5 Things That Should Be In Every Outdoor Emergency First Aid Survival Kit
If you spend a lot of time off the beaten paths and exploring the great outdoors, one of the things you should always have in your backpack is an emergency first aid survival kit. You never know when some ill fate could come up and leave you in a survival situation, so being medically prepared is super important. Building your emergency first aid survival kit is something that should take some careful planning, especially if the items in the kit will be used outdoors. Here are five things you should make sure you have.
1. Pointed-Tip Tweezers - There are all kinds of reasons why a pair of tweezers is important, and most store-bought first-aid kits will have a pair included. However, make sure the tweezers you pick have a fine point. The pointed tip will be really useful if you get something stuck in your feet or hands, but it will also be helpful if you have to give yourself stitches to close a wound, pluck out a tick, or do other small tasks.
2. Multivitamins - This is not something most first-aid kits have. However, if you find yourself stranded in the wilderness with no food, it can be possible to sustain yourself if you have a good multivitamin to take and water to drink. It is even worth picking up chewable or liquid-form multivitamins just in case you are without enough water to help you swallow a pill.
3. Hand Sanitizer - Keeping a wound clean and disinfected in the outdoors is going to be difficult, especially if you are treating the wound with dirty hands. Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your pack specifically for this reason. In a pinch, the hand sanitizer can be used to disinfect a wound, although this would not be preferable. Plus, the alcohol-based solution is an excellent flammable source if you need help creating a fire.
4. Suture Kit - No one ever wants to think they may have to stitch up their own wound, but if a wound is so large that it will not reclose on its own and will leave you vulnerable to infections, stitches are important. Pick up a basic suture kit that contains a suturing needle, stitching thread, and sometimes wound ointment.
5. Liquid Bandage Solution - If you are in the heat or cold, wind or rain, or dirt, it will be difficult to get ordinary bandages to stay in place. Keeping the wound covered with a liquid bandage solution is much more feasible. You can apply the solution to everything from scratches and cuts to sores and bug bites to keep them clean.