What's in your emergency medical kit, if anything?

Kmatjhwy said:
Now I love Yarrow. Some people will say it tastes a little bitter. When hiking I try to eat several Yarrow leaves daily which seem to always do me good. Yarrow has many uses, one it is good internally on the digestive system.Also it can be made into a poultice and put on wounds. It is known that it will help the wound heal up faster. The Roman Army carried packs of Yarrow for this purpose. Many good edible and medicinal plants out there.

And here in the West is Biscuit Root, Lomatium Species. In this day of Covid ... It is good against Respiratory sicknesses. It is found all over here in the Greater Yellowstone area. The bears also love it!

Just a few for everyone.
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good to know, I should try it next time. I'm immune suppressed and always get infections when I get a wound. Back home in Hawai;i I used local plants which always helped but here on the mainland, I'm still searching. Thanks for the tip with the Yarrow, I need to try it out.
 
Now there is a lot of Edible and Medicinal books out there with lots of information in them. Yarrow for those that don't know, has small white flowers and feathery like leaves. The natives would call the plant ...'Chipmunk Tail' or something similar. It has a whole list of things that it can be useful for. I Personally love Yarrow!

Instead of relying on so many of the pharmaceutical medicines. There is so many natural medicines around that humans have been using since we were first here.

And for those that wonder and want to boost the immune system ... Wild Dandelions are Great! Dandelions are chuck full of good natural vitamins.
 
"Well, I've heard it's also good as a bear deterrant, as they're too busy lapping up the honey to care about who's in the tent. I think a few outfitters are even thinking about providing it as a service, as I overheard a couple of guys in Pinedale talking about honey buckets."

Am I the only one who has a different definition of honey bucket? Or did any of you grow up in the country, where a visit from the honey wagon was a regular event?
 
balzaccom said:
"Well, I've heard it's also good as a bear deterrant, as they're too busy lapping up the honey to care about who's in the tent. I think a few outfitters are even thinking about providing it as a service, as I overheard a couple of guys in Pinedale talking about honey buckets."

Am I the only one who has a different definition of honey bucket? Or did any of you grow up in the country, where a visit from the honey wagon was a regular event?
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Sorry, sometimes my tongue in cheek humor is misunderstood. I think most of us do know what a honey bucket is.
 
I agree with what's already been said about not bringing anything you don't know how to use. If you spend a lot of time in the backcountry, I'd suggest taking a Wilderness First Responder course.
I serve on a mountain rescue team and here's what I carry in my first aid kit:
Neosporin
Band-aids
Sam Splint
Two triangular bandages
moleskin
wound closure strips
Tincture of benzoin (good for mouth wounds and for making skin more sticky when using wound closure strips
medical tape
tweezers
irrigation syringe
tourniquet
ibuprofen
acetaminophen
Pepto Bismol tablets
allergy medication
tampons (works great for nosebleeds as well)
feminine napkins (works great for major hemorrhages)
gauze pads
duct tape
pencil (duct tape is wrapped around pencil)
notebook for keeping vitals
rubber gloves
Sharpie
Ace Wrap

Other things I have that can work for the first aid kit:
bandanna
trekking poles
carabiners (with a bandanna and a carabiner you can rig a good tourniquet
 
Wyatt Carson said:
You all who carry epi pens, do you have a known allergic action or are you simply erring on the side of caution?

I’ve been stung over the decades many times from bees and wasps while hiking and bike riding and even walking out into my backyard when a bee attracted by the hummingbird feeder hit my neck and stung me recently. It was swollen a bit but nothing serious. I put a little paste of baking soda like my mom always did for me in my youth.

I know reactions can change with age but not sure how much weight to put on this issue. We do have a wilderness area nearby where we have to walk through hordes of wasps taking water along a narrow stream. We have to brush through them for a good 30 yard stretch but have never been stung there. Not protecting a nest perhaps.

I worry more about a fall but a bit of snake bite anti-venom might be proper where we live. Probably expensive though. Arizona has recently legalized recreational weed. So perhaps good for medicinal purposes only...since we never take any kind of pain meds or snake bite medicine. You know, just in case...
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If you use an epi-pen, you should have an antihistamine like Sudafed on hand as well. An epipen is full of epinephrine, which doesn't last all that long. Take the antihistamine just after and it should help. I'm not a doctor, that's just what I've been taught in wilderness medicine classes.
 
Cheminant said:
If you use an epi-pen, you should have an antihistamine like Sudafed on hand as well. An epipen is full of epinephrine, which doesn't last all that long. Take the antihistamine just after and it should help. I'm not a doctor, that's just what I've been taught in wilderness medicine classes.
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Epi and benydrl capsules under the tongue... Is what you need
 
Cheminant said:
If you use an epi-pen, you should have an antihistamine like Sudafed on hand as well. An epipen is full of epinephrine, which doesn't last all that long. Take the antihistamine just after and it should help. I'm not a doctor, that's just what I've been taught in wilderness medicine classes.
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Sudafed is a decongestant, not an antihistamine.....!

After bee stings an antihistamine like Benadryl makes sense, as @Bob already mentioned.
 
Actually, I am supposed to carry three medications: The benadryl to be taken immediately, right after the epipen injection,. But also a long-acting antihistamine like Zyrtek for longer acting results. So: use the epipen for NOW, the Benadryl for 1/2 an hour later, and the Zyrtek for when the Benadryl begins to wear off. The challenge with Benadryl is that it can make you sleepy, and if you have to hike out, that's where the Zyrtek comes in handy.
 
I always hike in long pants and long-sleeved shirts. If the bugs are bad, I use a headnet. Never been stung yet, but maybe it's just luck. But I'm not allergic, fortunately.
 
I lost a workmate to melanoma, too. He was in perfect health, a climber. He was 27.
 
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