Camping First Aid Kits: An Outdoors Essential

"Be Prepared" - That's the motto of the Boy Scouts. And as an Eagle Scout, former Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, and camp staff employee, I can tell you: when you're outdoors, you MUST be prepared for every contingency! That's why the experienced outdoor types (like myself) will tell you: whenever you head outside for camping, hiking, or wilderness adventures, you had better take a camping first aid kit.

But your first question may be: "Why can't I just use the first aid kit that I have at home?" I'll tell you right off: that won't work. How come? Because outdoor adventures can cause outdoor medical emergencies - like broken bones, frostbite, or snakebite. And typical home first aid kits just don't have the supplies that you will need for those situations. You need one that has been specially stocked with all the supplies you will need there.

Which reminds me: if you have a youngster in the Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, one of the very best gifts that you can give them is a good quality camping first aid kit. The same holds true for someone who is in wilderness or survival training. It is very true - not marketing hype - that these kits have been known to save lives.

Of course, your primary concern here is to make sure that your camping first aid kit is well-stocked. It ought to contain more than just burn cream, towelettes and band-aids! Your kit should include such things as a variety of bandages, adhesive tape, finger and leg splints, ace bandages, tweezers, scissors, snake bite kit, gloves -- and especially a comprehensive first aid guide.

By the way, a good comprehensive first aid guide is critical. It will tell you what to do for wounds, burns, handling cases of poisoning, animal bites, broken bones - even drowning and what to do if someone is unconscious. If the guide included in your kit is too skimpy on content, buy a larger book and keep it with your kit at all times.

A good practice: Purchase a large, metal fishing tackle box, and stock it with the items that you will need. This makes a great camping first aid kit for a family or scout troop.

You can (and should) also include these other items in your first aid kit as well: Tylenol or aspirin, a pre-paid cellular phone, water purification tablets, emergency matches (in a waterproof case), a set of thermal blankets, and a handheld GPS device. Of course, you will not find some of these items in most pre-stocked kits, so you will have to buy them separately and then add them to yours.

One final note: once you have your kit assembled, make sure to inspect the contents at least once or twice a year. Remove any expired medicines, and replace any supplies that have gone beyond their shelf-life or that have been opened or damaged (opened or damaged items are no longer sterile). And as you use the supplies, make a note to buy replacements. You don't want to wait until you are in an the middle of nowhere, in the midst of a medical emergency, to find out that you are missing something!

Article Source: http://www.exclusive-article.com

About the author: Gary Colvin talks about camping, the outdoors and Coleman Camping Stoves Learn more aboutFolding Camping Trailers by visiting his website.
Don't reprint the same version as everyone else. Get your own unique content camping article here.

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated