first aid kit

O

oldsaltgrassbear

Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
109
Greetings,

I am putting together a first aid kit for my son to travel on a northern tier canoe trip. It need to small enough to carry on person, One question is: what bandaids will hold the best under rough wet conditions. This is a Boy Scout sponsored trip, so medications need to be left out. I am interested in small wound care and chaffing. Would also like info on wrapping a sprained ankle.

Regards
SGB
 
Skip the band aids and get a roll of coban and 4x4 dressings. coban sticks to itself, and is unaffected by water. Iodine preps too.
 
They should have a crew first aid kit that will have everything they need. As for chaffing. He will be wet most of the time and sitting in a canoe. I don't think gold bond will help. If they have room for a personal first aid kit the one he made for second class requirement 6-b should cover it. Check and see what the out fitter recomends. They will go through the gear before they leave and get rid of anything they don't feel the need to pack. I hope he has a great and safe time.
 
For small stuff Adventure medical kits has or had a nice little kit called the Paddlers Medical Kit. I believe it was around the $10.00 range and came in a water proof pouch that would fit in your pocket.
 
The coban, gauze neosporin idea sounds good. He had a pretty good cut on his hand and the closure strips came off in the water yesterday.

They will have a team kit, but want something small and simple he can carry on his person to cover possible cuts or punctures while fishing from the canoe.

SGB
 
Make sure someone has pliers or something to remove fish hooks. On one trip into the Boundry waters we came across some fishermen that didn't have any in their gear. The Boy scouts saved the day.
 
I would say use basic 3M or whatever bandaids - the kind that breath. Waterproof bandaids are not usually waterproof for me, and the good fabric ones seem to hold up best. I would think the best thing he can do is make sure to change them each day and make sure the injuries are cleaned thoroughly with potable water.

For wrapping sprained ankles a basic ace bandage is fine, I'm sure someone on the trip will know to RICE it (Rest Ice Compression Elevation).

Moleskin or mole-foam for blisters is a good idea for personal first aid kits, if you don't have that covered already. For chaffing, as said earlier, some sort of powder to keep the area dry would be good.
 
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Lets not forget the good old and trusty DUCT TAPE. Used it more then once to stop bleeding and great for chafing and cover the blisters..

Sasha
 
For chafing, you might want to buy him some chamois cream. It's used by cyclists to resist friction. Assos is probably the best IMO but it's expensive. A google search should find other brands. A cheaper alternative is Vaseline; when I was in the Corps several people would rub that on the insides of their legs before a long forced march.
 
baindaid do an "extreme" baindaid
it works well for me , as do most fabric bandaids anyway

be careful with the indian made ones tho , I left one on a couple days without changing it , and when it came time to get it off it took skin with it , had more hassles getting the sore the bandaid left better than I did the cut the bandaid was holding shut
 
j williams said:
Skip the band aids and get a roll of coban and 4x4 dressings. coban sticks to itself, and is unaffected by water. Iodine preps too.
Click to expand...


I agree, if you can, get a non-stick (telfa) 4x4's or 4x7's
you can always cut to fit or fold it. Get the wider coban too.
I'm a nurse on a surgical floor and coban makes tape seem primitive.
 
I used to guide canoe trips in the Boundry Waters/Quetico. We had two rules that were not open to negotiation: PFD's (life jackets) on the water and footwear on land. Foot injuries (even with shoes/sport sandals) are common on portages. Expect a turned ankle or two...some puncture wounds...lost toenails on tree roots, etc.
 
Just got home from working graveyards. I appreciate all the feedback. Hopefully I can put something together. I like some of the small AMK kits which will slide into cargo pockets well and not take up much space. Never heard of chamois cream but will check it out.

The shoe of choice for the Scouts these days is Vietnam style jungle boots with vulcanized soles. They hold up well, drain well and give good support. Northern Tier sells them for 40.00 bucks. I'm not dure about ripple soles on the rocks though. May go mil-spec and get panama soles made in the U.S.A.


SGB
 
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