I’m putting together a small survival/convenience pack for multi-day hiking. Essentially I want a pack that has all the first aid gear in it, as well as those many small luxuries we often forget when camping. Weight is important, but quality and usefulness trumps.
I am excited to hear suggestions. I also love hearing about other people’s packs. If you have a product you either love, or a good one that is in my list below, please mention it or even link to where I can buy it.
Things I’m thinking of including:
flashlight (suggestions? I want double-a battery and lightweight that doesn’t cost a fortune)
toothpicks
q-tips
blood clotting agent (i’ve heard there is a neat product you can apply that insta stops severe bleeding, any ideas?)
gauze
tape
neosporin
drugs (What’s your travel medicine cabinet consist of?)
scissors (suggestions?)
tweezers
chapstick
rubbing alcohol
wet wipes
tongue depressors
thermometer (necessary?
knife (i’d love suggestions)
band aids
I thought that this belt was really cool. My friend just got one for Christmas. It was around $30. I saw it and was pretty impressed…very well made. http://savageexpeditiongear.com/
Of course it is a one time use only. Hopefully you wouldn’t ever have to use it I was just looking at the pics on the site. That is exactly what it looks like. They are made in Oregon.
Thanks! I added a 35g pouch of cellox to the shopping cart!
It is a small pouch. When I’m not camping I will let it live in the car. Because of this, I’m looking at rescue knives and things like hemostatic products.
(On preview some of this was covered, but here you go.)
Great to see you want to get out there and be prepared. I do a lot of solo hiking and snowshoeing, so here’s my two cents.
Survival-type suggestions:
[ul]
[li]Small headlamp instead of flashlight - hands free is the way to go[/li][li]Signalling device like a whistle (a mirror will only work in the daytime, but covers more distance)[/li][li]Matches in a waterproof container or a lighter (I actually carry tinder and a striker)[/li][li]Survival blanket/bivvy[/li][li]Hand warmers[/li][li]Water purification tablets[/li][/ul]
Medical:
[ul]
[li]Here is a basic med kit for ideas[/li][li] More advanced one (no affiliation to AMK, I just like their stuff, plus the acronym for their gear “Survive Outdoors Longer” is great)[/li][li]Blister care[/li][li]Blood clotting powder - I have some of this but have never tried it out[/li][/ul]
Don’t forget extra clothes as part of your “kit” - in the winter I carry a lightweight hooded down jacket and extra base layers. Having to sit still (if you’re injured or lost) in clothes that are damp from exertion can lead to hypothermia, and it’s those inner layers you need to change.
It might look like a long list, but my kit doesn’t take up a whole lot of room.
I’d question the need for a thermometer, toothpicks and tongue depressors, personally.
Ferret Herder is there a travel pill carrier you like? I would like to include only around 20 pills of each, and find pill bottles to be space intensive.
Tongue depressors would work for a makeshift finger splint, should an accident happen.
There’s this one from The Container Store, but there are little gaps around the lids. Not ideal if you think it’s going to get wet. Either put the whole thing in a ziploc, or just get those little pill ziplocs at a drugstore and write the pill name and dosing instructions on each.
Other suggestions for your first aid kit: ACE bandages, safety pins, gauze (pads and wrap), thicker wound pads (like abd pads). Maybe a tube of those flavored dissolving rehydration tablets like they sell at REI; I know one brand is Nuun. Good for making bleh-tasting water taste better, as well as helping with dehydration.
The idea of the tongue depressor was less to check tongues, and more because the wood seems like it could be useful for makeshift finger splints. I like the potential uses, but agree that it might be a bit silly.
No, that is a good point about the impromptu splint. But if you’re not carrying them for another reason, why not just carry a finger splint? (Not trying to be snarky.)
Uh oh, perhaps my fetish for sleek and lightweight is showing. A few tongue depressors pack easier than a finger splint. I also like the idea that there might be an impromptu use for them, for example: dry kindle?
Your point is valid, and I’ll asses my space as I fill the pack.
I’d take a chinese military showel. Takes up a lot less space than an axe, knife, saw, pick, grapple-hook, hammer, bottle opener, can opener, plier and of course showel. It’s even got amusement factor thrown into the package.
Yes, ideally hands-free light is the way to go, but batteries don’t last forever. I found the Hand-Pressing Flashlight to be light, cheap, and easy to operate. Costs less than a pack of AAAs and will last you infinitely longer. Not bad for a glove compartment either.
It’d be easier to trim tape/gauze that is currently wrapped around someone’s injury by using scissors instead of a knife. At the very least, the consequences of slipping a bit are less severe.
I was just looking at the pics on the site. That is exactly what it looks like. They are made in Oregon.
