Monday, June 3, 2013

First Aid Kits: Day Hiking Version

You never think you need a first aid kit, until you REALLY need it. We leave it out because we think we can't get hurt or we don't have the room for it. I love a good kit list, but you've got to take the time to custom it to your situation. This week, I'll cover my day hiking version and I'll tackle my anime convention version next week.

Day Hiking First-Aid Custom Kit

When you shop first-aid at a gear/sports/outdoor store like REI, you'll find a lot of things you may not need. You do not need this kit for a 4 hour hike, but there is a lot of practicality in something smaller. We can all imagine a situation where you could use the gear, but you need to balance your likely hood of use with your space and weight limits.

That said, I do keep a full first-aid kit in my car with all of mediciations. We don't plan to be out for more than a half-day so having the gear in the car but not in my bag is nice compromise in case an emergency did occur.


So here are my important items that live with me on the trail, starting from the top left:
- Large bandaid
- Duct Tap
- Safety Pins
- Can and Bottle Opener, with spoon
- Moleskin
- Sterile Pad
- Bandaids
- Travel Scissors
- Fire starter
- Paracord bracelet
- First Aid Tape (not pictured)

On a dayhike, I'm probably not going to run into much more than blisters, busted gear, or a small cut. Shows like Survivorman remind us that simple trips can go wrong, so you should always be prepared. If I was venturing on a new trail or bushwhacking, I would take more. I insist you take more! But for the city hiker who probably will always been within eyesight or earshot of another person, there's no need to go overboard. Remember, I have a full first aid kit in my car to supplement the dayhiking version. 

Day Hiking - Full First Aid Kit

If I'm going out a bit further or trying out a new trail, I'll take my full kit. The big additions are some medications, extra bandaids and extra tools. 


Longer trails or new trails warrant extra supplies in case I can't get back to the car very fast. This all came from a small first aid kit I got on one of the discount gear sites, like backcountry.com, that I added some of my own items to (safety pins, fire starter, compass). I actually reduced the number of bandaids and medication packs to help fit everything in the bag and keep the extras on hand for restocking. 

What items would you add or subtract to my dayhiking first aid kit?


8 comments:

  1. ppe Apollo First Aid, Inc – Best first aid kit supplies for safety, and emergency first aid route service. First aid kits for all purposes are available at first aid supplies online.

    ReplyDelete
  2. If you are thinking of making your own version of a first aid kit, here is a great article that talks about the best items that should definitely be on the list. Check out the article here: http://hikingmastery.com/gear/hiking-first-aid-kit.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yosemite National Park was one of the first wilderness parks established in the United States. It is well known for it's spectacular waterfalls, but there is much, much more. One of the best ways to experience Yosemite is by taking a hike. Over 800 miles of hiking trails traverse Yosemite and these range from easy to strenuous. If you are somewhat new to hiking, here are some easy day hikes that you may want to try when visiting Yosemihttp://deerhuntingclub.jigsy.com/entries/general/bowstring-wax

    ReplyDelete
  4. Elk hunting is every hunters dream to be able to go out and shoot a monster bull. Some hunters have the luck of doing it every year but for the ones that have that one life time chance to go elk hunting, here are a few tips that will help you on your hunt, even if you are going to be using a guide at least you will have the heads up a little bit. Click here

    ReplyDelete
  5. Alabama is a great place for duck hunting. You can obtain more information about duck hunting in Alabama in one of the innumerable websites available on the subject. huntingmastery.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete