Wanted to bump this forum. Just found it on the list and joined and was sad to see the last post was back in August.

Not that I'd know everything, but my background is a Field Combat Hospital Corpsman in the Navy - green side, and I'd love to discuss wilderness survival/first aid. - Admittedly my expertise is going to land squarely more in the first aid realm.

Anything been on anyone's mind lately?

Sorry I just saw this. I teach wilderness survival i
for kids and have had my wilderness first aid class. I also love bushcrafting

I've just joined this forum. I have been certified as both an emergency medical technician and wilderness first responder. I am always interested in what folks pack minimally as backcountry firstaid. The issue seems to be necessity versus bulk and weight.

I usually go with a group, so our first aid kit tends to be more all encompassing. When I trek on my own or with just one or two others, it amounts to not much more than a personal first aid kit.

I go wilderness canoe camping with my 3 kids and hubby. So I admit my first aid kit is very bulky and heavy.

Yes, that is so true! The bulky first aid kit goes out on our family trips as well. When I solo, I usually take the 6 x 6 REI canvas pack that zips open like a book. Bacitracin, burn cream, selection of band aids in various sizes including a few butterfly closures and vaseline for blisters. I usually carry moleskin, first aid tape, tweezers, and rubber gloves as well. What is a tough call is whether a SAM splint and gauze wraps (and how many) should be included or left out -- hoping for the best or improvising "in the field" so to speak. Then there are cold packs, rehydration powders...

Thanks for bump Basecampmom,
Is there any must haves that you don’t see in basic First aid kits you’d recommend bringing in the woods?

motox380: "Is there any must haves that you don’t see in basic First aid kits you’d recommend bringing in the woods?
"

Hmmm....not so much canoeing or weekending, but any longer, you can't pack enough moleskin ;)
A sling isn't usually in a kit, and we've found need for that.

It sounds like some vary the size of their first aid kits based on the size of the group. I have a very different perspective. For travelling solo, I feel the need to bring at least the same or maybe extra stuff since, in an emergency, I'll be required to rely on self treatment. With a group of people, you can assign people to improvise or seek assistance from others. Think of it this way: I don't worry about moleskin and Bactine much - I worry about serious injury. I pack for one serious injury, whether the group is size one or size eight.

Mine is bigger because kids need meds Just like adults so meds are doubled up. Kids take more risks so i prepare for broken bones. Also, some kids need extra meds which take up more space.

Having been a Paramedic for 40 yrs. I can tell you that you can get by without a lot of stuff in the first aid kit. Carry items that cover the most common emergencies. Blisters, cuts/lacerations, GI problems, Pain management. Take items to cover those injuries and illnesses. Take along a nice big triangular bandage or two to use for things like a tourniquet or for use as a sling or for bandaging or splinting.

OldFingers57: "Having been a Paramedic for 40 yrs. I can tell you that you can get by without a lot of stuff in the first aid kit. Carry items that cover the most common emergencies. Blisters, cuts/lacerations, GI problems, Pain management. Take items to cover those injuries and illnesses. Take along a nice big triangular bandage or two to use for things like a tourniquet or for use as a sling or for bandaging or splinting. "

Yep, we were taught, improvise, adapt, and overcome.

MN_Lindsey: "

OldFingers57: "Having been a Paramedic for 40 yrs. I can tell you that you can get by without a lot of stuff in the first aid kit. Carry items that cover the most common emergencies. Blisters, cuts/lacerations, GI problems, Pain management. Take items to cover those injuries and illnesses. Take along a nice big triangular bandage or two to use for things like a tourniquet or for use as a sling or for bandaging or splinting. "

Yep, we were taught, improvise, adapt, and overcome."

I get a kick out of all the guys that take actual tourniquets with them. In 40 yrs of calls and 7000 calls a year I have only had to use one less than 5 times. I see people taking stuff that rivals what we have on our ambulances. Suture kits, hemostats, chest seals and needle decompression kits just to name a few.

Take the WFA course. Teaches you how to do first aid with what you have.

As to the tournequet comment. . .each of our camps always have one. Largely because those same individuals always carry one on their persons wherever they go.

Bear in mind. . . in an ambulance situation you are keeping someone alive for minutes on the way to the hospital. In a true BWCA situation where you are three days out. . .you may have to keep someone alive for hours,