Heading out to the wilderness and connecting with nature, is part of a human being. Hiking makes us discover things, places, and nature’s hidden treasures. Preparing for a hike whether, with family, colleagues and friends may be tedious. Listing all the things you will need and packing them is a lot. Early preparation is advisable to be sure that everything is in place. Of all the things you need, a first aid kit is a must-have. It may not be the complete universal first aid kit but rather the medical supplies you need for hiking.
Parking medical equipment for personal or family use will depend on individual health and the number of people in the hiking group. You may have an underlying condition or your kids. This means you will have to carry medication to ease the condition. Such conditions like asthma, hypertension diabetes, allergies must be considered while deciding what to put in your medical kit. If you are out hiking with colleagues or other friends, it is good to ask about their health. This will help you understand what you can include in the medical kit and what to leave out. After all the medical equipment is gathered, ensure you know how to use each of the items such that you can attend to any emergency quickly without being confused about how to use particular medical equipment.
So, how do you choose what to add to your medical kit? Here is a general guide to follow to have a better hiking medical equipment kit.
Basic First Aid care.
- Assorted bandages
- Antiseptic wipes
- Medical tape
- Antibacterial ointment
- Different sizes of gauze pads
- Insect sting treatment
- Non-stick pads
- Blister treatment
- Pain killers
- Tweezers
- Multitool
- Safety pins
- Allergic reaction treatment
Butterfly bandages
First aid card {this has well-outlined instruction on how to use various items}.
This list is not limited, you can add other items depending on the nature of your group and the place. Mostly, when a group is out in the woods you can add the following items for everyone’s use.
Comprehensive medical kit
Wound and wrap related items
- Rolled gauze
- Elastic wrap
- Cleansing pads
- Finger splint
- Triangular bandage
- Blood-stopping gauge
- Liquid bandage
- SAM splint
For treatments and medication
- Ibuprofen and aspirins
- Hand sanitizer
- Insect sting treatment
- Eye drops
- Rehydration salts
- Anti-diarrheal pills
- Prescription medication
- Poison ivy
- Ice
- Tools needed
- Cottons swabs
- Pocket knife
- Surgical gloves
- Sewing needle
- Duct tape
- Blunt tipped scissors
- Thermometer
- CPR mask
- Irrigation syringe
- Whistle
- Flashlight
- Emergency heat-reflecting blanket
- Personal items
- Lip balm
- Sunscreen
Any woman going hiking will need to carry some hygiene products like sanitary towels just in case.
This might seem like a long list of items to carry on your back. However, it is better to be prepared rather than panicking when an emergency happens in the vast woods. The weight should not bother you at all. You can subdivide the items among the group members and it will be easier than leaving some medical equipment behind.
Find a light backpack for you. This will help you reduce the load on your back. Though some people believe that an ultra-light backpack eliminates most of the items, it is not a bad idea. You can also reduce the weight by minimizing the number of items packed. For example, you can decide to carry half of the ibuprofen than the whole bottle. From the above list, you can minimize the weight by packing the following items.
Four adhesive bandage
- Half tube of antibiotic medicine.
- Two or three Zytec wipes
- Half medical tape roll
- Two to three butterfly bandages
- One sheet of moleskin
- Latex gloves
- Safety pins
- Tweezers
Water treatment tablets
Three packets of pills –for a pain reliever, anti-diarrheal, and others.
This is a more lightweight list compared to the rest. Even if you add your items they will be easy to carry for long hours.
Be satisfied with the medical equipment you need for your hiking. Wrap the items in a waterproof bag to avoid any contamination. Hit the road knowing that you are ready for anything out there. It is also advisable to have a hotline number to call in case there is a need for intensive medical attention.
