Do you carry one and what is in it?

I have some first aid skills (enough to know my limits) and know that is the most important thing to take but what things would be in you emergency back pocket kit?

If this forum used decent software you’d have been able to find the answer that in last weeks question of the same type, or the week before, or the week before that….

I carry a space blanket, a few plaster, a roll of plaster and some pain killers.

Few dressings, tape, space blanket – permanent residents in Camelbak.

Got one of these with a space blanket think it was about a £10-er

I don’t carry a first aid kit as I’m not sure how much it will really help.

But what I do is carry is only water in my hydration pack\bottle which is great (well better than a sticky carb drink) for cleaning cuts etc if needed… I suppose my spare tube could be used as a sling if needed…

Thinking about it, a space blanket is a good idea, think I’ll pop one of those in.

Go Ray Mears style. A few pine needles, a bit of moss and some piss is all you need.

The last time this came up it all got very silly – lots of heated posts from people, including that muppet with the tandem who isn’t here anymore.

Anyway – for short local rides, I don’t carry anything.. because I can invariably be home in 30 mins, and won’t bleed out on the way.
For longer rides (ie – any ride where I take the camelbak, rather than saddlebag/bottle) I have a pencil case with a few plasters, a space blanket, a little sachet of eye wash, a roll of tape and a few other bits.

The thinking behind the kit contents is I like to be able to repair small scrapes and scratches so I can carry on with my ride – if anything big happens you’ll need med-evac anyway, so very little you can do – i’m quite happy to stuff an open wound with my riding jacket – if it is that bad you need to think more about stopping the bleeding than cleanliness.

And yes, I do have first aid training, and yes I have had to use it in much harsher conditions than Swinley. (Sahara Desert & the Snowy mountains spring to mind)

I Always carry the following …

cleaning swabs / wipes ( alcohol type things to help clean infection)
dressings & small bandages
plasters
paracetamol
gauze
safety pins
large ish elastic bands.

I’m pretty sure there’s other things in there but can’t recall from the top of my head

Chris

If this forum used decent software you’d have been able to find the answer that in last weeks question of the same type, or the week before, or the week before that….

Google > site:singletrackworld.com whadayalookinfor

Thankyou thankyou! Too kind.

as a basic rule it’s
Something to stop bleeding
Something to cover a nasty wound
Pain killers (stronger and more prescribed the further from civilization)
Something to support a dislocated shoulder/knackered arm
gloves
some cleaning stuff
tape
Packs so small it’s never an issue
latest addition is a bandage for snake bites.

If your not near a house etc then its the sort of stuff that will make a difference, forgetting training common sense kicks in – blood pouring out try and stop it etc.

experience and advice from climbing friends has led me to only carry what i am comfortable using on myself/friends. you see some people on the hills with those huge first aid kits designed for mountain guides, stitching thread, dentistry kits etc but if an accident occurred, I would wonder first of all just how many are capable of using the kit and would default to mountain rescue and secondly,how many would try to help, panic and make a complete hash of it all resulting in more pain and a delayed call to mountain rescue….

anyway, i have Antiseptic wipes, dressings, surgical tape. clean it, stop it bleeding, get home. anything else and you need more than a first aid kit, add a space blanket and a sling and you’re done.

I carry in a small WP stuff sac a large wound dressing, some non adherent dressings, few plasters, saline pods (good for flushing eyes and also cleaning wounds), a triangular bandage, conforming bandage, space blanket,some gloves, tape, basic barrier mask, painkillers for my own use.

I’m mainly concerned about big bleeds, supporting breaks and putting temporary patches on wounds to get back to civilisation. I think the whole lot weighs no more than a couple of hundred grams.

Obviously being competent/confident to use it is important.

I’m sure everyone knows this, but for those carrying survival blankets they do actually degrade…. I have only ever needed to use one in anger once and it disintegrated like chaf as soon as I pulled it out of the packet 😯

I replace mine every few years now!

For a quick jaunt I take this:

If I’m more than 2 miles from home, the crash trolley comes too….

DrP

The sterile wipes are good but can dry out after a while. Worth checking/swapping every so often.

steri strips and a medium bandage and a bivvy bag.

I carry the duff bag basic first aid kit and bought a few space blankets from ebay. I also picked up a couple of basic kits from asda the other week, only £1

As above, I carry things to take care of minor things so I can continue the ride (antiseptic wipes, plasters, antihistamine cream, tick tweezers) and a couple of things to make ride-stopping injuries more comfortable until help arrives (space blanket, mini roll of duct tape).

Field dressing
Tourniquet
Zip ties
Tape
Knive

everything else can be bodged from a camelback and clothing..

I keep the smallest Asda kit you can get in my camelbak. Basically wipes, plasters etc.
I slung a space blanket in the other week too, as I was going on a freezing cold run up the Kilpatricks. Gets quite exposed up there, even though you aren’t far away from civilisation.

Duct tape,
foil blanket (they pack up so small, but bothy’s are good if out in sticks with groups)
dressing to absorb blood,
gloves (nicked from work)
I don’t carry a suture kit (even though I can suture) unless stuck out in S America, Africa etc (but then I carry a hell of a lot more).
Paracetamol (again unless in the developing countries)

All most people will need is some plasters, tape, dressing. There’s no need for splints, quick clot dressings etc. If you have to deal with catastrophic haemorrhage then I bet you’ll all be wearing or carrying something to use as a tourniquet.

It’s called First Aid not Critical Care. Don’t over think it (K.I.S.S) and remember that as said above, most of the first aid kit will degrade over time.

Be safe and use common sense.

A decent First Aid course is a good idea, but leave the serious stuff to the pro’s (we do deal with it regularly), just keep them alive until we get there.

Tom KP

All most people will need is some plasters, tape, dressing. There’s no need for splints, quick clot dressings etc. If you have to deal with catastrophic haemorrhage then I bet you’ll all be wearing or carrying something to use as a tourniquet.

It’s called First Aid not Critical Care. Don’t over think it (K.I.S.S)

A decent First Aid course is a good idea, but leave the serious stuff to the pro’s (we do deal with it regularly), just keep them alive until we get there.

Does the use of a tourniquet constitute ‘serious stuff’? I think I’d rather carry and use a clean wound dressing to apply direct pressure than trying to tie off limbs with a muddy thermal. For the sake of what, 50 grams, it’s a useful thing to carry to deal with heavier bleeding, no? I can see you’ve said a wound dressing is useful.

I’ve done a number of ‘decent first aid courses’ and none have recommended the use of a tourniquet. Although, I accept that for professionals with the right equipment and training they might have a place.