Camping First Aid Kits: An Outdoors Essential

As an Eagle Scout, former Junior Assistant Scoutmaster and camp staff employee, some of my fondest memories were the outdoor adventures we had as a young man. But I also learned that ANYTHING can happen in the outdoors. The Scout motto (Be Prepared) is very good advice. And I'm here to tell you: if you go outdoors, you need to take along a good 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.

And that reminds me: if you have a child or grandchild in Scouting, or one who goes in for wilderness excursions or survival camping, why not give them the gift of outdoor safety by buying them a good-quality first aid kit? It isn't just marketing hype - 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.

Here are some other things to stock in your first aid kit: pain and fever reducers (like Tylenol or aspirin), a pre-paid cellular phone, water purification tablets, emergency matches (in a waterproof case), thermal blankets, and a handheld GPS device. You will not find some of these items in most pre-stocked first aid kits, so you will need to buy them separately and 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!

About the author: Gary Colvin chats about camping, the outdoors and Coleman Camping Stoves Learn more aboutcamping first aid kits by stopping by his website.
Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated