A first aid kit helps you take care of an injury that occurs when you are camping. First aid can save a life, control bleeding, or ease the pain when you cannot get to the hospital fast. In case of a serious injury, however, you still need to call for immediate medical attention. Below are essential items to pack in your first aid kit.
Bandages
A bandage covers an open wound. When camping, you need a variety of bandages to keep you safe when you have different injuries. Band-aids come in various sizes, and you can use them for small scrapes. Adhesive bandages are ideal for wounds and bigger scrapes. If you sustain head injuries, you will need butterfly bandages. Also, bring some gauze pads or gauze roll to stop bleeding.
Further, you need cloth bandages for sprains and compression when there is bleeding. You can also use cloth bandages to hold a dressing in place as you would with a tourniquet. Other items you can bring are blister pads, eye patches, and sports strapping tape.
Cleaning and Care Items
You should handle wounds with care to prevent an infection. To do that, bring a hand sanitizer, gloves, sterile wipes, saline solution, and cotton tips. A hand sanitizer is ideal in ensuring that the hands are clean before one administers first aid. Gloves further ensure you do not contaminate the wound and protect you from infection if you perform first aid on another person.
A saline solution cleans wounds around the eyes while sterile wipes and disinfectants can clean wounds on other parts of the body. Learn the basics of first aid to avoid infecting a wound.
Medication
Anything can happen when you go camping in California. If you get sick while in the jungle, you need medication to help you recover fast. For starters, bring antiseptic creams to heal cuts and keep off infection. You can also use the cream for minor burns. Also bring painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicine, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol.
Other medication and creams to bring include sting cream, prescription medication, cold/flu medication, oral rehydration medication, eye drops, epi-pen, anti-histamine, and anti-diarrhea medicine. You may also need sunscreen, lip balm, burn cream, and insect repellent. Some of these creams need to be used every day. As for the medication, hope that you never have to use them, but they come in handy when you need them.
Other Items
You need tweezers to pull out bee stings, gravel, and splinters. You should also bring scissors for cutting bandages and other items that need cutting. It is also possible to use a knife, but a pair of scissors is more efficient. Instead of a knife, get a good multitool that can do more than cut.
Bring safety pins to hold the bandages together and splints to support broken bones. If you do not have a splint, you can use a string. A survival blanket or an emergency blanket, helps you stay warm after the shock that follows an accident.
If you camp in a place where there are snakes, you need a snake kit. This will help you manage snake poisoning, especially if the camp is in a less populated area. Also, bring a thermometer to check your temperature if you feel like you are falling ill. To manage pain and swelling from bruises and other injuries, bring an instant ice pack. Another very important item is a notepad, and a pen or pencil. These will help you note down details about a situation. Also, bring duct tape and have a container large enough to hold all your first aid items. There are also prepackaged kits available on the market.
Have a Phone App for First Aid
This is not a first aid item, but you still need to have it. If you have never performed first aid, an app shows you what to do. Downloading an app or two will keep you knowledgeable when an accident occurs. Some of these emergency apps also help you call for help when an emergency occurs. You can access emergency numbers, such as the Police Assistance Line and SES Line. You can access topics, such as allergic reactions, bites and stings, burns, chest pains, choking, and asthma attacks among others.
In conclusion, if you have a medical condition, talk to your physician before you go camping. You should also know how to use most of the items in your first aid kit.
