I’ve posted responses to first aid and emergency issues here and in other forums and I was thinking of what sort of medical emergency that I really think I might actually have to deal with somewhere outside away from home. I also realize that I’m probably more likely to have a medical emergency at home than in the woods (because I’m at home more). Be that at it may be, however, one’s expectations probably govern how you make up a first aid kit.

And one’s expectations are based on one’s experiences, more and more so as you get older (and have more experiences).

I use the expression “medical emergency” but all I really mean is, “what do you think you’ll use your first aid kit for?”

Mine has evolved into a fairly simple affair, although the way I do things, packing-wise, the kit isn’t a kit. It’s more of an outfit that’s carried in various places, with non-first aid kit items carried in the “kit” at the same time. But that’s more of a packing procedure. Either way, the problem is, what items are for first aid and what is standard everyday (there’s that word again!) hiking and camping gear? I don’t really carry anything I consider survival gear above and beyond ordinary stuff.

I eventually began to think about the worse thing that could happen to me that I could actually deal with on my own. Being very selfish, I’ve never considered that I might need to doctor someone else. So far, bad falls are the worse that’s happened to me. I’ve chipped bones and received bad scrapes. I don’t know what I could carry to deal with a broken bone or twisted ankle but I assure you, they are probably the worst things that are likely to happen, though you may think otherwise. Feel free to do so. Stopping the flow of blood is important and seems doable, so I am prepared for that. General aches and pains can be, well, a pain in the woods, so I have some pills that seem to help when I need them at home. And I’ve been carrying a full spool of adhesive medical tape because you need it for a large pad type bandage.

I guess that about covers it. I don’t have any real drugs. I usually have a so-called space blanket but I don’t count that. I have scissors but I don’t count them either. I also have tweezers in there, too, which get used more than most things, so I guess that’s on the list. They’re “real” tweezers, too, because I’ve never had a combination knife or tool tweezer worth having. Same with the scissors. There’s a little mirror but I don’t count it as first aid, no more than soap, razor and comb. There’s also a selection of moleskin (never used), bandaids (sometimes used) and, well, that’s about it.

Whattya think?