Camping trips are a complete package of fun and adventure, along with bits and pieces of risk and danger. Why did we just ruin the idea of fun with risk and danger? To answer this let’s think about the activities and things that make camping fun. These activities could end up causing accidents and certain health issues, such as bruises, scratches, cuts, burns, upset stomachs, and something as small yet distracting, as headaches.
The chances of difficulty in accessing professional medical care while you’re on a camping trip are zero. Therefore, a first aid kit is an essential requirement to you, because when needed it would be your best option.
By the end of this article, you will be capable enough to set up your own camping first aid kit and will know about the essential items that should be included in your kit.
First aid manual
Among the most crucial first aid kit elements is a first aid manual. It includes step-by-step guidance about how to handle various first-aid emergencies.
It should preferably include instructions on how to handle minor injuries, sprains, cuts, bites, wounds, and other medical emergencies. Whenever you trip, you and your travel companions should clearly understand the contents of the first aid manual. Ensure you always have an up-to-date guidebook in your first-aid kit.
How about we divide our first aid kit into categories to make the task of setting up our camping first aid kit easy and trouble-free? Therefore, let’s just break up our list of essential items into four divisions:
- Cleaning, sterilizing, and disinfecting
- Covering, wrapping, and protecting
- Medicating and pain-killing
- First aid accessories
It’s time for us to go through our list of items in detail.
Cleaning,sterilizing,and disinfecting
When camping, even slight scratches and scrapes must be addressed. Infection is often a possibility, particularly while you’re in the woods or near water.
- Medical disinfectants
Dettol is almost every local’s preference when a disinfectant is selected.
- Antiseptic pads and Antiseptic wipes
Antiseptic pads help in reducing the presence of germs from minor cuts, scrapes, and burns.
Antiseptic wipes are a must-have for each first-aid kit. To clean wounds as well as the regions surrounding them so that the injury can be covered or medicament can be applied. Antiseptic wipes can also be used to cleanse cuts and bruises because they do not sting. However, it should never be administered directly to deeper injuries because it can sting.
- Antibacterial ointments or wipes:
Antibacterial wipes are designed to kill germs and bacteria without the need for soap and water to be used for cleaning the skin. It is a vital item in the first aid kits. Wounds and the skin surrounding them can be sanitized with these wipes. It also makes your hands germ-free before tending to injuries and wounds.
Antibacterial ointments keep the injury clean and provide hydration to the affected area of the skin keeping it moist. Topical antibacterials can be used to treat bacterial infections as well as minor skin infections caused by cuts, scrapes, and burns sustained while being on trial. If the injury is not addressed, it can become infected.
- Spare clean water, Saline solution, and distilled water:
You must carry along clean water (pathogen-free) in case you would use it to clean your or someone else’s wounds.
Saline solution is used when a person is dehydrated and to clean wounds as well. It is also employed to clear sinuses. Saline solutions are used topically as well as intravenously. It is used for superficial cuts and eye cleansing.
- Eye pads and eye drops:
These are sterile solutions and help in safely cleaning your eyes. Eyewashes must also be carried along with you.
- Hand sanitizer:
Hand sanitizers could be alcoholic or non-alcoholic, which can kill a major percentage of pathogens over your skin. Sanitizers should be massaged in for at least 30 seconds, and the amount spilled should be enough to keep hands moist for 10 to 15 seconds. Your first-aid kit should include the Best Hand Sanitizers for Your Needs.
Covering, wrapping, and protecting
Wrapping vulnerable wounds prevents infection and allows areas to recover quickly. However, because it’s impossible to predict what size cut you’ll get, bringing a variety of bandages and gauzes in a variety of sizes is essential.
- Band-aids:
Wide, round, long, and short strip variations are available in several materials and sizes, including textile and waterproof. You’ll be able to cover any tiny to moderate cuts using this method.
- Gauze pads and bandages (various sizes):
Seals small to medium-sized cuts and abrasions in a variety of sizes. Pressure bandages can also be used to keep wounds closed for prolonged periods. Cleaning, treating, preparing, packing, and debriding injuries are all done with them. You can use them to retain moisture when dressing your wound.
- Sports tape:
Athletic tape is used to limit joint mobility for specific muscles and joints, which can boost the immune system to heal more quickly than if the mobility was not limited. It can also be used as a splint for sprained joints, allowing the damage to heal considerably faster.
- Liquid bandages:
They’re a clear, sticky liquid glue that could be administered immediately to an injury to protect ripped flesh margins from fraying. As the liquid suture hardens, it generates a covering that closes and covers the incision. Liquid stitches are a type of liquid stitch that is also known as liquid bandages.
- Adhesive tape, Adhesive bandages/plasters (various sizes):
Medical tapes or adhesive tapes are used to hold tapes and other dressings tight over the injury. Duct tape can also be used to keep bandages together, but should not be applied directly to the skin due to its sticking strength.
A lightweight strapping bandage that could be used for ankle taping, knee taping, hand taping, and wrist taping is an adhesive bandage. Sports physiotherapists regularly utilize it to treat and prevent sprained ankles.
Plasters, also known as sticky dressings, are sterile dressings that are used to cover small cuts, abrasions, and mildly bleeding wounds. Protecting such injuries against infection and further harm is important.
- Eye dressings/pads:
Sterile Eye Pads are constructed of sterile gauze, a natural cotton-based substance that is used to stop bleeding and treat wounds.
Following eyelid surgery, eye dressings are used to provide moderate pressure on an eye pad, stop bleeding, and reduce swelling.
- Crepe bandage:
A crepe bandage is a type of bandage that is used to provide stress to a limb or joint. It’s utilized to help weak body parts by reducing swelling, relieving discomfort, and providing support.
- Cold compress:
A cold compress is applied to an injured location to chill it down, which saves bodily tissue by lowering metabolic activity and minimizing swelling.
- Triangular sling bandage:
Oversized triangular bandages can be used as dressings, slings to brace a limb, or as a way to maintain a dressing in place. If you’re using a triangle bandage to sling an arm, make sure it’s spread out.
As an arm sling or a pad, these are used to reduce bleeding. It could also be used as improvised padding to protect against a potentially fatal ailment or to aid or immobilize a bone or joint injury.
Medications
You would require basic over-the-counter medications so when needed you would not be helpless.
- Sunscreen:
Sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30+, with SPF 50+ being preferable.
- Sun exposure relief ointment:
This ointment is used against the heat when you have burns, it provides coolness, along with reducing the redness.
- Aloe Vera gel:
Aloe vera gels soothe your skin and provide coolness. Relieves rashes, itches, and burns.
- Painkiller:
Choose what’s best for you and your family with your doctor’s recommendation. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are the two most common brands and are widely used by a majority of the population all over the world.
- Diarrhea and constipation medicine:
Diet changes may result in an upset stomach and when you’re camping the chances of ingesting contaminated food items are higher, thus it will impact your digestion.
- Insect-sting treatments:
Stingose and other insect-sting medicines help to alleviate itching and suffering caused by insect bites.
- Antiseptic cream:
Cuts and grazes, minor burns and scalds, tiny areas of sunburn, dry chapped skin, diaper rash, insect bites, spots, and pimples could all benefit from this antiseptic cream, which soothes and cures wounds while also protecting against infection. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, you can also use this medication.
- Hydrocortisone cream:
Hydrocortisone topical can be used to treat skin conditions that produce redness, itching, edema, or other irritation.
- Antihistamine tablets:
In case of an allergic reaction, antihistamines are used such as hayfever.
- Cough medicines:
Cough drops, expectorants, or cough suppressants are convenient to be carried along on your camping trip.
- Rehydration salts:
When you experience dehydration due to gastroenteritis, diarrhea, or vomiting, they can be used to restore the salts and water that your body releases.
- Water purification tablets:
They’re effervescent pills that inhibit the growth of bacteria in the water to avoid diseases including cholera, typhoid, and dysentery.
First Aid Accessories
These are essential accessories that will make sure your trip is peaceful and trouble-free.
- Personal medications:
Despite what may appear to be plain sense, many people forget to take their drugs. You must bring any antibiotics, prescription medicines, or regular supplements that you are taking with you. It’s also a good idea to bring some extra medication in case your trip is cut short due to unanticipated circumstances.
- Cutting instruments:
To cut bandages and dressings to size, use a scalpel, scissors, knife, or razor blade.
- Plastic gloves/Disposable sterile gloves:
In the event of an allergic reaction, non-latex is preferred. These guard against infection and contact with potentially harmful bodily fluids. Disposable gloves act as an efficient infection barrier. Biodegradable, latex-free gloves should always be on hand for first responders. When there is a possibility of immediate contact with bodily fluids, they must be worn by first responders.
- Tweezers:
To clean little pieces of dirt out of a wound, nail clippers or needle-nose pliers could be used as well, but they aren’t ideal. These are crucial because you will be vulnerable to the wild and the environment, increasing the likelihood of even the tiniest particles becoming stuck in your skin.
- Basic cold and flu medication:
Common cold and flu medications and so others should be present in your first aid boxes such as Codral and Strepsils to fight the condition.
- Fire-source:
Waterproof matches/matchboxes or lighters should be kept.
- Light-source:
A rechargeable head torch would be of great help to you so you can see what you are doing in the dark.
- Notebook and pen:
Make notes and jot stuff down that you might otherwise forget With a waterproof pencil or pen, record vital signs and other important information in a tiny notebook. A pencil can work on waterproof paper in most types of weather, but a pen will doodle on the back of your rubber gloves.
- Thermometer:
An oral thermometer would seem to be a practical addition to your first-aid box. You could get a digital thermometer and use it to take your body temperature by inserting it in your ear. The latter gives a more precise temperature reading, although it is more costly.
- Emergency foil blanket:
An emergency blanket could help the person regain up to 80% of their core temperature. Aluminum film blankets keep the body toasty and reduce heat loss, which helps to recover from shock or hypothermia.
- Safety pins:
Safety pins can be used to temporarily hold ripped garments together and can also be used to secure bandages.
What to put it all in?
If you began with a pre-made first-aid kit, it’s probably overflowing by now if you applied our advice above. So, what kind of storage will you be using to keep everything safe? You can use anything waterproof, robust, has sections, and is incredibly lightweight. The following are examples of common first-aid containers:
- Due to its numerous adjustable shelves and durable shell, fishing tackle boxes are particularly popular.
- Toolboxes are also prevalent and have a structure similar to a tackle box. Their metal case, on the other hand, makes them significantly heavier.
- Laptop bags are a slightly different storage device. They usually have huge pouches and a wide, thin shape that makes them easier to pack into a car.
When you do decide to utilize a non-standard container, make sure it’s clearly labeled so you and others don’t mix it up with its other function. The very last thing you want to do on your fishing trip is to bring your ‘first-aid tackle box’ instead of your actual storage container with your lures in it. You may also buy empty first-aid kit cases to store your supplies.