First Aid Kit Shakedown

Details
It’s time to take a break from planning next summer’s epic backpacking trips to talk about handling medical issues in the backcountry. An injury or illness in the wilderness can change a perfect outing into a dangerous situation. At that moment, the priority quickly changes from enjoying that perfect day to getting everyone home safely.
Michael, one of our event organizers, recently completed Wilderness First Responder (WFR) training. After reviewing a few key lessons from WFR training, he will go through a complete shakedown of three commercially available first aid kits, including:

• The purpose of each item
• What to do with each item
• Likelihood of needing each item
• Things missing from the commercial kits
• What I have included in my custom first aid kit, and why I have included those items

For a backpacking first aid kit, each item needs to have a very specific purpose, and you need to know what to do with it. The goal of this session is to increase your understanding of the elements in your first aid kit. By the end of the session, you will understand:

• The one-two punch that will virtually eliminate the most common reason people have to evacuate the backcountry
• Why some first-aid kits include three different over-the-counter pain killers
• The safest antiseptic wipe to include in your kit as well as the dangerous wipe included in many kits that you should just leave at home
• The most versatile medication you can take with you
• How your clothing will replace two big items found in heavy kits
• If your current first aid kit contains what you really need in the backcountry

Who Should Attend
Everyone who leaves the pavement or finds themselves outside of cell phone range in search of adventure should travel with a first aid kit. Join this session if you are shopping for a first aid kit or wonder if your current kit will meet your needs.