First aid kit?

[J32952]

I come from boating world and always carry a ?ditch bag?, emergency supplies.  Fortunately I have never had to use the serious stuff, but often need items in my first aid kit.  So while I don?t expect to need emergency locator (Epirb) I do expect we will need some basic first aid stuff.  Bought a bunch of basics today, put in watertight container and put in MH.  Wondering what items more experienced folks carry?

 

[John From Detroit]

The biggest and best "First Aid" is a good. charged, activated, cell phone which you can use to dial 9-1-1 (US 999 in some countries). because in most any MAJOR istance (anything beyond band aid) step one is "Activate the 9-1-1 emergency respnose)

Beyond that bandages.. perhaps dome cleaner wipes.. Not really much..  Band-aids (including some advanced types) I carry. a standard first aid kit... No chemicals other than alcohol wipes for cleaning. Oh and exam gloves.. You may want to "Glove up" make sure you know how to use the gloves as well.

Gauze. and a stick

 

[HueyPilotVN]

I carry a Defibrillator and a portable oxygen tank with mask in the coach.

I usually let others know about it if I was staying for awhile at a site.

I hope it never gets used but if it does I hope it helps someone else.

I had a triple bypass fifteen years ago.  A few years later they wanted to implant a defibrillator in me but they agreed not to if I carried a portable one as I traveled.

For anyone that is where I am, (like for instance Quartzsite), it is in the unlocked forward passenger side compartment next to the door.  Don't even slow down to ask if you need it, just grab it.

It is kind of idiot proof.  Slap on the patch and it will run an EKG and will not shock if it is not needed.

Maybe we should do a kind of inservice training on it this year at the rally.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

There's been a revolution in first aid in the last couple of decades courtesy of the US military.  Trauma kits these days include such things as nasopharyngeal  airways, decompression needles, Quickclot, Halo chest seals, Israeli combat bandages, and tactical tourniquets.

https://store.itstactical.com/collections/medical/products/eta-trauma-kit

I had a course in such stuff back when I was working as an armored car guard, it's interesting stuff.  If you're curious about stuff, there are some pretty good YouTube videos on the subject.

 

[Roy M]

I carry a standard first aid kit and a large warm blanket in the vehicle at all times. I have not needed either yet but they are available if needed which reminds me, I need to inspect and update the kit.

 

[ArdraF]

If you also have a car or truck, make sure you have first aid supplies in it too.  We carry a Rubbermaid box in the Jeep with band aids, alcohol pads, Neosporin ointment, bandages to make a splint, etc.  I've used it occasionally when someone got hurt hiking.  Oh yes, I also carry a few basic things in my backpack in case we're on a trail.  Somewhere along the way I got something similar to a washcloth and it's wound up so it's not much bigger than a nickle-sized ball.  You wet it and it expands to full size.  I carry some of them in case we need to clean up a large cut or brush burn.  In the motorhome I carry some things I've acquired such as a "boot" for sprained ankle or hurt foot, hot/cold packs, Ace bandages, etc.

ArdraF

 

[JudyJB]

Most importantly, keep the first aid kit in an easily found spot.  I once cut myself at a scenic pullover while washing a paring knife and could not stop the bleeding unless I held a clean cloth over it and pressed hard.  Unfortunately, I had put my first-aid kit in a bottom drawer that I could not open with slides closed.  I finally managed to stop the bleeding, and then I got out the kit and labeled it clearly and put it in an overhead cabinet in my living area. 

I also recommend some Coban tape, wide ACE bandages, larger non-stick gauze pads, and a couple of ice and heat packs.

Also, I live and travel alone, so I also have a one-page document that lists all my medications, gives a quick health summary, lists medical plan and phone numbers, names of doctors and phone numbers, as well as family contacts.  I carry copies in my purse, bike bag, and in my motorhome.  I also keep several envelopes nearby that contain my most recent health checkup results, blood tests, etc.  That will all give EMS personnel important information if I am found incapacitated.  It also saves me time trying to remember things when I am in an urgent care facility or emergency room.  If nothing else, it will mean medical personnel will better know how to treat me and they won't have to repeat things like cat scans and blood work that I recently had.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

The biggest and best "First Aid" is a good. charged, activated, cell phone which you can use to dial 9-1-1 (US 999 in some countries). because in most any MAJOR instance (anything beyond band aid) step one is "Activate the 9-1-1 emergency response)

That's true, most times and places.  But it assumes you aren't RVing so far out in the boondocks that there ISN'T cell service.

For those who do get off the beaten path, there are Wilderness First Aid courses and books, all of which - unlike regular first aid courses - assume the nearest first responders are days away.

 

[John From Detroit]

I carry a Defibrillator and a portable oxygen tank with mask in the coach.

Having been trained in their use I thank you for carrying them.. THat is one of the "Upgrades" i plan on in the not too distant future.. I've seen what happens when they are properly used (People LIVE that would not otherwise).. In fact in my lifetime (WHich puts it in the lifetime of many here) when you needed that technology...  It was not yet invented and you died.

But today.. Many live.

 

[SpencerPJ]

I have a standard store bought kit in TT and Truck.  The item I get most often, and I have added is Benedryl.  How many times I or someone around has had an allergic reaction to an insect bite, horses, whatever.

 

[gwcowgill]

Several years ago on the dreaded I-10, I-12 in Louisiana I had a tire go down and stepped out of the coach into a pile of fire ants. Fortunately my wife always carries Benadryl  in her purse. I was really having a difficult time breathing for a while. I wont go into the rest of this saga only to say don't have a problem in LA.

 

[blw2]

I have one of those kits you can pick up at walmart or most any place... one of the bigger than basic ones...something like a 300 piece I suppose it is.  Just a basic starter foundation, or as something I can grab and run if needed away from the rv.
On top of that, the medicine cabinet in the RV is stocked just like at home with the normal stuff... ibuprophen, box of band-aids, some hydrocortisone cream, maybe some calamine or poison ivy stuff, etc...