First Aid Kit

[kiggy]

I think we are missing important topic
What do you bring in the winter bush?
my kit is following:
band-aids in different sizes
few sterile gauze pads
elastic bandage
2 triangular bandages
6" israeli bandage I would recommend it to anyone with First Aid experience (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2_EU1T-o-g )
adhesive tape
alcohol wipes
military scissors
polysporin
100ml 96% alcohol
ibuprofen
aspirin
tweezers
Nuun Electrolyte tablets

[4estTrekker]

I’ve found that little things in the backcountry make for disproportionate discomfort or trouble, so I’m always sure to have the seemingly little bits of kit to treat them...the usual suspects, if you will. On that note, I always carry a mighty strong gas pill, especially at altitude and/or if eating dehydrated meals. (The altitoots and Alpine Fare make a mean combo.) In addition to the standard items, I bring (and have had need of) a clotting agent, antibiotic, and individual superglue packets. I also carry enough kit to tend to the group I’m hiking with, as I’m not always sure of what’s in theirs and don’t have the time to discover as much if there’s a real issues at hand. I print a card that I slip in my kit that has all of its contents for quick reference for the sake of the others in my group.

[kiggy]

I know. when I started icefishing long long time ago , I cut my finger with knife, I was surprised I could not stop bleeding in temperature below freezing till I got to my car and found some band-aid.

[Justin P.]

I probably don't carry enough, but just myself solo:

Coaches tape, I use it as Band-Aids too
I use paper towel or cloth as gauze
Aspirin
Naproxen
tweezers
A little tube of Vaseline
A few butterfly sutures

This is what I carry year round.

[Undersky]

This is a good thread. Thanks Kiggy.

4estTrekker, I am glad that you mentioned clotting agent - partly for use by those who may be on blood thinners, and partly because I, too, have had difficulty helping people's cuts clot in cold weather. I don't understand the physiology behind this phenomenon - I guess I should do some research. Yet, something about a cold person and extremity increases the tie it takes for clotting to occur, it has seemed to me.

Other items I have added to the kit are:
- a pr. of cheap 3x reading glasses. I don't need 3x glasses to read with, but they really help me see the detail and the dirt when cleaning a wound.
- steri strips sometimes work better that butterfly sutures for some applications.
- a small amount of duct tape can be very effective - especially if you want clothing/boots to slip rather than bind on the outside of a dressing, or you need a dressing to stay put when the area becomes humid or wet.
- an irrigation syringe can be really helpful when cleaning a cut, too.
- Some Pristine tablets for creating sterile irrigation fluid, again, for cleaning a wound.
- burn treatment / pads

Hmmm .... and maybe we should have a spare mask in the kit until COVID is only history?

[Bothwell Voyageur]

Amongst the stuff I’ve read on the Scott expedition I’ve seen some information on how small injuries sustained at the start of the trip failed to heal and went on to cause problems later on.

[Undersky]

An experienced pediatric nurse whom I am lucky enough to know very well just told me that cold skin will generally have inadequate circulation for the supply of fibrinogen and thrombin enzyme required for clotting. There could be enough blood supply for a cut to continue "seeping" blood, but not enough for clotting. Perhaps Scott's team members suffered from living in steadily cold temperatures during their ordeal? Too bad that they did not have a hot tent and a huge supply of good firewood, eh?

[Scoutergriz]

undertsky makes a good point-
- burn treatment / pads
this is something a lot of people overlook, A mild burn in summer is annoying, in winter, with the drying effect of the cold and friction caused by extra layers, it can become serious quite quickly. there are very good burn gels available (not ointment) now that actually slow or stop the damage (tissue damage can continue for several minutes after the initial burn) that is caused by histamines and fluids rushing in. the method is quite simple- the gel cools and sterilizes the burn and has a mild topical anesthetic to lower the pain response, and in turn lower the body's reaction.
I use Watergel pads and Coolgel single use pouches, and cover them with a large Telfa or similar non- stick pad to stop friction from clothing.

[kiggy]

I knew I missing something. - burn treatment / pads
any suggestions?
my main concern for winter kit is freezing. for example I am taking out hydrogen peroxide for this reason. it is in summer kit only.
BV, do you have a link to Scott expedition?

[Bothwell Voyageur]

I'd recommend something like Tegaderm as a wound or burn covering. Waterproof, conformable and low friction so it's good under clothing. Used in a lot of ER departments now.

I have carried irrigation syringes but now rely upon making a small hole in the corner of a plastic bag.. Given the time it would take for any kind of chemical treatment to strilise water at cold temperatures I'm not sure if they are worth carrying.

I've been carrying a SWAT_T tourniquet wrap for the past few years. I usually put that and a clotting sponge in my pocket when I head off to cut firewood, just in case.

Sorry, can't remember where I read or heard it, I have several polar expedition books and have read many from the library over the years, though a lot of them focus on leadership styles and planning, particularly that Scott's expedition was very much of the Victorian era, even though he brought along a lot of new technology.
A really great documentary reenactment to look for was made by the BBC several years ago. They had two teams, one travelling by Scott's methods, the other by Amundsen's. They looked at some of the issues each team faced and also made regular physical checks on team members. One thing that stuck out was that heavily built athletic types lost a lot of muscle mass once they ran short of food. Those with a bit of fat to draw upon fared much better!

[Paradise]

Bothwell, The SWAT T tourniquet sounds like a good idea in all kits. I recently read about an accident that took place in Michigan's Upper Peninsula a few years ago. The man in
his late 20's was on a wilderness summer fishing trip. His fishing partner couldn't go so he
went by himself. He canoes across several lakes with portages, and is setting up camp. Somehow he slices an artery in his leg, he tried using his belt as a tourniquet but couldn't stop the bleeding. He had given his wife a map of where he was going. She called rangers after thinking something was wrong after a day. They found him laying on the ground with his legs on the canoe. When they brought his body and phone out his wife got the text saying he needed help. They think he may have bled out in 10 minutes.

[kiggy]

Thanks Chris, I will add Tegaderm for sure. I see lots of use for it in field.
during my military service everyone carried those elastic tourniquet wraps. now they switched to those https://www.amazon.ca/Tactical-Traum...0XG6X8DG&psc=1
I hope will never use it

[4estTrekker]

Good point about burn cream, undersky. That’s pert’near the only thing I bring on winter trips that isn’t repackaged...the whole bottle comes with me.

[Scoutergriz]

Bothwell Voyageur you can get single units of sterile eyewash here https://www.uline.ca/BL_1095/Single-Use-Saline
My doc says they'll work for wound irrigation too.
Tegaderm IS far better than Telfa, but also more expensive and harder to find. the main point is that you want something non-stick.

[Bothwell Voyageur]

Wonder what temperature it freezes at? I'm not sure there's enough in a single use bottle to be much use, not really enough for eye irrigation either. I do have a whole load of small screw top vials at work. I carry one with an ounce iodine solution in our big FAK ready to sterilize water but that will take at least 30 minutes.
If anyone would like any of these vials let me know. They are also great for holding sewing needles.
Off topic and likely controversial. I won't buy stuff from Uline. Found out who the owners were.

[Undersky]

I guess it is off topic, but they supply an awful lot of industrial and private citizen first aid materials, so maybe it does have a place in this thread.

Uline boycott? Yep, that is likely to be controversial, but if an individual can't vote with their wallets then what can an individual do? I'm sure that both Republicans and Democrats would agree with that principle.