# what to put in my first aid kit?



## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

I want to put together a good first aid kit for hunting and am looking for suggestions on what I should carry. Keep in mind I want it as lightweight as possible.


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## USMARINEhuntinfool (Sep 15, 2007)

Tourniquet, gauze, ace bandage, ice pack


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

Pain relievers, Tylenol or advil


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## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

I would add a little bit of moleskin for blisters and some new skin for cuts. Neither of them take any room.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Mr Muleskinner said:


> I would add a little bit of moleskin for blisters and some new skin for cuts. Neither of them take any room.


You stole my idea, a must have.


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

I think I have everything mentioned except a proper/safe tourniquet setup. Given the fact that it will be my first time using this nifty Havalon Piranta, my worst fear is accidentally cutting my other hand.


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## sk1 (Apr 7, 2013)

USMARINEhuntinfool said:


> Tourniquet, gauze, ace bandage, ice pack


good suggestions but heavy stuff to hike around

id skip the tourniquet, a belt, or shoelaces with a stick can act as that, ice is nice, but im thinking more along life saving type stuff.....ice is for when you make it home....unless you want it at your camp and are hiking from there.

without looking at my list here are some thoughts--but i backpack in so i try to go as minimalist as possible, not sure if that is what you're thinking on a first aid kit

super glue
butterfly bandades
sm. package of quick clot
gauze
very small roll of heavy duty medical tape
a few pieces of moleskin just in case of foot issues

i have a tiny container with all of my mixed meds--ibuprofen, imodium, allergy pills, and tylonal pm (only way for me to cure migraines), also vitamins for 5+day backcountry hunts

i take a very small container of hand sanitizer for hygiene but it will double as my disinfectant for a severe cut prior to super gluing and butterflying closed---maybe not necessary, but a thought.

for part of my emergency gear but could also double as first aid, i wrap like 6 ft of duct tape around the base of a trekking pole that i take with me, or any object you can unwrap it from

not sure if this is what you're looking for but hopefully it sparks some ideas. i don't have my hunting list on this computer or else i would double check

other thoughts

-SPOT tracker or Delorme INReach SE (I usually hunt solo and own both of these, great for letting people know you are ok AND for SOS. My friend borrowed it and possibly saved his brothers life this August by using the SOS button and his brother was lifeflighted out of the mountains after rolling his 4 wheeler on himself) If you are going to plan for injury, IMO plan all the way.

-again, if planning for injury, plan for emergency as such an injury could prevent you from getting out. as part of my gear for this i have trioxane fire starter, a bic lighter, waterproof matches, SOL bivy emergency bag (its small and light if you havent seen them)......i consider this as important as the first aid because it will keep you alive if you have to lay there all night waiting for help. ive tried to start a fire in a blizzard to hunker down and keep warm--sucks without fire starter i can promise you that.

ok enough of that, just some things i think are important to keep in mind


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)




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## Huntoholic (Sep 17, 2008)

Un-waxed dental floss and a couple of sewing needles.
Asprin
Electrical tape


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## polarbear (Aug 1, 2011)

Here's a few things in mine:

Ibuprofen
Benadryl-for bee stings or other allergic reactions
Aspirin-in case somebody has a heart attack
tape
assorted bandages/gauge pads
cheap ankle wrap
prep pads
sting wipes
burn cream
neosporin
a small squirt bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide
liquid bandage (super glue)
a couple tampons-for puncture wounds or a million other uses
rubber gloves
razor blade
tweezers
lighter
needles and dental floss for stitches

It sounds like a lot, but it all fits in a small otter box and probably weighs under 2 pounds.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

If you have never stitched your self up, then you don't know how hard it is with a sewing needle. You need sutures, a suture needle is a mini version of the kind of needle you would use for leather work(soft like buckskin). They have a cutting point, and are curved. The curved shape helps to guide the needle, and aids in applying pressure to push the needle through. A standard sewing needle is just about useless for stitches. You can not angle it right, and it is almost impossible to apply enough pressure, from the end of the needle, to pierce skin. And dental floss is way bigger than it needs to be, for stitches.

http://www.nitro-pak.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=sutures

And be care full stuffing tampons, or anything else, into puncture wounds. You want to keep dressings external, and apply pressure to control bleeding.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

And I almost forgot, iodine. No sense in stitching it up if its dirty, and going to get infected. Hydrogen peroxide is OK for topical disinfection, but iodine is needed for deeper wounds, and is preferred for taking care of stitches after the fact.


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## Huntoholic (Sep 17, 2008)

I was not going to reply, but the more I thought about it I felt I should.

Un-waxed dental floss and a couple of sewing needles are not useless and have far more applications than sutures. I do personally carry both sutures and the dental floss, but if I had to leave one home it would be the suture.


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## sk1 (Apr 7, 2013)

Those aren't bad things to carry but I feel superglue and butterfly bandaids will handle most situations.....and if absolutely necessary quick clot.

I feel like a lot of ppl probably couldn't handle suturing themselves but I could be wrong.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

sk1 said:


> Those aren't bad things to carry but I feel superglue and butterfly bandaids will handle most situations.....and if absolutely necessary quick clot.
> 
> I feel like a lot of ppl probably couldn't handle suturing themselves but I could be wrong.


No, most people could not handle suturing themselves. And sometimes it is just physically impossible. This would typically be done by someone else. That is the nice thing about people that pass out, you can have them all fixed up before they know what is going on. sometimes it is not even the person that is hurt that does you the favor by passing out. We had a guy who caught shrapnel to the face, from an exploding barrel. He was opened up from his nose to his ear, with his cheek bone exposed clear as day. One of the people in our party was freaking out like a little girl, frantically pulling his shirt off, to put on the guys face. As soon as he got his shirt off, he did us a big favor, and passed out face first in the mud.

Butterfies and superglue are great up to a certain point. 1/4" or so deep, and if it is jagged, then it gets sketchy. At this point, if you don't have sutures, you super glue, and then butterfly, and you superglue the butterflies to your skin. This is another reason why fabric butterfly bandages are better. I did this with a guy that ran his hand into a band saw. Held great for 3 days, until he cut it open again on something else. I have super glued a lot of cuts, it is a limited technique.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

Huntoholic said:


> I was not going to reply, but the more I thought about it I felt I should.
> 
> Un-waxed dental floss and a couple of sewing needles are not useless and have far more applications than sutures. I do personally carry both sutures and the dental floss, but if I had to leave one home it would be the suture.


You are right, they are not completely useless. They can be used for a lot of things, sewing clothes, improvised compass, cleaning the gas port on a shotgun, etc. But for stitching someone up, there is no comparison to sutures. It is simply very hard to stitch someone up with a regular needle, and even harder to stitch your self this way. And with a little larger suture needle, you can sew a split rand on a boot or shoe, or hypalon straps, etc. They are very versatile.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

I should also mention that when carrying sutures, if you don't carry hemostats also, you should get them big, so you can manipulate them with your hands.


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## sk1 (Apr 7, 2013)

Lonetree said:


> bandaids will handle most situations.....and if absolutely necessary quick clot.
> I feel like a lot of ppl probably couldn't handle suturing themselves but I could be wrong.


No, most people could not handle suturing themselves. And sometimes it is just physically impossible. This would typically be done by someone else. That is the nice thing about people that pass out, you can have them all fixed up before they know what is going on. sometimes it is not even the person that is hurt that does you the favor by passing out. We had a guy who caught shrapnel to the face, from an exploding barrel. He was opened up from his nose to his ear, with his cheek bone exposed clear as day. One of the people in our party was freaking out like a little girl, frantically pulling his shirt off, to put on the guys face. As soon as he got his shirt off, he did us a big favor, and passed out face first in the mud.

Butterfies and superglue are great up to a certain point. 1/4" or so deep, and if it is jagged, then it gets sketchy. At this point, if you don't have sutures, you super glue, and then butterfly, and you superglue the butterflies to your skin. This is another reason why fabric butterfly bandages are better. I did this with a guy that ran his hand into a band saw. Held great for 3 days, until he cut it open again on something else. I have super glued a lot of cuts, it is a limited technique.[/QUOTE]

Shrapnel and exploding barrels?? This is a hunting first aid kit right? Yes I can't disagree with you those are good materials to have even though I don't carry them. Hopefully I never come across a situation I can't handle with what I do have.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

[/QUOTE]Shrapnel and exploding barrels?? This is a hunting first aid kit right? [/QUOTE]

Yes


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

Lonetree said:


> No, most people could not handle suturing themselves. And sometimes it is just physically impossible. This would typically be done by someone else. That is the nice thing about people that pass out, you can have them all fixed up before they know what is going on. sometimes it is not even the person that is hurt that does you the favor by passing out. We had a guy who caught shrapnel to the face, from an exploding barrel. He was opened up from his nose to his ear, with his cheek bone exposed clear as day. One of the people in our party was freaking out like a little girl, frantically pulling his shirt off, to put on the guys face. As soon as he got his shirt off, he did us a big favor, and passed out face first in the mud.
> 
> Butterfies and superglue are great up to a certain point. 1/4" or so deep, and if it is jagged, then it gets sketchy. At this point, if you don't have sutures, you super glue, and then butterfly, and you superglue the butterflies to your skin. This is another reason why fabric butterfly bandages are better. I did this with a guy that ran his hand into a band saw. Held great for 3 days, until he cut it open again on something else. I have super glued a lot of cuts, it is a limited technique.


If you go with me this weekend I'll do my best to not get hurt, but at least it sounds like you are prepared if an injury occurs. Although I took a combat lifesaver course in the Army and can start my own IV, I'm not sure I could suture myself.


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## Hoopermat (Dec 17, 2010)

One item that always goes in my pack is road flare. In an emergency nothing starts a fire faster and can be used for signaling. Always have a couple in my pack.
And Imodium. You never know


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