First Aid Guide: The Checklist

It’s common knowledge to always prepare yourself with a first aid kit when hiking, camping or backpacking in the wilderness. But, what about other potentially dangerous sports like skateboarding, wake boarding or biking? It’s not a bad idea to stash a basic first aid kit in your pack, bike pouch or glove box of the boat or car. The provided First-Aid Checklists include various levels of treatment needed, from basic to more extensive.

Basic First-Aid Kit – Packaged first-aid kits typically contain most or all of the items below. The kits can be personalized with supplemental items to meet each person’s needs.

• Bandage strips in varying sizes
• Antiseptic/antibacterial ointment
• Antiseptic or rubbing alcohol wipes
• Gauze pads in varying sizes
• Waterproof medical tape
• Fine point tweezers
• Safety pins
• Blister treatment: Moleskin & blister gel
• Pain medication like ibeprofen
• Insect after-bite relief treatment

All-Inclusive First-Aid Kit – A larger, more extensive kit includes items for more serious illnesses and/or injuries. These, too, can be purchased as a pre-pack or individual items can be purchased to supplement a basic first aid kit.
Rolls of gauze

• Gauze pads & hemostatic gauze pads
• Ace type bandages
• Hydrogel pads & liquid bandages
• Pre-packaged slings (triangular cravat) or fabric for slings
• Splints – finger and SAM
• Oval eye pads

Medicine Chest – The items below won’t take up much space and shouldn’t be overlooked as additions to your basic first-aid kit.

• Hand sanitizer
• Aspirin
• Antacid tablets
• Throat lozenges
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Treatment and preventative ointment for poison ivy/ poison oak
• Lubricating eye drops & a sterile saline solution
• EpiPen to treat severe allergic reactions
• Aloe vera gel for sun burn relief

Advanced Medical Kit – For backcountry trips longer than a few days, a more advanced medical kit should be prepared and brought on the trip.

• Cotton tipped swabs and cotton balls
• Hypothermia thermometer (reads low temperatures)
• Standard thermometer
• Small mirror and magnifying glass
• Irrigation syringe with 18 gauge catheter
• Latex-free medical gloves
• Strong, steel needle and heavy duty thread
• Medical waste bag
• Duct tape
• Metal whistle
• Notepad and waterproof pencil/pen
• Mylar emergency blanket

First-Aid Tool Kit – To supplement the advanced kit, you’ll need some medical tools to assist with the emergency.

• Flashlight or headlamp
• Safety razor blades and/or a scalpel
• Strong, blunt-tipped scissors
• Swiss Army knife
• Needle nosed pliers
• Emergency tool (e.g. 4-in-1 for use as a hammer, pry-bar, etc.)