Wilderness First Aid Kit

[fbahouth]

#7651

A long time ago, Dr. Don Thomas wrote a great article in TB about a wilderness first aid kit, and suggested some items for its content. Is there any chance the article exists in digital form, or maybe the list can be reprinted? I would love to see a copy.

I use different hunting/hiking packs depending on the season and would like to assemble a few kits and leave them in each pack, so I am assured of having one regardless of which pack I use.

[hogup]

#8394

I do not have the article but I have put together a small package that I take with me hunting and hiking. It consists of: flint striker, cotton balls soaked with vasaline in a old pill bottle, Neosporin, needle and thread, bandaids, aspirin, about 10 feet of parachute cord, a few energy bars, some caffeene pills, a mirror and a folding knife. Also, not part of the first aid but some things I always have when hiking or int he woods in general: .38 S&W snubby, small can of pepper spray, cell phone.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#8679

I probably carry a more extensive kit than I really need to sometimes, but as a Wilderness First Responder for 12 years, it’s just part of my mindset, and experience, to think about all the things that can happen when you’re miles, or days, from help.

There are some very good, pre-assembled, wilderness first aid kits available these days, and if you do a cost comparison, it can be challenging to buy all the supplies separately and put together your own kit more cost effectively, unless you already have a lot of those items on hand.

Adventure Medical Kits offer a variety of well thought-out kits, designed for day trips up to major expeditions. I own several and recommend them highly. Even if you decide to put your own kit together, take a look at the contents of the various kits on their site and you can get a lot of good ideas:

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/products.php?catname=MEDICAL%20KITS&cat=26

And keep in mind that the best first aid kit in the world won’t do much if you don’t know how to use it. If you spend much time in the wilderness, do yourself a favor and take, at the very least, a basic wilderness first aid course. It’s money well spent.

[Robin Conrads]

#8738

fbahouth wrote: A long time ago, Dr. Don Thomas wrote a great article in TB about a wilderness first aid kit, and suggested some items for its content. Is there any chance the article exists in digital form, or maybe the list can be reprinted? I would love to see a copy.

I use different hunting/hiking packs depending on the season and would like to assemble a few kits and leave them in each pack, so I am assured of having one regardless of which pack I use.

I’m not finding that article in the index. Hopefully Don will be along soon to help.

[Don Thomas]

#12554

Gotta admit–I’m drawing a blank. I’ve declined a lot of requests to write medical articles for a number of magazines over the years, mostly because I like to keep my medical background separate from my outdoor interests. I may have written the piece you are referencing for Bowhunter or another magazine a long time ago… but I can’t find it! In fact, I’m notoriously bad about carrying medical supplies on hunts, unless I’m serving as camp doctor for others on an extended wilderness trip in a remote location. If there is sufficient interest, I could do such a piece for TBM sometime–or assign it to another qualified party. Don

[David Petersen]

#12609

I’d love to see such, Doc. And while first aid info from any qualified source — first responder, M.D., pharmacist, would be most welcome, given your extensive time in backcountry as a bowhunter, it’s hard to imagine that anyone else could be as familiar as you are with the sorts of wounds we’re liable to inflict on ourselves. As a sidebar to the kit article, some basics on how to improvise in emergencies would be doubly welcome. But then, maybe I’m prejudiced … 😀

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#13238

David Petersen wrote:
As a sidebar to the kit article, some basics on how to improvise in emergencies would be doubly welcome. But then, maybe I’m prejudiced … 😀

Agreed. I think that improvisation is a key component of successful wilderness first aid, and is one of the big differences between first aid in the backcountry and the frontcountry.

Don – if it’s something you’re willing to tackle, I would love to see something like this as well. Unfortunately, I don’t find that it’s a topic that gets much quality focus in most hunting periodicals.

[fattony77]

#13315

I would love to see this come to fruition. I would be very interested in seeing a doctor’s suggested contents (especially a huntin doctor that understands packing light). I also agree that this is an underserved topic, that we may all need someday. I just recently had a friend slip with his knife while finishing up quartering his rifle buck. Thankfully I was with him & we were able to get the bleeding stopped (using wet wipes & a shoestring), and pack the meat to the truck & him to the hospital!

[fbahouth]

#13352

Thanks Doc and all who responded. I think it would be a good idea to write something on the topic. Some of the pre-packaged kits probably have too much stuff and may will tend to be bulky……….and expensive if you want more than one.

[strait-aero]

#13370

donthomas wrote: Gotta admit–I’m drawing a blank. I’ve declined a lot of requests to write medical articles for a number of magazines over the years, mostly because I like to keep my medical background separate from my outdoor interests. I may have written the piece you are referencing for Bowhunter or another magazine a long time ago… but I can’t find it! In fact, I’m notoriously bad about carrying medical supplies on hunts, unless I’m serving as camp doctor for others on an extended wilderness trip in a remote location. If there is sufficient interest, I could do such a piece for TBM sometime–or assign it to another qualified party. Don

I think it would be a good idea to have such information in an article,Don. I’m sure your readers would soak it up and find it a pertinant subject. Wayne

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#13399

fbahouth wrote: Some of the pre-packaged kits probably have too much stuff and may will tend to be bulky……….and expensive if you want more than one.

Some kits do have too much stuff – depending on your needs. Day hunting? Week-long trip? International? All will require different items, and space. But there are plenty of kits available that are light and simple. I’m not trying to sell anyone on kits – just saying that the ones available from AMK are well thought-out, and worth at least taking a cue from to come up with your own list. But do your own cost comparisons and you might be surprised.

This is my basic kit for day hunts in my area (along with a few things I’ve supplemented). It retails for $12.95, weighs 8oz. and comes in a water resistant pouch with enough room to add some more items in if you need. You’d hardly even know it’s in your pack. It covers the basics of minor-moderate wound mgmt.

I add a few other things like gloves, more gauze, more band-aids. A small syringe for wound irrigation is a good idea. Slings, splints, etc. can usually be improvised, but a small “Sam Splint” can be a good thing to have as well. It packs flat and also takes up no room in pack.

[David Petersen]

#13498

Nice kit for the money, Bruce. In my mind the single most important potentially life-saving item bowhunters should carry is a thick gauze compress to apply to serious arterial bleeding wounds, like we had in the military packaged in airtight tinfoil. Might still be able to get those at army suplus places. When you fall on a broadhead or stab a major vein in your leg or wrist with a knife, nothing else matters but stopping the bleeding via direct pressure and nothing beats a military gauze compress. My 2 scents

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#13626

Absolutely. Something to clog the pipes is essential. It’s a little bulky, but a few rolls of sterile gauze can be a lifesaver. Literally. Sterile is obviously preferable, however, if it comes down to it and things are desperate, a t-shirt, bandanna, or anything that can stop the bleeding will work.

[Mark Turton]

#14062

Dave, try Celox, they make a gauze and trauma pads the granules are good for deep open wounds but be aware if it gets in your eyes it will be a problem.
http://www.celoxmedical.com/prods_gauze.htm

A dental kit is good, takes up very little room and can make a big difference.

Don, I appreciate that medical professionals are often reluctant to give advise for fear of litigation but some real world suggestions from someone with your experience of both hunting and medical would be very useful.

Smithammer, I agree improvisation is probably the greatest life saver.

Mark.

Mark.

[new moon]

#14964

As a paramedic with a Wilderness EMT certification I have spent a bit of time thinking about hot to care for myself or others in the outdoors. In order to keep my first aid kit form getting out of hand I’ve decided that the two main injuries that I am likely to sustain or treat are sprains or breaks from spelling wrong or falling and cuts ranging form quite minor to very severe and life threatening. As far as treatment for these potential injuries goes I’ve decided that for sprains and breaks I will improvise some kind of splint of the spot using whatever is available to me. Cutting up my game bags, for example, and using them to help stabilize the injured part. I like some of the commercial splinting options out there, like the Sam Splint because it weighs nothing and folds up very small.

For the cuts and lacerations I’ll carry a few Band-Aids for small stuff, 4X4 gauze pads for moderate stuff and a hemostatic agent for serious stuff that I can’t get controlled otherwise. QuikClot and Celox are the two most common clotting agents and I recommend that anyone going into the woods with broad heads and knives carry some. They weigh almost nothing. We carry it on your ambulances and use it when nothing else works. Here is a graphic but good clip of QuikClot being used on a pig after having its femoral artery cut.

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2006/10/29/extremely-graphic-pigs-femoral-cut-174479

Maybe the most important you can go into the woods with is a basic first aid corse and a good head on your shoulders.

Josh

[James Harvey]

#18037

QuikClot, bandage and a tourniquet. The Israeli bandage is incredibly versatile and easy to use. The CAT is lightweight, robust and easy to use even one handed. You can carry all that in a cargo pocket or small zippered pouch and will save a life if you cut something important on you or someone you’re fond of.

http://www.amazon.com/Israeli-Battle-Dressing-Compression-Bandage/dp/B003DPVERM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358003328&sr=8-1&keywords=israeli+trauma+bandage

http://www.amazon.com/CAT-C-A-T-Combat-Application-Tourniquet/dp/B003IPZRYI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358003913&sr=8-1&keywords=tourniquet+cat

[David Petersen]

#18084

Ausjim (and others), I just ordered a QuickClot online, after determining no one in town has ever heard of them, much less has them for sale. Thanks.

[Mark Turton]

#20137

Ausjim, about a hundred years ago when I did my fist aid tourniquets were being removed from all the kits, now they have a new lease of life and are saving many lives but a word of caution if you have not done so find out just when these should be used as there is no turning back if they are improperly applied.

At a meet last Autumn one of our guys back from Afgan bought a selection of products to use in a demonstration I was very impressed by the gauze and its adaptability.

Leaving a friends house on New Years day I missed my footing on their door step, about a 2″ step, and sprained my ankle jeeeze that hurt, x-ray showed nothing broken. I’m going to be making sure my boots are properly laced I don’t want to be doing that and walking/hoping five miles.

Mark.

[Brennan Herr]

#20157

I carry the same for work and hunting…quick clot sponge, tourniquet, and Israeli bandage. The sprain/break issue will need attention for hunting. All good thoughts!

[James Harvey]

#20217

pothunter wrote: a word of caution if you have not done so find out just when these should be used as there is no turning back if they are improperly applied.

Yeah, I understand they were out of favour for a long time because of the risk of losing any part of the limb below the tourniquet. I can’t talk technically as I’m rather uneducated in the medical field, but what I have been told by those who do know is that a CAT can be applied for hours and the limb saved, and a wound deserving a CAT would likely kill in minutes so you’re better off minus a leg than a life anyway.

For interests sake I have been trained to apply it as high and tight as possible on the damaged limb (e.g. right up in the groin on the leg) regardless of how low the amputation/arterial bleed is (e.g. below the knee). The docs are that confident they can save the tissue below the tourniquet. I guess they’re also confident a dumb first aider like me isn’t going to accurately assess how far the severed artery is going to draw back into the limb, so better make sure I get it up high.

[lyagooshka]

#20272

ausjim,

“High and tight” for sake of erring on the side of caution is ok, but make sure there is some common sense as well. You see someone lose a foot at the ankle, a tourniquet to the groin will work, but so will one at the knee, and one at the ankle. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but my training was always the opposite. It was always as close to the wound as possible (“up-stream” of course).

As far as survival gear: a knife. That is one area I do not skimp on. As a rule-of-thumb, if I don’t get a “you spent how much on that?”, it wasn’t a good purchase. Just remember that $ does not always = quality, so do some research. A quality multi-tool as well.

Here is one thing I have done (for camping) that might help. This is IMHO, so if you have your hand sanitizer, and Vaseline-soaked cotton balls, keep ‘em. I take a few “airline” bottles, empty the contents (into a glass with ice…) and refill them with either Bacardi 151 or Everclear. Reason being: 1) both are highly flammable (as per the warning on the bottles), 2) they are perfect hand/wound sanitizers (regular hand sanitizer is between 60%-80% ethanol, but has a bunch of added fragrances), 3) it stays fluid in colder weather and lasts forever, and 4) once you recovered your game, and once all the sharp pointy things are neatly stowed away, you can even drink it (though I would dilute it a but as “standard” hard alcohol is usually 40% (80 proof), so 151 is about double strength).

My liver says I should move on so the next thing is a piece of modern technology that even the most “traditional” person should consider. Out west, and especially Alaska, there are places that have no cell-phone signal, no radio, no electricity, no lights, no motorcars… In these places, a satellite phone, or one of the newer “emergency beacons” could be a real life-saver. The satellite phone is just what it sounds like. Service is expensive, and you are looking at about $10 a minute. So checking who won the game is probably not in everyone’s budget. The “beacon” is basically a “1-way” satellite phone. It uses satellites to get your GPS location and beams the info to the Search and Rescue folks. Unfortunately, you cannot know if/when they will arrive, nor can they know anything but your location (word to the wise, do not use one of these if you run out of TP. I guess it’s not for those kinds of emergencies 😆 ).

Lastly, know the area you will hunt. I usually hunt with only a knife and cell phone. If I get injured, I can probably crawl to a hospital faster than the EMTs would find me. I never lose cell reception, and if I run out of trail mix, I can walk to a diner. Welcome to Southeast PA. But it’s not like that all over. Know where you are going, look at a map, identify areas for potential evac, and see if there are any building around, where they are and what they are. Well, enough of beating a dead horse. Be well.

Alex

😀

[James Harvey]

#20318

lyagooshka wrote: ausjim,

“High and tight” for sake of erring on the side of caution is ok, but make sure there is some common sense as well. You see someone lose a foot at the ankle, a tourniquet to the groin will work, but so will one at the knee, and one at the ankle. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but my training was always the opposite. It was always as close to the wound as possible (“up-stream” of course).

Hi Alex,

Again, my understanding is that the ‘as close as possible’ was taught because of concern that you may lose tissue below the tourniquet.

So we were taught that as first aiders our only consideration was saving a life until real medical aid could be secured. If someone has an arterial bleed, seconds count, so an advantage of ‘high and tight’ means you aren’t wasting time assessing once that bleed is identified. Another advantage of high and tight is you dodge a lot of the very compressible large muscles and get a good strong clamp on the femur/humerus. Finally if you have to move the person, a CAT up in the groin/armpit is better protected. More than one soldier has bled out while being moved because a CAT has come undone before anyone noticed.

All that being said, I’m no medic so if you’ve been taught different, I’m not suggesting you throw that out the window. I can only share what I’ve been taught 😉

Really good point about the beacon.

[lyagooshka]

#20336

ausjim,

You are exactly right. If you were taught one way, do it that way. Like you [I think it was you] said, rather see my kids grow up and have families of their own while missing a leg than having them bury me “whole”. Actually, If I remember (not a strong suit for me) I will check the hunter safety course. I believe they have something to say about tourniquets. Again, excellent reasoning, just cut out the “until real medical aid…” stuff. You are a trained professional. You may not have the same training as some, but when it’s life or death, your battle-buddy will be glad you’re there to keep him/her alive. Anyway, great points. Last thing, some trivia for you, what do you have to remember to do when applying a tourniquet? (Hint, it involves a “T” on the forehead and a time. 😉 ) Be well.

Alex

😀

[James Harvey]

#21219

David Petersen wrote: Ausjim (and others), I just ordered a QuickClot online.

You won’t regret it David. The stuff is magic for a deep flesh wound.

Another item I always take out field (if I’m going for multiple nights) that is not a life saver but rather useful is superglue. I use it on little cuts, particularly on your hands where band-aids or tape are hard to use. It’ll hold a small cut closed and seal it to the outside world. In about a day the glue flakes off and your cut is healed up. Just make sure you keep it in a zip seal bag, I had a tube explode in my FA kit once. Rather inconvenient.

[lyagooshka]

#21261

There is stuff out there called new-skin or second-skin. It costs about 5X what super-glue costs. It’s primary ingredient? Super-glue! 😕 The rest is coloring and the like. Ausjim is absolutely correct. I, unfortunately, cannot use it though. I tend to pick at scabs (just never stopped from when I was a kid I guess) so I wind up turning a little scratch into a gapping wound by the time I’m done picking at it. 😳 But if, unlike me, you are actually normal, crazy-glue works wonders. There are also compact splints out there. They are basically a roll that only folds one way, so they save space and are fairly rigid when unrolled (just make sure you apply properly). Be well.

Alex

😀

[sinawalli]

#21807

QuickClot should only be used as a last resort. Can be very damaging to a wound, and the ER doctor will have the job of removing it. Be absolutely sure you don’t get it in your eyes, as it absorbs moisture extremely fast!That’s what I was told by a military medic.

[paleoman]

#21846

This thread is inspiring me to look further into the subject. I’ ve had the ” pleasure” of 2 or 3 kidney stones and I’m not sure what I’ d do if I was stricken even a mile or two from camp?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#21863

Another rec: The NOLS Wilderness FIrst Aid Book

Probably the best sub-$20 you can spend on a piece of outdoor equipment.

[James Harvey]

#22305

sinawalli wrote: QuickClot should only be used as a last resort. Can be very damaging to a wound, and the ER doctor will have the job of removing it.

I understand what you’re saying, but I would like to clarify on your choice of words. I would say use it as a first resort on a wound you assess as deserving.

I understand the powdered variety creates heat and can burn the skin, get blown into your eyes etc. The treated gauze variety does not have any of those issues. You will probably widen the wound in applying it (as youve really got to stuff it in there) and a doctor will have the tricky job of removing the clot along with the gauze when she’s fixing you up. But if that wound bleeding freely is a serious problem I’d rather a doc in an ER deal with that than me out in the bush.

Those are just my thoughts. I’m no medical professional.

[sinawalli]

#22398

ausjim wrote: [quote=sinawalli]QuickClot should only be used as a last resort. Can be very damaging to a wound, and the ER doctor will have the job of removing it.

I understand what you’re saying, but I would like to clarify on your choice of words. I would say use it as a first resort on a wound you assess as deserving.

I understand the powdered variety creates heat and can burn the skin, get blown into your eyes etc. The treated gauze variety does not have any of those issues. You will probably widen the wound in applying it (as youve really got to stuff it in there) and a doctor will have the tricky job of removing the clot along with the gauze when she’s fixing you up. But if that wound bleeding freely is a serious problem I’d rather a doc in an ER deal with that than me out in the bush.

Those are just my thoughts. I’m no medical professional.

You are correct! I meant, that unless you can’t control the bleeding with direct pressure, then use QuikClot. I was also told it is quite painful. If a gsw is a 10 on the pain scale, then adding QuikClot makes it a 15! That’s what I was told! The sponges appear to be a lot safer for us non medical folks! Good on everyone for being prepared!!

[lyagooshka]

#22460

Just a thought on Quick-clot versus a tourniquet…

You can un-tie a knot; you can’t un-hard-boil an egg. Quick-clot does chemically what a red-hot poker did in the old days (a very over-simplified explanation). A GSW with a liver lac or a shot to the face are one thing, you can’t put a tourniquet around their neck. But for an extremity, use caution. That being said, it is a life saver, literally. Be well (and hope no one has to use a tourniquet or Quick-clot).

Alex

😯

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