I am looking to put together a basic first aid kit for every day hiking in the Ohio forests. Anybody have any suggestions?Thanks!
I am looking to put together a basic first aid kit for every day hiking in the Ohio forests. Anybody have any suggestions?Thanks!
I too live in Ohio. Other than the typical band-aids, rubbing alcohol, anti-biotic ointment, and pain reliever/fever reducer, I do keep a few extras. I include a bug spray with deet, calamine lotion, sunscreen and the little swabs to relieve bee stings. Works pretty good for me for hiking, fishing, and hunting. I do keep a more extensive one in the car just in case.
Ok thanks, didn't think of bug spray, but with the bugs in the spring around here, that is a good idea!!
A tube of bacitracin or neosporin. Both are good. You can purchase the single use tubes as well.
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An Ace bandage to wrap a sprained ankle, and mole skin for blisters/hot spots
I know what hunts you.
What do you want your first aid kit to do? Make a list of everything it needs to cover. That will tell you what you want to put in it.
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Whatever you choose to buy and/or make, make sure it's small enough that you carry it with you. I've seen people get some super-de-duper one, and are all proud of it, and then be out on the trail, and I ask where it is, and they say, "Back in the car, because it was too heavy"
I like to carry a package of Quick Clot in all of my first aid kits. It's light weight insurance if you get a nasty cut. It will stop the bleeding until you can get to medical attention and it's not too expensive. Also it's flat and doesn't take up much room in a kit. I also put in a long thin piece of fabric in case a tourniquet is needed. These are in addition to all the basics because a severe injury can happen when you least suspect it when you are in the woods. I agree with the other poster on trying to keep it small so you will always carry it. I found a great bag at Blachawk.com that fits on my belt but holds everything I need.
Everyone's perceptions are different. I don't carry quick clot because I think it is too heavy and expensive. Of course, I would carry it if I thought there was a chance for a gun shot wound. I also don't think it is wrong for others to carry it. To each their own.
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Another addition that I carry is small roll of duct tape. Many uses from holding bandages on to splinting. Chinook Medical sells 2 inch by 5 yard rolls of duct tape that are ideal for a first aid kit. I use a Uncle Mikes belt pouch to hold my belt first aid kit. I think a package of Quick Clot is a very good item if you are carrying/using a axe/hatchet or big knife.
Check this out....http://thesurvivalmom.com/2012/03/15...inst-quikclot/
SARGE
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
Albert Einstein
Proud father of a US Marine....SEMPER FI!
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
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Who on earth puts any hemostatic agent on a fish hook cut? That's crazy. It was made to stop traumatic arterial bleeds. If folks misuse it that's not the product's fault regardless of brand name. I do agree that understanding pressure dressings is an important piece of knowledge and the first resort for almost all wounds. But there is no substitute for traumatic arterial bleeds. You have moments to act especially if you are alone. The odds of ever needing it are pretty slim. But if you do need it......
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
SARGE
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
Albert Einstein
Proud father of a US Marine....SEMPER FI!
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin
where can i get quick clot ?
Here's where I get mine. http://www.safezonellc.com/medical.html
Around here, wal-marts and targets sell quick clot too.
I just purchased Quick Clot First Response (the lower temp version) from Chinook Medical for $13 per unit.
Sarge47, thanks for the link on Quick Clot opinions from medical professionals. I totally agree with what they said. I am trained as an EMT and an instructor in Wilderness first Aid and I stress that Quick Clot is only for use in those "Oh, S--t" really serious wounds. I still will carry it in my basic first aid kit, mainly because my mother always said that I wasn't to be trusted with sharp tools---and I have the scars to prove that she was right!!
I agree with everything you guys have said here. You need to learn how to apply a pressure bandage and also how to follow the directions on when to use the Quick Clot. They make a Quick Clot Sport now that has an anti bacterial agent added to help fight infection of the wound as well. I really can't see too many injuries that would require this product but for something that only weighs 30 grams or so and lays flat it is cheap($15-20) insurance in my opinion. I agree about the uses of touniquets and proper first aid but sometimes you are dealing with people that don't have the proper training or in an area where a tourniquet will not work so I just like to keep some on hand. The duct tape was a great idea, I wrap some around a business card until I build up a good amount and then I toss it in my kit. That way it lays flat and saves as much room as possible.
The QuikClot Sport comes in two versions. QuikClot Sport and QuikClot Sport Silver. The Sport Silver has the antibacterial properties. In my mind, this is not something I would be wearing for the next week so I'm not certain how an antibacterial property helps. We're talking about an arterial bleed. You shove it in the wound, wrap the wound and get to a trauma center. I'll be on high dose antibiotic IVs once I hit the trauma center so I'm not certain the antibacterial agent is worth the nearly doubling of the cost of the QuikClot. Maybe I over think things. I don't know.
As an aside, I think a hemostatic agent is worth its weight in gold if you need it. Laying on the ground bleeding out is no time to be thinking you probably should have bought some. Better to have it and not need it than to....yaddy, yaddy, yaddy.
Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.
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