How many of you carry a first aid kit on your rides?

I’ve started carrying one after a few crashes in the middle of no where got me thinking…

gaffer tape and zip ties count?

only if I’m going to be far from civilisation or doing some hooning

Used to, pretty pointless though, what you going to do with an antiseptic wipe and a plaster or two ?

I have one in my bag. Never used it though.

As well as a first aid kit I have a space blanket just incase. I think most things can be patched reasonably adequately with what you have on or about you. Water for washing a wound, bag straps or just a top as a pad.

However if you have someone badly hurt and have to wait for help keeping them warm is a priority whilst waiting for the professionals. That is after breathing and bleeding.

My club did some specific first aid training for outdoors, the majority of accidents which would occur on the trail can be bodged with standard items you should have in your pack already. Main thing I’d consider packing would be something to absorb/stop fluid leaking from body parts… which obviously t-shirts can do, or sanitary towels (pre waterproof packed).

i do, i see it as part of my tool kit. but then i’ve seen some nasty crashes and had to administer first aid out in the hills.

Used to, pretty pointless though, what you going to do with an antiseptic wipe and a plaster or two ?

that’s not really a first aid kit

No I carry a mobile phone which is much better.

If that doesnt work I’ll either be found alive/dead or I will cut said limb off like in that film.

I carry some antiseptic wipes and spray plaster, just to clean up any cuts and scrapes. Use it every few months.

“that’s not really a first aid kit”

Correct a first aid kit is knowledge and a hospital in reality

“I carry some antiseptic wipes and spray plaster, just to clean up any cuts and scrapes. Use it every few months.”

Why just wait until you get home and have a bath or a shower, surely?

Always when out on group rides, occasionally when I’m on my own, tbh, the one time I had a serious tumble I ended up flat on my back unable (and not wanting to risk) to move, as the kit is in my backpack it wouldn’t have been a lot of use, but you never know what circumstances may present so like every good scout ……..

I take blister pads if I’ve got new shoes, and food,space blanket, spare tops and leave route dets, worry time and call helicopter time with mate if on remote Scotland but I reckon a mobile is probably the best first aid tool

Always have a small one in my bag, whether commuting or riding for pleasure.

Yep, this one (I think, mine’s red)

http://www.skibartlett.com/trekmates-wilderness-first-aid-kit-11790-p.asp

Not had to use it beyond cuts that won’t stop bleeding yet, but nice to know it’s there if needed.

I also carry a space blanket and survival sack in my camelpack, argued with TJ about this last time this topic came up and he said he’s never more than a few miles from a road in the UK so what’s the point. My point was a few miles is a bloody long way if you’ve broken a leg and the weather turns nasty! They take up next to no room folded flat behind the bladder in the water compartment and weigh little enough not to notice.

Thought I’d get in quick before the usual argumentative tw*ts turn up and start rowing about the definition of a first aid kit..

I carry a pencil case with some basic stuff (plasters/gauze/eye wash/etc) and a space blanket. The thinking behind it is I like to be able to patch up cuts/splinters and scratches and carry on with my ride.
If anyone takes a big fall you can use what you have with you to keep them alive/comfortable until the pro’s arrive – I’d be quite happy for someone to use a muddy t-shirt to try and control a big bleed – the risk of infection is a lesser concern than bleeding to death.

There was a thread on here before where people were talking about carrying full trauma kits for a ride round a trail centre…

Yes always better to be prepared just in case.

Yep – it lives in my camelbak so it tends to be out on every ride.

Antiseptic wipes, some cutable plaster (knife on mini tool for cutting), steri-strips (which have been very useful for closing wounds up to get off the hills) and some small tweezers for getting crap out of wounds/eyes etc.

It’s been used probably three times in ten years – so I do understand those that say it’s not worth having. But – it has been useful in those circumstances.

Better safe than sorry.

And out of all of you who have answered so far saying they carry stuff, who has been on a first aid course?

Must admit I keep meaning to buy a survival bag to carry, space blankets wont keep you warm and dry.

Yep, carry one but haven’t a clue what to do with it.
Rely on the fact that out of my regular riding mates, 1 is a GP, 1 will be a qualified GP within a month or so and is also an army doctor, and another has military first-aid training.

Carry an essential hipflask of sterilising alcohol too…

I always carry one. I’m currently doing an outdoor specific first aid course and it’s been a bit of an eye opener. I always knew about the potential for shock to kill you but now feel more confident if I have to deal with such things.

One clear message from the training is that phones are fine but if someone stops breathing or is bleeding out, the time it takes for help to arrive can mean the difference between a good and a bad ending so I wouldn’t ever want to rely on the emergency services alone.

Even on local rides, I’ll carry the kit along with a survival bag, food / drink and spare clothes as you don’t have to be out in the wilds to **** yourself. 😀

Cheers

Sanny

survival bag!?! just pack the kitchen sink too. Unless you’re heading off to the proper wilderness there’s a fair chance you’d be found by a walker/rider anyway

I tend to a carry a suture kit etc. with me on long MTB rides in the peaks etc.

i’m the most likely to hurt themselves on a ride due to my over-enthusiasm so i like to go out already prepared to save my riding buddies the hassle of having to look after me:

the people i ride with are useless when it comes to dealing with somebody in pain or injured! luckily it appears i’m good at telling people what to do even when nearly unconscious 😆

ir-bandito

Of all of those folk, I reckon your best bet is with the military first aider as they’re most likely to have the knowldge and skills to deal with issues. I had this discussion with a mate who is a medic and he reckoned he’d rather trust a first aider than a GP who may have had years away from ever having to deal with any kind of trauma. It’s clearly a big generalisation but it got me thinking!

I kind of struggle to find a good reason not to carry the kit and a survival bag. They weigh next to nothing and I’d rather have them and not use them than not have them and regret it. Each to their own I guess and everyone has different priorities but it just seems like common sense to do it.

Always carry one (inc survival bag on longer Highland rides)and know what to do with it.

Never had to use it in anger, but it’s there if I do.
Even if you’re close to civilisation, it could take 30 minutes for the pro’s to arrive and a lot could happen in that time.

Sterile pads
Big elastic bandage to either attach pads, strap something up or suppoert broken wrist if walking out
Steri strips for sticking bits together that the elastic bandage won’t
Water in bottle
only ever used a couple of times

Oh, and plasters for when out riding with the kids. It’s easier than trying to explain why they don’t need them

T’is an interesting topic. I’m not sure what a couple of plasters and antiseptic wipes can do for you either. If you’re touring/biviing etc, then fair enough. But in most cases when you’re going to be sitting in the bath after a long day… I mean an elastoplast isn’t going to stop you bleeding to death.

So what should be in a first aid kit? Space blanket is a good one. But I’m not sure what else is useful out in’t hills?

I carry a ton of stuff every ride, first aid kit, space blankets energy tabs, phone, tubes and small spares and £20 cash.

Not really nessecary as I never go that far from civilisation, but the thought of needing to call my other half for help fills me with dread.

I am a trained first aider, and agree with other peoples comments re knowlegde being more important than the actual Kit.

Condoms and lube.

Carry some bandages and loads of antiseptic wipes they have come in pretty useful over the years. The space blanket has helped a couple of fellas on the hill 400 metres to the car park is a long way with a ruptured spleen/smashed ribs/broken collarbone.

You might think you’re indestructable but people break really easily when they hit trees or the ground.

FunkyDunc – Member

And out of all of you who have answered so far saying they carry stuff, who has been on a first aid course?

i have. doing a re-fresher course on the weekend.

I don’t and I’ve never been on a first aid course.

Out of interest, is there a perception that you are more likely to need a first aid kit when out on a big ride away from anywhere more than just riding along on local trails? Is it that the familiarity of riding somewhere you know means that you feel inherently more safe and thus are less likely to bin it?

As rugbydick says, half an hour is a long time to wait for help to arrive and a lot can happen in that time.

I reckon getting trained up so that you have the knowledge and the confidence to deal with an incident is no bad thing.

Condoms and lube.

What are you going to do, **** the injured? 😀

I don’t and I’ve never been on a first aid course.

You are a paramedic, you know what to do.

I reckon getting trained up so that you have the knowledge and the confidence to deal with an incident is no bad thing.

+1

Out of interest, is there a perception that you are more likely to need a first aid kit when out on a big ride away from anywhere more than just riding along on local trails? Is it that the familiarity of riding somewhere you know means that you feel inherently more safe and thus are less likely to bin it?

More likely to hurt myself somewhere local by far – I’m considerably more cautious out somewhere remote, particularly on my own. Most people would be the same surely? You’re not going to take on a 50/50 technical descent up in the mountains somewhere on your tod.

I never ride with a first aid kit tbh – take some spare clothing commensurate with the ride length and that’s about it. That’s not meant as look-at-me-I-don’t-give-a-monkeys, just that the arguments for the kit seem very marginal and not that convincing. I guess it’s better to have then have not, but I can’t see it generally making a real difference.

Mountain bike yes, road bike no. If you’re going off-road I really don’t understand why you wouldn’t at least carry a space blanket. They cost a couple of quid, take up next to no space and can make a genuine difference in keeping someone warmer. I’m not really sure why I don’t have one in my road pack.

There’s also the reassuring element to the injured party. Speaking from experience, an attempt to clean and dress a wound using a “real” first aid kit is going to give most people a bit more peace of mind than wrapping a dirty t-shirt around a gaping wound. As is often said, first aid is not about magically putting someone back together again, but making them comfortable before proper help arrives.

I carry one when right out in the wilds or sometimes on group rides.

The difference a kit can make is small – a bit more comfort for small injuries perhaps and I do have some super strong painkillers in case of serious injury.

The number of injuries where having the kit alters ride over to carry on is very small and narrow range

Re the survival bag thing, they are tiny + cheap.

There was a couple of times this winter on local rides where I was no more than probably 500yds from a local road busy road but I am certain that if I had fallen and broken my leg, probably no one else would have found me until Mrs FD got worried probably 2-3hrs later, and even then they wouldnt necessarily no where to look for me. A survival bag would keep me a lot warmer for longer than not having one or being in a space blanket.

Drac – Your a paramedic arn’t you… and they dont even get you as qualified as First Aider tut tut