UKC

Aside from being an ml trainee (thus carrying rope slings and a couple of biners to get practice in), i carry a good first aid kit (including some fun toys i'm trained on separetely), some spare bits and bobs, emergency shelter plus an all weather blanket (amazing extra thermal insurance for lots of applications).

Always on the look out for new ideas... So. Got Any emergency or first aid tech or kit that's proved its worth?

In reply to alexgoodey: Why do I find this question profoundly saddening?

In reply to alexgoodey: Yes always have one of these http://tinyurl.com/olrn9j9 and some of this http://tinyurl.com/q7l99gc , works for me everytime .

In reply to alexgoodey:

Bothy bag is always worth carrying. Even if you never have an emergency they are great for lunch stops.

In reply to alexgoodey:

Good tape, diclofenac tablets (when the knees play up in the alps), an old stupidphone whose battery you can trust,

CB

In reply to alexgoodey: why do you think you need to carry slings and krabs? It's not something you'll be required to use on your assessment.

I think the best piece of equipment other than a shelter and FA kit is an ml should have is a sturdy set of walking poles.

In reply to alexgoodey:

a couple of double espresso gels.

iphone (if things go bad being able to photograph, locate to google maps and send is a huge advantage).

for alpine stuff i sometimes carry 2 x spectre hooks with 3m loop of cord between them. makes a much faster emergency anchor than fiddling about with other stuff, just smack them in, maybe using an axe/tool for a third.

In reply to alexgoodey:

ill third the duct tape. Repairs clothes, tents, rucksacks, and medical uses. Dont get a roll, you can get Special Flat Packed tape From outdoor shops.

Duct tape check... I re-wrap tape from a roll onto a square bit of board or rip out the middle of a roll and fold flat, usually carry poles, and a shelter too, most recently used last week on scafell but i really do love the all-weather blanket - also good as backup groundsheet and sretcher (damn sight faster than knitting one from rope too!). I have a crud old nokia (bombproof) and a smartphone (unreliable).. One of the reasons why i want to find a long range gps device which doesn't rely on the mobile network, as i'm often in places with no signal.

As for biners and slings (just two) - i've been advised by two assessors that while rope is core skills, any 'safe' system should be accepted.. But likewise, always good to increase skills and options in addition to core and those add lots of options for creating systems and anchors.

In reply to alexgoodey: Pencil and paper (surprising how many first aid kits don't have this, pretty essential imo), reflective tape on gear/back of helmet, spare map and compass, spare head torch, vaseline, extra blister stuff. I'm sure you've got these things already but always worth remembering the small things before you start getting techy.

Also, I'd put your own first aid kit together instead of relying on one already made up, then you can play with everything before using it. Having used the contents of two first aid kits this summer it's surprising how shit they are.

For e.g.:
-those thin weight saving rolls of tape are impossible to use with bloody hands, rip easily and aren't very sticky anyway, wtf, don't they try this stuff out first?
-The "petrol station" gloves they put in make it hard to do anything with your hands, useless.
-Some foil blankets in First aid kits are tiny, not that you need one if you have a bivvy/bothy bag or thermal blanket but it's worth getting everything out and seeing what it's like instead of assuming that the people who make the first aid kits put some thought into the usability, as apposed to the weight on the label.

If you're making your own kit you can buy the wee first aid pointer cards to put in, it doesn't hurt to have a memory aid to look at when you're stressed. Imo it's worth writing out the things you need to know/questions you'll need to have answers to before calling the MRT, and placing the list with that card. Name of casualty, age, visual description and number of group, your location, hazards, description of the injuries etc. When you're stressed it's much easier to just find the answers to all the things on your list rather than wasting time thinking "have I missed something". These are perhaps unnecessary if you're first aid trained or you work in a related area but for the rest of us it's all probably going to come as a shock so knowing what you have and just following instructions might make you calmer, quicker and safer.

In reply to Sharp:

The RNLI casualty care cards are great for this.. A combination of record card and procedures they work pretty well as training, on the job recording and panic mode help.

If someone could design some that didn't have the specialised RNLI kit involved I'm sure they'd be popular.

In reply to alexgoodey:

Something to write notes with/on.
First aid kit amongst other things including aspirin, resus mouth shield and protective gloves. Military dressings are waterproof and durable. Maybe SAM splint.
Wrap your duct tape around poles, flasks etc.
Spare batteries (useful to make sure all your devices use the same type of batteries)
Spare warm clothing for my group.
Group shelter good call, but I wouldn't bother with space blankets. As for using one as a stretcher I think you'd be calling MRT for help!
Spare choccy bars and jelly babies.

In reply to alexgoodey:

A safety Pin, and a Lighter to Sterilise it.

In reply to alexgoodey: A bigger rucksack...

I'd drop the slings and carabiners, not worth it. You shouldn't get into a situation where you need more than a confidence rope.

You are only required to offer first aid, so don't go overboard. Remember, you'll still have the rest of the (perhaps traumatised) group to look after/get back to safety. Just carry the basics that will deal with minor niggles that could become bigger problems (blisters, lost golve, etc).

All sound ideas...

I stopped carrying those crud thin foil thingies when i started carrying proper shelters and the 'real' space blanket, and use them regularly, primarily for comfort in crap weather rather than emergency.

Have been packing my own first aid packs for a few years now and agree offtheshelf ones are usually a waste of time. Fortunately i have, through a variety of means, free access to most first aid kit.

The nub of what i'm trying to get to is the fact that after building experience and constantly learning and steadily improving kit overthe past few years, i'm reaching a point where i'm not constantly buying or making new toys. Just feels like i'm suddenly standing still - i've also learned just as much from other course participants as i have from tutors, simply because of the number of people you talk to withsimilar mindsets

Luckily i also worked in outdoor retail briefly, so know how to fit rucksacks and boots, so blisters in my group are rare, as are rub spots needing vaseline, etc. Having said that, i don't carry vaseline so good shout.. I do have a tiny pot i can use spare too

I'd love an excuse to get some of that haemostop stuff, gut it's unlikely i'd be happening across shrapnel or gaping chest wounds in the hills, and £30 is a lot for a 5cm bandage

In reply to alexgoodey:
>i'm reaching a point where i'm not constantly buying or making new toys. Just feels like i'm suddenly standing still

Maybe that's a sign that you have found what works for you, so stick with it and stop trying to change it

In reply to Sharp:

Funnily enough i've been gathering reflective stuff for the past month and bought some glue yesterday to start applying it to my gear

And yes, lingo is useful - so handy having lots of mates in the ES, if you know the right codes to use you can get your local police to deliver pizza!

In reply to alexgoodey: Wtareproof note pad, one of those IDF compression dressings and a copy of "Razzle" from October 1988 (Stephanie Bews special)

A couple of tie wraps. They weigh nowt and can mend all sorts of broken stuff.

In reply to Choss:

Why would you want to sterilise a safety pin?
And assuming it's not for instant use, how would you keep it sterile?

In reply to alexgoodey: Waterproof pen and paper, to note down anything you are told by the emergency services when on the phone. Virtually everything else can be improvised in an emergency, although tampons make extremely effective dressings for severe bleeding.

In reply to planetmarshall: Interesting thing to know, i imagine they're good for starting fires.

In reply to adam11: Carried a couple for years until one day were used to fix a broken ski binding. Clingfilm also useful. Extra water- dehydration- cleaning wounds,,probably not needed in the lakes!

In reply to adam11:
Used some to repair crampons in Scotland - the centre bar fractured on both within a short period. Lasted the rest of the day then did a repair with fencing wire that evening which lasted the rest of the week. Tie-wraps and gaffer tape sort most things

In reply to alexgoodey: Not quite first-aid, but having seen one of these in action last-night I'll be carrying one from now on:

http://www.military1st.co.uk/54004-adventure-lights-guardian-expedition-lig...

In reply to iksander:
Don't have a copy of Razzle, but I do have a Men's World Jo Guest special circa 2002, will that still work?
I've stopped carrying field dressings nowadays and take ambulance dressings instead as they're cheaper and lighter.
I recently bought a first aid dry bag from lomo. That has proven to be a great buy!

In reply to Martin1978:


What If you've forgotten your action man lamp and haven't got a stove to render down nearby penguins?
Improvise:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Bacon-Powered-Lamp/

In reply to Dave Perry:

I would pack those items just in case this happens:

http://lifeinthefastlane.com/minor-injuries-001

Very painful, but easily remedied with a hot safety pin or similar; I've used a paper clip in the past.

cor Jo Guest.. just my era

Yes on the blinky LED lights, I used some last month for the first time, really handy - though they were only £1.50 per unit (I just bought ten more) - really handy!

In reply to alexgoodey:

http://www.kakibusok.plus.com/Equipment/

In reply to Michael_WB:


Thanks. I very nearly lost my curry

I hate toenails!
jk

In reply to alexgoodey: The most usefull thing that I don't see on your list is a really good torch.

I carry a main hand torch, a main head torch (both use same batteries) which light up to about 100m, a back up hand torch (AA battery) plus other minor light sources which can be used but not relied upon

Some great ideas here people! Keep em coming

Good ideas I've seen or done:

SOLAS refelective tape on poles/rucsac - for marking dumped bags, tent, caz..... been there done that, and bloody wished I had the reflectives!


Double sheet of karrimatt to replace internal backsystem of rucsacs - emmergency ground insulation, or knee/elbow protectors (made with gaffer tape) should you bugger an ankle and decide some crawling is in order to get somewhere better....been there done that and bloody wished I had the karrimat!

One for the google boxes amongst us, spare glasses screws (from an old set of glasses) and mini screw-driver accessory for swiss army knife -its an arse when your lens drops out and the screw pings off into the dirt/snow (happens to me about once every eight years or so).....been there done that (twice, once on the cuillin ridge in winter) and bloody wished I had the spare screws....

Wire/ultra short quick-draw/tat/mini-spanner- whatever you need to fix a broken front bail or extension bar on a crampon, or a loose bolt on pick/adze on a axe.......been there done that and had the fix....hurrah!

Gaffer tape round nalgene bottle

Blizzard pack

In reply to ScraggyGoat:

Sat in the Clachaigh with a mate on a winter climbing trip when the lens of his glasses pops out onto the stone floor and shatters - and he was the driver for the trip.... I spent some time assembling the jigsaw with superglue and wiring the frame together with a piece of a paper clip and he was sorted.