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Travel Safely: Create your own DIY first aid kit for the road
Nobody ever asks where the first aid kit is when something good has happened. In fact, they're traditionally one of the first things left behind, in the interest of size and weight. This brings me to the most important rule of a kit: "You can't use it if its not with you." I like to think of my kit as an insurance policy that I hope to never use.
When somebody begins to make a first aid kit for travel, they often ask a few friends. They may even ask a nurse or doctor. This is when it gets complicated. If I carried everything I was told, "you have to have this," I would have a steamer trunk full of gear. This is not a real world solution. The key is to recognize a few special needs of the individuals who will be using the kit, and the locations they are traveling in.
Search and Rescue teams have a tendency to compartmentalize their equipment: One bag contains climbing rope, one box contains life vests, and so on. This method is great, especially with health kits. Ideally, a traveler will be armed with a few smaller kits that they have prepared in advance to be ready to use depending on the adventure. Think of it as a carpenter selecting the right tool for the job.
The first kit that should be the basis of all the others is the "Basic Travel Kit" set forth below. It will be highly customizable depending on the health needs of the travelers, length of travel, and destination. This is the kit that is ideal to bring on a trip through larger, developed cities and towns where advanced medical care is easily found and re-supply of medicine is possible.
The center of the kit is the person's home medications. If somebody is taking regular medication at their house, they should, of course, continue to do so while traveling. An important thing to remember is to bring enough medication for the length of the trip, and spare for those unexpected layovers, cancellations, storms, or finding that perfect spot and staying an extra week. A spare set of eyeglasses and copies of all home medication prescriptions is also a good idea.
This kit is made to be packed into a polycarbonate water bottle, which provides a crush proof and watertight container. You can also drink out of it, too.
- Tylenol/Paracetamol (pain and fever reduction)
- Ibuprofen (pain and fever reducer, anti-inflammatory)
- Antihistamine (allergies, sleep aid)
- Pseudoephedrine (nasal decongestant, helps with "ear pop" from planes)
- Loperamide (anti-diarrheal)
- Multi-tool (Macgyver always had his)
- Safety pins (quick fix for clothing, making an arm sling, emergency cloth)
- Sun screen (SPF 15 minimum, small bottle)
- Bandanna (sling for arm, dust mask,
- Antiseptic towelettes (cleaning hands and wounds)
- Electrolyte packets (for replacing loss due to vomiting or diarrhea)
- Matches (light source, fires)
- Tweezers (removing ticks, thorns, cactus, sea urchins, etc)
- Mole skin (blisters on the feet)
- Band aids (minor cuts and scrapes)
- Gauze roll (minor cuts and scrapes)
- Antibiotic ointment (minor cuts and scrapes)
- Portable flashlight (looking into mouths, dark rooms)
- Thermometer (is that really a fever, how high)
- Latex gloves (protect yourself first)
- 4 x 4 gauze pads (minor cuts and scrapes)
- Hand sanitizer (dirty hands mean infected cuts)
Most craft stores have small resealable baggies used for carrying beads. These make excellent containers for individual medicines, not taken on a regular basis. The baggies are large enough to hold only a few days of medication, and can be written on with a sharpie. The point is only to deal with emergencies, not manage a problem that may require assistance. This kit is designed to be used in areas with a pharmacy or retailer to re-stock, when the kit gets depleted.
For initially building your kit, you can never go wrong with Adventure Medical Kits. They can be purchased from many retailers or directly from their site. The medicines are pre-packaged and more than half the stuff you need is already there. This can be added to your own kit, with a few other items.
The majority of traveler's health problems, in larger cities or urban areas, consist of influenza like symptoms, diarrhea and fevers. I like to call them "nuisance illnesses"; just enough of problem to slow down a great trip but not requiring help. Bug bites, nausea, sun burn, diarrhea and the sniffles top the list.
Travel to more exotic destinations with harsher climates, or participating in specific recreational activities often require a supplemental kit. The point of this kit is to provide basic medical supplies to treat common ailments, either stabilizing before seeking more advanced care or managing the problem yourself. Hopefully, you'll never have open this kit after you make it!
Filed under: Travel Health
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kevin Feb 3rd 2008 11:46PM
...Gadling shows you how to create your own DIY personal first aid kit for the road...
http://www.patronusanalytical.com/files/security%20links%202.php
rogelio May 3rd 2008 8:15AM
a very useful page when you are going abroad, like this one: convertassist.com (currency conversion, global time, shoes and clothes sizes converter...)
MO Jul 8th 2008 5:38PM
You know, if you are travelling with a femail person (or not), also make sure to carry some feminine hygene products. (UNSCENTED)Maxi Pada and Tampons are GREAT absorbers... I keep some of both in my car first aid kit. Not just for girl-emergencies, but maxis make good abdominal pads, and in a pinch, a tampon can be used to help controll bleeding of a large puncture wound. (Only on a "clean" (all the way through) wound!)
Inexpensive, multi-purpose, portable= a good travel companion!
Susan Panepinto Jun 24th 2009 7:47PM
Dear Sirs:
We have a new product that is approved by the FDA as a medical device that is a must for any industry, first aid kit and every household!
This amazing new product (BETTER THAN QUIKCLOT) is called CELOX. Celox stops bleeding fast! (A hemostat granule) It is made from shrimp shells. Works on animals and humans.
It is PROVEN to be more safe and effective than anything else on the market. Unlike other hemostat granules such as Quikclot, CELOX does not burn the skin. It is safe for even a child to use. Unlike the competition, it works in all temperatures and on heparinized blood (those on blood thinners).
It is a high margin item and would be great for fundraisers too!
I would appreciate your consideration on carrying our product.
Thank you,
Susan
susan@celoxsales.com
Dave March Jun 19th 2012 5:35PM
Interesting considering airports have systems in place for detective illegal drugs. If you were indeed kept for "hours", they were most likely trying to scare you.
Beth Stearns Aug 8th 2009 9:26AM
Careful of putting asprin, vitamins (Calcium, etc) into small plastic baggies! I did this years ago when traveling through the Virgin Islands on a sail boat. In the process of the trip, they became smashed in our boat bags. I didn't notice as I hadn't used them, but the customs search people did! It took several hours to convince them that we weren't carrying recreational drugs.
dwm4par Jan 11th 2008 4:45PM
Check with your doctor for vaccinations for certain regions.
Erik McLaughlin Jan 11th 2008 4:55PM
Very good suggestion! I am working on some basics for travel immunizations, malaria, yellow fever and lots of other nasties to make travelers sick.
But I like the way you think!
Moody75 Jan 12th 2008 7:58PM
Always necessary: broad spectrum antibiotic. When you notice an infection that could turn serious (such as cellulitis) but can't get to a doctor for another 24 or 48 hours it does not hurt to start taking antibiotics. Worst case the doc will tell you to stop them.
Erik McLaughlin Jan 13th 2008 1:16AM
Moody-
You raise a good point. The idea of antibiotics, for travelers in remote areas, is a very good addition to a medical kit.
My goal for this kit was to allow people to create a modular system, with this kit being the basic unit. This kit is designed for use in "developed areas". This is a great kit for travel to most any "city" in the world. For me, a city means a pharmacy, some doctors or nurses and a hospital.
If you are in Paris, Moscow or Lima, you will have access to some medical care. If that sore on the leg, that just isn't healing, starts getting worse...get some help.
Now, if you are a few days in the back country with some "questionable" medical facilities, this is another story. I am working on the next series of this post, about the wilderness/remote medical kit. I think it will be more along the lines of what you are talking about.
The idea is to have several kits, each for a specific purpose. The basic kit is tailored for travel in "developed" areas, only. As the need changes, add the standard kit to your "mountain/remote kit" and you are ready to go.
Thanks for the comment!
ramblnrev Jan 19th 2008 11:49AM
I personally would not use the water bottle as a container. For two reasons.
1) the shoulder of the bottle means anything you need along the sides will be harder to get out. You may actually have to empty things out to get what you want. That makes organization more difficult. If you are going to put stiff in zip lock bags anyway, you don't need the watertight, water proof kit. The bags should do that just fine. You can't drink out of the water bottle with the first aid stuff in it, so out it all comes anyway.
2) I personally don't like the "non-crush" idea. If I am tight for space (I am a backpacker) I like to be able to cram stuff into corners. The same is true for my suitcases and car trunks. Give me something that will smush without any trouble. The individual packets of meds and ointments and such do not need to be protected against crushing. I have my basic first aid in a small zip pouch containing little ziplock bags. Have never had a problem yet. As always.. your mileage may vary.
Erik McLaughlin Jan 19th 2008 1:15PM
Rev-
You bring up some very good points! It sounds like you've logged a few miles, yourself. The reclosable baggie container is a very popular way to carry your kit. The "light travel" gang are always fans of this method. This just goes to show there are many ways to "skin the cat".
I am glad to hear such good tips from experienced travelers, on what and what is not working for them. I think the most important thing I got from your post is that you've prepared a health kit and are thinking about what goes inside.
Thanks for the post!
Kenton A Hoover Jan 19th 2008 2:38PM
Five missing items and a comment:
1) CPR facemask (protect yourself first)
2) Tape (for securing pads, other things). I'd suggest two kinds, athletic-type for taping up ankles and wrists and paper tape for other uses
3) Butterfly closures for small cuts
4) A sharpie or equivalent for writing notes on persons skin so you don't forget times things happened, if there is still debris in a wound, etc.
5) An ab-pad for big odd wounds. Every now and then, you may have to deal with a big bleed or just a large chunk of road rash that you want to protect or provide direct pressure on until you can get to better assistance.
A bandana isn't large enough for most slings -- its worth shredding a bedsheet or buying a real triangular bandage and practicing with it. And use non-latex _EVERYTHING_, bandages, gloves, etc. There are a lot more of us latex-reactive people running around than you think, so unless you want to add an epi-pen to your kit, just lose the latex. You can easily find comparably priced latex-free gear these days.
TA Jan 21st 2008 10:44AM
Great info, thks Erik. :-)
Phew, I thought I'm the lone paranoid preparing for the unforseen ha. ;-)
Always in our personal carrier when we tour is our ultra-portable med kit:
• It has paracetamol, med for diarrhoea, steroid for wife's med allergy symptoms or a wild rash, 4 pcs waterproof band-aids,
• It's in a matchbox-sized metal mint box.
Beside this ultra-mini med kit, we hold & carry other travel essentials in our trips:
• A wear-around-wife's-neck pouch "secret" carrier for passports & backup $$,
• Swiss army multi-purpose knife,
• Mini 5-bulbs LED torch with batteries,
• A small bottle of drinking water,
• A handy matchbox-sized keychain light + alarm 110 decibel(!). This one is clipped to our outer clothing (eg, winter wear) on each of us.
• A mini 5cc tube of Chinese medicated oil (psst, if you've ever used this you'll know how helpful this is),
• Packs of wet & normal paper tissues..
And not to forget: those $$ notes above my ankle inside my right sock! ;-)