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- From: geek@media.mit.edu (Chris Schmandt)
- Subject: Re: Trip to island - additions to list
- Message-ID: <1993Jan28.030840.8888@news.media.mit.edu>
- Sender: news@news.media.mit.edu (USENET News System)
- Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
- References: <1993Jan27.163957.22272@hplabsz.hpl.hp.com>
- Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 03:08:40 GMT
- Lines: 64
-
- In addition to the stuff that Vicki added (hi Vicki!) here's odds'n'ends
- in our travel kit. This is somewhat more oriented to serious outdoor
- activity, so may not apply to you.
-
- standard first aid / survival kit.
- extra bandaids (always useful)
- antibiotic cream (esp. useful in places like rain forests where
- bacteria aboud)
- iodine water purifying tabs (will you trust the water where you're
- going? In the US back country, the problem is Giardia).
- anti-itch stuff (benedryl cream)
- generic rash cream (hydrocortisone 1/2%)
- decongestant (sudafed for adults, triaminic syrup for child) -- you
- don't want a kid to fly with serious nasal congestion, I promise!
- car seat belt locking clip (if you rent a car and carry a car seat
- of most any ilk).
- eye antibiotic. for conjunctivitis ("pink eye"). Need a prescription,
- discuss symptoms with your health care providerr. Conjunctivitis is
- is pretty obvious once you know it, and responds very quickly. It is
- very unpleasant if untreated.
- sterile eye cleaning solution. Available in 4 oz plastic bottles with
- contact lens supplies. The best thing for an eye wash. I also carry
- eye bandages when I remember -- after I severely scratched my own
- cornea on a hike, not an experience I care to repeat. The main danger
- in such eye injuries is infection; you want to wash out, put in
- opthalmic antibiotic if available, and close your eye with a patch.
- analgesic burn cream. Also good for sunburns. No medical value but can
- can add comfort.
- also EXTRA hats (sun or cold, depending on destination) and gloves if
- appropriate.
-
- We also carry tweezers or small pliers for removing cactus parts (guess
- where we hike).
-
- One of the childos measuring medicine spoons is useful. An eye-dropper
- style oral dispenser might be more appropriate for an infant.
-
- I carry a spare bulb for the night light. In a pinch, a flashlight works.
- For camping we like those chemical "light sticks" for night time
- entertainment and a gentle source of light in the sleeping bag.
-
- We spend a lot of time the desert southwest, and carry the "extractor"
- which is a pump-action style snakebite kit. Seems to be the only thing
- really worth carrying for snakebite. One kit per adult, keep it on you
- at all times (don't laugh -- we discovered that the Snake Range in NV
- is aptly named, and they all had rattles). My 6 year old is very proud
- that she's now old enough to have her own. They are supposed to be
- good for insect stings too. Practice before you use it if you carry
- one!
-
- I worry some about the catastrophic allergic reactions to insect bites.
- I think there is some simple one-shot injection thing you can get, but I've
- never carried one. If anyone knows about it, please let me know.
-
-
- A word on this list. It probably sounds like I'm a hypochondriac! I hope
- I'm not! But I am used to on a regular basis taking my child into
- situations where medical help might be 24 hours away, or even where a
- a base camp might be a good half a day from a drug store. We have been
- doing this since Kaya was 3 months and are happy about it. Never had a
- major medical emergency, haven't used half this junk, but feel much more
- self-assure for carrying it.
-
- chris
-