Crashed yesterday and cut my arm, leg and broke my thumb – just wondering what people carry in their bags to help when something like this happens?

Something to clean/cover a wound
Something to call for help
Tramadol

Nowt… just blind luck and faith.

Broken thumb would be a tricky one. Maybe zipties and allen keys 🙂 My first aid kit is mostly so I can carry on on riding for the rest of the day rather than life saving/major injury stuff. Stuff for patching up cut and scrapes.

thanks! biggest mistake was having nothing to eat. I think I might pack some patches.

Last album was good

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PC57z-oDPLs[/video]

Steri strips
2″ wide bandage (good quality)
Gauze dressing
Alcohol wipes
Ibufen tablets
Heavy duty sticking plaster/Medical tape
All in a ziplock plastic bag

I have an array of first aid kits now for different uses (the one for MR stuff is getting alarmingly big!). When I’m riding I pretty much only carry what might be useful to patch someone up (usually me!) to get them back on their bike, or to protect a big wound from infection.

A couple of big field dressings
Sticky medical tape (not micropore – it just falls off when it gets sweaty)
A few big plasters
A few melolin dressing pads
bandage
triangular bandage
A good length of gaffer tape wrapped round an old credit card – amazingly useful for holding dressings or body parts in place

The only thing I want to add is some antiseptic wound wash sachets (Betadine or similar) and some dressing net stocking stuff

All that lives in diddy little drybag and doesn’t weight very much. If it needs more than that then you’ll need help anyway. If it was a big ride, or maybe a big group, then I’d probably rejig to carry a more comprehensive kit.

usually invite a friend who’s a paramedic, he carries the kit needed 😉 which is not allot really, clean dressings and a couple of extendable splints. it’s first aid at the end of the day – I think most people would be aware of when something is serious enough to call it a day or ambulance.

I think most people would be aware of when something is serious enough to call it a day or ambulance

Some people go to places where it takes a long time to get out of or get an ambulance/chopper in to

I too presumed that you meant my Swedish Brethren.

However on further reading I now understand. I carry ibuprofen, a mobile phone and that… about…. it. Oh no actually an emergency blanket although apparently they don’t work, but I like to think if I have to wrap it round someone else it will make them feel better in their hour of need.

Crashed yesterday and cut my arm, leg and broke my thumb – just wondering what people carry in their bags to help when something like this happens?

For that nothing, just drive to the local A&E or get some one to take you

Off road – a small first aid kit, iodine spray and 1.5m of duct tape around a pencil.
On road – wipes, gloves and two large padded dressings for road rash. Folded into cling film and into a tool bottle with ibuprofen.

Also I carry the training for how to use it.

I think the point is you don’t necessarily need a lot of kit in those situations, what you need is some good knowledge. I guess there’s a sliding scale that is influenced by what you think the risks are (although that’s a very tricky one to work with), how far away in time you are from fully-equipped help and how much you can reasonably carry with you. Also the decision about whether you are patching up to get yourselves home, or managing a situation until help arrives is another factor.

Even in the wildest bits of the UK you’re not likely to be more than 4-5 hours from help (assuming you know where you are and have a way of summoning help). Most places you might be 1-2 hours at most away from help and usually less than an hour. If someone is seriously hurt then the kit you need is a lot more than you can carry on your bike (without ruining your ride!).

I’ve decided not to carry much more than I might need to get me or a mate back to a car, because if it’s more serious than that I know I’ll need more kit than I can (or want to) carry. What I do carry with me is some knowledge assess a situation and to monitor and manage an injured rider until more help and kit arrives – plus that tricky thing of always know here you are and how you’re going to get help if you need it. That’s always a really useful thing to have thought ahead about.

And if you’re going remote then probably the most useful bit of kit you can carry is a survival shelter of some sort.

And re the comment above – definitely a survival shelter, not a flappy foil thingy 😉

Some people go to places where it takes a long time to get out of or get an ambulance/chopper in to

your not wrong. but first aid usually covers stopping bleeding or cpr, you can carry clean bandages to stop heavy bleeding. for most major incidences call the emergency services and keep the patient warm. minor breaks can be splinted in order to “call it a day” back to A&E. even the paramedic knows he needs drugs and other stuff before fettling with a patient and that requires more stuff than they are prepared to carry in a cycle backpack

I love Emmylou

Foil has its place, although two are much better than one. Consider a proper 2-3man shelter and a sit mat on bigger rides involving some remoteness. Adding to the list of options above, I’d maybe include a Sammy Splint. You’ve already got a good arm sling in the form of a standard inner tube. Unroll it and keep the opposite sides together so that you have a strap about two feet long, made of two layers. Place it behind the neck, dropping down both sides of the chest, place arm through both loops. Can be adjusted for arm sling or elevation sling to suit a hand/wrist injury. Now at least you can walk and push your bike.
Try not to underestimate the time it can take to organise and complete a helo rescue. Your casualty can easily spend 3-4 hours or more on the ground, which can get pretty miserable on a cold, wet day. A recent RAF Sea King rescue of a serious MTB casualty just 2km from Annat in Torridon took over 5 hours to complete.
But best of all, get some training from the likes of BASP or REC.

It doesn’t have to be remote to take a long time either – rescue from Dalby forest a couple of weeks ago was 4 hours from alert to the Seaking taking off, and that was 50yds from where you could drive an ambulance to.

Couple of sanitary towels for grazes, not surprisingly they are absorbant and a condom to hold them in place (cut the end off) waterproof and does the job without applying too much pressure. Couple of buffs for if its cold but you can join them to make a sling, gaffa tape round my pump handle, alcohol wipes (in date), a face guard and map and gps app in case it’s serious enough to call in the professionals.

I’m off to see them tomorrow, I’ll let you know how they are…

I have three kits 🙂
One for me out on tod – Duck Tape strips x6(!), big wound pads x2, rescuci aid, whistle, buff, all in weeny sandwich bagx2. Done.
One for me & family / or big days out – lots of wound pads or various sizes, duck tape, a triangular bandage, a crepe bandage, pins, plasters, sciccors, tick removers, rescusi aid, instructions, pencil and paper, silver foil sleeping bag, hat, gloves etc
Mahoosive one for taking out on group days…the kitchen sink.

‘Build’ your own – much better than buying ones with tape that wont stick, pads that wont absorb any (decent) amount of blood etc.

I am of the view that first aid is that – you cannot cope with every possibility. Ask me to treat anything with my mini kit – and I can…

Oh I do actually carry a whistle too

I forgot to add – carrying the basic kit that I did quite literally saved a mates life on Hellvellyn a few years back.
The duck tap, rescuci aid and plastic bag were all cut up, taped in place and used to get air into his mangled face and let gore/sick/liquid out.
It is always worth having the very basics. Tape, big padx2, rescusi and couple of sandwich bags.

I always carry at a basic kit at the minimum.

Melonlin dressings in various sizes.
Pre-injection wipes with IPA are good for cleaning around wounds and cleaning hands after a mechanical.
Micropore tape, with duct tape if needed over the top.
Steri-strips, although it is hard to sort your own face out without a mirror.

A tyre lever and some tape would make a thumb splint.

I too thought it was the new album/ tour from the Söderberg familien

Usually ride alone and carry nothing. Not because this is particularly a great idea, it’s just habit. If I’m out in more remote areas then I try to remember to pack my kit which is more or less steristrips, tape, variety of wound pads, superglue, tick tweezers, painkiller and some odd bits and pieces but those are the more useful ones. Shelter and navigation stuff aren’t really counted but I’ll have appropriate things for conditions as well. The whole lot sits prepared on a shelf and I just drop it in the bottom of my bag when I head off. But I’m just back from a solo bike/ scrambling Fisherfield trip and totally forgot to take it. I use the same kit for ski touring, climbing etc. and tend to remember it more for them.

I would like to refresh my training though as I don’t use it on a day to day basis and it’s been ages since I was actually needed to do much significant (touch wood). As Matt’s post suggests you can do quite a bit without too much if you are practised in the relevant skills so worth getting some outdoor/ mountain/ expedition first aid if you have the chance.

I happen to know of an outdoor first aid course in central Scotland shortly… 😉
http://www.ltl.org.uk/resources/results.php?id=753

Getting back to the OP’s original question, you really don’t need anything for a broken thumb and grazes, unless its an open fracture?

agreed you only have to look at the contents list of most first kits to realise how little. small “pocket” first aid from wiggle Pocket First Aid Kit cost £9.99

Kit Contains:
Primary care leaflet
Small low-adherent dressing
Woven bandage
Small crepe bandage
Fabric plasters
Scissors & safety pins
Micropore tape & gauze swabs
Antiseptic cream
Antiseptic wipes
Tweezers
and Mountain First Aid Kit (£24)

Kit Contains:
Primary care leaflet & scissors
Tweezers, safety pins, shears
Fabric dressing strip & burn gel
Wound closure strips
Woven & triangular bandages
Crepe bandage & gauze swabs
Zinc oxide & micropore tape
Low-adherent dressings
Medium & eyepad dressings
Fabric & blister plasters
Vinyl gloves & thermometer
Paracetamol & ibuprofen
Antiseptic wipes & glow stick
Duct tape

primary function – prevent bleeding
secondary function – prevent infection
third function – help with pain

You really only need the primary function. (the others can be dealt with back in camp)

keep the patient warm if not able to move (to a place of safety)

if not moving – prey

more useful info here
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/23/first-aid-basics-to-know