What should I put in a crew first aid kit for 10people 1-5 days ?

It depends on where you are going to be, what you are going to be doing, and for how long of a period of time. One day is completely different from five days. It depends a lot on your level of first aid training.

--B.G.--

We are going to be in NM and colo in the spring and summer for 3-5day trips we are backpacking with scouts I am wilderness first Aid trained should I just buy a premade kit?

Hello,

I would recommend steri-strips, benadryl, vicodin, anti-diarrheal, tweezers, needle (for splinters), empty syringe for irrigation, gauze, tape, moleskin, tampons and that's about it.

Sorry, just read the scouts part and you would be put in jail for giving a scout vicodin. Advil liqui-gels instead then? Splint material is pretty easy with sleep mats and duct tape. For bee stings/allergic reactions, crush a bunch of benadryl and feed it to them if they don't have an epi pen. I really do like to keep all my med gear in an op-sack though because wet gauze is bad news imo.

Edited by justaddfuel on 05/10/2011 00:02:00 MDT.

William, many good wilderness first aid classes will supply you with various recommended lists when you take the class. The trick there is that all lists are different based on different situations. A kit for Colorado in the winter might be a lot different from a kit for New Mexico in the summer. Plus, your scout organization might have specific rules for first-aiders in the organization (like snakebite treatment or non-treatment). Some organizations assume that you have communications to call for evacuation. With other organizations, you are purely on your own.

If you get no input at all, then look at the list of components for some of the commercially assembled first aid kits. They won't be perfect for all situations, but they will be much better than nothing. Then you can assemble your own kit from scratch. However, you may find it less expensive to purchase the commercial kit and throw out part of it.

When I took my first good wilderness first aid class, at the end of the class the instructor asked if there were any questions. It seemed as though most people in the class had that same question about what to put into a wilderness first aid kit. Fortunately, our instructor was a paramedic and also a group backpacking leader, so he knew. He agreed to purchase a whole bunch of components from the medical supply store with the money that we gave him, and then the entire group met and assembled the first aid kits together.

--B.G.--

James, I had one person come down with the mild form of mountain sickness. They were lethargic and then had to vomit. I gave the person a mild sedative, Dramamine. You have to be careful giving somebody anything strong. Anyway, the Dramamine zonked them out for about 3-4 hours, and that allowed their body to equalize with a bit of sleep. Then the person woke up with an appetite, and they were cured! I kept stocking my kit with Dramamine after that.

--B.G.--

William, I will mention an area that you might need to clarify with your organization. I am used to leading trips with adult participants, and they each carry their own personal first aid kit (aspirin, moleskin, bandaids, etc.). Plus, an adult is capable of caring for their own totally minor ailments like foot blisters and headache. I was prepared more to use my kit on things a bit more serious, like a puncture wound that might have to be followed-up on by a medical professional.

I don't know about your scouts. It might be a totally different situation.

In one wilderness first aid course, they taught us how to do emergency surgery on the trail using a Swiss Army Knife. I kid you not. The instructor started by saying that the only time you should consider such an extreme act is if you are almost 100% sure that the victim will die if you don't do anything.

--B.G.--

I would PM some of the crew leaders in the Philmont subforum and ask what they had for crew FA gear and individual Scout FA gear.