How to customize a First Aid Kit
Today there is a great variety of commercial first aid kits available. But the best first aid kits are formed by thinking carefully about personal needs, activity, climate and the environment in which it will be used. An appropriate first aid kit for a solo 2 hour fishing trip in Sydney harbour would surely look different to one for 10 people on a several-day long Cape York 4x4 expedition, or a kayek expedition to a deserted pacific atoll. Below are some pointers that may help to guide you though the process of making your own personalised first aid kit. It's all about customising the kit to your particular needs. Depending on what those needs are, your kit might be not much larger than a packet of cigarettes, or may otherwise fill a shoebox-sized waterproof container. Remember though - owning a First Aid kit and not knowing how to use it's contents isn't a good combination, so for best results, go forth and do a first aid course ASAP (especially if your requirements dictate a more expansive kit).
Today there is a great variety of commercial first aid kits available. But the best first aid kits are formed by thinking carefully about personal needs, activity, climate and the environment in which it will be used. An appropriate first aid kit for a solo 2 hour fishing trip in Sydney harbour would surely look different to one for 10 people on a several-day long Cape York 4x4 expedition, or a kayek expedition to a deserted pacific atoll. Below are some pointers that may help to guide you though the process of making your own personalised first aid kit. It's all about customising the kit to your particular needs. Depending on what those needs are, your kit might be not much larger than a packet of cigarettes, or may otherwise fill a shoebox-sized waterproof container. Remember though - owning a First Aid kit and not knowing how to use it's contents isn't a good combination, so for best results, go forth and do a first aid course ASAP (especially if your requirements dictate a more expansive kit).
Small kit for an overnighter hike with the family, medium kit for extended Kayak trips (up to2 weeks/4 people, semi remote) and a full kit for extendet trips in very remote areas.
Get some clear resealable bags to organise items into categories like: trauma, wound management, blister kit, burn kit, snake bite, topical medications, over-the-counter medications, and prescription medications. I have worked for many years as a paramedic and I can tell you how important it is to organise your kit well. When something goes wrong you really don't want to spend time searching for things in your First Aid kit. The resealable bags keep the contents of the different categories together, are pretty well waterproof and are transparent, allowing you to see what's contained inside.
Get some clear resealable bags to organise items into categories like: trauma, wound management, blister kit, burn kit, snake bite, topical medications, over-the-counter medications, and prescription medications. I have worked for many years as a paramedic and I can tell you how important it is to organise your kit well. When something goes wrong you really don't want to spend time searching for things in your First Aid kit. The resealable bags keep the contents of the different categories together, are pretty well waterproof and are transparent, allowing you to see what's contained inside.
Well marked comercial First Aid Kit.
- 1: Consider the following items for your wound management kit:
- Irrigation syringe & sterile saline (for wound irrigation)
- Tweezers, splinter probes, & scalpel ( to remove splinters, or to pick foreign objects out of wounds)
- Wound desinfection (antiseptic spray)
- Antiseptic ointment (as an antiseptic dressing for a wound)
- Alcohol swabs (skin disinfection, they double as fire starter)
- Gauze pads, rolled gauze, adhesive dressings/bandages, sterile wound dressings in different sizes, non-adherent dressing, BPC combine dressing (for wound dressing)
- Athletic/ adhesive tape (to secure dressings or to tape something up)
- Butterfly bandages or super glue ( to close deep cuts and to bring the wound edges back together)
- Safety pins
- Cut a roll of glad wrap in half and pack it. (It is useful to fix sterile wound dressings on wet skin, and waterproofs a wound, to a point, as well)
2 : Consider the following items for your trauma kit: - Disposable one way gloves (a must for personal protection, doubles as water bladder)
- Scissors
- Roller bandages
- Triangular bandages (cotton, one of the most universal things in your kit)
- Permanent marker (to write on where ever needed, like dressing & skin, or to monitor infections (make dots around site, does it grow?))
- A face shield (barrier foil with valve for resuscitation)
- A small torch or pupil light ( to check pupil reaction, or to inspect throat, ears or nose)
- Plastic bags ( to pack or dispose of things)
- Emergency/space blanket ( to preserve body heat, create shade, as windbreaker, signalling device, or to collect water)
- Chemical cold packs ( for sprains and swelling, as well as stings/ bites)
- Sam-splint (small & lightweight splinter, very universal to use)
3: Consider the following items for your Snake bite kit:
For a Preassure Immobilisation Bandage you'll need: - 1 Wound dressing
- 1 Gauze bandage
- 1 Conforming elastic bandage 15cm (or 2x 7.5cm)
4 : Consider the following items for your Burn kit: - Burn cream (for minour burns and sunburn)
- Non stick burn dressing
- Roll of cling wrap (cut in half, as dressing over a burn, also works well to fix wound dressings to a wet person)
5: Think about personal heath problems, e.g. allergies (adrenaline auto injector), diabetes, heart conditions, asthma, motion sickness, and take the appropriate treatment out with you.
For a trip close to civilisation you wouldn't need to go any further than that but for several-day trips well away from civilisation I would consider the following steps:
6: On a several-day-long trips it pays to take a blister kit which should at least include the following items: - Adhesive bandages
- Gauze pads, molefoam, moleskin, second skin (to dress and cushion a blister )
- Athletic tape (to secure a dressing, or to tape an area up, to protect sensitive skin against rubbing & to prevent new blisters forming)
- Benzoin tincture (to clean the skin so the adhesives can stick to it)
- Duct tape
7: Over-the-counter medications to consider: - Aspirin (mainly as painkiller, but doubles as a blood thinner (angina) and thrombosis prevention)
- Paracetamol ( painkiller, lowers fever )
- Voltaren / Diclac (acute muscle and back pain relief)
- Deep Heat (against muscle aches or strains)
- Ibuprofen (painkiller)
- Antihistamines (against / suppresses allergic reactions)
- Diarrhoea medication
- Anti cold medications
- Activated charcoal ( absorbs poisons in the stomach, and neutralizes them)
- Oral re-hydration salts ( to replace minerals, salts and sugars during diarrhoea, also very effective as “sport drink” and against muscle cramps)
- Medication for motion sickness
- Eye & ear drops (eye and ear infections are often encountered in bright, windy or sandy conditions)
8: Think about the particular dangers/hazards of your trip, that may require special medications, immunisations or supplies: cold or hot climates, insects or parasites, snakes, poisonous plants, malaria regions, young children, or long expeditions. For example: does it pay to bring a small bottle of vinegar in a box-jellyfish area? Don't forget things like sunscreen and insect repellent. (You may choose to pack these separate, not as part of the first aid kit.) Another thing to consider for long distance trips would be tooth cement for temporary fillings if yours have fallen out.
9: The following medications should be considered in the tropics: - Antiseptic ointment (even small cuts or mosquito bites get easily infected)
- Talcum powder ( against rubbing and to put on rashes )
- Calamine lotion ( bites)
- Aloe-vera after-sun gel (sunburn- relief)
- Anti-fungal cream ( fungi love warm and humid conditions)
- Hydro-cortisone cream (skin problems)
10: Get a doctor to prescribe you some broad spectrum antibiotics. They'll treat the following infections: skin, urinary tract, gastro-intestinal, sinus, ear, eye, respiratory and soft tissue.
11: Consult a doctor for any additionally required prescription medications like: - Strong pain killers
- Anti-inflammatory medications ( Tenosynovitis/ kayakers arm)
- Steroid creams
- Immunisations or
- Any other drugs needed in your situation.( allergies, diseases..)
Stick to tablets instead of liquids when ever you can. Tablets are lighter and easier to store, don't require refridgeration, can't freeze solid or leak, and normally have a longer shelf life than liquids. Another advantage is that tablets are packed individually & waterproof, and stay usable even if the surrounding package gets wet.
12: For extended or group-trips you might want to include: - A thermometer ( to measure body temperature/ monitor infections)
- Chemical heat packs
- Resuscitation Mask & filter (resuscitation)
- Airway extractor ( to manage /clean airways)
- Plastic resealable bags ( to store or dispose)
- Trash bags
- Tooth cement ( for temporary fillings)
13: Pack a good emergency first aid manual, and have a list with the appropriate local emergency numbers..
14: I personally like to have some “survival” type things in my first aid kit as well, like: - A signal mirror (even though the space-blanket doubles very effectively as one)
- Lighter (sterilises a needle, and lights a (signal) fire)
- Magnifying glass (helps to clean wounds or to remove splinters, but can make a fire too)
- Water disinfectant tablets
- Light/glow sticks
- Ear plugs (noisy surroundings)
- 1m of flexible, small-diameter tube to be able to drink fresh water out of the shallowest pools or out of cracks
Stay safe.