UKC

On a warm spring day in Assynt, Gail Donaldson could have gone ultra-light and barely equipped. But when a surprise slip left her incapacitated, alone, and out of mobile signal, she was glad to have packed with accidents in mind. Her first aid kit proved invaluable.

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In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

I read your account of this on WH it’s a very clear, non-dramatic description of events which is really helpful particularly as a reminder of what seems like a benign day out can, with a touch of bad luck and no phone reception, be a potentially very serious situation if you’re unprepared.  
 

Thanks for sharing your experience and really hope your recovery is quick.

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Well-written and well done - heal quick!

It prompted me to dig into the first aid kit I've had at the bottom of a pack for ages and I'm now thinking it's likely that the plasters are no longer sticky and the sterile dressings may not be sterile! How often do you review and refresh what's in your kit? 

(Edit - and I used the tape for fixing my handlebar grips ages ago and forgot to replace it :-D)

And the dry bag for it is a great idea - why had I never thought of that?!

In reply to compost: The Lomo First Aid Drybags are as cheap as chips (large portion) and still small enough to justify carrying them

https://www.lomo.co.uk/products/ultra-light-weight-dry-bag-1l-first-aid/?gc...

In reply to leon 1:

Good article, I hope you make a full recovery. It certainly made me think as I've done loads of solo climbing/walking/skiing over the decades, so far without mishap but I am aware that an accident like yours could happen to anyone, anytime.

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Reading stuff like this makes me realise how complacent I've become when out and about. Granted, I'm not going anywhere overly remote or high and haven't done much proper hiking in a while.

But, a combination of weight gain and complacency (losing things over time, using and not replacing, items no longer fitting, lending to friends and not getting back) makes me realise as and when I get back into the hills/longer/more remote hikes I need to have a sit down and proper think about suitable clothing & equipment. Especially as people I'm with often assume I know what I'm doing and will be suitably equipped!

Probably a job for autumn now given I've just bought a couple of paddle boards for summer

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

I bought a SAM splint a couple of weeks ago and already lost it Either someone threw it out when my explorer scouts were tidying up (it was next to the FA kit) or one of my kids has hidden it.

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Good article.  Thanks (and best wishes for recovery).

In reply to compost:

Sorry for the delay in replying (and thanks for the supportive comments).

I don't really have any system for reviewing and refreshing my kit; I try to remember to replace anything I've used as soon as I get home so I don't forget, and add stuff / remove stuff at certain times of year or depending on the weather if relevant (e.g. sun block or midge spray) and at those times will usually have a quick check of the condition of everything else, e.g. to see if any sterile packaging has become open. Like you say, things like plasters have a habit of getting tatty and probably losing stickiness. The energy gels I used in that incident turned out to be BBE Nov 2022, but tasted fine and did the trick.

That's my personal approach ...on the ambulances, I hasten to add, I don't give people medicines 6 months out of date! We can only use in-date supplies (understandable for drugs but hugely frustrating for things like OPAs which are hard plastic tubes and would probably be fine in reality in 10 years time if the packaging is still intact!). Some items we'll use for training first, but most have to be disposed of unfortunately. If I date check everything on an ambulance (a useful thing to do when there are long waits outside hospital - depending on the condition of the patient obviously), I'll sometimes find something useful like wound glue, Mepore dressings or steristrips going out of date that month, so replace them and take the ones which would otherwise be binned for my first aid kit. I assume they'll be okay for a few months for my purposes and it saves a tiny bit from landfill (or delays that as the final destination at least). The majority of stuff isn't suitable for a personal first aid kit so is  just binned directly or used for training then binned. 

I might get better at checking and re-stocking my own first aid kit in future though, now that I've realised it's not just there as ballast in my rucksack and is actually very useful in the unfortunate event of being required...

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

From personal experience, I can tell you that a foil blanket is not very useful.  Too light to resist heavy wind, and in really bad weather it simply won't protect you from wind and rain.

Add an extra ounce and get a foil bag instead.  The bag wraps around you, providing significantly greater warmth and protection from the elements.  

One item that I have in my kit, which is not on your list is a clotting agent.  

Severe bleeding is one of the few serious conditions you can treat in the backcountry, and having a clotting agent (either powder or an infused bandage,) is significantly more effective than just direct pressure and bandaging.  

Regarding surgical glue, my favorite is Vetbond.  It's sold for veterinary purposes, but is the same stuff that physicians use on people.  (But it costs a fraction of the price.)  

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Great article and a good reminder, thanks