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- From: bonn@networx.com (David Bonn)
- Newsgroups: rec.backcountry
- Subject: Re: FIRST-AIDS KITS
- Message-ID: <1992Nov18.024422.19313@networx.com>
- Date: 18 Nov 92 02:44:22 GMT
- References: <1e9b9dINNm1@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM>
- Sender: usenet@networx.com (Usenet News Account)
- Organization: NetWorx
- Lines: 59
- X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
-
- lstarrit@dante.nmsu.edu (Larry Way Starritt) writes:
- >
- > I would like suggestions on what should be in a Backpacker's
- > first-aid kit.
- >
-
- My first-aid kit has:
-
- Jane's Addiction CD (Ritual de lo Habitual)
- Mad Dog 20/20 Fortified Wine (1 Quart)
- Windshield Washer fluid (1 Gallon)
- Five-pointed posidrive screwdriver
- ...
-
- Ooops, wrong list. Seriously, the most important part of any first-aid kit
- is the person performing first aid. At the very least, get a basic Red
- Cross card. Make sure whoever you travel with has some first aid training too
- (no first aid training does you much good when you're the victim). More
- advanced courses, geared for wilderness situations, are available. In general,
- you can't learn enough from books. Intense instruction and even more intense
- practice are required. No matter how intense your instruction and practice
- are, they won't be as intense as a broken leg a dozen miles from help.
-
- Beyond that, these are some of the things I carry in the yellow bag (that
- weighs about a pound):
-
- Moleskin and other foot repair stuff (Spenco (tm) Second Skin is useful)
- Some kind of anti-inflammatory painkiller
- Tums or Maalox
- Cloth tape
-
- ---- to this point, this stuff covers 99% or so the wilderness "first aid"
- ---- situations I have, the rest of this stuff is for real oh-my-gosh
- ---- full-on emergencies.
-
- Medical scissors (for cutting hunks of flesh, clothing, or hair)
- Single-edged razorblades (for finer work than the above can do)
- Three triangular bandages
- Two or three rolls of kling guaze
- Ace bandage, the bigger the better
- Half-dozen or so good-sized bandaids
- Little bottle of soap (dish soap is okay, phisohex is more medical)
- Two mini cold-packs (nifty things, about the size of my fist)
- Sam splint
- Rubber gloves, 3pr
- Two 1qt ziplocfreezerbags
- A few feet of cellophane
- Disposable thermometers, 5 (they're smaller than the bandaids anyway)
-
- Beyond this, clothing can be used for compresses, tent poles, ski poles, ice
- axes, and ensolite pads are useful for splints, and your trusty knife is
- useful for field surgery (be sure to sterilize it before the appendectomy).
-
- Realistically, most major-league medical emergencies cannot be effectively
- treated in a wilderness situations. The best you can realistically hope for
- is to make sure no additional damage is done while waiting for rescue.
- Something to think about when you're heading to some secret place.
-
- bonn@networx.com
-