What's in your medkit?

[VAspeedgoat]

I have found that as I get a little older (hopefully wiser) I whittle down my med kit a bit each season or three. I think I have what I need to handle most minor injuries and a few more serious issues.
I went through the Wilderness EMT course a number of years ago, and it was very helpful. Knowledge about what to do if things go sideways weighs nothing, and can be better than the biggest med kit. Also, having hunting partners who know the basics is a big bonus.

One way I have approached what I take with me is I think of the hunts I will be on and consider the most likely injury my hunting partner or I could encounter. And "injury" might be better described as "inconvenience" in reality -- small blisters, minor scrapes, minor burns (think grabbing the lid on the cook stove by accident, etc.) that only require a band-aid or some blister treatment.
The serious injuries I would categorize as large cuts/puncture wounds and sprains/breaks. Both can be hunt-ending in nature, and a break or major sprain (ankle, knee, etc.) could make for a dangerous and tough trip out on foot, possibly requiring an evac.

Each hunter will take what they feel keeps them safe/covered for possible injuries, but the basics in my opinion are items to stop/slow the bleeding from a cut/scrape/puncture and items to stabilize and immobilize a sprain/break. Additional "nice to have" items include Ibuprofen, Immodium, pre-blister prep (a few 10" strips of K-Tape are great) as well as hand sanitizer.
"Cross over" items that most of us carry are duct tape (wrapped around my trekking pole below the grip), latex gloves (part of my field dressing kit) and of course a sleeping bag/pad, in case someone had to wait out the night, etc.

All of the med kit items weigh about 6-8 oz. and can be carried anytime. Along with that, a basic Wilderness first aid course is a good idea -- a little know-how goes a long way.

Great point on a little knowledge. I have never taken a course but have read NOLS manuals and a couple others. I'm certainly not an emt but I feel I could be better than average. Maybe I just need to hunt with Cushman, then all I'd need would be a radio.

 

[idnative1948]

+1 on the last sentence here. Only thing I would worry about is him saying, "Oh, you big baby, that is just a scratch!"

Great point on a little knowledge. I have never taken a course but have read NOLS manuals and a couple others. I'm certainly not an emt but I feel I could be better than average. Maybe I just need to hunt with Cushman, then all I'd need would be a radio.

 

[JohnCushman]

+1 on the last sentence here. Only thing I would worry about is him saying, "Oh, you big baby, that is just a scratch!"

I wouldn't say 'big baby'

 

[Fire_9]

I see where Buzz is coming from but I don't completely agree.

I have yet to put mine together but I have a 'wish list' going. I never thought I would add a tampon list to it but I can definitely see how that would work. I didn't see it mentioned but I would definitely throw a tourniquet it. There are plenty of them out there for pretty cheap and they don't weigh much. Another one that I recently trained with and acquired is something called an "IT Clamp". A little spendy but it's one of the newer latest and greatest gadgets. One I've thought a lot about is a chest seal. I've almost almost fallen on a set of antlers so I see a puncture wound to the chest as a real possibility.

So here is my list so far. Super glue, tape(duct, tenactious, and/or electrical), hemostatic z fold gauze, tourniquet, vet wrap, tampon(thanks John), 4x4's, IT Clamp, and a chest seal.

I will also agree with the statement that there is no substitute for knowledge and the need for an SOS device. You can have all the gear you want but it's useless if you don't know how to treat the problem. I recently got an inReach and wish I would have done it sooner. Pretty cheap insurance...

 

[brymoore]

Duck tape, TP, aspirin and paracord.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

These are pretty slick deals. Lose the idea that you will fashion a tourniquet for yourself out of paracord, you will probably go into shock before you manage it.

http://combattourniquet.com/http://combattourniquet.com/

 

[RobG]

I have overdone it a few times and it is very debilitating and potentially life threatening if you are in the wrong weather. Chewable pepto bismol really helps get your insides back in order. Better yet, if you chew one when you first start getting queezy it will help a lot.

The other thing I'll say is that if you find yourself in a very cold and wet situation try to build a fire with that fancy fire starter you have.

 

[JohnDeereGreen]

Thanks everyone for replying to the post. I finally had a chance to go through my medkit at lunch today. Here's what I had in there from last season:

Ace bandage, neosporin, tweezers, assorted band-aids, some 4x4 pads, disinfecting wipes, some antacids, ibuprofen, roll of gauze, athletic tape, a quikclot infused bandage, and a CAT tourniquet.

Have paracord and duct tape in my pack as well, but those are more "all-purpose items" than strictly medical IMO.

I got an inReach for Christmas last year, and like many here, I think it's great. Makes me feel like I have a slightly better chance of getting help if I really need it, and gives my GF a lot of peace of mind when I am out in the woods.

Judging by what everyone else has written, I guess I'm reasonably well-covered.

Cushman, thanks for the tip about using tampons in place of quikclot. I'll be making a switch to those instead.

Re: the widget that injects sponges. I asked a friend who is starting his residency in emergency med about that, and he was somewhat skeptical, FWIW.

I've also gotten into the habit of carrying a small stove and can of fuel with me. Both fit inside a 16oz steel mug. Nothing beats being able to have a hot cup of tea or cocoa whenever you feel like it.

 

[kansasdad]

Fire 9. Re the tournaquet........applying such a device means it is life or death and the part of the body away from the heart is being sacrificed to keep the rest of the body alive. (Probably not quite that dire, but direct pressure in a bleed is way more important than applying a limb killer)

 

[Fire_9]

Actually Kansasdad that is the old school way of thinking. Thanks to the war in Iraq, there has been tons of data proving that tourniquets can be used without sacrificing the limb. Newer styles of tourniquets have a wide band that do not cause the tissue damage that shoe string style tourniquets do. I agree that the chances of needing one are very slim but it is still a possibility. I personally am willing to pack around the extra couple ounces for a little added insurance.

 

[rideold]

Looks like Garmin sees the market for the InReach as significant. I wonder if this means we'll be able to run Onyx Maps on an InReach device soon - http://www.delorme.com/about/pressreleases/garmin.htm

 

[JohnCushman]

Looks like Garmin sees the market for the InReach as significant. I wonder if this means we'll be able to run Onyx Maps on an InReach device soon - http://www.delorme.com/about/pressreleases/garmin.htm

This could be interesting...

 

[JohnCushman]

Actually Kansasdad that is the old school way of thinking. Thanks to the war in Iraq, there has been tons of data proving that tourniquets can be used without sacrificing the limb. Newer styles of tourniquets have a wide band that do not cause the tissue damage that shoe string style tourniquets do. I agree that the chances of needing one are very slim but it is still a possibility. I personally am willing to pack around the extra couple ounces for a little added insurance.

This is pretty accurate. In country the right seat ride medics flat out told us to 'sling tourniquets' whenever we could. They briefed us in Baghdad with the main 1st Cav doctors about the benefits of them and how the newer combat ones with the wide webbing didn't cause the tissue damage that the older ones from back in the day caused. They still recommended direct pressure and pressure dressings first, but they said to not think twice about applying one. So, once we got up to Taji, I gave 2 of the 'newest and greatest' combat tourniquets to each truck commander to add to the med kit for the vehicle. Using something thin like paracord will cause the tissue damage that will cause permanent damage, and not knowing how to properly use one in the first place will cause permanent damage. There are very few times in the hunting woods that someone is going to need a tourniquet that a pressure dressing won't do the job.

 

[JohnDeereGreen]

This is really interesting about Garmin acquiring DeLorme. Though I will say that in its current form, I think it would be difficult to use onX maps on an inReach. The inReach screen seems pretty small for that. Still it will be interesting to see what happens. Also didn't know that Garmin was based in Switzerland.

On a side note, I found myself in Schaffhausen for a few days a couple of years ago. Neat town. If you like Swiss watches or watchmaking in general, it is definitely the place to go.