First Aid and Safety Gear
Your safety equipment is only useful if you have it with you and you know how to use it. I'm no expert I'm just talking about what I do and what works for me, follow my advice at your own risk. I highly recommend you do a first aid course and stay up to date with it.
First Aid Thinking
First aid out hiking can be all about thinking outside the box. I carry a first aid kit but many of the items I use for first aid are not in the kit. For example, my water bladder and hose can be used to irrigate a wound and flush gravel out, a clean bandanna or t-shirt can be a wound dressing, or a wrist brace for sprains and fractures can be made from an aluminium wind shield or crushed plastic water bottle, duct tape can also be used to hold yourself together while you hike out to help and an air mat can be used to splint legs or arms.
You need to know your limits, plan to stay within them and never underestimate a situation or overestimate your skill.
I also believe prevention is better than cure, so be sure to look after yourself. Keep hydrated, keep warm, keep dry, tend to blisters and scrapes as soon as possible
Common injuries, treat as soon as possible so they don’t get worse. these include:
Possible injuries, control/stabilise the problem and walk out as soon as possible or await help:
First Aid Kits
Even if you buy a conventional first aid kit, take it out of the heavy bag. I keep my first aid in a zip lock bag its much more light weight and the outer bag can be used to storing items or a severed finger! I built my kit myself, it saves significant weight, money and is better for my personal needs.
Drugs I take with me (cut package to required amount with directions of use and used by date written on it back):
Other Items:
Survival Gear
Many of the places people hike in Australia are not actually that remote and a one or two days hike could get you to a road. Therefore you probably don’t need a weeks worth of survival gear. This of course all hangs off the fact that I carry a PLB in case of life threatening emergency and always leave a trip plan with a reliable friend that will trigger a search response if I don’t return on time.
Items in my survival kit:
Items not in kit but carried elsewhere:
PLB (EPIRB)
A personal locator beacon (PLB) or Electronic Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) I believe are essential kit. I have the ACR ResQLink it has a one off fee of about $300 and can be used all over Australia. Other devices have monthly subscriptions that soon add up but have the ability to send messages "I'm ok" messages. My PLB weighs 165g and it worth every gram. Your details can be updated easily online to help emergency services locate your vehicle and trip plans. I never leave home without my PLB especially when hiking solo but even on day hikes with friends. PLB are only to be used in emergencies.
For all the info you need on PLB check out the Australian Maritime Safety Authority website
The Emergency + app can also be useful if you have phone reception as you can use it to call help and give them your GPS position.
Your safety equipment is only useful if you have it with you and you know how to use it. I'm no expert I'm just talking about what I do and what works for me, follow my advice at your own risk. I highly recommend you do a first aid course and stay up to date with it.
First Aid Thinking
First aid out hiking can be all about thinking outside the box. I carry a first aid kit but many of the items I use for first aid are not in the kit. For example, my water bladder and hose can be used to irrigate a wound and flush gravel out, a clean bandanna or t-shirt can be a wound dressing, or a wrist brace for sprains and fractures can be made from an aluminium wind shield or crushed plastic water bottle, duct tape can also be used to hold yourself together while you hike out to help and an air mat can be used to splint legs or arms.
You need to know your limits, plan to stay within them and never underestimate a situation or overestimate your skill.
I also believe prevention is better than cure, so be sure to look after yourself. Keep hydrated, keep warm, keep dry, tend to blisters and scrapes as soon as possible
Common injuries, treat as soon as possible so they don’t get worse. these include:
- cuts/scrapes
- blisters
- stings/bites
- burns
- headache
- hayfever
- splinters
Possible injuries, control/stabilise the problem and walk out as soon as possible or await help:
- diarrhoea vomiting
- breaks, sprains
- deep cuts/grazes
- strong pain
- hypothermia / hyperthermia
- infection
- snake bite
First Aid Kits
Even if you buy a conventional first aid kit, take it out of the heavy bag. I keep my first aid in a zip lock bag its much more light weight and the outer bag can be used to storing items or a severed finger! I built my kit myself, it saves significant weight, money and is better for my personal needs.
Drugs I take with me (cut package to required amount with directions of use and used by date written on it back):
- personal medications
- 4 hydrolyte tabs
- nerofen + with 12.8mg codene x10
- Strong pain codeine 25mg x 2
- general antibiotic 5 tablet does
- Gastro-stop 10 tabs
- Panadol x6
- Antihistamine – 8
- Anti-nausea tablets x 8
- Naproxen Sodium x 6
Other Items:
- 15ml betadine/ or swabs may be lighter
- 20 bandaids
- 1x eye pad
- micropore tape
- 2x adhesive island dressing medium
- 2x adhesive island dressing large
- 1x large dressing
- 2x triangle bandages
- 2x snake bandages
- 1x wound dressing medium
- 1 small pack steri-strip pack
- 1 needle (for splinter removal etc)
- 3x skin-prep alcohol swabs large.
- notebook pencil (I use my phone for this)
- Wound cleaning supplies (alcohol wipes, antibiotic cream, irrigation juice – eye ouch)
- Blister stuff
- Mini scissors
- Butterfly clip
- Duct tape
- White tape for blisters
- Eye wash
- Tweezers
- Burn cream
- Rubber gloves
Survival Gear
Many of the places people hike in Australia are not actually that remote and a one or two days hike could get you to a road. Therefore you probably don’t need a weeks worth of survival gear. This of course all hangs off the fact that I carry a PLB in case of life threatening emergency and always leave a trip plan with a reliable friend that will trigger a search response if I don’t return on time.
Items in my survival kit:
- PLB (EPIRB)
- Large plastic magnified glass (to light a fire)
- Space blanket
- 13x water treatment tabs
- 15m fishing line 2 hooks and plastic baits
- Lighter
- Signal mirror
- Hand chain saw
- Windproof matches x 12
- Copper wire 3 m
- Whistle
- Tampon (tinder)
- Needle and thread (remove splinters or item repair)
- Duct tape 3m
- Large plastic bag (water collection)
- Dental floss
- Photo of a loved one (motivation)
- Safety pin
- Cable ties x 8
Items not in kit but carried elsewhere:
- Bug spray
- Platypus water treatment bag for irrigating wounds
- Splint – mattress half inflated
- Rope
- Knife on hip
- Head torch
- Map
- Compass
- Sunglasses/eye protection
- Bandana (used for sun protection, pot holder, eye mask for sleep, face mask from smoke/bugs, sock, bandage)
- Phone – I've been astounded at the places I've got reception. So take it. Triple 0 or 112 may can sometimes work with limited signal so alway give it a try (climb high to see if you can get reception). Keep it in your bag turned off or in aeroplane mode to save battery.
- Air bed repair
- 2 x AAA batteries
PLB (EPIRB)
A personal locator beacon (PLB) or Electronic Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) I believe are essential kit. I have the ACR ResQLink it has a one off fee of about $300 and can be used all over Australia. Other devices have monthly subscriptions that soon add up but have the ability to send messages "I'm ok" messages. My PLB weighs 165g and it worth every gram. Your details can be updated easily online to help emergency services locate your vehicle and trip plans. I never leave home without my PLB especially when hiking solo but even on day hikes with friends. PLB are only to be used in emergencies.
For all the info you need on PLB check out the Australian Maritime Safety Authority website
The Emergency + app can also be useful if you have phone reception as you can use it to call help and give them your GPS position.