What's in your first aid kit?
- Thread starter huntingfish
- Start date
Kids are 14/16 now and I did a bunch solo sheep work, and on dad duty the amount I dipped into first aid kits... A few pills of various needs like aspirin for heart, anything to ease the pain ahead of the descent, moleskin might be number 1, some bandaids. Good to go. In the truck a roll of paper towel and a roll of electrical tape on top of the above mentioned stuff and you’re gold.
huntingfish
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Quebec City
Guys, this is what's in mine so far...this is my kit I want to carry while hunting. My idea was to be able to deal with anything that would stop me from hunting (including life threatening injuries):
israeli bandage (1)
tourniquet (1)
3"x3" sterile gauze (2)
2x2 sterile gauze (2)
assorted bandages
moleskin
polysporin
alu reinforced plastic roll (in case of fracture, like falling out of stand or something)
Triangular wrap
Rolled elastic tape for sprained ankles and such
After burn solution (you touch the barrel after firing a few shots?)
sterile wipes (alcohol and ... the other orange stuff, don't recall the name right now)
medical tape
advil/tylenol
tick removal kit
scissors
afterbite
David
israeli bandage (1)
tourniquet (1)
3"x3" sterile gauze (2)
2x2 sterile gauze (2)
assorted bandages
moleskin
polysporin
alu reinforced plastic roll (in case of fracture, like falling out of stand or something)
Triangular wrap
Rolled elastic tape for sprained ankles and such
After burn solution (you touch the barrel after firing a few shots?)
sterile wipes (alcohol and ... the other orange stuff, don't recall the name right now)
medical tape
advil/tylenol
tick removal kit
scissors
afterbite
David
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I carried a combat tourniquet for a while but got out of the habit and for day hunting trips I'm once again usually content with a couple of bandaids and a large bandana or two standing by to use as a triangular dressing, tourniquet, etc. I include the mirror in my compass and my cell phone in the first aid category, one to help me fish small objects out of my eye or to look at the laceration on my head, etc, and the cell phone for summoning EMT- as long as cell phone service is available of course. And in case it's not, my new iPhone 14 will allow text access to a satellite to summon help that way. You do have to wait for a satellite to come in range and then tap out an SOS really quickly. Finally, for injuries that are drastic but will allow me to limp back to the vehicle, there's always a very large supply of medical items in the vehicle.
Edit: I really have to check to see if I still have an Israeli bandage in my hunting coat, something I just thought of. Include that in my list!
Edit: I really have to check to see if I still have an Israeli bandage in my hunting coat, something I just thought of. Include that in my list!
Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
I hate those heavy flow days too.
Contact your local St.Johns Ambulance and see if they have a canteen where one could buy supplies.
Or try these guys ...https://www.canadiansafetysupplies.com/British-Columbia-first-aid-kits-BC-s/79.htm?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwusunBhCYARIsAFBsUP-OwuQuE7lsqIgNmwKgKNIA_Dw0txb-0nPquxniqylfP3-jEZuODCUaAkEMEALw_wcB
I keep it simple, small, and always have in my pack on every hike or hunt.
- Large and small pressure dressings that can be used as is or cut up for gauze and elastic bandage.
- Bandaids, tweezers, and alcohol wipes.
- Moleskin, vaseline, and tape for blisters and foot care
- Esmarch patch if I ever face a chest wound.
- Steristrips and super glue for wound closure and an opsite.
- Always have straps on pack that can do double duty as a sling or tourniquet.
- Ibuprofen, ASA, water tablets.
- Burn dressing.
At home I have a large kit with a random ton of stuff. Should throw together a car one, maybe I will do that today after reading everyone elses lists!
- Large and small pressure dressings that can be used as is or cut up for gauze and elastic bandage.
- Bandaids, tweezers, and alcohol wipes.
- Moleskin, vaseline, and tape for blisters and foot care
- Esmarch patch if I ever face a chest wound.
- Steristrips and super glue for wound closure and an opsite.
- Always have straps on pack that can do double duty as a sling or tourniquet.
- Ibuprofen, ASA, water tablets.
- Burn dressing.
At home I have a large kit with a random ton of stuff. Should throw together a car one, maybe I will do that today after reading everyone elses lists!
Attachments
sillymike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Think of it as lightweight paracord... 50M for $1.50 at the drugstore
- Need to tie some branches for a shelter, check.
- Need to fix a shoelace, check.
- Fire started, check.
- Mend some equipment, check.
After seeing our field medics using them for large wounds, I am sold on the concept.
sillymike
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
maxi pads/tampons are actually a smart thing to have nearby... even more so if you have a young daughter (or are often in charge of teenagers).
Also have multiple pocket-reading glasses...
Also have multiple pocket-reading glasses...
Butcherbill
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
There’s just much better things to use, there’s so much more material in a roll of gauze or a compressed package of combat gauze. Unroll a tampon and a roll of gauze and compare how much you have to work with, not to mention a roll of gauze can be used to roll around a wound.
Can’t say they we’re included in the last OFA1 first aid course I took, especially with regards to packing and stopping a bleeding wound. Would not be on my list of things to add to my kit.
^Right? The tampon thing has always blown my mind, so many better options in. Normal ofa 1 first aid kit. Abdominal pads actually made for large wounds come to mind. Kind of like carrying dental floss instead of steri strips
Not to mention Israeli bandages and quickclot
I'm guessing the guys going "what first aid kit?" haven't spent a lot of time in remote areas or had to do first aid in one
Airsoft?
Not to mention Israeli bandages and quickclot
I'm guessing the guys going "what first aid kit?" haven't spent a lot of time in remote areas or had to do first aid in one
Airsoft?
Don’t mean to rag, but tampons shouldn’t be used to treat wounds. Period.
Sure there are anecdotes, and they may be true, but if tampons have worked then someone got lucky. It’s a widespread myth that should be put to rest so it doesn’t cost someone someday.
Why is it a bad idea?
Because it’s far removed from the proven management of penetrating injury, which is to pack with hemostatic gauze and apply pressure. The purpose of the gauze is to pack tightly in the cavity and block the bleeding so a clot can form. The hemostatic agent speeds this up (but regular gauze works if that’s all you have). The pressure over top via Israeli bandage, OLAES (or any tightly-wrapped bandage) further prevents bleeding so that a clot can form.
A tampon may be the right diameter for say, the entry hole of a gunshot wound, but it almost certainly won’t fill the large cavitation behind it (depending on the terminal ballistics of the round). In contrast, you could likely pack a good length of hemostatic gauze into such a wound channel.
Also, a tampon is designed to absorb. Absorbing blood does nothing useful except prevent a stain on the ground. There’s no pressure to allow a clot to form — the tampon would instead act like a sponge and soak blood until it became saturated, and then it would do nothing.
Lastly, consider the tiny amount of blood the tampon is designed to absorb. From the reference:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279294/?report=reader
Less than two shot glasses. With a serious penetrating injury it could easily be a litre or more.
According to this source, a tampon is designed to hold 5 to 10 mL of blood before it’s saturated. 10mL = 2 teaspoons.
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-much-blood-do-you-lose-on-your-period#how-to-measure
Compare that with what 10 feet of gauze can do, which probably costs around $2.00. It’s one thing to improvise in the field, but why pack an improvised solution? If you don’t have gauze then you’re better off sticking with proven principles and using strips of T-shirt to pack the wound. Nothing is sterile in the field BTW unless it comes out of a sterile package. Even though it’s in a sealed package, a tampon is not sterile and doesn’t have to be, same as a new toothbrush.
So unless you’re going to be stuck in the field for weeks, use the strips of T-shirt and don’t worry about sterility while packing the wound — the priority is to stop hypovolemic shock; let the hospital worry about infection later.
Sure there are anecdotes, and they may be true, but if tampons have worked then someone got lucky. It’s a widespread myth that should be put to rest so it doesn’t cost someone someday.
Why is it a bad idea?
Because it’s far removed from the proven management of penetrating injury, which is to pack with hemostatic gauze and apply pressure. The purpose of the gauze is to pack tightly in the cavity and block the bleeding so a clot can form. The hemostatic agent speeds this up (but regular gauze works if that’s all you have). The pressure over top via Israeli bandage, OLAES (or any tightly-wrapped bandage) further prevents bleeding so that a clot can form.
A tampon may be the right diameter for say, the entry hole of a gunshot wound, but it almost certainly won’t fill the large cavitation behind it (depending on the terminal ballistics of the round). In contrast, you could likely pack a good length of hemostatic gauze into such a wound channel.
Also, a tampon is designed to absorb. Absorbing blood does nothing useful except prevent a stain on the ground. There’s no pressure to allow a clot to form — the tampon would instead act like a sponge and soak blood until it became saturated, and then it would do nothing.
Lastly, consider the tiny amount of blood the tampon is designed to absorb. From the reference:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279294/?report=reader
Less than two shot glasses. With a serious penetrating injury it could easily be a litre or more.
According to this source, a tampon is designed to hold 5 to 10 mL of blood before it’s saturated. 10mL = 2 teaspoons.
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-much-blood-do-you-lose-on-your-period#how-to-measure
Compare that with what 10 feet of gauze can do, which probably costs around $2.00. It’s one thing to improvise in the field, but why pack an improvised solution? If you don’t have gauze then you’re better off sticking with proven principles and using strips of T-shirt to pack the wound. Nothing is sterile in the field BTW unless it comes out of a sterile package. Even though it’s in a sealed package, a tampon is not sterile and doesn’t have to be, same as a new toothbrush.
So unless you’re going to be stuck in the field for weeks, use the strips of T-shirt and don’t worry about sterility while packing the wound — the priority is to stop hypovolemic shock; let the hospital worry about infection later.
First option is to slag. You say airsoft, I would say 2VP and at the moment I am looking up at my ribbons in a shadowbox, but by all means, armchair insult from your keyboard.
I think the assumption is using the tampon to plug a hole by pushing into a deep penetrating wound which creates more problems when it must be extracted. I was impressed watching a medic using a tampon to lay lengthwise along a laceration and when taped or wrapped in place, adds a bit extra pressure over the wound. And yes, I acknowledge there are many other useful items available such as quick clot and larger pressure bandages. My initial comment was only about other possible items in a first aid kit.
