I can't believe how heavy and bulky the first aid kits out there are, seems like none of the manufactures out there have any intrest in a UL kit.

I'm looking for a UL pouch to hold the kit I plan to make, I have checked out all the seem sealed sil-nylon stuff, most of them are 2.5 liters and far too big, zip locks always seem to get torn open, I need something in between.

Any ideas?

Edited by bmwrider on 10/19/2011 17:21:32 MDT.

Completely agree.

Value for money seems to about loading up the kit with a lot of stuff, some of which might be useful and a lot of it not.

The best solution is for you to put your own first aid/repair kit together yourself.

The benefit of this is that you can carry what you need to match your skill level for first aid/repair.

Plus, you probably will have a better idea of how to use what is in your kit, since you have assembled it yourself.

That said, my kits is not all that light because I am more conservative and error on the side of extra stuff in my kit.

On the JMT this past Aug, having Gorilla Tape (super duct tape) saved my butt when my trail runner started to fall apart four days from the end....tape was the only thing holding my heel together at the end.

-Tony

I'd rather assemble my own anyway, since I've never found a manufactured kit that has all the items I want and no items I don't want.

In my opinion most people take way too much for short trips. Either it's a major injury and the kit probably can't handle it (in other words, you'll have to improvise) or it's a minor injury and you can probably just improvise and treat when you get home. Longer trips are another matter, where even a small wound can get infected and lead to trouble.

I've met too many people who think that their massive first aid kit will save them from anything, but when pressed don't even know the contents of the kit they carry. Know what you have, know how to use it, and know how to improvise for the rest.

Make your own, as others have said. No first aid kit ever includes duct tape and super glue anyway.

Many years ago, I took my first first-aid class, and the instructor was a backpacking group leader and also EMT. At the end of the class, the class members asked him about group first-aid kits. He suggested that the commercial kits were too expensive and that we would be better off to assemble our own. We each contributed a small sum, about $10 (back then), and he bought stuff in quantity at a medical supply house. First of all, you want to consider what degree of injury you want to prepare for, for how many group members, and for how many days you might be out. For example, rock climbers get completely different kinds of injuries. Skiers are different.

1. Triangular bandage cut out of a freshly-laundered white bed sheet. Add some large safety pins.
2. Plenty of sterile dressings. Most are sealed gauze.
3. Some ordinary stuff like band-aids and good tape.
4. Pharmaceuticals, medicines, antibiotic ointments, etc. This is one subject where the commercial kits do better. They have several good items packed into tiny containers. Aspirin.
5. For my own kit, I also have prescription painkillers, Diamox, Flagyl, Cipro or Bactrim, and things of that nature.

Package it all into a durable and weatherproof container. It might be a red nylon zipper bag that opens up so that you can see everything at once. Mark the outside FIRST AID.

Once you get all done with that, you can take the advanced class in emergency surgery on the trail using your Swiss Army Knife. Been there. Done that.

--B.G.--

I've always made my own kit.
I try to prepare for two kinds of injuries. First truly serious injuries like broken bones etc. mean I'm going to be improvising so I just keep some basic bandages, and tape handy. If I had to I could improvise a large bandage or a split out of what I have on hand, than it would be evac time. I might end up cutting up a shirt or pulling the stay out of a backpack for a split but thats okay because I'd be ending the trip anyway.
A second thing I prepare for are injuries that are going to ruin my fun if I can't treat them. That means headaches, intestinal problems, blisters, etc. These won't kill me but they might kill a trip. These are more routine so I don't want to improvise I want to be prepared. I tend to load up more in this area on longer trips because a few ounces more to have apirin, pepto, and some cough drops is good insurance if I've invested the time and money to go on a big trip.

I was going on a two-week group trip in Africa, and we were going to be away from civilization for about one week, so I took my group first-aid kit. On the flights over to Nairobi, I was changing planes in London. When the 747 took off, a teenager got sick and heaved all over the row. The jet was still on a steep incline, so the cabin attendants weren't moving. Somebody was asking for a first-aid kit, so out mine came from underneath the seat. I had some Pepto-Bismol tablets, and that is all the kid needed.

Ten days later, people were getting sick at high altitude, so out came the kit again. Aspirin and Diamox were on the popular menu.

Come to think of it, it is mostly the drugs that get used.

--B.G.--

I agree with the others. If you don't have any first aid training (and you might), deciding what to bring in a DIY first aid kit will be time consuming, but it will be worth it. The research required to make those decisions will familiarize you with everything in your kit, and you'll end up with a basic understanding (albeit not practice) with how they are used.

I still see commercial mountaineering first aid kits that have sutures and salt tablets in them. That would be laughable if it weren't a little dangerous. A lot of the stuff in commercial first aid kits is impractical, obsolete, or unnecessary. Be prepared, though, to spend a bit more money on your own kit than you would on a commercial one. The right first aid tools (steri strips, chitin coagulants, low-osmolarity rehydration salts, etc.) aren't cheap.

"Come to think of it, it is mostly the drugs that get used."

That's been my experience for sure, which is why I'm more likely to take along something for stomach bugs or pain than for cuts and scrapes. I've never been without and wished for a bandaid, but I sure have wished for an anti-diarrheal.

"I'm looking for a UL pouch to hold the kit I plan to make, I have checked out all the seem sealed sil-nylon stuff, most of them are 2.5 liters and far too big, zip locks always seem to get torn open, I need something in between.

Any ideas?"

-----

I've had good luck with heavy-duty ziplocks, but they do need to be swapped out every now and then. For a long time I had an aloksak that I used which seemed to last longer than the ziplocks.

About ten of us were doing a peak ascent one time, and we got to high camp. During the night, one climber felt ill, and his tentmate came over and got me. The respiratory symptoms slightly resembled several conditions, but not exactly anything. I gave him one pill, had him drink a pint of water, and then I went back to my tent.

What was the pill?

It was a salt tablet used as a placebo. The ailing climber was just having an anxiety attack. In the morning, he stayed in camp, did not summit, and was fine by late morning.

Yes, sir. You want to stock up on those pills.

--B.G.--

I've had a problem on both ends of the weight range for first aid kits. The AMK .3 and .5 kits are okay and I add more meds, corizone creme, sting-kill, good tweezers and larger compresses. I like the ready-made kits as they have small rolls of tape and other items that tend to nickel and dime you when making you own kit. Ideally you can deal with splinters, blisters, a deep cut on a finger or a facial laceration. From there it is improvise with what you have-- sticks and poles for splints, a shirt for an arm sling, bandanas, clean socks, etc. FYI, packaged sanitary napkins make great compresses, although it might kill a Boy Scout with embarrassment :)

We gave first aid to an elderly woman who fell on the trail and cut her forehead badly. I found the 2" compresses in my kit to be nearly useless and swapped them out for larger ones when we got home. You can make smaller ones from larger, but not the other way around.

The larger kits are a bit much for one or two people. For a group on a big trip, I would have everyone with a basic kit and divide the heavy duty stuff between several people, giving preference to those who know how to use those items.

Salt tablet as a placebo is clever, but couldn't it have been an electrolyte imbalance, which would have been the proper medication?

I have a small ziplock with band aids tape and advil. Maybe some neosporin type ointment. Anything more serious than that and you're either f'd anyway or you can improvise.

I use a small aloksak for my first aid kit, the one item I like to carry that hasn't been mentioned is a small irrigator- wounds in the backcountry tend to be on the dirty side

a small roll of gauze, a pack of Steri-strips, some Leukotape/Benzoin for blister mgt, a small package of triple antibiotic, splinter tweezers and meds (Advil, Tylenol, Immodium, Benadryl) round out the rest of the kit- it's under 2.0 oz

I can borrow from repair kit as well- alcohol prep pads, duct tape, few safety pins and a needle (repair kit is just over an ounce)

"Salt tablet as a placebo is clever, but couldn't it have been an electrolyte imbalance, which would have been the proper medication?"

The symptoms resolved in 10-15 minutes, and I don't think that would have been the case for an electrolyte imbalance. Besides, the electrolyte imbalance could have caused all sorts of strange symptoms including racing heartbeat, but this person's symptoms were more like racing respiration.

Racing respiration when high on a mountain gets us thinking about AMS or HAPE, but when the heart rate stays put, it doesn't.

--B.G.--

FAK's already put together IMO are a waste & too bulky.
we can use many items we already carry.

I carry 4x4 gauze, A&D ointment & crazy glue (can have many uses), a few band aids, roll of gauze, medical tape on alum toggle, mini tweezers, pepto, Imodium & benedryl. safety pins. Tylenol, ibuprofen & a few other assort meds are in a snus can I carry. The only thing I plan to add is a small amount of burn gel in a piece of straw.

safety pins which are usually attached to the flap of a cargo pocket but also have a few in my kit incase I do not add to my clothing. The safety pins can be used in the event of a sprain to, forearm, bi-cep shoulder area -- put arm in shirt, fold over shirt, grab bottom of shirt & pin shirt to collar area.

emergency bandage & nitrile gloves are in my pocket

most of us carry duct tape -- can also be used for repairing wounds.

alcohol pads.. I figure I always have hand sanitizer or soap in my pack.

whatever size kit you carry to be comfortable with - take it apart & get familiar with it as often as you test your other gear.

thanks for the pic

I was really hoping to find a nice bag/container thats ultra light for my kit

>> I was really hoping to find a nice bag/container thats ultra light for my kit

I use a small cuben sack from Zpacks. It's either the "wallet pouch" or the "camera pouch".