Vicky Your Camping First Aid Kit
Camping is a great way to enjoy the hustle and bustle of life. Getting back to nature is second to none and what better way to enjoy nature than to gaze at the twinkling stars above? Yes, it sounds wonderful but while you sit there gazing at the haloed moon in your camp chair, cooking food over a cosy campfire pit or hiking the picturesque terrain, an accident could happen. So it is always best to set up a camping first aid kit before you go.
Would you be prepared? Hopefully, you would. A well-stocked camping first aid kit is imperative not an option. You may never need it but the adage “Be prepared” is of utmost importance.
Many novice campers tend to pack a first aid kit with a plethora of things that are not needed. They fail to know what is important and what is simply a decorative feature of a first aid kit. There is a great variety of store-available first aid kits on the market, but the variety is overwhelming.
You don’t need to spend Pounds and Pounds to have the essentials. Bulky first aid kits are not a must you should be able to fit all camping first aid requirements in a large zip-lock bag.
What You Need To Pack In Your Camping Firat Aid Kit
Common sense should come into the equation as well and one should know without a doubt that they should pack sterilized gauze, at least one triangular bandage, 2 pressure bandages to help restrict the blood flow in case of snakebite.
Tweezers, small sharp scissors or knives. These can be used to cut clothing away from injuries or gauze when needed. When out in the bush wasps or bee stings can kill if the camper has allergies, so ensure that you have a wasp or bee sting kit. (The author knows how important these are with a wife who is allergic to bees.)
Antiseptic cream which can be used for burns is necessary and a saline solution for cleansing wounds and washing foreign objects from the eyes. Rubbing alcohol is often placed in a first aid kit but this certainly stings when placed on open wounds.
The saline will do the job just as well, so if you have saline there is no need to pack rubbing alcohol. Saline is deemed the best thing to use for eye and wound irrigation. Rubbing alcohol is great for minor abrasions and bruises though, so don’t eliminate this if you feel it is a must instead of an option.
Cuts and infections heal quickly when iodine is applied so pack some iodine swabs in your kit. The author is a seasoned scout who has learned that treacle also aids in fighting off infection. It soothes burns and helps scabs to heal quickly. Treacle aids in treating gravel rash, dry skin from sunburn and chaffed areas of the body.
Treating Burns
But don’t apply this on a burn immediately. Treat the burn with antiseptic cream first. Then apply the treacle on the second day. In fact, when talking about burns an old scout trick is to pack a small jar of cold wet tea leaves in a small airtight container. Tea leaves take the sting from burns and aid in stopping the burnt area from scaring. Honey does the same, so use that if you have no treacle, but treacle is said to work quicker.
Aloe- Vera is another necessity when thinking of first aid kits, but ensure no one is allergic to this as it can make a burn spread further if an allergy is present. It can also make the burn area blister.
Things You Need For Pain
Pain often accompanies injuries and illness so pack some aspirin. Aspirin aids in treating pain and headaches, toothache, and fever. You will also need some gauze strips in varied sizes for blisters, cuts and so forth. Sterile wound dressings, crepe and elastic bandages, something to use as an eye bath and some eye drops. Cotton tips or cotton wool balls, adhesive surgical tape, thermometer, safety pins, sunscreen, insect bite lotion or calamine lotion, antihistamine tablets and some tea-tree oil.
I pack all my first aid equipment in a medium-sized Ziplock bag. Keep this in your backpack at all times. Cuts and scratches are synonymous with hiking in the bush, by having your first aid kit in your backpack you are well prepared for anything. You won’t need cans of disinfectant/antibiotic sprays etc which can be quite bulky if you carry a tube of antiseptic cream with you. They take up less room in your backpack anyway.
A host of people trip over fallen tree branches, logs and so forth. This leads to broken limbs and so forth. Keep two long sticks approximately 2 inches in circumference in your tent. These can be used for splints if one should suffer a broken arm or leg. Don’t worry about tourniquets as pressure bandages have now replaced these. Tourniquets have been proven to do more harm than good in many ways. Do some research on the internet and you can learn a little more about this.
Make Sure You Take Precautions
Artificial respiration may be required by someone who has had an accident, fit etc, so ensure your safety. By wearing these, you avoid direct contact with a person’s mouth. Many of these come as a transparent face sheet which prevents catching diseases. It has a ventilation tube with a one-way valve. These are compact and take up very little room in first aid kits.
Jelly beans or sugar-laced sweets can mean life or death to a diabetic, so make sure you have these on hand as well as a couple of tongue depressors in case someone has an epileptic seizure. Pack a space emergency blanket in your backpack. These are made from tin foil and aid in retaining body heat. These are compact and very light to carry. They are frequently used when one suffers from hyperthermia or shock.
This will eliminate the chance of you touching anyone’s blood other than your own and provide hygiene when dealing with a person in your care. As gory as it may sound there is a possibility of severing body parts. Have a clean plastic bag for placing any severed body parts in.
First aid instant ice packs are well worth packing too. These are great for sprains and those suffering from heat exhaustion or when a cooling application is needed. Now that you have your camping first aid kit packed you will be prepared for any crisis.
Make Medical Notes
Don’t forget to carry a pen and a small notepad in your camping first aid kit. Write down all the details of an accident or illness. This will aid paramedics, doctors etc if further treatment is required. Or an accident needs to be investigated. Remember to add a small pack of surgical gloves to your first aid kit.
