27 Considerations for a Wilderness First Aid Kit

By Sarah Buer

Jun 3, 2016

What's in your first aid kit?
Photo by Mei Ratz.

There’s no such thing as the perfect first aid kit, so you should consider your needs, including the length of your trip, the size of your group, and where you will be traveling, and then build a kit that meets them.

You should never pack anything in a first aid kit that you don’t know how to use. It’s wise to go through each item and familiarize yourself with how to use each item before going into the backcountry. And consider taking a Wilderness First Aid course to learn even more about how to use first aid kit supplies to manage common outdoor injuries and illnesses.

Consider including these supplies in your personal first aid kit for backcountry recreation:

1. Trauma shears

With a wide, blunt tip, these shears reduce the risk of cutting the patient while working on an injury.

2. Tweezers

A must-have for splinter removal and/or small cuts and scrapes that need a little extra attention in the field.

3. Safety Pins

Great for securing bandage materials or the base layer you’ve incorporated into an improvised splint.

4. NOLS Wilderness Medicine Pocket Guide

Take your training with you with this great lightweight, waterproof reference for the field.

Patient assessment with soap notes in Japan.
Photo by Shana Tarter.

5. Oral Thermometer

Changes in body temperature can be symptomatic of multiple different conditions. Keep an oral thermometer handy to monitor temp changes in your patient.

6. Rescue Mask

Our choice for a barrier when performing CPR, this mask comes with a hard case to keep it safe and a pair of gloves to help create a barrier between the user and patient.

7. 2nd Skin Dressings

Second skin works as an invisible gel bandage that forms a cover that protects wounds and is antiseptic, flexible, and waterproof.

8. Antibiotic Ointment Packets

Prevent infections, fight infections in cuts, scrapes, and burns, and help promote the healing of wounds.

9. Knuckle and Fingertip Fabric Bandages (Band-Aids)

Specially shaped knuckle and fingertip bandages are made of a flexible fabric designed to stretch when you stretch, while adhesive holds the bandage in place.

10. 3 x 4 Nonstick Gauze Pads

Pieces of gauze fabric used to guard and cushion a wound or to absorb blood or fluids. Especially useful for dressing wounds where other fabrics might stick to a burn or laceration.

11. Coban Wrap (7.6 cm x 4.6 m)

A self-adhering bandage or cohesive bandage is a type of bandage or wrap that coheres to itself but does not adhere well to other surfaces.

12. 1-inch Cloth Tape

Seal out dirt and germs to promote healing, secure bandages around wounds that must be protected, and wrap joints in cases of athletic injuries.

13. SAM Splint

A SAM Splint is a waterproof, reusable splint for immobilizing injured bones.

Splinting with SAM Splint
Photo by Jared Steinman.

14. Gloves

Three words: Body Substance Isolation. Keep cross contamination to a minimum with a pair of nitrile gloves.

15. 12cc Irrigation Syringe

Use for cleaning wounds, removing dirt and debris without touching a wound.

16. Povidone-iodine Solution

Treat minor wounds and infections and kill bacteria.

17. Antiseptic Towelettes

Keep your hands clean and prevent the spread of germs with these easy to use wipes!

18. Sterile Scrub Brush

Achieve maximum cleansing without causing skin irritation.

19. Wound Closure Strips

Use to secure, close and support small cuts and wounds.

20. Tincture of Benzoin Swabs

Provides a natural sticky layer on your skin that allows bandages to stick better and stay on longer.

21. Moleskin Dressings

Great for fabricating custom finger cuffs, and reducing skin friction against blisters.

Elastic wrap splint
Photo by Brad Christensen.

22. 4-6 Inch Elastic Wrap

Provides firm support and compression for minor strains and sprains, as well as splint compression.

23. 1x3 Fabric Bandages (Band-Aids)

Adhesive bandage with a gauze pad in the center, used to cover minor wounds.

24. 4x4 Sterile Gauze Pads

Appropriate for wound dressing, cleaning, prepping or packing.

25. 3-inch Conforming Roll Gauze

Dress wounds and hold dressings securely in place without slipping.

26. Transparent Film Dressings

Provide a moist, healing environment and protect the wound from mechanical trauma and bacterial invasion. These dressings can also act as a blister roof or “second skin.”

27. Triangular Bandages

Creating a sling, swathe, or tourniquet—these are only a few useful options for these handy bandages.

It’s also a good idea to keep a notepad, pencil, and SOAP note forms with your first aid kit.

Splinting arm
Photo by Brad Christensen.

A few other things to consider: Be sure to protect sterile dressings from moisture by sealing them in clear plastic packaging. Always have your kit accessible so everyone in your group knows its location. Label all containers in the kit and include instructions for all medications, since those who know the correct use for administration could end up becoming patients themselves and other group members may need guidance. 

Always restock your kit for each trip, checking expiration dates, making sure that sterile items haven’t been open or damaged, and adding any additional items that might be needed for special trips (high altitude, etc.).

Pro tip: It’s usually cheaper to buy a pre-made first aid kit, and then add extra supplies based on your needs, than it is to build one from scratch.

Take a Wilderness First Aid course to learn more about how to use first aid kit contents to treat common injuries and illnesses.

Written By

Sarah Buer

Sarah is a Wyoming native, Wilderness First Responder graduate, and former marketing coordinator for NOLS Wilderness Medicine. When she’s offline she enjoys running, singing and playing guitar, and playing in the mountains

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