Improvised first aid

So you are hiking along a trail with your buddies when suddenly Joe falls and sprains his ankle. You are miles from civilization and have no signal on your cell phone. What do you do?

When it comes to improvised first aid, the possibilities are endless. You can use any and everything for about any type of injury or illness. I'll give you a head start on some innovative ideas to treat injuries and illnesses on the trail. 

Allergic reaction

Say someone gets stung by a bee or gets poison ivy and is hyper-sensitive too it. If they don't have a history of anaphylaxis, they probably won't have and epipen. If your read my post on gear lists, you know I carry Benadryl in my first aid kit. Benadryl is an antihistamine and will lessen the effects of the reaction, if not cure the symptoms. 

Speaking of poison ivy, how do you treat it on the trail? In today's day and age, we are used to lotions and treatments for poison ivy to the point we don't know how to treat it without the luxuries of a medicine cabinet. First thing you want to do is wash the areas thoroughly. Find running water such as a stream or river and make sure you are washing downstream from camp. Use any type of soap you happen to have. If you by chance bring laundry detergent, use that. If you carry alcohol pads in your first aid kit and have plenty, occasionally cleanse the area with alcohol. Hand sanitizer will work as well. Make sure to put some gauze over it to keep it from spreading and always change gauze after cleansing the site. 

Broken bones - extremities

If you happen to (or your buddy happens to) break a bone in an extremity (arm or leg), you need to get medical attention as quickly as possible. It's important to stabilize the bone to prevent further damage. You can use the metal frame from an internal frame pack as a splint. These work amazingly well being how they will shape to the extremity. This also works for immobilizing a wrist in the case of a wrist or hand injury. If you have spare lashing straps, use those to secure the splint. Gauze rolls work great too. About anything will work. If you are climbing as well and have tubular webbing, that is ideal. Just remember to minimize movement of the extremity. 

Dislocation, sprain, and strain

If you end up with a dislocated joint, you can always try to reset it. However, there's complications to doing that so do it at your own risk. To be honest, even though I know the complications, I would probably still attempt it on the trail. If you can't reset it in 2 attempts, stop there and don't try anymore. If it's a shoulder or elbow, make a sling from clothing or bandana to immobilize the extremity. Fingers can be taped together (works for fractures too). Knees, hips, and ankles get tricky. You are probably better off getting rescue. It will be difficult to reset and if you happen to succeed, it will still be difficult and painful to walk as well as harmful. 

Sprains and strains are treated with ice. If you have ice packs in your first aid kit, use it. In winter, you have the advantage of ice and snow being readily available. In summer, take a soaking wet bandanna and wrap around the effected area. Make sure the skin is fully exposed. Find some way to expose it to wind. The convection will cool the bandana and the site. It's not as good as ice, but better than nothing. 

All of these injuries should be wrapped and compressed after treated. You can use clothing, bandana, ace bandage, whatever you have. If the injury involves the hips and down, make sure to rest often and stay off your feet as much as possibly 

Bleeding

In the event you get a cut or even amputation, be sure to stop the bleeding. If it's not serious, clean the wound first. Use your gauze, bandana, etc. as a dressing to apply direct pressure to the round. You want it as sterile as possible so always have gauze. Hold tight pressure for at least 5 minutes. If the bleeding is serious, you may need to hold pressure longer. 

If the blood starts to soak through the dressing, add additional dressing on top. DO NOT remove the dressing! If you do stop the bleeding and then pull up the dressing, it could pull a clot and start bleeding again and you could risk an embolism. 

If pressure doesn't work, make a tourniquet. Use rope, bandana, anything you can find to tie around the extremity. Use a stick and slide it under the tourniquet and begin twisting. Twist until the bleeding stops then secure the stick. Note the time the tourniquet was placed and get to a hospital immediately. 

If you get the bleeding controlled and continue with the trek, be sure to occasionally clean the wound with filtered water and change the dressing to prevent infection. If you suspect infection (prolonged inflammation, puss, increased pain), get to a hospital. 

In the event of amputation, treat the bleeding as described above. If the amputated part is retrievable, clean it then put it in a zip lock bag (you should always have these). Put it on ice if possible. Again, in winter you have snow and ice available. Get to the hospital as quickly as possible. 

There are many plants out there that can be used to treat infection and simple ailments such as nausea, headache, and diarrhea. I will follow up with a post on natural medicine. I will also follow up with a post on treating environmental emergencies so stay tuned. 

This is just to get you started. Each injury and illness will come about differently so you will have to use ingenuity to treat each case. Stay tuned for additional posts on this subject. Comment any additional ideas you have. 

My gear list for backpacking

If you search the internet, you can find hundreds of gear lists and videos on gear lists. I recommend eventually making your own gear list and as you gain experience, you will learn what you will and won't use. This list is to get you started and I will give you the essentials that you should absolutely have. Your gear list will vary depending on the type of hike your doing, how long the hike is, the climate and weather. This post will be in conjunction with my next post on how to pack your backpack. 

Shelter

It's pretty important to have some sort of shelter. Whether it be a tent, tarp, hammock, or simply a large poncho. It's always nice to sometimes sleep under the stars with no shelter or sleep in a snow hut, but you should always have some sort of shelter to fall back on. I even carry something that can double as a backup shelter such as tarp or poncho. 

Sleep system

You always need some sort of sleeping bag or blanket. Even summer nights can get cold and it's always nice to have a little extra under you. It is vital that your sleep system is appropriate to the weather. You aren't going to use a 40 degree sleeping bag in freezing temperatures and probably don't want to use a -20 bag for summer. One of my previous posts will help you in determining your sleeping bag. 

Water

Water is the most important thing in any hike. It's always better to have too much than not enough. I personally carry 2 Nalgene bottles. In the warm weather I also carry a camelback and a smaller aluminum bottle. Water does add a lot of weight, so it's important to also have some form to purify water if you go on any extended trip. I have a Cohglan water filter and purification tablets. In winter you can melt snow and don't really need a filter. Plan your trip well. If you know there's going to be plenty of water sources, carry less water and have a filter. If water will be scarce on the trail, carry more. I will post a bit later on how to find and carry water. 

Food

Food is next to water in importance. Your food is all up to you. Your preference in food choices and the length of trip will determine how much and what kinds of food you will bring. There are dehydrated foods out there that you can just add water to. You can always get MREs or carry something like rice or noodles. Just remember that the more you bring, the heavier your pack will be. If you don't pack your food right, you will take up valuable space in your pack. I have been taking ramen noodles and rice in zip lock bags. I carry my food in a stuff sack, but a lot of people prefer to put each meal in its own zip lock bag. I like everything in the stuff sack because when I go to hang my bear bag, I just need to hang my one stuff sack. I will post some recipes for over the fire in a later post. If you bring things that need cooked, you need some type of stove, whether it be an alcohol, gas, or wood. You also need a cook set. I have a larger one for hiking with multiple people and for winter, and a smaller one for hiking alone. Bear in mind, you need something to melt snow in if you're hiking in winter. 

Clothing

You should bring some kind of jacket along, no matter how warm it is outside. The nights may get chilly and you may get an unexpected rain. It's essential to bring extra socks. Depending on how hard you hike, the temperature, and weather, you may have to change socks during the day. When hiking hard in wet or hot weather, you should change your socks 1-2 times a day. Factor in additional clothing that has a potential to get wet or sweaty. It's also vital that you bring some type of hat. In the warm months, you need to keep the sun off your face and neck. In cold, you need to keep your head warm. Your head is very vascular, making most of your heat escaping through your head. When protecting from the rain, I recommend a small, spare poncho because you can keep the rain off as well as have a spare shelter. 

Navigation

I prefer to use maps, I'm a little old fashioned but whether you use maps or GPS, you need something. You never know when you might lose track of where you are and may need to regain your bearings and get back on the trail. I carry a map in a waterproof map case, protractor, pencil, and orienteering compass. Not only should you have them, you should know how to use it. Take a small course or stay tuned for a later post I will put up on how to navigate. GPS is becoming very popular. If you bring GPS, make sure to have spare batteries or a way of charging it like a solar charger. In fact, you should have spare batteries for all electronics. You should also know how to use your GPS before setting out. If you do bring GPS, bring a map as well. You never know when the GPS will quit working or die and it's always good to have a map. 

Pack

In my opinion, a backpack is important. I have never seen someone hike several days without one. The type and brand of pack you get 100% depends on what you like. I have a Teton sport explorer 4000. It's the right size for me and has plenty of room for all my gear. Every pack is different: some have lots of external pockets, some have none. There are several different sizes and styles. Do you want external or internal frame? Do you need some way to hold a water bladder? Do you want a built in pack cover or liner? Before spending a lot of money, determine what you need. 

Tools

I highly recommend a multi tool like a letherman. These can be used for just about anything. I also like to carry a pocket knife. You should consider a small shovel to dig a latrine. I also have a folding saw to cut firewood and a collapsible snow shovel if I'm hiking in deep snow. 

Light

I carry just a small LED flashlight. It fits into small places in my pack and is bright. I highly HIGHlY recommend a headlamp. If you end up setting up in the dark, it's nice to have a headlamp so you can work with both hands. 

First aid

First aid kit is essential on the trail. Being how I'm a paramedic, I tend to go overboard with medical supplies. I recently condensed it down to the essentials: gauze pads, gauze rolls, alcohol pads, bandaids, moleskin, medical gloves, and antibiotic ointment. I also carry ibuprofen and Benadryl. Benadryl is great for allergic reactions. I carry my first aid supplies in a zip lock bag because it can compress more that way. 

Everything else 

Everything else you carry is based on your preference and type of hike. I will, later on, give you a guide on packing for winter trips, desert trips, and ultralight. The following are things you may want to also bring:

Lighter or fire striker

Some kind of tinder

Cord or rope (needed for bear bag)

Duct tape

Repair kits

Sleeping pad or air matress

Camera

Pillow

Space blanket

Survival kit

Gloves 

Hand sanitizer

Backup stove

Bandanna

Carabiner

Fishing kit

Trekking poles

This will be a good start, but alter it to fit you. You may not use some stuff and you may have some stuff that you will use that I didn't mention. Feel free to comment about other things you carry.