First aid and safety gear

Amazing how far away the nearest bit of good timber can be when you need it. But yes. we can improvise. Struts out of your pack look good. Flst, sttong, and can even be bent into required shape.

OK here's my suggested list based on nothing but comparing a few kits and reading a forum or two. It is quite a long list but many of these items are very small or thin. I have excluded a CPR mask because I'm sure I wouldn't think to use it. * Standard red zip open first aid bag (so other people can recognise it!) * Scissors/craft knife * Safety pins * Tweezers * Foil survival blanket * Couple of sealable plastic bags * 1 crepe bandage * Latex gloves - 1 pair (gloves can be used as bags too) * Waterproof strapping tape (Leukoplast Blue spool) * Waterproof blister plasters (Compeed) or moleskin (Scholl) * One large wound closure (Omnistrip) * Butterfly closures (Steri-strips) - these are like stitches * Non-adherent wound dressings (Telfa) * Paracetamol, ibuprofen -- adults can take both at once * Antihistamine (Zyrtec or similar) * Diastop * Iodine liquid - Betadine for cleaning wounds or water purification (4 drops/L) or perhaps Medipulv antiseptic powder (longer shelf life?) * Electrolyte sachets - a good number of these Also carrying suncream, insect repellent, personal meds, spare food (usually OSM bars), hand sanitiser.

Not bad that just about mirrors my own not too big no attempt to do major surgery and mostly covers personal need.

That's quite a good list I also carry a couple of needles and a small spool of thread both as a repair for ripped clothing or to stitch meself up should I feel particularly brave( which I am not, but needs must) "Standard red zip open first aid bag (so other people can recognise it!)" On that thought, 2 years ago I replaced my tired old first aid draw-bag with a bright red tubular pencil case (Warehouse Stationery-$2.99) Its made of canvas type material and was a tenth of the cost of a commercial one. To be sure, I wrote FIRST AID on it in big black letters.

I've carried a comprehensive first aid kit over the years, never really needed to use it much but last week I did a 5 day tramp through Kahurangi NP, for the the first time I got really bad chafing exposing raw skin around my shoulders and contact points with pack on my back, unsure why this happened I usually wear Icebreaker but wore a Norsewear merino top -not as soft as Icebreaker, it was very hot with lots of sweating, this was on day 2. My point is that some of these firstaid's you can buy dont have much in them, I just had enough Telfa pads and micropore tape to cushion the areas. I'm thinking I might take a small pill bottle of Calamine lotion next time and some sort of anti chafing cream, If you get bad blisters etc on the first day it doesn't take long to go through band aids, telfa pads etc.More is sometimes better.

One last thought, I do recommend buying some Fixomull stretch tape (at chemists) 10cm x 10cm , this comes in rolls and you can cut it to the size you want, I laided the telfa pad on this tape and placed over chafing, stays in place for several days. This has better adhesion than micropore tape

and some super strong pain killers...

Pain killers!!... that's what a piece of wood is for.

can never find a decent piece of woodd when you need one....

I'd be embarrassed to itemise what's in my first aid kit but I work on the principle that if it's too heavy, I won't carry it. When Frank broke his leg (double spiral fracture of the tibia) we deconstructed his pack to get the thin back pad and our walking poles to get the splints. I used a pair of long johns as a bandage for this set up. He crawled spider fashion on his palms and good foot with a sling set up with his overtrous to keep the injured leg off the ground. He covered at least a km of tussock, swamp, celmisia and negotiated an old wire fence in the dark heading for my headlamp as I'd gone ahead to reccy the route. Having the walkie-talkies made it easier. That night, he cooked the meal while I put up the tent. After doing MSC first aid scenarios all these years it was a bit like experiencing another one.