Camping First Aid Kits

Camping First Aid Kits: Be Prepared!

When I was a young man, I was very involved in Scouting. We had a motto in those days: Be Prepared! That was good advice for us then, because in those days we spent a LOT of time in the out-of-doors, and anything can happen out there. One very important item of equipment that we needed was a camping first aid kit, and I can't tell you how many times it came in very handy - for it seemed that one of us was always getting hurt!

"Why not just use a regular first aid kit?" That is an often-asked question, and the answer is this: you need a camping first aid kit because these are specially designed to provide the first aid supplies for unique injuries that you might get outside. After all, how many home first aid kits include a knife and suction cups for treating snakebite, or thermal blanket for treating cold or frostbite?

By the way, moms and dads: If you have a young man or woman involved in Boy or Girl Scouting, wilderness adventures, survival camping or similar activities, you need to make sure that you buy, and they pack, a good camping first aid kit, when they head outside. These have been known to even save lives - no kidding!

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Good camping first aid kits should not be too small - they should be well-equipped, with more than just band-aids and burn cream! They should include a variety of bandages, adhesive tape, antiseptic towelettes, burn cream, finger and leg splints, ace bandage, tweezers, scissors, snake bite kit, vinyl gloves, and a good first aid guide. Other items that should be included in a camping first aid kit include water purification tablets, thermal blankets, emergency matches - and for wilderness adventures, even a portable (hand-held) GPS device.

Another add-on possibility for camping first aid kits include aspirin, Tylenol or other pain-reliever (especially one that will help to reduce fever and inflammation). A pre-paid cellular phone is also handy, in calling for emergency assistance. You should also keep some lip balm and sunscreen handy as well, to protect the skin from the sun and wind.

A good strategy is to keep a large, well-stocked camping first aid kit at your campsite, and then carry a smaller pouch-size first aid kit with a few essentials when you are out hiking, fishing or hunting. A special note: hunters will need to make sure that they include supplies for treating rifle and gunshot wounds in their camping first aid kits. As well, fishermen may want to include items for treating cases where fishhooks become accidentally embedded in fingers, hands, or other parts of the body.

Once you have purchased one of the better quality camping first aid kits, make sure you regularly inspect the contents at least once or twice a year, removing any expired medicines and replacing any supplies that have been opened, or which have become wet - this will compromise their sterility and medicinal effectiveness. As supplies are used, make sure to buy replacements. You don't need to discover you are missing supplies when you are in the middle of a medical emergency!