Minimalist 1st Aid

Sufler

Sufler

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2005
Messages
1,885
Sorry - an off-shoot of some of the other 'minimalist' threads. But, I had to ask for some input.

I'd appreciate if you could share with me what you believe are to be the essential components of a 1st Aid Kit - an essential kit that would travel with you on your half-day hikes to the 3-5 day hikes without much modification.

Let's say it's enough of a kit that would have to fit inside the Maxpedition cocoon pouch or a pouch of similar size.

Thank you.

Overall: 2 in diameter x 8 in long

cocoon_pouch.JPG
 
That's small but doable.

I would go with roller gauze (Kling would fit nicely, but H&H PriMed is vacuum packed so you get more gauze in less space), a compression bandage (such as an Ace bandage, but I like the ones with velcro better than clips, or even better yet get a SWAT-T so it can also be used as a very effective tourniquet, too and takes less space), 2x2 or 3x3 gauze pads (whichever biggest size fits. I like Johnson and Johnson Topper Sponges for their impressive absorbency), maybe a triangle bandage or bandanna (or save space and leave it out because you should have a bandanna with you anyways because of their versatility), ziploc bag to use for pressure irrigation, some bandaids if you're so inclined for little cuts, duct tape wrapped around a pencil or card, and meds (ibuprofen, Benadryl, aspirin if you're older).

Nitrile gloves if you'll use it to help others, and maybe a CPR shield for the same reason.

Attach something like a Photon II light and some extra large safety pins to the zipper pull.

You can probably fit shears or maybe a rescue hook behind the MOLLE.
 
-20 bandaids
-1 roll tape
-6 alky pads
-6 benzo pads
-1 cling wrap tensor
-1 triangle sling/2 safety pin
-3 Benadryl tabs
-10 ibuprofen
-personal medication
-4 4x4 gauze pads
-tweezers
-small EMT shears (they fit PERFECTLY in the Maxped cocoon)
-1 tube polysporin
-1 cpr micro faceshield
- blister kit
 
Last edited:
Mine is simple:
-extra Chapstick
-Leatherman Micra
-assorted Band-Aids
-a few anti-bacterial wipes
-couple of 3x5 bandages
-trauma dressing
-a couple ACE bandages in case I blow out a knee or sprain an ankle.
Those last couple can do double duty for a variety of injuries.

Other items tend to change depending on the season, or my current condition. For instance, I had the sniffles last week, and my knees were hurting. Took several packets of "pain and inflammation relief" tablets, a couple of Naproxen, and a couple of decongestants.
When it warms up, I carry electrolyte tabs, extra sunscreen in a ziploc bag, stuff like that.

I often use a little canvas pouch about the same size as your cocoon to keep it all in.
There's always a trauma dressing in a compass pouch clipped somewhere outside my gear, too.

edit: kage's post reminded me: a few pair of latex gloves. I keep those all over the place.
 
As with anything minimalist, you sacrifice established tools and consumable materials for your knowledge of survival, amount of suffering, and chance. My bugout bag has a comprehensive kit of antibiotics, surgical equipment, disposable stapler, tourniquet, quickclot, etc, though my daypack can weigh less than that FAK in and of itself. If you're minimalist recreating and you cut yourself so deep it doesn't close on its own, you better have search and rescue on the way, the balls and constitution to sew yourself up with a darner needle and 550 chord guts, or the knowledge of local herbs and the pain tolerance to find them, otherwise you'll be on the 5:00 news just like all the other dead hikers are, giving the rest of us a bad name. ;)
 
I happen to have cut myself on the reef today surfing and had to butter fly two 1" slices on both my big toe and my elbow. Sooo, I've got my hunting/backpacking first aid kit laying in front of me. I keep mine in a sandwich ziploc and it all fits with lots of room to spare. Hope this helps, Im sure it would fit fine in the little cocoon pouch.

2 packaged iodine wipes
antibiotic ointment
3 3x5 gauze pads
10 or so bandaids
5 butterflys
2 large heel/knee... bandages
micropore first aid tape
ace wrap
immodium/ipuprofen/benadryl

The most important item in my kit is right between my ears.
 
For a minimalist kit I carry one 4" Israeli Battle Dressing on my person and another in my kit. They have a super absorbent 4" pad, (= lots of 4 x 4 dressings), an integrated wrap (= a super long Ace bandage and/or triangular bandage), and a closure bar (= safety pins), and can be used as a tourney or as a wrap for a sling/splint.

It is a fully one-size-fits-all integrated bandage/wrap/tourney/ACE/splint device in one without having to mess with multiple separate pieces. PLUS if someone has a pneumothorax from a penetrating wound the two protective plastic wraps can work as an occlusive bandage in addition to the bandage itself. (Hunting accidents and negligent discharges with firearms is a reality in the woods so treating gunshot wounds is part of my standard kit and skill protocol).

Highly flexible and multiple purpose device which is what I look for in minimal gear. It serves a multitude of purposes. I carry one on my person and one in my kit. It saves me from carrying about three or four other pieces of kit such as tape, ACE, 4 x 4, safety pins, Triangular, Tourney, & occlusive bandages. I figure if our troops carry one on their person all the time in combat then it ought to be good enough for me on my outings.
 
I like Bushman's list, but recommend 2 x 2 and 5 x 5 gauze pads as superb blood stoppers. Evbouret uses 3 x 5s, which is a great compromise (sorry you had to use yours!).

Something working its way into my first aid kits--and my family's got them in all sorts of places--is Coban as an all purpose tape and gauze.

One item I especially want everyone to realize: a first-aid kit is like a PSK. You need to change the contents based on what you're getting into.

Hiking in very cold weather or very dry weather? Pack lip balm. Very sunny weather? Extra sun screen. Hiking along a rocky trail? Broken bones and lacerations mean more bandages.

Never be afraid to unpack and repack your first aid kits with a variety of geographic-specific items.
 
evbouret said:
The most important item in my kit is right between my ears.
Click to expand...

Minimalist kit: superglue, antibacterial swabs, duct tape.
1. I wrap a short pencil with a few feet of duct tape as part of my minimal kit. It can be used to close a wound, craft a splint, cover a wound to keep it clean,etc.
2. They have a specific superglue that works on wounds better than the other and I cant remember what the difference is. A cut is probably the most common injury other than twisted ankles.
3. swabs: no need to explain

My standard backpack first aid kit does include some band aids, bandages, pain pills (or aspirin ), needle & thread, razor blade, Imodium.
 
As a ems Professional.... I used to stress my 1st aid kit allot.... it was huge.. than got smaller and smaller the more I learned to improvise...afer being an EMT for 5 years I took a wilderness EMT course and a emt insturctir, and wilderness First responder instructor course. since than I;ve been able to reduce the size of my kit dramtically...
Making a post on my kit and its contents and improvisational 1st aid techniques has been on my to do list for a while. eventually I'll get around to it.
a few thoughts in the meantime though-

-Tweezers are a must (especially in tick country)

-i think most folks overdue the gauze pads... Only the fits layer over the wounds needs to be sterile, and non sticky... the material you need to pack over that can be anything... (a t-shirt) etc

-Just because something is absorbant doesn;t mean it is helping..ALlot of folks swear by sanitary pads or tampons in there kits because there absorbant... but just because an item is absorbing blod does not mean its controlling bleeding.. The person may still be losing the same amount of blood but it;s just being sucked into a sponge.

-Bandannas and even your clothing can be utilized for a myriad of 1st aid applications

- Splints can be easily improvised
-Bandaids are over rated...
-steri strips a an essential
the most used item in my first aid kit has been the motrin.
and most of all there is no substitution for training .. the best first aid kit in the world won't help at all if you're skills aren't up to par.
 
roll of water proof tape, gauze pads assorted sizes and misc band aides, neosporin,alcohol prep pads,blister stuff too, pain relief(motrin/advil/etc.) and some benedryl and tweezers all items kept in ziplock or alok bag,if being kept in a maxpedition item,Maxpedition pouches are not water proof even in a rain shower or all day drizzle.
 
I don't really have a kit but these are items I have on me that are first aid-ish.
3-5 bandaids
immodium
bandana
duct tape
alcohol wipes
tweezers
I want to add an Israeli pressure dressing. Anyone know a good and cheap dealer? I should probably throw in some rubber gloves too. I don't believe in stitches unless you're really SOL and you're not going to get to hospital anytime soon. It's just really hard to get the wound clean enough to close it up. An ER doc told me the best thing is duct tape. Keeps it together and covers it to keep it clean.
 
ace bandage
very small roll of duct tape
2 gauze pads
3 band-aids
a few Tylenol

Its not much but it is more then enough to cover most injuries to get me out of the woods

The funny thing is, this was probably the most used part of my kit when mountain biking last year.
 
Duct tape
Steri Strips
Eye Drops
immodium/ipuprofen/benadryl
A couple of gauze pads
A bandana
Tweezers
Needle
mole skin
a few alcohol swabs
antibiotic ointment


You can improvise alot with these items. Thankfully I've never needed more.

Brandon
 
Several people have mentioned Izzy dressings. As a much better alternative check out the Olaes bandage from Tactical Medical Solutions (my personal favorite and it comes in both 4" and 6" versions) or H&H's H-Bandage. I've used just about every type of these combined dressings (Military Field Dressings, Izzy, Emergency, Cinch-Tight, Thin-Cinch, Big-Cinch, Chinook's), but these are the ones I like the best (especially the Olaes, which is amazingly innovative and effective). I've used them a lot in the military, as a mountain guide, SAR and as an EMT.

If you think you need a tourniquet but don't want to carry a SOFTT or CAT then H&H's TK-4 is decent and the SWAT-T is brilliant as it works as both a compression bandage (non-absorbant though) and a very effective tourniquet.
 
The way I see first aid minimalism, this time of year, you NEED a bee sting kit, period.

You need a dressing, bandages and a way to compress.
Antiseptics.
Aspirin is highly recommended, though other pain relievers are good.

Tourniquets, are great, minimalist survival is about living, as such you need to know where you will be going, if it's a new area, minimalism isn't a great idea, take a few trips and then determine what items you are willing to leave behind.
 
I'm having lots of knee trouble right now. Went to the doctor and had xrays, and got a couple of prescriptions. Next week I'll get an MRI.
Had to go to Wal-Mart to get my scrips filled, and bought a couple of elastic knee supports for my kit, and a 1oz. backup tube of sunscreen, replacing the messy ziploc bag method I listed above.

Got a 2oz. spray bottle to put Deep Wood's Off in, too. I also add a couple of dryer sheets to the kit when the bugs are out. Seems to depend(on what i don't know) but sometimes one under the cap keeps them off you all day.
 
Hi all,

I carry 4 of the 4x4 gauze pads and a couple of the 2x2s as well.
I carry 6 one inch bandaids.
one small SAK Classic. for the sissors mainly.
I carry 1 chap stick.
I take the clear med tape of the roll and then re wrap it on to a peace of
plastic so I have several feet of it.
Then I carry some salve. Burts bees rescue ointment
Siver gripper tweezers.
Asprins.
I washed out small container of visine and put in some perxoxide.

Bryan
 
good tips throughout :) I'd second (or third) tweezers, SAK one will do the trick, the US issue one is even better

I keep a small med pouch w/ immodium, advil, tylenol and benadryl- how much determined by trip length

a good irrigator is important in the backcountry- a corner cut out of a ziplock does in a pinch, but a small 12 cc irrigator takes up very little room

small roll of gauze, a couple of tegaderms, steri-strips, triple antibiotic, a few celox and a blister kit

my small repair kit carries a few items that can double over into FAK items- duct tape, safety pins, needle, super glue

I could fit two of my kits in a Cacoon pretty easy

new1staidkit.jpg
 
I just try to bring the things that aren't readily found in nature or rigged from existing kit.

-Antibiotic/antibacterial/antifungal ointment. (unless you can find a porcupine willing to lend a quill. Old man's beard doesn't grow on trees you know... oh wait it does.)

-large military field dressing. (spagnum is a great sponge and a good antiseptic when combined with oldman's beard, but when you need a large dressing, you need one NOW)

-A few bandaids and gauze. (amadou needs alot of prep, and you have to light a fire to melt down balsam pitch.)


That's what is in my pocket at all times, now. I used to carry butterfly/steristrips but the more I look into it, the more I hear that in most cases, closing up a wilderness wound is the last thing you want to do. I don't bother with pain meds or antihistamines(sp) because I have yet to really on them at home. I need my personal FAK to get me back to camp... and my camp kit to get me back to the car... and my car kit to..... well you get the idea...

Rick
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top