Personal first aid kit for a hike in the mountains

Hiking is associated with certain physical and psychological stress, exposure to unfavorable environmental factors, complications in living conditions, and changes in diet. Often, programs are held in a relative distance from civilization, i.e. without quick access to pharmacies or doctors. Each participant should be aware of their health status and the presence of contraindications to engaging in various types of tourism (diseases of the cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, etc.). If you have any doubts, consult your doctor.

To solve medical problems, you may need a personalized first aid kit. Its main component should be medicines for your personal illnesses, because no one knows better than you how to cope with them. Be sure to tell the coordinator and team leader about chronic diseases, deterioration of your health during the trip and what medications you take. In addition, the team leader has a group first aid kit and periodically takes first aid training courses.

Below, we will consider the principles of completing a personal medical kit for hiking and its recommended composition.

It should be on all trips, even one-day trips.

Basic principles of assembly:

1. You should know the rules for using medicines in the first aid kit and their contraindications. To do this, you can save the instructions in printed form to your phone or put them in the first aid kit.
2. The types of medicines and their quantity are selected in accordance with the region of the program, its duration and the possible time of access to qualified medical care.
3. Medicines are selected in compliance with the principle of effectiveness, safety (side effects) and ease of use.
4. The list of medicines should be as minimal as possible - there is no need to take a large number of duplicate medicines
5. Pay special attention to medicines for individual diseases. For example, often only specific medications help a person with allergies.
6. It should be borne in mind that the team leader is not a medical professional and, despite taking annual medical courses, has limited knowledge of medicine and is not legally authorized to prescribe treatment.

We offer the following composition of an individual medical kit for participation in most KULUAR programs:

1. Bandage - for bandaging bleeding, tamponade of large wounds, etc. It is impossible to maintain sterility in the field, so you can use a non-sterile one.
2. Elastic bandage - for applying bandages, fixing joints.
3. Antiseptic wipes - for cleaning hands before work, skin around the wound.
4. Disposable adhesive plaster - to cover small cuts, scratches, abrasions, blisters, etc.
5. Chlorhexidine 0.05% solution - for washing and disinfecting wounds.
6. Universal antiseptic cream - in case of windburn and dry skin, for healing small scratches, etc.
7. Ibuprofen (nurofen) or paracetamol, nimesil - as an antisymptomatic agent for colds, for pain of various kinds.
8. Coldrex / Fervex also contains paracetamol, but it is more familiar and pleasant to use in the format of a drink for colds.
9. White coal, Atoxyl, enterosgel - used as a sorbent for poisoning and digestive disorders. It is quite effective and safe.
10. Isotonic, Regidron - for correction of water-electrolyte balance after prolonged physical activity, diarrhea.
11. Vitamin and mineral complex - can be used in long (more than 3 days) hikes.
12. Nitrile gloves - for clean hands when helping yourself and others, isolation from biological fluids of other people.
13. Personal medicines - medicines for allergies in the form of tablets or cream (Edem, Suprastin), to improve digestion (Festal, Enzystal), antispasmodic (Noshpa), etc. If you have knee problems, be sure to take orthopedic knee pads.

It is convenient to store all of the above in a special travel first aid kit or other packaging that will protect the contents from mechanical damage and moisture. You should also periodically review your medications and products and update them as soon as they expire.

Finally, you can wish that you will not need a first aid kit and that your trip will be safe and smooth.

KULUAR - your life-changing mountain experience!