backpack elk hunt first aid kit?

[Rob W.]

What is in your first aid kit? I need to go through mine and make some changes from last year. I have an adventure medical that I'm going to modify to suit my needs. Last year more ibuprofen and an ace bandage would have came in handy.

[Pine]

Kinda sounds like you have answered your own question .
I will add , take some mole skin , that stuff is very versital . It is very nice if you are getting a blister it's great . It can work as just tape for whatever .

[Chain2]

First aid learned from construction, logging, adventure racing and pack in hunts.
Ibuprofen
Altoids peppermint- stomach issues
Duct tape- blisters and anything needed taping
Super glue- better than stitches
I usually have some bandages and neosporin but those 4 things are always with me.

[Jon Stewart]

Hard candy for high altitudes. Helps with headaches.

[calgarychef]

Everything that I carry has been mentioned, backpacking means a small first aid kit.  I always habve a small clean towel in my backpack that I can use as a bandage with some duct tape if necessary but it's also good for other things.

[bucknut]

I always carry a partial roll of quality electrical tape (not the junk chinese type), Ibuprofen 800, super glue gel and I also take a sharpie or pen and wrap duct tape around it. You can carry a lot of tape this way and not take up much space. I have found you can fix about any backwoods mishap with this combo.

[The Night Stalker]

Dermabond, epi pen,

[Biathlonman]

I always have a one handed tourniquet and some sort of Israeli bandage, plus the various odds and ends.  Probably more then I need but I'll come out alive.

[ProAlpine]

Butterfly bandages - my experience is that a wound that might require stitches is generally quite deep and open. I've never found super glue to be much help in this case. The times that I have used super glue on a knuckle cut (hard to bandage) it filled the cut with glue which never allowed the skin to grow back together.

I would imagine a syringe might be handy for irrigating a wound if you happen to cut yourself (on bone or boarded) while gutting  big game.

Along the same lines, tincture of benzoin is great stuff for getting bandages to stick to skin and stay in place, especially blister bandages on feet when it's hot and sweaty and the hiking is more than a stroll.

Lastly, some sort of blood stopper bandage, used to absorb and/or clot blood and package a wound rapidly. I've had to use one of these in an emergency and it truly was life saving.

A CPR mask and knowing CPR. IF you bring it back to the most basics, ABCs Airway, Breathing, Circulation - if you can take care of those, you can hopefully keep the patient alive...

[caihlen]

Vet wrap, ibuprofen, benedryl, gauze pads, second skin, moleskin, neosporin, and duct tape.

[old_goat2]

Some must have in mine, are ibuprofen, Imodium, pepto bismol tablets, cough drops, aspirin, benadryl tablets, Sudafed. We take the ibuprofen with an aspirin, keeps blood thinned and also for aches and pains. I guess Tred Barta thinks had he taken an aspirin, he probably wouldn't have had his stroke, blood thickens with altitude. I like benadryl to help me sleep and to have in case of allergic reaction to something like stepping in a wasp or bee nest, been there done that. The others are as you might imagine. We also both have a wound pack with clotting agents.

[Arctic Hunter]

Originally posted by Biathlonman:
I always have a one handed tourniquet and some sort of Israeli bandage, plus the various odds and ends.  Probably more then I need but I'll come out alive.

X2. Take a look at the CAT tourniquet. They weigh next to nothing, and can be used with one hand if your by yourself. They are like four wheel drive....you might not ever need it, but if you do....

I usually have some type of occlusive dressing as well.

[old_goat2]

Originally posted by Arctic Hunter:
 

Originally posted by Biathlonman:
I always have a one handed tourniquet and some sort of Israeli bandage, plus the various odds and ends.  Probably more then I need but I'll come out alive.

X2. Take a look at the CAT tourniquet. They weigh next to nothing, and can be used with one hand if your by yourself. They are like four wheel drive....you might not ever need it, but if you do....

I usually have some type of occlusive dressing as well. [/b]

I'm pretty smart, but occlusive is to big of word for trad gang  

[ScottinPA]

I've been whittling down my Adventure Med kit too.
Couple of bandages, butterfly strips, gauze, ace, Advil, Tylenol, low dose aspirin, duct tape, and a blot clotting bandage.  
I put all the pills in a single small bottle of 6-8 each.  
I need to add pepto and I'll throw a pack of ACT lozenges in.

[Bigriver]

Several sticks of lip balm, burts bees for me. Did not have any on my first trip some years ago, dried and split lips for weeks after. The west is pretty dry.

[tippit]

My kit always has Super Glue and a disposable Skin Stapler.  Skin staples are quick and don't hurt too much...maybe a little help with Jack Daniels.

[DarkTimber]

"Last year more ibuprofen and an ace bandage would have came in handy."  

I take 3 ibuprofen for each day I'm packing in and keep them in a small bag with my food so I'm not digging for my first aid kit every day.  I take them after dinner every evening whether I need them or not (I seem to always need them).  We like to joke that it's our desert.  

I also have one of the smallest Adventure Medical Kits that I carry stock.  I keep a small tube of superglue in my pack that doubles to repair my bow or me, whichever needs it first as well as a small roll of duct tape for misc repairs.  Like others lip balm is also a must for me in the dry western air.   That's about it I guess.

[wooddamon1]

This thread is a good reminder for me to go through my kit and take inventory. Even just hunting around camp it's a good idea to be prepared.    

[Pine]

Originally posted by tippit:
My kit always has Super Glue and a disposable Skin Stapler.  Skin staples are quick and don't hurt too much...maybe a little help with Jack Daniels.

[Sam McMichael]

There is a lot of good stuff suggested, and I would add a kit for handling bee stings, tweezers, snakebite kit (Yeah, I know some say don't use them, but get to a hospital quickly, instead. You may be a long way from a medical facility.) Also, a small first aid manual might be useful. Also, bandages to handle sizeable, scrapes and cuts. At this rate, you will need a companion just to carry the first aid kit.

One of the previous posts mentioned mixing pills together in one small container for convenience, but check the law on this. I know in Georgia it is illegal to carry medicines outside of their original containers. As a probation officer, I supervised probation for quite a number of people who did this.