First-Aid Kit extras

[Marlowe]

Backpackers and boaters always have the best small first-aid kits. I'm always looking for new ideas, so besides the regular items in most first-aid kids, what are some of the extra must-haves in your camping first-aid kit? All ideas welcome.

 

[Grandpa]

2" fabric athletic tape (on a hot spot, doesn't wrinkle as bad as duct tape)
bottle of nuskin (helps seal out bacteria on minor wounds)
tincture of benzoin (aids in adhesives but also can be injected into blisters)
derma bond (ask ladymtn walker how important this is)
Sam splint (just started carrying one of these when the kids are with)

But on long trips, I invite a doctor or nurse. Let them carry the good stuff.

 

[ponderosa]

Some gatorade powder or similar (I dislike it and don't carry it to drink but like to have a little on hand for heat exhaustion/dehydration situations)

Steri strip bandages- very good for wound closure
DuoDerm or other hydrocolloidal dressing: a very good moisture-retentive wound dressing that is great for any kind of wound including blisters and significant burns. It adheres very well and provides a bacterial and viral barrier, and can be left in place for a week. It's waterproof. It even helps to draw debris and impurities from the wound bed. It's amazing stuff. I learned about this one when I was the consulting social worker for a hospital wound care unit.

A few heavy duty pain pills
Topical and oral antihistamine
Children's motrin when my kids are along

 

[Lorax]

Folding scissors, tweezers, and a small plastic tube of eye wash.

Just some of my more unique items in mine.

 

[mamabear]

Ammonia, colorful band aids and liquid skin. I like the liquid skin for small cuts and scrapes. That way you don't have to worry about losing the band aid in water.

 

[charley]

small bottle of whiskey, medicinal purposes only. doc might need a drink.

 

[Theosus]

Small pink victorinox knife with scissors and tweezers. The tweezers are worth the $9, and pink? Because when you drop the damn thing in the leaves it shows up.
Little single use super glue tubes for sealing gashes
Ibuprofen, melatonin and Pepcid tablets.
The "tick key" tick remover

 

[mccallum]

Most of what I carry you can not and I no longer should (my kit is from when I was an EMT), though I keep it in the kit just in case; if needed and there is a tech there without the gear needed. The stuff is oral airway stuff.

 

[SusieQ]

Interesting ideas! I love the pink scissors and the colorful bandaids. Makes 100% sense to me. I carry eye wash, tweezers, lighter (in case of ticks) and that fake skin. I can't tell you how many blisters the kids have gotten. The new skin works great!

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


I carry QuikClot (blood stopper) in my home, UTE and GHB FAKs. I also include a trauma "stops bleeding fast" kit from Adventure Medical Kits...which also contains QuikClot.

This kit as only about the size of a bulging Zip-Lok sandwich bag, and only weighs a few ounces. Got them on sale from Cabella's. I sometimes give them away when I ocassionally host a one-day Survival Woodsmanship class. When I re-order them, sometimes Cabella's don't even know they have them in stock...untill I give them their stock number...!!

 

[Marlowe]

Thanks, everyone! See what I mean? Campers and boaters always have the best kits. Lot's of great ideas and many I never thought of. BTW Charley, would that "medicinal use only" bottle be in addition to the "big fish celebration only" nip that might be in my tackle box? ;D

 

[Taipan]

Someone mentioned Preparation H in another thread for jellyfish stings. I keep a tube for ant bites and bee stings. My brother and I chuckle now about how our dad used that stinging red-orange merthiolate on us for everything when we were kids. We were definitely not chuckling about it back then.