Backpacking First Aid

First Aid is very important in backpacking. There are many situation where knowing some basic first aid can either save a life or prevent serious disability in the event of a injury or other serous situation. The unique aspect of first aid in backpacking is the “last aid” may not be available for a long time. I would highly recommend that everyone who backpacks take a first aid class at some point, be it a formal class at a community college, a day course that you can sign up for, or a YouTube Video series. Perhaps you have a friend that knows first aid well and can teach you? You will never regret having this information, especially after you use it. And you will use it!

On our YouTube channel, I have started talking a little bit about first aid for backpacking, but there is much more to cover. Keep your eyes out for more videos!

So what steps should you take if you’re just starting out? Like I said, a class is a good place to start. The next step is to build your own first aid kit. I think that putting your own kit together forces you to think about every piece of gear that goes in, and allows you to check yourself and see if you know how to use it! Buying a kit and not knowing whats in it is a waste! Also, many commercially available first aid kits have a lot of useless components! Watch the video below to see my first aid kit and the thoughts behind it’s contents:

One very important part of a first aid kit is the triangular bandage, which I think everyone needs to become familiar with. Below is my video explaining how to use one. As you can see, there are many uses for this thing!

There is much more that can be said about first aid, but I think that this is a good starting point. Take a class and build your own first aid kit. Know how to use very part of it, and keep it simple. Please ask questions and comment below!