Who's got a first aid kit?

[lune ranger]

Among the things I can't ditch no matter how TLS I get is a relatively substantial first aid kit.
On an ITT or weekend away I'm not even really carrying it for me. I'm under no illusion that if I should properly crash that I'll be much able to fix myself but I guess I'd try. The kit revolves around my professional responsibility to help others. I'd find it hard to let myself off the hook if I wasn't at least able to start the process of patching up someone I find in bits on the trail.
Is anyone else packing a kit on trips like these? Mine is something like a litre of volume and maybe 500g

[ScotRoutes]

A sanitary towel and some duct tape. Usually have some painkillers with me and a Swiss Army knife.

[redefined_cycles]

I keep thinking I ought to pack something reasonable as am a HDU nurse similar to you... But just can't bring myself to afford the extra weight

[Pirahna]

I carry a small first aid kit. I'm not trained in first aid so a couple of plasters and tube of Savlon is about the limit of my abilities. I do burn easily so sun cream is always carried as are tick tweezers.

[middleagedmadness]

Duct tape ,spray on plasters and anti sceptic wipes anything else would be a waste as when I have a accident it normal require mountain rescue a air ambulance metal screwed into my body and a year off work ,so I tend to be a bit risk adverse these days

[robsmuddygloves]

Got nagged by my wife to take one last year, subsequently did a first aid course and now make sure I always pack one, antiseptic wipes, plasters, some bandages and pain killers. Fingers crossed I never need it.

[Lazarus]

yes always - i have a tool rool from camelbak that has all my tools , puncture kits and first aid
think is it antiseptic wipes, small bandage, support bandage, tape, plasters and some pain killers. Basically I can treat some minor injuries

A sanitary towel and some duct tape. Usually have some painkillers with me and a Swiss Army knife.

doubles as a kidnap kit .

[Ron Thomson]

Sanitary towel/pad, sports tape and neosporin is all I've ever carried for multi day events.

[redefined_cycles]

yes always - i have a tool rool from camelbak that has all my tools , puncture kits and first aid
think is it antiseptic wipes, small bandage, support bandage, tape, plasters and some pain killers. Basically I can treat some minor injuries

A sanitary towel and some duct tape. Usually have some painkillers with me and a Swiss Army knife.

doubles as a kidnap kit .

[ScotRoutes]

Oh - and my Spot Tracker.

[benp1]

I have a FAK I use for everything outdoorsy so biking and walking

It's about the size of a pack of 20 super king size fags. Its for fixing kit or people

It contains scissors, small folding razor, tweezers, plasters, compeed, duct tape, needles, steristrips, wipes, gloves, tick removers, paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamine and immodium. Might have the odd other thing in there. Sounds a lot and It's probably a bit more than I need but it's small enough and potentially useful enough that I just lob it into my bag. I take the same thing whether I'm out on my own, with the family/kids or with friends

[redefined_cycles]

Duct tape ,spray on plasters and anti sceptic wipes anything else would be a waste as when I have a accident it normal require mountain rescue a air ambulance metal screwed into my body and a year off work ,so I tend to be a bit risk adverse these days

Ok. Let me try again. The arms off my gore jacket come off and can be used as a "stop that bleed" wrap. I almost always have a bottle of clean water. and the compulsory GORILLA tape wrapped around my pump. On last 240ish miler ride my knee started feeling a bit, erm, loose...

First I thought I needed help but maybe I looked at my "stop being Soft" badge. I'd run out of CoCodamol/ibuprofen (I forgot to mention I always carry some sort of painkillers*) so removed my Gore jacket sleeve and wrapped it around the knee to keep it tight and working well. That didnt work very well so then I got the Gorilla tape off pump and tightened the knee cap to the sides. Seemed to work ok and managed to complete to rest of the 25 miles (with some paracetamol bought from shop 6 miles on)...

*on this Decembers 315 miler charity (human rights: Cage NGO) ride over last 3 days before 2019. I forgot to pack my 1stAid kits CoCodamol. So whilst at a stop at one lads house I asked what he had. He nicely gave me some but I hadn't realised it was the prescription version (500 paracetamol and 30mg codiene per tab as opposed to 500mg para and 8mg codiene per tab) and during the end of day 2 at around 220 miles I took some to relieve some soreness... Oh boy, was I high or what. Got the munchies and ate all my food and then dizziily tried to keep riding for the last 20 miles or so to checkpoint2 (Peterboro with the cocodamol given me at Derby that morning)...

[windjammer]

been carrying a first aid kit for 20 years and only had to use it for plasters and lent someone the insect bite cream,ill allways carry a kit as the day i dont take it i will need it. you could use it to help other people too,i gave a bandage to a girl out riding who fell off her bike

[ScotRoutes]

As with map and compass, knowledge is more important than kit. Keep them breathing, stop them bleeding and call for help. A good First Aid Course will provide the knowledge. A few bits and bobs, plus what you normally have with you should be enough.

As a result of this thread I actually checked again. I also have some Vetwrap (non cohesive bandage), a couple of small dressings, latex gloves and a mouth shield too.

[redefined_cycles]

As with map and compass, knowledge is more important than kit. Keep them breathing, stop them bleeding and call for help. A good First Aid Course will provide the knowledge. A few bits and bobs, plus what you normally have with you should be enough.

As a result of this thread I actually checked again. I also have some Vetwrap (non cohesive bandage), a couple of small dressings, latex gloves and a mouth shield too.

Regards the good quality knowledge you mention there Colin... it can be had via the RCUK (resus council UK) website and guidelines can be downloaded. The algorithms for basic life support should provide useful aswell as their link to the app (that staying alive app with that footballer from LockStock and 2 smoking barrels). It goes through a few scenarios as well as the opportunity to practice chest compressions... depending on how much that mouth shield (I assume you mean if you want to give mouth to mouth) weighs you could probably safely leave it behind. Reason being is that (as long as tge call for help and subsequent paramedics arent too long) the chest compressions is what the basic life suppirt algortihms are going more towards... good quality chest compressions means that you can keep oxygenating the brain with the O2 already present in the blood...

But again each to their own and its very thoughtful to have such a robust amount of kit... 5stars once again as always

[ScotRoutes]

Yeah, I aware that Mouth to mouth isn't generally regarded as important as it once was. I've been attending/renewing my Emergency 1st Aid for a few years now, BASP and others.

[TheBrownDog]

I'm a first aider and carry a small kit with basic plasters, bandages, wipes, saline pipettes etc. Also keep a few small bags of Haribo in there. They're good for kids going wobbly because they didn't have breakfast before coming to training, and very effective at drying six-year-olds' tears when they suddenly decide they miss mum or dad or take a tumble.

[NorwayCalling]

And I bet everyone who has been on an first aid/CPR course has been told to phone for help and then do CPR etc.. but did they also teach you about the importance of the proximity to a defibrillator?

I have worked in some fairly remote parts of the world where medical help would be at least 14 hours away (after making the call on the sat phone) so have done the "proper" first aid course - where you are taught about how to treat limbs that have been cut off or torn off (by bears as an example - there is big difference BTW on that one)....

Anyway, its not practical to carry what you would reasonably need to treat a wide range of injuries, so in the UK in particular, its all about stopping bleeding and immobilization. I fully agree with the sanitary pad and gaffer tape but don't forget some latex gloves. Along with tick tweezers and maybe some personal pain relief (only to be used by yourself, you cant just give this to someone else...). that it. Anything else is just fluff.

So sanny pad, gaffer tape, tick tool, gloves and personal pain relief is fine for the UK. Everything else to treat minor cuts, blisters, splinters etc. can be bought in the local shop when required...which lets face it in the UK is not a million miles away.

Back to CPR... you are only doing CPR "in the wild" for your own mental well being. This is so you can always tell yourself "at least I tried". Remember, CPR is only delaying brain death until the heart can be restarted and CPR will not restart the heart. Only AED (in our lay world) can do that, and even if AED is applied within 5 minutes, its only a 24% survival rate which declines rapidly minute by minute after that.

Please don't take this as don't try - do - do everything you can - as only you can live with yourself and your actions.

[whitestone]

I seem to remember we had a discussion about FAKs a couple of years ago but it's always good to refresh things given that best practice is a moving target.

I've a very basic set - plasters, antiseptic wipes, blister covers, safety pins, tick remover. The usual Gorilla tape around the pump. I should add card and pencil to that for notes but I suppose most of our phones have some sort of notes type app on them.

The point about knowledge is very pertinent. There's a limit to what can be treated/stabilised without such knowledge plus dealing with major trauma such as a broken leg requires quite a lot of kit which isn't practical for most people to carry. Being able to improvise (knowledge again) is of as much use: t-shirt to support a broken collar bone for example, sure it's not as efficient/pretty as the "correct" triangular bandage but I doubt the casualty is bothered.

[Asposium]

Compeed (very versatile as plasters)
Painkillers
Tweezers
Wet wipes

inReach

[Bearbonesnorm]

If anyone would like to gain some (very) practical knowledge, can I suggest booking yourself on a REC first aid course. They take 2 days to complete and are geared towards emergency first aid where equipment and conditions will be far from ideal and help not forthcoming. There's plenty of providers but I always found the courses run by the Blue Perris centre in Snowdonia to be very good and reasonably priced.

[redefined_cycles]

I keep seeing mention of tick tweezers... is that just to be used as "what it says on the tin" or is there other wider variety uses for them...

Thanks for the mention of the REC and BASP courses. I might get myself onto one lf them at some point soon...

[redefined_cycles]

https://www.resus.org.uk/apps/lifesaver/

This that app I mentioned aforetime... Its very good at teaching compression rate and (I think) depth too as well as making you think about things structurally...

[ScotRoutes]

I use these

O'tom Tick Twister https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0089BOK12/ ... UCbX534KK8

[lune ranger]

Thanks for the mention of the REC and BASP courses. I might get myself onto one lf them at some point soon...

Knowledge packs pretty small and doesn't weigh much and is a lot more use than a couple of manky plasters and a tube of dubious ointment