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  • Saddle bag first aid kit.
  • imp999
    Free Member

    Embarrassingly, I take nothing out with me when I ride. I suspect my mates are as useless as me, in this respect.
    So what stuff should I put together to keep in my saddle bag/sack?
    Thanks.
    I know I need to get on a FA course too.

    dunmail
    Free Member

    TBH, once you get past sticking plasters and zinc oxide tape there isn’t much in most first aid kits that you need. I’d add safety pins, blunt nosed scissors and a pair of tweezers and a surgical bandage. If you yourself require any specific medicines then include those but you have to be wary of giving anything to someone you don’t know if you haven’t training.

    perhaps the worst things you are likely to have to deal with are: cuts – clean and cover with plaster; deep cuts – immobilise & stem blood flow; broken bones – splint. Your problem then is then caring for the casualty (hypothermia, shock, etc) and getting them to full medical attention.

    TiRed
    Full Member

    Road: Large self-adhesive dressing, small dressing, wipes and gloves. Rolled up in cling film and in my tool bottle. Duct tape around a pump. I take when leading club rides.

    Off road: Small travel first aid kit with duct tape around a pump.

    Coaching: As per Off road. Training and kit needed for valid insurance.

    freeagent
    Free Member

    This has been discussed before and (predictably) got a bit silly with some people taking a mobile field hospital to a trail center, and others crossing Africa with nothing more than a clean hankie.

    I’d say have a think about what you are trying to achieve –
    Realistically you should carry a few bits to allow you to cover a cut/graze and carry on with your ride, anything bigger needs a different approach.
    There is no point carrying stacks of dressings and bandages, you can improvise using clothing, and infection control is not your greatest problem if you are going hospital anyway.
    I’d say something like –

    a few plasters, in different sizes
    sachet of eye wash
    roll of micropore/zinc oxide tape
    couple of larger wound pads or dressings
    maybe 1 or two smallish bandages
    safety pins
    tweezers
    duct tape wrapped around old credit card.

    The above will all fit in a saddle bag, or in a pencil case inside your backpack (that’s what mine is in)

    imp999
    Free Member

    That is great, guys.
    I picked up a box of big plasters/dressings from Aldi & that is what has kicked this off.
    You watch! I’ll need it on tomorrow’s ride – Sod’s law!

    benp1
    Full Member

    I’ve got a tiny FAK zip bag with spares and first aid stuff in it. Got it from the poundshop, then changed the contents to be specific to what I need

    Usual stuff like cable ties and tyre repair bits, quick links for chain, leatherman bit kit and plus:
    safety pins
    mini micropore
    cleansing wipes
    small dressing
    steristrips
    small selection of plasters
    duct tape (wrapped around a piece of card so its flat)

    its a little bag, looks like a tiny pencil case

    Haven’t taken anything more serious as my riding isn’t that serious and I’m hoping I’ll be able to bodge stuff together using the other bits around me

    timnwild
    Full Member

    I like these – first aid kits for ultramarathon runners. link

    Wound Care / Burn / Blister
    2 x. Bandage, Butterfly Closure
    3 x After Cuts & Scrapes® Wipe
    4 x Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2″ x 2″, Pkg./2
    1 x Tape, 1/2″ x 10 Yards
    5 x Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1″ x 3″
    3 x Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle
    1 x Moleskin, 2″ x 2.5″
    2 x Safety Pins

    I stick a sheet of 400mg ibroprofen in there as well, and it jams into a small internal camelback pocket and it’s light as anything. ABout 12 quid.

    Sanny
    Free Member

    So for me the following comes with me every ride.

    Painkillers – Ibuprofen, Paracetemol and Co-codamol.
    Plasters – normal and compeed for blisters. Plastic skin is also pretty damn good too!
    Antisceptic wipes.
    Wound dressing.
    Tape.
    A couple of bandages.
    Gloves.

    To this, I also have paracord, a whistle, a foil survival bag, a Petzl light and a fire stick. 😀

    Packs easily into a 1 litre Alpkit dry bag. Job done.

    ohnohesback
    Free Member

    No triangle bandage for supporting a dislocated arm?

    Drac
    Full Member

    Why the safety pins, even St John’s stopped using them?

    benp1
    Full Member

    Good question, I suppose I don’t really need them! No, no triangular bandage in my kit, its too big and figured I could probably make something acceptable with duct tape or other bits (inner tube?)

    I also carry a spare AA batteries for the GPS, leatherman wave, crank brother m19, park tools tyre levers, and an original Petzl e+lite (which comes with a whistle)

    Have tweezers on my key ring, which also contains a few other useful bits

    broken bones – splint

    Can I suggest that, unless you are a paramedic or some other highly trained professional you DO NOT attempt to splint a broken bone.

    And you should’t really be giving painkillers as First Aid either.

    I take a small first aid kit when coaching kids, but its mainly for psychological value.

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    Did my first aid at work earlier this year. I’ve always carried plasters and a couple of sterile bandages in my camelbak, but I now also carry a couple of aspirin and a breathing thing for CPR. The last two items are the only things I carry on a road ride.

    A mate found a rider collapsed at the side of the road over Easter but was too late to save him. Not sure what the cause of death was but the local papers are saying it is not suspicious. First Aid should be on the national curriculum, good courses are expensive but may one day be worth. The people you are most likely to have to use it on are your nearest and dearest.

    Actually, the best first aid kit you can carry is a mobile phone.

    If its properly serious, you’ll want help as soon as possible!

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