI.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from muskiemaster wrote 29 weeks 6 days ago

neosporin, bandaids, gauze and scissors.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Buffryan wrote 29 weeks 3 days ago

emergency blanket, triangular bandages, mole skin

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from t_holinka wrote 28 weeks 5 days ago

the most important thing you can have in your first aid bag is knowledge. You can do alot of things with nothing, but the stuff around you. Spint broken bones, cover wounds, and stabilize injuries with the woods you are in. Knowledge is power.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from Myxinikela wrote 28 weeks 1 day ago

Some seem to be getting off the topic of this post. Over 50 years in the woods I have never needed more than some bandaids, a small bottle of betadine, a few 4x4 gauze sponges, a small folded piece of duct tape, a jackknife, and a needle.

Needle for splinters. Duct tape for butterflys, to
hold sponges on injury, cover blisters, etc and betadine for disinfection replace earlier less effective components. Any more than this is wishful thinking and wastes space.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from matouse3 wrote 24 weeks 5 days ago

Absolute necessity: Gauze and Tape - you can fabricate just about any size temporary bandage with that. Some triple antibiotic is also high on the list. Sticks can function as temp. splits with the tape.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from JARED WELLS wrote 20 weeks 3 days ago

6 adhesive bandages,2 sterile gauze pads,3-by-3-inch,1smallroll of adhesive tape, 1 moleskin 3-by6-inch,1 small bar of soap, 1small tube of antiseptic,1 pair of scissors, 1 pair of latex gloves, 1 mouth-barrier device for rescue breathing or CPR, 1 plastic goggles or other eye protection , and 1 pencil and paper each

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from TonyK wrote 19 weeks 1 day ago

Duct tape. It will serve many purposes.

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from GregoryS wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

for hunting and most outdoor activities i carry an extractor for snake bits and stings. guaze, alcohol pads, dr tichiner mouth wash is the best rubbing alcohol. bandaids, mouth resesitation cover, a firstaid book. and a few other wraps. bottle of advil, uses are if a victim is having a heart attack, the advil will thin the blood increasing the chance for survival. tylonol for pain. ibeuprofin for swelling. latex gloves, triple antibiotic. thats about it.

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from crowdpleaser73 wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

Three things i have in every aid pack i take with me hunting,fishing or even while i've been deployed overseas. Superglue or liquid skin for small cuts, hydrogen peroxide gel,and mole skin for blisters. Of course you always want to have tape and gauze. Quick clot is realy cool stuff but it has an expiration date. I'd recomend israli bandage (its a realy cool ace bandage with gauze atached) and somthing to make a toriquite with. Im no doctor so i hope this helped ya.

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from herbie57_57 wrote 42 weeks 18 hours ago

jbonifer has a good list, I could do without the wipes, iodine and neosporin till I got back to camp though. I also carry vet wrap, it helps hold gauze in place and can hold splints in place if you need it.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from T wrote 42 weeks 17 hours ago

A ace-wrap bandaide would be another thing. Check out the article Field & Stream made about the DIY Altoid tin emergency kit too.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from koeka wrote 42 weeks 15 hours ago

From my experience a major threat to hikers/hunters or anyone walking around camp areas and which is often overlooked is the threat of exposure to cold, a must in any pack has to be an emergency blanket (the one that looks like aluminum foil developed by NASA).

Even in the summer season if you are injured and unable to return to camp and are waiting rescuing, the night temps can drop below enough for you to be at risk for hyperthermia.

Also, camping matches, lighter or the best device is the magnesium stone is must to start a fire. Fire has been providing physiological comfort to those either lost or waiting for rescue as well as an obvious heat source.

I would also consider carrying a whistle and a small length of cord and a backup compass just in case…

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from Clay Cooper wrote 41 weeks 2 days ago

In addition to the above in my pack I carry a small bottle of Vaseline and it has more uses than anything else you can carry. Being a former Search and Rescue member, keeping your wound clean, moist and covered is what you want. Once you get out you can get the additional care you need. One of the best uses for Vaseline and a magnesium fire starter stick is the best way for starting a fire under the most extreme conditions, been dar and dun dat!” Take a 2x2 inch piece of cloth that can also be used as a bandage and saturate it with Vaseline and scrape a little “magnesium on it and hit it with the flint side and now you have instant fire 6 to 10 minutes of flame. I still got the same Vaseline jar in my back pack some 10 years ago and still work as good as the day I put it in.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from CPT BRAD wrote 41 weeks 2 min ago

OK FIRST AID NOT SURVIVAL KIT

2 rules of thought on this
Altoid size can or 6x9 dayplanner size.
Altoid first, Asprin, triple antibiotic, 2x3 bandages, bandaids, tweezers and a needle.
for a dayplanner size go on EBay and search it.
you can get a 200 piece set with anything you want.
THAT'S ONLY FIRST AID
For a survial kit your up to fanny pack size, and should think about food, shelter, fire and living for about 3 days. you can and will use stuff from your first aid kit for survival. Clay had a post about using your vasaline for a fire starter that I had never thought of, and you could always fish with a needle but I would add fish hooks.
I also have some items that I just use for camp such as immodium, chapstick, sunscreen, more asprin, and all of my gause and tape because it won't go in a small kit. when I hunt I usually never get over 4 hours away from the truck or camp so you can wait to actually clean and dress that wound till you get back. That's just me and I'm a little paranoid when it comes to that, I have bought everyone in my family a vehicle first aid kit and keep them stocked at deer camp. NOTHING makes for a more miserable trip than diareha for about 3-4 days.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from notquite wrote 33 weeks 18 hours ago

I reccomend some hooks, line, matches coated in wax, match strike paper, compass, and water purifier.
all packed in plastic waterproof bag.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from t_holinka wrote 28 weeks 5 days ago

the most important thing you can have in your first aid bag is knowledge. You can do alot of things with nothing, but the stuff around you. Spint broken bones, cover wounds, and stabilize injuries with the woods you are in. Knowledge is power.

+2 Good Comment? | | Report
from jbonifer24 wrote 42 weeks 18 hours ago

Guaze, butterfly bandages, medical tape, alcohol wipes, iodine, and some Neosporin. This is about as basic as I go, and this is only what I put in my day pack. I have a full sized first-aid kit I pack in and leave at camp.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from kjflorian wrote 42 weeks 4 hours ago

Thanks for the input, all good answers. Best to be prepared.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Christian Emter wrote 41 weeks 5 days ago

Matches compass water fire starter and flares

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from texasfirst wrote 41 weeks 3 days ago

OK, first aid kit, not survival kit:
1. bacitracin or some sort of triple antibiotic.
2. roll of gauze.
3. needle and clean (preferably sterilized) cotton thread.
4. aspirin

These are your pack light survival kit essentials.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Clay Cooper wrote 41 weeks 2 days ago

PS Matches of any kind is a waste of money!!!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from wally wrote 40 weeks 5 days ago

If you just want to spend some money you can pick up a kit at Sportsmans Warehouse,Gander Mountain, or Cabelas for like 15-30 dollars with gauze, aspirin, gloves, the whole 9 yrds in a compact case.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from huntergatherer wrote 39 weeks 6 days ago

I like tweezers but that is because I hunt in cactus country quite a bit.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from ETangler wrote 38 weeks 5 days ago

add an ace bandage.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from M Fet wrote 38 weeks 20 hours ago

Also doesn't hurt to put a few bandades for small cuts to limit the chance of infection.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from t_holinka wrote 37 weeks 17 hours ago

They make little iodine ampules that will cover all of your open wounds. DUCT TAPE. Cloth. medical reference book.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from pennst8hunter wrote 33 weeks 6 days ago

I carry Adventure Medicals little pocket doctor in the waterproof bag it comes in. I added some alchahol pads, bandages, and some TP. I held the kit underwater, and under my faucet on full blast, and not a drop of water got in. The kit cost me about 8 bucks!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from pennst8hunter wrote 33 weeks 6 days ago

I carry Adventure Medicals little pocket doctor in the waterproof bag it comes in. I added some alchahol pads, bandages, and some TP. I held the kit underwater, and under my faucet on full blast, and not a drop of water got in. The kit cost me about 8 bucks!

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from smolt66 wrote 32 weeks 1 day ago

Don't forget some Quikclot gauze pads. Stops bleeding quickly. Used it at home and it worked.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from kishkin wrote 31 weeks 3 days ago

This is more a question than an answer. There were no mention of any antihistamine for the 1st aid kit (perhaps, I missed it). I have no experience with survival, but to me it make sense to have one. You never know what you may have, or develop an allergy for. And this thing can make a big difference before you get back to the camp and does not take much space. Just my opinion. Have anyone experienced a need for it?

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from drifter66 wrote 30 weeks 1 day ago

I keep Quikclot gauze pads in my first aid kit. It is a product that has been used by the military for several years and has saved numerous lives in Iraq and Afganistan. It is now available for civilian use.

I have used it on a hiking friend who took a bad fall and cut his leg badly. We tried using conventional gauze pads and pressure, but couldn't stop the bleeding. I took out a Quikclot gauze pad and pressed it to his cut for a couple of minutes and bleeding completely stopped. We bandaged him and got him back to the trailhead and took him to an ER for stitches.

Quikclot comes in packaging that is perfect for a personal first aid kit and is available at Quikclot.com, Cabelas and REI.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from muskiemaster wrote 29 weeks 6 days ago

neosporin, bandaids, gauze and scissors.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Buffryan wrote 29 weeks 3 days ago

emergency blanket, triangular bandages, mole skin

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from Myxinikela wrote 28 weeks 1 day ago

Some seem to be getting off the topic of this post. Over 50 years in the woods I have never needed more than some bandaids, a small bottle of betadine, a few 4x4 gauze sponges, a small folded piece of duct tape, a jackknife, and a needle.

Needle for splinters. Duct tape for butterflys, to
hold sponges on injury, cover blisters, etc and betadine for disinfection replace earlier less effective components. Any more than this is wishful thinking and wastes space.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from matouse3 wrote 24 weeks 5 days ago

Absolute necessity: Gauze and Tape - you can fabricate just about any size temporary bandage with that. Some triple antibiotic is also high on the list. Sticks can function as temp. splits with the tape.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from JARED WELLS wrote 20 weeks 3 days ago

6 adhesive bandages,2 sterile gauze pads,3-by-3-inch,1smallroll of adhesive tape, 1 moleskin 3-by6-inch,1 small bar of soap, 1small tube of antiseptic,1 pair of scissors, 1 pair of latex gloves, 1 mouth-barrier device for rescue breathing or CPR, 1 plastic goggles or other eye protection , and 1 pencil and paper each

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from TonyK wrote 19 weeks 1 day ago

Duct tape. It will serve many purposes.

+1 Good Comment? | | Report
from GregoryS wrote 10 weeks 1 day ago

for hunting and most outdoor activities i carry an extractor for snake bits and stings. guaze, alcohol pads, dr tichiner mouth wash is the best rubbing alcohol. bandaids, mouth resesitation cover, a firstaid book. and a few other wraps. bottle of advil, uses are if a victim is having a heart attack, the advil will thin the blood increasing the chance for survival. tylonol for pain. ibeuprofin for swelling. latex gloves, triple antibiotic. thats about it.

0 Good Comment? | | Report
from crowdpleaser73 wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

Three things i have in every aid pack i take with me hunting,fishing or even while i've been deployed overseas. Superglue or liquid skin for small cuts, hydrogen peroxide gel,and mole skin for blisters. Of course you always want to have tape and gauze. Quick clot is realy cool stuff but it has an expiration date. I'd recomend israli bandage (its a realy cool ace bandage with gauze atached) and somthing to make a toriquite with. Im no doctor so i hope this helped ya.

0 Good Comment? | | Report

Post an Answer