Mark Hoaglund

Any first aid kit suggestions?

Noticed a couple:

#1 best seller https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000069EYA

amazon choice https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HGSLB6K

robow

I'm sure most basic kits would be fine or just make your own and carry what you think will likely be most relevant. I know I carry several items that are generally not included in a basic kit.

KC8QVO

Make your own.

There are some standard things in first aid kits like bandages, gauze, etc but I don't know of any off-the-shelf (or, orderable in todays day in age of internet shopping) "first aid kit" that is actually going to be ideally suited to anyone.

I keep my first aid kit reasonably well-stocked routinely throughout the year. Things I use often are:
Ibuprofin
Allergy meds (Claritin preferably but I have some Benadryl in there also - drowsey so I keep it as a back-up to the Claritin)

I have a good supply of bandaids. I don't use them all that often and went a long time without stocking. I found I was pretty low earlier this summer so I made a point to re-stock. I put several sizes/types in there, not just the "normal" size (if you can call them that - about a 1/2" x3/4" or so pad).

Ant-diarrheal med ($httn yourself on a trek ain't no fun, sometimes even bad water can do it to ya - if I get "the rumbles" I got something for it)

I also have butterfly sutures in case of a deep cut.

Some things that aren't "normal" first aid kit stuff that I carry:
- Duct Tape in "flat packs", I call them. I take Duct Tape off a spool and fold it over top of itself like a wallet almost. I'd say I can get about 8-10ft in a flat pack. Gorilla Tape works really well.
- Sewing Kit. I mostly have an assortment of needles and some random thread. Sometimes I just use the strands in 550 cord. There are a lot of types of 550 cord - the "standard" is 7 nylon strands, but there are variations that have a variety of inner strands. The wad of thread I have at the moment (a few feet, not much) is from one of the variety cords, not the standard nylon strands.
- Forceps
- Thimble (for sewing)
- Lighter
- Matches
- P38 - why? It works. No, I don't race but I do like to eat and I don't like using a pocket knife/multitool all the time.

Mark Hoaglund

Thank you and I like forceps but do I get curved & straight? I've used paper towels with duct tape and t-shirt with belt for injuries but don't usually take ibuprofen with. A anti-diarrhea med would help out on occasions. Maybe I'll duck into the $ store. Was reading Google kit packing suggestions too.

alan s 

I carry bandaids of various sizes, gauze, tape, Advil and alcohol wipes. Water from a water bottle will clean up most cuts and scrapes. Most other medical issues can be addressed in a hospital or urgent care clinic. If I was riding in remote areas, a small first aid kit would be nice.

Mark Hoaglund

A 3 in 1 disinfectant cream would be nice but how about hydrogen peroxide? Any special soaps to use? My old skin tears easily.

Mark Hoaglund

Found some Dial antibacterial bar soap to try including deodorants.

Mark Hoaglund

Any suggestions for folding basin to wash up owies?

A possibility https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HD623S0

Mark Hoaglund

First Aid Kit - What a Doctor Takes on the Trail

indyfabz

JHC.

Papa Tom

An important thing to remember is to make sure everything in your kit is up-to-date and functional. Band Aids are the first thing that come to mind, as I have been caught with ones that have lost their "stick" on several occasions.

djb

I always have a tube of polysporin on a longer trip.
re your old skin tearing, I looked after someone for years who would easily get skin tears, so I took care of this sort of thing a lot. Proper cleaning, polysporin and a good clean covering that wont shift around is key to proper healing and not getting an infection.

re first aid kits in general, touch wood , but when biking the chances of using one is to deal with not too bad scrapes, so for me those little packs of folded up antiseptic wipes are super important to wipe the dirt and crap out of a wound, and then put some polysporin on it and cover it if possible.

a few years ago on a trip I had a little spill at slow speed, first spill on a bike trip, and cleaning out the scrapes on my elbow and knee worked great with those wipes. Sure, it stings but you have to get the dirt out. Put polysporin but didnt bandage at first because they were at bend points and I had to ride all day. Showered at end of day and loosely bandaged at night to not stick to things while sleeping.

and yes, miodium or anti diarrhea pills are important to have, put these and polysporin in my toiletry kit.

oh, polysporin is good to have if you ever start a saddle sore, very very important to get on top of it, keep it well cleaned and polysporin helps speed up the healing.
You will only realize the importance of the last sentence after you have had a saddlesore get worse.....(be sure your bike shorts fit well, keep them always always clean, and get out of them right away after riding and wash them)

andrewclaus

I like to remember that a FAK is completely useless if you panic. A cool head and some training is far more important than anything you might carry with you. The only times I've been faced with medical emergencies on the bike have been for falls, where rapid assessment, scene safety, patient stabilization and transport have been priorities. No kit needed. My EMT training on the fire department was needed. Get some training if you can.

As other said, carry the meds you might need. I have no allergies, no stomach maladies, and don't suffer from headaches or joint pain, so I carry none. If you carry them, they do need to be maintained, as noted above.

I carry a snack-sized ziplock with a few basics like tweezers, needle and thread, athletic tape, bandaids. A cotton bandanna is always in my pack somewhere, with a tent pole for splinting. The rest of my "kit" is focused on prevention and is distributed throughout my pack--water, food, shelter, dry insulation.

Prevention of injury is far better than curing it. Skin care is probably my highest priority. The skin is the largest organ but is often neglected. On a bike, saddle sores can ruin a trip. Keeping clean and limiting irritation is key. Sun and insects can take a toll too.

Mark Hoaglund

[QUOTE=djb;21717072]I always have a tube of polysporin on a longer trip.

Is Neosporin related? I've used the generic 3 in 1 antibiotic ointment version before successfully.

Tourist in MSN

Lots of others already discussed band-aids, gauze, other bandage stuff, so I am not elaborating here on any of that.

I carry several bandanas that can be used if necessary as part of a first aid kit. When i was a kid in boy scouts, we learned that our neckerchief was part of our first aid kit, if necessary.

Meds, I carry some pain killers like Tylenol or ibuprofen, anti-diarrhea, anti-histamine, aspirin, some zinc in case I feel something coming on like a cold.

Soap is not part of my first aid kit, it is part of my shower kit. But if you need to clean a wound, you need soap. And a one ounce bottle of rubbing alcohol, can be a painful way to disinfect a wound, but it works.

Sometimes carry a small roll of Ace bandage or some vet wrap.

I do not consider a swiss army knife or leatherman multi-tool as part of a first aid kit, but if I need to dig into a first aid kit I probably will also be using that.

Some of the stuff above, I only carry if I might be several days away from anything retail. For example, if I am on a major bike route through communities, I can buy an Ace bandage if I need it, so would not be carrying any vet wrap on a trip like that.

I have bad knees, always carry something to wrap around a knee or maybe both.

Some people try to minimize weight to the degree that they often have zero water left at the end of the day when they reach a campsite. When I was car camping and doing day long bike rides on Maah Daah Hey Trail, I saw plenty of bikepackers roll into the campground badly dehydrated and asking where the water is. One of them was so dehydrated when I met him only a quarter mile from the campground that I gave him half a liter of water to make sure he could make the last quarter mile. Carry enough water to avoid de-hydration, and maintaining half a liter of excess for washing some road rash would be a good idea to have as a contingency. Not really considered first aid, but part of my point is that people sometimes act as if since they carry a first aid kit, they do not need to carry anything else. If I arrive at a campsite with less than a half liter of water, I will consider that to be dangerously low.

If you help someone else that got hurt, use their first aid kit on them, not yours. If you get hurt later, you will be glad you saved yours for yourself.

robow

[QUOTE=Mark Hoaglund;21717282]Neosporin is Polysporin with the added antibiotic Neomycin added, so yea, in some ways it is the superior product unless the user is allergic to Neomycin (which is the most likely of the three drugs for an individual to be allergic to, though incidence is still not high)

Bigbus

Neosporin, liquid skin, and zero on the pain killers. What's life without a little suffering? My kit also includes rip cord and surgical tape. Very basic and light but effective. I carry a more complete kit when hiking and have a 60 pound go-bag for search and rescue that includes everything but a stretcher.

indyfabz

Strictly for treatment...

One gauze pad and small roll of tape. Vitamin I. Visine in case of allergic reaction. Tiny tube of Neosporin.

How is a sewing kit even an abnormal first aid item? You going to give yourself stitches? Perform emergency surgery with a P-38 can opener?

Mark Hoaglund

I was thinking about the folding 1.7L basin for owies as well as hair & sponge bathing with stove warmed water camping during cooler temperatures.

This year I've fallen twice on grass without bruised or cracked bones luckily. Missed the nighttime tree and white staked wooden picket boarders. Used Gorilla tape, for inner-ringed-loop, to fix the shaky headlight on the slippery black handlebars which was two months ago. Slowed down to 7 mph and more alert & cautious while trying to think ahead. The painful twisted knee was the last straw. Its time for a FAK and more H2O for me & strangers so a purifier maybe next up. I sure appreciate y'all contributing.

KC8QVO

The point I was making is those are part of my "first aid kit" (same container - a small stuff sack I've used for 10 years or so) and why its customized. Sewing and duct tape are first aid for gear. P38 is next to nothing in space/weight also - still very handy to have.

Again, everyone's "kit" should be customized to them. Whether you consider all items as strictly "first aid" for you or "handy to have/survival gear" also - make it what you want so it suits. With things all in one spot you know where to go. The tricky part is keeping the "one spot" easy to access, and not buried at the bottom of a pannier.

Speaking of location - my first aid kit rides in my handlebar bag on most rides. On bigger trips it may find its way in to a pannier, depending on what gear I decide to stick in the handlebar bag. Sometimes I have my wind breaker, fluorescent vest, and gloves in the handlebar bag and the first aid kit won't fit. Otherwise, I like it right up front easy to get to.

indyfabz

Thanks for clarifying the novel definition of "first-aid," which in parlance applies to the person.

During my recent tour I managed to lose my P38 the first evening. I was about to cook on the concrete pad in front of one of the Adirondack shelters at Connellsville on the GAP. I unpaked my cooking gear and set everything on the edge of the wood planked shelter floor but couldn't find the P38 to save my life. That's when I broke out the headlamp and discovered that it had managed to fall between the smallest of gaps in the shelter floor and was irretrevable. Stomped back to the nearby supermarket and bought a min-opener, which I would not figure out how to use. Fortunately, another camper had a full-size opener that he let me use. I finally bought a decent opener a few days later. But now I have to replace the P38, and my local Army-Navy store went out of business last year.

djb

[QUOTE=Mark Hoaglund;21717282]I suspect the generic stuff is very similar or the same. I wrote polysporin out of habit, my tube may even be a generic one.

andrewclaus

The needle can be used to remove splinters and thorns and to pop blisters.

indyfabz

I thought that’s what the P38 is for. A nice, rusty one.

Tourist in MSN

I think the brand was Elco on my vintage can opener, just above the fork and spoon in the photo.




Works great, but on the small diameter little tomato paste cans, sometimes it loses grip.

I do not think they are made any more, mine is at least a half century old.