First aid kit

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I was thinking of getting a first aid kit, especially when i go trail riding...not for my self, but also for all of my friends who may need it. Where can i purchase a good starter kit? Or would it be better to buy everything separately?What would be the essentials that i would need? I want the kit mainly for wounds and not stuff like bee bites or insect bites.What would you reccomend? Also where can i get those 'gash closers' from?

-- Terjin (terjindhillon@hotmail.com), June 03, 2003

Answers

hey , you might consider buying one of those small first aid kits sold in guardian or watsons. they have those small boxes which include tweezers , gauze , bandage , cotton and some others. (maybe some anticeptic too).

-- Jeff (uglyj@swivemail.com), June 04, 2003.
Jeff, i already have those at home....what I am looking for is a rather more customized kit for wounds that result from the 'normal' offroad casualties......something that is compact in other words...dont really want to be lugging arnd something huge and would be cumbersome to me... -Thanks anyways- ~!^KeE[p] R!d!N[g]^!~

-- Terjin (terjindhillon@hotmail.com), June 06, 2003.
My personal First Aid kit, Throw in a few band-aids, 5 packs of gauze-pad(3x3-12 ply) 1 combine ABD pad )5"x9" 1 mini first-aid manual 1 needle 1 surgeon rubber glove 1 triangular bandage 4 antiseptic towes, the mini-wipes 4 iodine minipads i roll of bandage tape 1 pair of small sized scissors

all the above fits into a small fanny pack (purchased from mountain equipment coop www.mec.ca)

Hope this answer helps a bit.

-- A Annuar (aannuar@shaw.ca), June 06, 2003.

Whats the 4 antiseptic towes for? Also is it a must to carry the iodine swabs? What abt the ABD pads?What are those for? Thanks for your help!

-- Terjin (terjindhillon@hotmail.com), June 08, 2003.
Hi Terjin, hope the following answer clarifies your query.

The antiseptic towel, each individually packed for single use, act as a cleansing agent. Use the towels to wipe away dirt, sand, etc. out and away from minor wounds, for ex. a knee scrap abrasion, or elbow scraps.

The iodine packs,also individually packed, should be considered when building your own personal first aid kit. It is, after all, a geneal topical antibiotic agent.

ABD pads are designed to handle heavy drainage injuries, typically deep cuts. An example, say a bamboo slice.

One more thing, as you may have packed a mobile phone, you may want to pack a whistle also-good back-up.

Andrew

-- Andrew (aannuar@shaw.ca), June 08, 2003.

Andrew's ket sounds like a good one (maybe because it's similar to mine!) I started with one of those small off-the-shelf kits and as I replenished the items I started to customize a bit with the type of swabs, gauze and bandaids that I use the most. Nothing complicated, just enough to clean the wound and then keep it shut so you can get out to a clinic or hospital and have them finish the job.

Two more important items:

1) Elastic bandage (tensor, ace, etc.) of the type for wrapping sprains. It can also be used for holding gauze in place in the case of a deep cut, and is the recommended method for short term treatment in case of snakebite. Thankfully I have never had to test the snakebite theory, but certainly there have been lots of sprains and cuts. The bandage can be washed and re-used, at which time I pack it flat rather than roll it up so that it is easier to hide in a fanny pack.

2) A small squirt bottle of Dettol diluted 50/50 with water. Apply directly to cuts and abrasions to wash out grime and to disinfect. Also works wonders on leeches - apply directly and watch them curl up and fall off! Sure beats pulling them off.

Good luck!

Pat Brunsdon

-- Pat Brunsdon (p_brunsdon@yahoo.com), June 16, 2003.

Terjin,

Lots of good answers to your question above. Also, if you haven't already done so, have a look at this thread: What do YOU put in your first aid kit? for a few more ideas of what you ought to carry.

So, to answer your questions:

1. You can't get a good off-the-shelf starter first-aid kit, at least not in Malaysia. Most of the off-the-shelf first aid kits on sale are unsuited for outdoor/adventure use.

2. Yup, better to buy everything separately. The answers by Andrew and Pat above, as well as the thread that I've linked above, will give you an idea of stuff to inlcude in your kit. Re insect bites and bee stings: just bring along some anti-histamines, they don't weigh much or take up much space.

From my own personal experience, here's stuff that I won't leave out:

This is minimum I would carry, though I'd normally carry a few more items especially if it's a long ride.

The idea with wilderness first-aid is to patch yourself up sufficiently so that you can stagger out to a hospital. Your first- aid kit should at least be able to help you continue walking (or riding) until you can get to help or to stabilise your condition until help arrives, and so should at least take care of the most common injuries suffered by mountain bikers. At the same time, there's no point having a comprehensive first-kit if it's too heavy and you end up leaving it at home most of the time. Typical injuries that my riding mates or I have suffered over the years are:

One important thing is to get a nice (preferably waterproof) bag to put it all in. Check out the Tearproof outlets in Mid Valley or KLCC for a suitable bag. Or, if you are prone to self-indulgent excess like me, try Ortlieb, whose roll-top closure bags are da bomb.

3. Gash closures: try and ask your local GP, who should be able to help. In fact, when I was building my first first-aid kit and was still young and clueless, I asked my GP to list down what I would need for an outdoor first aid kit. I've refined its contents over time to suit my particular needs.

HTH,
Joe

-- Joe (joeadnan@yahoo.com), June 17, 2003.

Thanks to all of you who replied..thanks for the thread you reffered me to Joe! It really helped..

-- Terjin (terjindhillon@hotmail.com), June 18, 2003.
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