First Aid Kit (What to pack)

[TravellingSonn]

Hi All,

I was wondering what you would pack in your First Aid kit.

Thanks
Sonia

 

[evanlow]

This really depends on what body needs.

I am a minimalist. For first aid I've got:

1. A few plasters.
2. Charcoal pill against diarrhea.
3. Pain killers.
4. A sewing kit with strings (against blisters).

Anything you have forgotten or need can easy be found along the camino at the numerous pharmacy along the way.


http://camino.wificat.com

 

[sillydoll]

First Aid Kit

Remember that you will be in a First World country with more Farmacias than bottle stores! The pharmacists along the camino are quite accustomed to most of the aches, pains and ills of peregrinos and will be able to help you with most maladies.
Take any prescribed medication with you but only small quantities of other things as you can top up along the way.
If you are, or ever have been, allergic to anything - whether it be flora or food - carry anithistamines. Non-drowsy for the day and drowsy for night (so that you can sleep through the snoring!)
If you have ever had asthma - even if you haven't had an attack for 10 years - take something with you. Your body has learned to fight local conditions but you will be in a new country with different dust, pollens etc and these could cause problems.
Build up your reserves of Magnesium and Calcium before you go. Just as you would service your car before a long journey, your body will need a good top up too! (Dolomite is a good source.)
Take pills etc out of the boxes and pack them into plastic, zip-lock money bags. You can decant liquids such as Arnica oil from their heavy glass bottles into smaller, plastic bottles. (They will remain stable for the short time you are walking on the camino.)
If you are walking with a friend, share the first aid list. One can carry the pills for whoopsing, the other for poopsing etc!
And, please, take a plastic packet for toilet tissues and discard in a bin - not on the path.
Pilgrim hugs,
Sil

 

[TravellingSonn]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for sharing.

Love, light and smiles
Sonia

 

[Martin0642]

It's very true to say that there are many pharmacies along the way and that they stock a far wider range of medications than you will find in any uk or (i think) us store. Many things that are prescription only in those countries are otc in spain. Its also usually cheaper there.

However..............it's also true that first aid kits are firstly for emergencies and many emergencies will not happen anywhere near a pharmacy. It's also true to say that splitting the kit between people to "save weight" is not a particularly great idea, purely because if you part company for any reason and forget you have stuff split...you may find you need what the other person has and cant get it. Imagine needing anti-diorreah tablets urgently only to find your friend who is 20 k away has them. You wont need more than a pack of 6 of these (unless you're very very unlucky), and loperamide pills are tiny.

I found we needed this lot, and had to restock twice (although it was used for several people):

Crepe bandages (one medium roll - useful for bandaging swollen ankles, holding larger dressings on or as a sling if need be..thankfully we didnt need it for that! I also had a small roll but didnt really need it..up to you)

Plasters: a small pack of plasters, get the silver healing ones if possible they really do speed up healing. Dont leave raw blisters on your hands (from sticks) or cuts/bad scrapes exposed to the air for two reasons; in a hot climate it will get infected very quickly and secondly, if you allow it to scab over (as is the commonly accepted method..."just let the air at it to dry it out.." your skin then has to push a hard scab out of the way to heal. It is accepted medical practice to keep a wounds very slightly moist, and clean, to enable faster healing.

Painkillers - Ibubrofen ideally as this is an anti inflammatory and therefore ideal for swollen ankles as well as headaches.

Needle & Thread for blisters - and Compeed for smaller ones or as a preventative when you feel one forming. Once a large blister forms I found Compeed made things worse. Leaving it to drain with thread was a much better idea as long as you keep it clean with....

Antiseptic spray: small bottle. Dont take ointment because a. its heavier, and b. it's greasy and may caus eyou other problems. Best not to touch the affected area if possible so a spray is better.

Compress bandage: light, easily packed, takes up almost no space and is adaptable for a wide range of things from little toe blisters to more serious injuries.

Diclofenac lotion: Optional and yuou only need it if you get tendonitis...but if you do then get it there as its very cheap and amazingly good for swollen or painful joints!

Anti - histamine: for mosquito bites and other allergies. On a side note rubbing the inside of banana peel on bites is supposed to work very well. Apparently you rub it on and leave it for a couple of hours...worth a go!

For scissors I used a small swiss army knife - its all you'll need.

Micropore or - (i think better) elasticated adhesive bandage to hold the crepe bandage round akles or turn cut up bits of compress into plasters for awkward areas.

That should do it! the kit isnt that big and really doesnt weight too much but could make a huge difference to your trip. Put it this way - for me, if I had to carry one thing that I really didnt need but would take anyway it would be a first aid kit and I would thank god i if didnt need it. It is NEVER a pointless burden.

That said - make sure you know what you're doing with it otherwise it's not much use! :lol:

 

[Rambler]

Here is my First Aid Kit (What to pack) for 2 people

I wanted to get everyone's input on this and some help identifying everything in Spanish and the brands of items that may be available on the Camino.
This 1st aid kit will be shared by my daughter and me on our trip this June. I have tried to minimize the items to only those really needed. We can buy the others along the way. Not that my daughter is allergic to bee stings (thus the antihistamine and epi pen). Also neither of us have gotten any blister to date on our hikes or runs. My daughter has flat feet and removed her Super Feet insoles to go to the softer ones that originally came in her boots.
Two Person First Aid Kit
 8 Advil Anti Inflamatory/Pain Ibuprofen (600mg) Ibuprofena; Nurofen
 8 Immodium AD Anti-Diarrhea Loperamide HCl(2 mg)
 Cataflam or Solaraze Diclofenac gel/ointment Topical Anti Inflamatory Diclofenac; Voltaren
 Duct Tape (2”X 10” roll);
 2 sheets Compeed (Advanced Healing Blister) Compeed;
 2 Claritin- Redi-Tabs Antihistamine Loratadine (10 mg)
 1 Epi-Pen Epinephrine (0.3mg);
 10 Bandaids
 1 Nail-clippers
 Needle and thread

I am not sure to bring these to items or not. Also?
 3 Cipro Ciprofloxacin; (in case of severe stomach issues; I take to South Ameirca when I go there).
 1 Cortaid crème Hydrocortisone (1%) for a topical anti-inflamatory
Things I can buy on the way as needed:
 Antiseptic
 antibiotic ointment (Neosporin)
 Gauze bandages
 Ace bandage
 Cloth Tape 2”x10yds
 Unguento Tradicional creme with aloe vera, camphor, arnica, eucalyptus, and other nice things (Bag Balm)
 Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline)
 Foot Powder (Gold Bond)
 Anti fungus (Lotrimin)

My questions are:
:?: Does this look good? Are there better items to take?
:?: Should I take the other two (Cipro and Cortaid)?
:?: Should I just buy the other items as needed?
:?: What are the correct Spanish terms for each of these? Are there certain brand names that I can ask for? (What do I ask for when I go into the farmacia?)

Thanks in advance for the input.
Rambler

 

[Artemis]

A French Canadian woman that I walked with for awhile wrapped her duct tape around her trekking poles. I didn't take any so when my cheap poncho got a tear at the neck and all the ice cold rain started running down my back she tore off a piece of her tape and repaired it for me. I thought she was very clever.

 

[MattScorpion]

Hi All,

I was wondering what you would pack in your First Aid kit.

Thanks
Sonia

I pack in my emergency kit are - Emergency Poncho, Blanket, Ration Bar, Snap Light Stick, Hand Warmers, Tweezers, adhesive Bandage, Alcohol Pad, Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Pack Anti Histamine, Pepto-Bismol, Pack Electrodes, and Drinking Water- 4.4oz...

 

[dougfitz]

I pack in my emergency kit are - Emergency Poncho, Blanket, Ration Bar, Snap Light Stick, Hand Warmers, Tweezers, adhesive Bandage, Alcohol Pad, Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Pack Anti Histamine, Pepto-Bismol, Pack Electrodes, and Drinking Water- 4.4oz...

@MattScorpion, just in case you are wondering why you don't get a response, the question was posted in 2007, and @TravellingSonn hasn't visited the forum since late 2015. It was nice of you to think of sharing, though, and I hope you continue to do so.