FIRST-AID KIT

Keeping in mind that it is next to impossible to create a perfect first-aid kit, the following is a list of what makes up a close-to-perfect kit:

• A Ziploc or other brand zipper-lock plastic bag to hold the items in your first-aid kit
• Approximately six 1 x 3-inch band-aids. These can be used to cover most scratches, cuts, and scrapes.
• Two 4 x 4-inch sterile gauze pads that can be cut down or doubled up depending on the size of the wound
• A roll of athletic tape—one inch by ten yards—has a variety of uses from holding on the sterile gauze to wrapping ankles.
• Tincture of benzoin. Not only does this liquid toughen feet but it helps tape stick better when rubbed on the skin.
• A couple of butterfly band-aids for closing small, gaping wounds
• An individually wrapped sanitary napkin is great for stanching heavily bleeding wounds.
• Povidone-iodine ointment has a number of uses: disinfects wounds (straight from the tube); dissolves in water for a wash for larger scrapes; and can even be used as a lubricant or to treat water in an emergency.
• Moleskin or some other padding to treat hot spots and blisters
• Your favorite painkiller for aches, pains, fever, etc.
• A six-inch-wide elastic wrap (such as an Ace wrap). These can be used to wrap strains and sprains as well as to hold bandages in place, constrict snakebites, compress heavy bleeding, or splint a broken bone.
• A few safety pins always come in handy. They can also hold an Ace bandage, drain blisters, repair clothing, and more.
• A few antihistamine tablets, such as Benadryl, to combat insect bites and poison ivy.
• Pepto-bismol and Imodium or some similar tablets for upset stomachs.
• A mirror to check for ticks (if you don’t hike with a partner)
• Scissors and tweezers. (You may be able to find a pocketknife with these items. My Victorinox has both and they have come in handy many times.)

Other items to consider, depending on the time of year and the location of your hike, are meat tenderizer or Sting-eze for insect bites, sunscreen, alcohol to rub on and and toughen feet, lip balm, lotion, prescription drugs if you need them, a bee sting kit if you are allergic to insect stings, and DEET repellent for mosquitoes and other insects. Remember that a first-aid kit is a very personal thing. For example, if you have trouble with constipation at home, by all means carry a laxative while hiking.

I use lip balm (Chap Stick works best for me) constantly both at home and while hiking. I can’t abide the feeling of chapped lips and always carry several tubes of Chap Stick with me. Other good lip balms are Blistex, Carmex, and Labiosin. You can find many options both at drug stores and outdoors stores.

Some people have problems with hemorrhoids while hiking, and always include Preparation H or Tucks Pads in their kits. Some women may find it necessary to carry birth-control pills.

Hiking in the summer, desert, or snow might make it necessary for you to carry a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) in line with your skin’s sensitivity to the sun. The higher the SPF, the less likely you are to be burned. As with lip balms, you can find a wide range of sunscreens to choose from at your local drug, discount, and outdoors stores.

Lotion is another product you may wish to add to your kit if you intend to be hiking in hot, dry weather. Some sunscreens combine lotion with the screen or you may wish to carry a sample size of your favorite brand. Remember, though, that baby oil acts as a sun tan lotion as well as a skin softener and could be potentially dangerous if you intend to use it as a lotion.

But, unless you have a special need or problem, do not carry too many specific items in your first-aid kit. The kit and its contents should be as versatile as possible. It won’t matter that you have to cover a two-inch-wide wound with a four-inch-wide bandage, for example.

Also, remember to repack your first-aid kit seasonally or yearly. Medicines expire and may need to be replaced so always check the expiration dates before heading out on any trip. And there is no use carrying insect repellent on a winter trip when there are no bugs around. Your first-aid kit should reflect your personal needs as well as the season and geographic area through which you’re hiking.

Most importantly, do not carry anything in your kit that you do not know how to use. For example, a suture kit will be useless to you unless you have been trained in suturing wounds. Don’t carry prescription medicines unless you are fully aware of their effects and how to use them.

Depending on how safety-conscious you are, there are all sorts of items available to ease your mind while hiking. Everything from dental emergency kits to accident report forms can be purchased for your first-aid kit.

Although I’ve never known any one to use one, some people feel safer if they carry along a snakebite kit. There are several kits on the market ranging from $5 to $15. The simplest kit contains two big suction cups plus a smaller suction cup for bites on small surfaces such as fingers. The kit also includes a lymph constrictor, scalpel, antiseptic vial, and instructions. The $10 Extractor is a double-chamber vacuum pump with four cup sizes, antiseptic, band-aids, a safety razor, instructions, and a carrying case. Whether these snakebite kits actually work is debatable. In any case, get a snakebite victim to medical care as soon as possible.

Outdoors stores offer a variety of first-aid kits ranging in price from $8 to $80. Outdoor Research, Adventure Medical Kits, and REI are some of the major manufacturers of first-aid kits.

No matter which kit you choose, the items will be more useful if you take a wilderness first aid, or a first responder course by a group such as SOLO (www.soloschools.com) or NOLS (www.nols.edu).