Let's face it, it's inevitable that you or one of your riding compatriots is going to crash. Hopefully there will be no serious injuries and all you'll get is a good story and a good laugh, maybe make it on to #fridayfail on Pinkbike.com. But, someday, something more significant might happen so you should probably be ready.
In my mind, being ready requires two things: knowledge and supplies. I do happen to have a fair bit of medical knowledge, but until research is done to determine if oak leaves are better for packing a wound over maple leaves, I'd prefer some good old fashioned medical supplies.
If you don't have much medical knowledge, I strongly encourage you to take one of our courses--we cover common trail injuries and include CPR certification and Stop The Bleed certification.
Once you've got enough knowledge to be dangerous, it's time to put a kit together. You *could* buy a first aid kit, but I really don't think most of the commercially available kits are that great. Most seem to favor quantity over quality and include stuff that I personally think is unnecessary. I don't want 20 little band-aids, I want a tourniquet. Some kits I found included items like sunscreen or lip balm, which to me, is almost like carrying hair gel.Anyway, I figure that most medical issues that arise on the trails can be broken down into minor, moderate, and severe.
Minor injuries, or what another writer simply called "boo-boos" are the small cuts and scrapes that probably won't slow a ride down. I really don't need a "boo-boo kit." If I *need* a band-aid, well, I don't really need one.So, I think about a kit that will have supplies for moderate to severe injuries; injuries that will either significantly curtail a ride or require some outside assistance. I want a kit that I can take with me on all my rides, one that will have important stuff, but not be so onerous that I'll stop carrying it; a kit that will work for most common injuries that would occur on a ride and would provide an hour's worth of stabilization and support. A kit like this takes a lot of thought and judgement. I can't carry everything for every possibility, and let's face it, like most ER providers, I'm mostly useless without a CT scanner.
What will I take? An off-the-shelf tourniquet could be life or limb saving, is inexpensive, and light enough to pack easily. An ACE wrap might be good enough as a tourniquet if needed, with a stick or long Allen wrench used to crank it tight, and an ACE wrap could also of course be used to help close a wound or stabilize a sprain or fracture. Should I pack & carry both? There's no right or wrong answer on what to take, and there's probably going to be something I'd wish I'd had, even if I had a kit 7 times as big.
I came up with a supply list that I think will have lots of uses, and will be relatively easy to carry.
But, before I talk about the contents, I'll mention the pack I chose. It's the mini frame bag by Lead Out. At just under $75, it's not cheap, but was at that perfect intersection of small enough, but big enough, and easily transferrable to and from all my bikes. Seems well constructed and should be durable.
- emergency whistle
- nitrile gloves
- QuickClot
- ACE wrap (folded, not rolled)
- Non-stick pads
- Steri-strips
- Gauze wrap
- Small packs of antibiotic ointment
- Triangular bandage w/ safety pins
- Large band-aids
- Roll of tape
- Skin marker
- Small pack of tools (small scissors, needle tweezers, etc)
- Tourniquet
- Small pill box with: 1000mg acetaminophen, 800mg of ibuprofen, 81mg chewable aspirin x 4, 50mg of diphenhydramine (benadryl), 40mg of famotidine (pepcid), 60mg of prednisone
- EpiPen (prescription only)
- I have a splint that I'd like to start carrying, will probably put in a different spot
Is this too much?
Too little?
Something you'd recommend?
Let me know in the comments!
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