Adventure Medical Kits – Ultralight, Day Tripper and Weekender

Adventure Medical Kits – Ultralight, Day Tripper and Weekender: "

I like to keep my first aid qualifications up to date – thankfully I’ve never had to administer anything more dramatic than some eye wash and the odd plaster, but it’s comforting to know that I’ve got enough knowledge to have a decent shot at CPR and nasty seepy wound management in the warmth and comfort of an office or shopping centre. I tried to extend this knowledge into an outdoors context, devising my own ultralight first aid kit that relied upon a lot of ingenuity and blatant bodging in the form of Buffs and trekking pole splints (it’s amazing what you can do with a couple of triangular bandages, mind). This UL approach relies on the relative safety of the Scottish hills – a road or habitation is never really that far away, and if I suffered a serious rock-induced bloody trauma a couple of hypoallergenic plasters and an antiseptic wipe probably isn’t going to be a lot of use anyway.

Looking at the array of red first aid kits available in the high street outdoors shops it’s clear that these are generally based on the big green plastic boxes found behind the school reception desk and the break-glass panels on buses. Backpackers and outdoors folk don’t need four eye bandages and seven sizes of Elastoplast to sort out blistered heels and intimate tick infestation and Adventure Medical Kits have realised this in their range of wilderness-specific first aid kits. Devoid of unnecessary silliness, the kits are available in a mind-boggling range of sizes, from the sub-100g minimalist Ultralight/Watertight .3 to huge professional Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician kits split across several packs and weighing 2kg.

I’ve produced a video showing three AMK models that I feel would appeal to majority of backpackers: a solo/lightweight kit in the form of the Ultralight .5, a small group kit (Mountain Day Tripper) and a larger group kit suitable for an extended trip and/or use by a guide (Mountain Weekender).

The larger kits include a brilliant guide to wilderness first aid by Eric A. Weiss M.D – it’s a comprehensive, no-holds-barred manual that is actually available separately from Amazon and is small enough to be carried as a ‘just-in-case’ guide at the bottom of a rucksack. After all, who knows when you’ll need to perform a tracheostomy on the West Highland Way?

Sadly the well-chosen medications included in the kits in the US aren’t permitted in the UK, so they’ll need to be added separately. One of my test samples was supplied with a wondrous array of ointments and tablets of great interest to my army pharmacist friend – if you can manage to get hold of these via a contact in the US I’d recommend it, though bear in mind these are unlicensed in the UK and will probably cause you to grow extra limbs and/or get arrested.

Ultralight .5

Supply List

Bandage Materials
2	Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle
2	Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 3″ x 3″, Pkg./2
2	Bandage, Butterfly Closure
1	Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterile, 3″ x 4″
1	Bandage, Conforming Gauze, 2″
4	Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1″ x 3″
2	Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2″ x 2″, Pkg./2
Blister / Burn
1	Moleskin, Pre-Cut & Shaped
Instrument
2	Safety Pins
1	Splinter Picker/Tick Remover Forceps
Medication (not all supplied in UK kits)
1	Aspirin (325 mg), Pkg./2
2	Ibuprofen (200 mg), Pkg./2
2	After Bite Wipe
2	Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25 mg)
Wound Care (*sigh* – no ointment for you in the UK)
1	Tape, 1″ x 10 Yards
1	Tincture of Benzoin Topical Adhesive
3	After Cuts & Scrapes Anethestic/Antiseptic Wipe
2	Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Single Use
3	Alcohol Swab

RRP – £19.99, Weight – 160g

Mountain Day Tripper

Supply List

Bandage Materials
2	Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 4″ x 4″, Pkg./2
3	Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle
2	Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterlie, 2″ x 3″
4	Bandage, Butterfly Closure
2	Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2″ x 2″, Pkg./2
5	Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1″ x 3″
Bleeding
1	Gloves, Nitrile (Pair), Hand Wipe
1	Trauma Pad, 5″ x 9″
Blister / Burn
1	Moleskin, Pre-Cut & Shaped
Fracture / Sprain
1	Bandage, Elastic with Velcro, 2″
Instrument
2	Safety Pins
1	Splinter Picker/Tick Remover Forceps
Medical Information
1	Comp. Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine
Medication (not all available in UK kits)
2	After Bite Wipe
3	Ibuprofen (200 mg), Pkg./2
2	Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25 mg)
2	Aspirin (325 mg), Pkg./2
2	Diamode (Loperamide HCI 2 mg), Pkg./1
Wound Care (you’ll not get the Triple Antibiotic in the UK)
1	Syringe, Irrigation, 10 cc, 18 Gauge Tip
1	Tincture of Benzoin Topical Adhesive
1	Tape, 1″ x 10 Yards
3	Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Single Use
2	Alcohol Swab
1	Cotton Tip Applicator, Pkg./2
4	After Cuts & Scrapes Anethestic/Antiseptic Wipe

RRP – £35.99, Weight – 405g

Mountain Weekender

Supply List

Bandage Materials
5	Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1″ x 3″
2	Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 4″ x 4″, Pkg./2
2	Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2″ x 2″, Pkg./2
2	Bandage, Conforming Gauze, 3″
2	Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterile, 3″ x 4″
5	Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle
Bleeding
1	Trauma Pad, 5″ x 9″
1	Instructions, Easy Care Bleeding
1	Gloves, Nitrile (Pair), Hand Wipe
Blister / Burn
1	GlacierGel (Large Oval)
11	Moleskin, Pre-Cut & Shaped
CPR
1	CPR Face Shield, Laerdal
Duct Tape
1	Duct Tape, 2″ x 5 Yards
Fracture / Sprain
1	Instructions, Easy Care Fracture & Sprain
1	Bandage, Elastic with Velcro, 3″
1	Bandage, Triangular
Instrument
1	Splinter Picker/Tick Remover Forceps
1	EMT Shears, 4″
3	Safety Pins
1	Pencil
3	Thermometer, Disposable
Medical Information
1	Comp. Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine
1	Patient Assessment Form
Medication (you’ll get the leaflet in the UK….)
2	Ibuprofen (200 mg), Pkg./2
2	Acetaminophen (500 mg), Pkg./2
1	Instructions, Easy Care Medications
2	Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25 mg)
1	Aspirin (325 mg), Pkg./2
Wound Care
1	Instructions, Easy Care Wound
1	Tape, 1″ x 10 Yards
1	Syringe, Irrigation, 20 cc, 18 Gauge Tip
2	Tincture of Benzoin Topical Adhesive
6	After Cuts & Scrapes Anethestic/Antiseptic Wipe
1	Povidone Iodine, 3/4 oz
1	Wound Closure Strips, 1/4″ x 4″, Pkg./10
1	Cotton Tip Applicator, Pkg./2

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