Packing Light | Creating a Family First Aid Kit
Photo by GarySChapman
As a nurse and mom, I feel it is my duty to pack our family’s first aid essentials for any outing - day hike, weekend camping adventure, or a year long trip in an RV. I didn’t always abide by this standard. One too many times I’ve been caught without a bandaid. The straw that broke the camel’s back - my father-in-law carries a single bandaid in his wallet and we’ve had to use it more than once - told me it was time to change. I’m also the one with a medicine cabinet full of expired meds. Don’t turn me in. Our year long RV trip made me simplify and in doing so, fine tune many habits I previously wasn’t forced to change.
It came naturally to pack clothing but thinking about safety, though more important, was harder. Most hikes, I’m alone with my boys. A year in an RV meant thousands of hours in the national forests with the nearest hospital a helicopter ride away. Almost always without reception. I didn’t want to be the mom that forgot wipes and fresh underwear for my potty training kid, and I also didn’t want to be that hiker ill equipped for a scorching day on the trail, no water in sight.
When I first brainstormed what I may need on this adventure, I thought okay snake bite kit with anti-venom, bear spray, and a knife, with a healthy soaking of a whole lotta Deet. My ICU background had me preparing for the worst. I have taken care of patients in Afghanistan administering anti-venom after major snake bites. I’ve also taken care of an ICU patient who isolated with his family in the woods during COVID. He fried up what he thought were wild onions only to find himself in the ICU with a heart rate in the 30’s and a diagnosis of Lily of the Valley digitalis. I’m a natural planner for the worst, but in actuality we didn’t encounter any of those things on our trip.
Despite what I thought, and what I had planned for, adventure travel gives rise to few medical needs. I may now even feel that traveling children are healthier than their stay at home counterparts. Maybe this is old school thought, but being outside in the sun, taking a dip in the sea, and constantly exercising leads to healthier bodies and minds. Though I am learning that injuries are rare, and mostly contained to my imagination, it’s best to be prepared. I wanted to share the reality of life on the road and how you too can keep it simple, even when sticking to your own backyard.
Having some basic gear for emergencies can be the difference between a slight delay and derailing a family vacation. Read on for what to pack in an emergency kit for your home, your car or your hiking pack. I have created two:
A large medicine bag for our RV which then transferred to the truck when our trip ended
A smaller more compact everyday kit for a backpack during day hikes and shorter outings
Cuts, scrapes, scratches
My sons have more or less gotten used to the occasional scrape. These were by far our biggest injuries on the road: falls alongside the bottom of our trailer, on a prickly bush during a hike, or after falling flat on the pavement chasing one another. I wash the cut immediately with a water bottle or wet wipe. I make sure to sanitize my hands and work hard to stop the boys from touching the open cut with dirty hands. I spray Neosporin and apply a bandaid only if it’s an open cut and there’s blood. For any cut beyond the simple band-aid stage we’d use gauze soaked in water, hydrogen peroxide then bandage with a larger bandaid, or gauze and adhesive tape, allowing it to air out overnight. I check the site often making sure it’s clean and covered during the day with no signs of infection creeping in.
Supply List:
Non-adhesive pads
Gauze for wrapping
Neosporin small spray
Wipes
Hand Sanitizer
Sun protection
Adventuring means spending a great deal of time outdoors. Applying sunscreen regularly is the gold standard for most sun exposure. In high exposure areas like on the water, at the beach, higher altitudes, or at high points in our day (11am - 3pm), applying sunscreen regularly plus wearing a sunhat, and sunshirt is key. I try to remember to bring separate water bottles for the boys so I can better monitor their water intake. If you’re exercising a lot, setting reminders on the phone help for sunscreen application or checking whether the children are drinking. It also wouldn’t hurt to add extra salt in your evening meal to replace what may be lost through sweating.
Supply List:
Lipbalm w/SPF
Individual Water Bottles
Aloe
Sun hat
Allergic Reactions
My husband and son seem to have increased skin sensitivities. One evening while preparing for dinner, my husband asked me to check his chest stating he was itchier than normal. His whole torso had broken out in hives and his neck was getting red. An antihistamine is essential to have on hand at any given time. We may not know why it occurred but either food or something he encountered that day bothered his immune system. If the hives would have caused any breathing difficulty or notable swelling, I would have taken him to the closest medical facility. So at any given time this is vital information to know before setting off on a hike. I keep a few tabs of Benadryl in my compact kit for everyday hikes. Allergic reactions are not something I’d ever mess around with.
Supply List:
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
Cetirizine (Zyrtec)
Insect bites/stings
We encountered all kinds of incredible insects on our trip which gave ample material to discuss precautions with our children. Things like: give them space, don’t swat or chase, be curious but be aware. It became a game, find a bug and come home and read about it. Life is school and school is life. For the most part, I believe insects are more of a nuisance causing little to no actual harm. Sometimes in fact, the emotional trauma alone of trying to rid our home, or hair of a particular bug has been more the issue. We dealt more with insects back home in Atlanta than on our trip, I’m assuming because of the climate.
Supply List:
Hydrocortisone for anti itch
Bite Extractor - slows the inflammatory response
Spiky Things
As you venture further into the deserts of North America it is good advice to stay on designated trails. Off trail means more wildlife encounters as well as the increased possibility of insects hitching a ride or worse stepping on a plant that is well armored and camouflage. Not to mention getting lost. We’ve learned that cactuses are not poisonous but the spines, depending on the type of cactus, can be long and barbed and quite difficult to remove. My son, walking backwards off a trail, fell on a cholla or “jumping” cactus. For defense, it detaches easily from the main plant and hooks its “limbs” tenaciously into flesh. He was covered with spines from his waist down. Our hike was over at that point and I learned that the number one item missing from my first aid kit was tweezers. Having tweezers would help immensely in the removal of said spines. Remove any clothing involved, work to remove as many spines as tolerable, give pain medicine and apply cool compresses to the affected areas to help with skin irritations. Monitor for infection and clean thoroughly once home. Ample hugs help too.
Supply List:
Tweezers
Pain med. or anti-inflammatory of choice (Ibuprofen/Tylenol)
Wildlife - Bears, Mountain Lions, Bobcats, Elk, Snakes
Each park we visited - National, State, even forest land advise in their newsletter and on posted signs how to react to wildlife if encountered in that area. All parks tell you to keep your distance from wildlife. So my sons learned to read the signs and together we acted out different scenarios as a fun way to normalize our response and increase safety and awareness. For the most part I do believe that animals are more scared of us than we are of them, but I also respect that they are an animal, and can be unpredictable. While hiking and trail running, I have felt safer carrying a whistle. If only to warn off an animal or scare one or even to get the attention of another hiker. I have had friends carry air horns as well as bear spray. My boys also walk with hiking sticks that have a bell on the end. They make enough noise as it is but it also signals to mountain bikers that there are people on the trail. The advice given on how to react if encountering animals is specific to each animal.
Supply List:
Whistle (comes on many camelbacks these days)
Trail Bells added to a walking stick
Spiny Urchins
We enjoy tide-pooling, but there are a few risks involved. Besides the need to monitor the crashing waves, spiny urchins are something to be avoided. They tend to hang out in more grassy shallow underwater alcoves so steering clear of those if walking in the water is important. Plus having footwear on for my children is a must. If your child steps on one, pull out the large spines with tweezers. There may be some that cannot be reached. In that case, wash well with soap and water, you can use a razor to remove any smaller pieces by scraping your skin. The sting from the spines can be extremely painful and an urchin bite is poisonous. It’s important to monitor the area closely and seek medical attention if infection or respiratory issues develop.
Supply List:
Tweezers
What’s in my at home kit?
adhesive bandages of various sizes
butterfly bandages
gauze roll
Antibiotic ointment
Alcohol pads
pain and anti-inflammatory medicine for adult and child: ibuprofen/tylenol
hydrocortisone cream
tweezers, scissors, safety pins
anti-diarrhea medicine
Nausea/stomach acid relief: pepto tablets
Steristrips
floss
antihistamine for allergic reactions: benadryl
eye drops
moleskin
Gloves (not pictured)
Qtips (not pictured)
Flushes for eyes
Tape
Gel - Electrolyte replacement
Vitamin C
What’s in my adventure kit?
Tweezers
Neosporin Spray
Tylenol x2
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) x2
Alcohol pads
Non-adhesive pads
Bandaids Hydrocortisone Cream
Small travel sunscreen
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