10 Must-Haves for Your Hiking First-Aid Kit || REI

[@NathanielFriend]

I love the dry bag at the end. Definitely worth calling out!! I just lost most of my first aid kit when it got soaked on a trip recently (no longer sterile).

[@AlaskanGeezer]

I carry all of these plus Povidine Iodine in a small bottle, water purification tablets and "New Skin" spray. And a stethoscope, because I was a nurse for 35 years. Sometimes I carry way more than that because there are homeless camps all over the woodlands in Alaska.I mean there are thousands living outdoors in Anchorage alone! If I pass through I ask anyone if they have injuries and need first aid. I do carry a CPR mask because I have had to do it in the woods three times in the last 4 years thanks to people who like opiates and are out there in the woods. A tourniquet can be made from clothing and a stick or a belt. You don't worry about sterile if someone is hemorrhaging. Splints are also easy to improvise from clothing and tree branches and coban and twine.

[@JustSimplyBrandon]

For those of you who are wondering why this video doesn’t mention other items you would consider having in your first-aid kit, this is just a baseline of what every kit should AT LEAST have. Whatever else you add depends on your needs. Painkillers, tourniquet, medical sheers, even EpiPens are some examples of IF NEEDED items you could add to your kit. For the average hiker, all the items listed in this video WILL SUFFICE at most typical situations. In the end, it’s you the one carrying your first-aid kit and only you know what you need.

[@DAlmazanjr]

9

[@martinerhard8447]

No one needs the irrigation syringe. Just use water from your filter but even then it doesnt matter since when you have a wound that needs irrigation you will be back at the hospital before severe infection You also dont want strechy kinesiology tapes. You want leukotape P (the one that doesnt strech) I really wonder that they didnt mention something like loperamide. That can save your life. Overall 5/10 maybe...check out andrew skurka to see how its done

[@cmcer1995]

Well, I always carry a pretty good first aid kit, but you came up with a couple of good ideas I will in cooperate in my kit from now on. Great video as usual Miranda.

[@diamondsprince]

who?

[@CrimsonRaven51]

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you ❤.

[@rei]

You're welcome!

[@recumbentogiro26]

Great video. Could you add scissors to to this. Cutting tape is a lot easier with good surgical scissors.

[@rei]

That's a great point, Walter. You can find our selection of scissors here: bit.ly/2NPwUED

[@robmilne67]

You should always carry a knife

[@vinniedayhikerb4977]

Excellent video!

[@rockjays7926]

Leukotape P will replace half these items. Pre-cut strips of it and place it on a label backing for ease of use in the wilderness.

[@NCmtnborn76]

Thanks for the label back tip.

[@backpacker3421]

This list will kind of get you there, but it could be vastly improved AND simplified. Leave the bandaids, hydrogel, KT tape, athletic tape and elastic wrap at home, unless you are car camping. They do not hold up to more than a couple miles on the trail and you'll be reapplying almost immediately. Steristrips and Leukotape are far superior and will do the job of all the rest. If you only need a bandaid, you don't need a bandaid - just keep it clean and rub some Neosporin into it. If it's worse, irrigate with clean water (a syringe is nice but not necessary), use alcohol wipes to disinfect, close with steristrips if needed, apply Neosporin, cover with a bit of sterile gauze, and finish with leukotape to keep the dirt out and keep it all in place while you hike. Also, I'd strongly recommend adding a small container of Silvadene or other similar burn ointment containing silver sulfadiazine; substitute that for the Neosporin when it's a burn. Needle and thread is also an absolute must; some cuts can't be closed with steristrips - a curved needle is best and sanitize it and the thread with alcohol wipes before you break the skin with them. As for the meds, although that is the basic must have list, I'd also strongly recommend Imodium or similar - it can go a long way to easing gastrointestinal discomfort which most hikers will go through at some point if they aren't immaculate about washing hands (most aren't).

[@joestevenson5568]

​@@manzivino93 Sutures will hold in areas that steristrips are hopeless. A small-moderate gash on your knee while not dangerous will just split open with anything else and you'll be trickling the entire walk back to base. Sutures and forceps are versatile, light, and effective.

[@firstname4337]

"irrigate with clean water (a syringe is nice but not necessary), use alcohol wipes to disinfect, close with steristrips if needed, apply Neosporin, cover with a bit of sterile gauze, and finish with leukotape " -- yeah, that sounds a lot simpler /sarcasm

[@Beyond_The_Beard]

Adding a pre-wrap to this kit would be smart too. Especially, for guys who have hair on their legs. Or the athletic tape might cut the skin on the leg without it.

[@mikelopez5865]

Thank you so much

[@rei]

Glad we could help Mike!

[@realtyrocks1969]

Due to my experience in the military I'd highly recommend some serious pain killers. Not ibuprofen but hydrocodone or oxycontin. If you hurt your leg or have a serious accident being able to turn the pain off, not just down, could make all the difference. I also bring a mini medical stapler for deep lacerations, and a Rat tourniquet. Doesn't take up any weight and significantly increases your ability to resolve the common things but also the few rare more serious ones

[@whodey2112]

So just go to the pharmacy and tell them I need oxytocin for my first aid kit?

[@elizabethgreen20]

Where did you get the blue bag

[@alexvthooft]

First ;) anywho thanks for the video!

[@shelbydobbs7729]

Where can we find hydrogel sheets to buy?

[@jerrylance9351]

Plenty of paper there were is the stop bleeding pack an cat turnaqet.

[@robmilne67]

Israeli bandage would be good too, you can also as a tourniquet

[@Luuxid]

Song?

[@pygmygiant]

Tbh, if I’m hiking the Appalachian Trail and not going into a war zone then I probably wouldn’t carry anything that won’t pack into an altoids tin. I’m probably not meant to admit to that but it’s the truth of most leisure hikers. I would rather take some sticky plasters, a couple of blister dressing and a little superglue. I have a GPS with an SOS function should the worst happen, and a needle and some dental floss. Unless I’m going out with a group specifically as an expedition medic then I wouldn’t take much. If I’m in the wilderness and need to stabilise a broken bone or use a tourniquet then I’m going to be calling out that SOS anyway so I might as well sit tight and use the straps of my pack to TQ or my clothes as bandages, etc.

[@javil2005]

Why did REI $top $elling REI-branded First Aid kit$?

[@joestevenson5568]

OTC antihistamines won't do shit to help a serious allergic reaction.

[@jukio02]

Forgot hydrogen peroxide.

[@biggus6633]

Now show how to use them all

[@urhumbleservant]

Support the 2nd amendment

[@Mikee12771]

FYI: Moisture will actually slow down wound healing.

[@pygmygiant]

That isn’t true. There is a LOT of research on this and it’s why things like hydrogels and alginates have been developed. If you dry out a wound then it takes time and energy to form a scab which is just your body seeking to protect the wound, not heal it, and then extra time and energy to break the scab down again. There is much faster healing because the proteins/growth factor stay on the wound bed in a moist environment, keratinocytes can travel more easily across the wound, there is increased keratin production, and that environment supports the enzymes which break down necrotic tissue. It’s tempting to dry out the wound and cause a scab so that you don’t have to think about it any more but it’s fragile and more liable to infection compared with the hypoxic environment within a moist dressing and scabs are also more painful and less flexible than an appropriately dressed moist wound so there is decreased circulation which also slows down healing. Finally, with less inflammation and an environment that encourages new cell growth and the efficiency of the proteins which will close the tissue, the skin can heal more evenly so there is reduced scarring from wounds with moist dressings. There’s a lot of public access information out there if you’re interested in learning more.

[@joestevenson5568]

@@pygmygiant alginates aren't developed, they're naturally occurring. A Pseudomonas infection will literally have them lining your lungs with alginate. Lovely.

[@bkbland1626]

Learn to improvise. Duh.

[@profd65]

I'm simple. I see an REI video and I give it a thumbs down.

[@AlexzanderDeGreat999]

profd65 why?

[@TOBORtheMighty]

@@AlexzanderDeGreat999 BS posturing for PC brownie points on issues some people take VERY seriously.

[@happytrails5342]

@@TOBORtheMighty what does that mean? I'm curious

[@ktownc936]

Because Rei is a joke with their video. Go deeper in the back pack community to find information that will make this look absolutely nil. LUKO TAPE FOR THE W. Mole skins is outdated. Just spend some time researching.

[@firstname4337]

yes, you are simple minded

[@ktownc936]

Rei sucks, a little research will lead you to luko tape. Amateurs, so unlight and informed.

[@firstname4337]

you are an idiot -- please never comment on any video ever again

[@ktownc936]

@@firstname4337 you are an idiot -- please never comment on any video ever again