-
The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
-
We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules
PSA - You need a first aid kit
- Thread starter Bigterp
- Start date
MettBriler
Member
Academy carries a small trauma kit, basically a bunch of gauze, quick klot and tape. seems good enough to close any holes up long enough to get real medical attention. I always pack it with me
I never did , guess I was just lucky! It’s not like a was hurt bad, I bled all over the place & made me reconsider not even having any electrical tape, gauze or anything......again probably not a huge deal but man it could’ve been worse & also a lot easier if I knew I had what I needed in my pack!
Yeah I always carry a pair of those yellow dishwashing gloves in my kill kit, there a little thicker & longer than the wrist & have some texture to them. Needless to say I was filling one up....While working
I read this thread before I went out this evening with my dad, then proceeded to stab myself in the finger while I was gutting his first saddle deer. I wrapped it in a paper towel and put a rubber glove over it until I got home. I'll have a first aid kit with me next year.
5Oh12
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2019
- Messages
- 37
In addition to the various superficial wound kits, a tourniquet is an absolute must. We never plan to severely injure ourselves, but planning for when/if that time comes could be the difference between one of us going home.
I actually carry two. If I ever need to fashion a splint, two can help secure said splint to myself. Plus, I have one for myself and one for someone else. I would imagine a lot of us hunt in somewhat remote locations given our mobile setup. Stopping the bleeding is an absolute must when out in these locations.
I actually carry two. If I ever need to fashion a splint, two can help secure said splint to myself. Plus, I have one for myself and one for someone else. I would imagine a lot of us hunt in somewhat remote locations given our mobile setup. Stopping the bleeding is an absolute must when out in these locations.
Aaronpaul14
Well-Known Member
Couple bandaids, alcohol swabs, 10’ duct tape raped around old gift card, wind/weatherproof matches and a few Tylenol. I need to add some super glue! I don’t know why I haven’t thrown that in! Thanks @trailblazer75 for the reminder!
Was cleated in the face at a baseball tment down in Branson (also prom day) and urgent care used super glue to fix the cut.
Was cleated in the face at a baseball tment down in Branson (also prom day) and urgent care used super glue to fix the cut.
Last edited:
outdoorsbound
New Member
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2018
- Messages
- 15
I value this forum and its community immensely. And I came here to listen and learn. But I can't hold my tongue on this one.
With all due respect (and I SERIOUSLY mean that)...
You only get one you. Sounds goofy but ponder it for a moment. The corollary to that is that your family only gets one you.
S**t happens. Refuse to acknowledge that at your own risk.
Approach first aid / trauma care as a descending scale from "you go home in a bag" to "ouch, that hurts!".
Do your own risk assessment looking at the probability and severity of such an event. An arterial bleed is not likely but the severity is profound. I personally choose to acknowledge that severity. For things lower on the severity scale, I weigh the weight/bulk of my response to how much I am likely to snivel if it happens. Case in point: I have sissy feet. So I suck up the couple of ounces to carry a blister kit so I don't have that convenient excuse not to hump that extra mile or two.
So here goes my sermon:
At the very absolute minimum carry the items necessary to address a traumatic bleeding event. For me that is a tourniquet and a pressure bandage.
Arrows are surgically sharp and firearms.... well, we all get that. Whether it's you in a moment of epic dumba33ery or some idiot that "thawt yoo wuz a deer", if you find yourself face-to-face with an arterial bleed in the woods and don't have a way to staunch that flow, just sit down and call your significant other to say goodbye. A CAT or SOF-T wide tourniquet takes up almost no room and a good pressure bandage (Israeli / OLAES, etc) is not much bigger. When I leave my truck I always have on me a small IFAK that carries a tourniquet, pressure bandage, hemostatic, chest seal, and tape. It's about the same size as a can of monster. In my pack will be a boo-boo kit with gauze, bandaids, tincture of benzoin, alcohol wipes, and about 10 feet of NAR Gecko Grip tape wrapped around an old hotel key card. That kit is roughly the size of my wallet.
The boo-boo kit saves the trip. The trauma kit saves me.
By far the most important tool in a trauma event is your mind. Having the training and composure to "calmly" handle the event and not wig out outweighs any amount of gear you can carry. That training doesn't just apply to the woods either. Life is littered with opportunities for disaster to strike. Car wrecks, household accidents, natural disasters, the list is endless. A very good friend of mine heard his (then) 11 year old son scream bloody murder in the back yard one afternoon. The kind of scream that makes your hair stand straight up and your blood run cold. He ran out to find that his son had come down wrong on the trampoline and had a severe compound fracture of his left femur. The sharp bone had twisted and sliced into his femoral artery. Blood was everywhere. He ripped off his shirt and had the other kids (who were about to pass out) apply direct pressure while he ran back to the house. He called 911 as he ran. He then grabbed the tourniquet off his daily carry pack for work and ran back out to his son. Applying the tourniquet, he was able to stop the massive blood loss. The time from 911 call to ambulance on scene was 15 minutes. His son would have bled out were it not for his intervention. His son had a couple big surgeries but made a complete recovery and is very active in sports to this day.
Soooo.... If your'e feel'in my gospel, seek out the training and go through a reputable vendor for quality supplies. An EMT or paramedic that orbits in your social solar system is a great place to start. In a pinch, just stop by the local fire dept and ask for guidance. There are tons of online resources but vet them carefully. And lastly, don't buy your tourniquet off of Amazon. There are way too many crappy chinese fakes on there to warrant the risk.
Here are some good placs to start:
www.rescue-essentials.com
darkangelmedical.com
www.chinookmed.com
With all due respect (and I SERIOUSLY mean that)...
You only get one you. Sounds goofy but ponder it for a moment. The corollary to that is that your family only gets one you.
S**t happens. Refuse to acknowledge that at your own risk.
Approach first aid / trauma care as a descending scale from "you go home in a bag" to "ouch, that hurts!".
Do your own risk assessment looking at the probability and severity of such an event. An arterial bleed is not likely but the severity is profound. I personally choose to acknowledge that severity. For things lower on the severity scale, I weigh the weight/bulk of my response to how much I am likely to snivel if it happens. Case in point: I have sissy feet. So I suck up the couple of ounces to carry a blister kit so I don't have that convenient excuse not to hump that extra mile or two.
So here goes my sermon:
At the very absolute minimum carry the items necessary to address a traumatic bleeding event. For me that is a tourniquet and a pressure bandage.
Arrows are surgically sharp and firearms.... well, we all get that. Whether it's you in a moment of epic dumba33ery or some idiot that "thawt yoo wuz a deer", if you find yourself face-to-face with an arterial bleed in the woods and don't have a way to staunch that flow, just sit down and call your significant other to say goodbye. A CAT or SOF-T wide tourniquet takes up almost no room and a good pressure bandage (Israeli / OLAES, etc) is not much bigger. When I leave my truck I always have on me a small IFAK that carries a tourniquet, pressure bandage, hemostatic, chest seal, and tape. It's about the same size as a can of monster. In my pack will be a boo-boo kit with gauze, bandaids, tincture of benzoin, alcohol wipes, and about 10 feet of NAR Gecko Grip tape wrapped around an old hotel key card. That kit is roughly the size of my wallet.
The boo-boo kit saves the trip. The trauma kit saves me.
By far the most important tool in a trauma event is your mind. Having the training and composure to "calmly" handle the event and not wig out outweighs any amount of gear you can carry. That training doesn't just apply to the woods either. Life is littered with opportunities for disaster to strike. Car wrecks, household accidents, natural disasters, the list is endless. A very good friend of mine heard his (then) 11 year old son scream bloody murder in the back yard one afternoon. The kind of scream that makes your hair stand straight up and your blood run cold. He ran out to find that his son had come down wrong on the trampoline and had a severe compound fracture of his left femur. The sharp bone had twisted and sliced into his femoral artery. Blood was everywhere. He ripped off his shirt and had the other kids (who were about to pass out) apply direct pressure while he ran back to the house. He called 911 as he ran. He then grabbed the tourniquet off his daily carry pack for work and ran back out to his son. Applying the tourniquet, he was able to stop the massive blood loss. The time from 911 call to ambulance on scene was 15 minutes. His son would have bled out were it not for his intervention. His son had a couple big surgeries but made a complete recovery and is very active in sports to this day.
Soooo.... If your'e feel'in my gospel, seek out the training and go through a reputable vendor for quality supplies. An EMT or paramedic that orbits in your social solar system is a great place to start. In a pinch, just stop by the local fire dept and ask for guidance. There are tons of online resources but vet them carefully. And lastly, don't buy your tourniquet off of Amazon. There are way too many crappy chinese fakes on there to warrant the risk.
Here are some good placs to start:
Rescue Essentials Tactical Emergency Medical Supplies
Rescue Essentials is your single source solution for IFAK, TEMS & EMS supplies and gear. Our products will help you prepare for any type of emergency situation.
www.rescue-essentials.com
Dark Angel Medical - Tactical IFAK and Trauma Kits - Every Day Carry Med Kits
Be prepared. Carry a trauma kit. Stop the Bleed and start the breathing. Every Day Trauma Training and easy to use Trauma Kits and Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK)
darkangelmedical.com
Chinook Medical Supplies
Chinook Medical Gear medical supplies. Hemostatics - Tourniquets - Chest Thoracic - Bandages/Dressings - IV-IO/Blood Transfusion
www.chinookmed.com
I told you so!! Too soon??
12 strand nylon rope won't support your weight? You need Amsteel? I would stop eating immediately.
I love the info in this thread, great stuff guys. More hunters should take this stuff seriously. I have some EMS experience and I am currently in medical school and taking a wilderness emergency rescue class. Later in the semester we are covering what the current recommended backcountry medical kits are depending on what activity you are doing. I’ll post links to all the stuff they recommend once we cover that. I’m definitely not an expert by any means yet, but based on what I’ve learned in medical school so far and EMS, the stuff previously mentioned looks really good.
Only things that I would add are for those that hunt with others, make sure you are prepared to deal with something that could potentially happen to them. If you hunt with older relatives, be confident with CPR, if they are prescribed nitro or aspirin for chest pains carry some in your kit, or if someone in your group is diabetic have glucose in your kit, or if someone in your group has had previous allergic reaction to something maybe an epi pen wouldn’t be a bad idea, stuff like that... depending on who you hunt with will determine those “other” items you may want to have with in case something happens to them. If they are in an altered state, they may not realize what is happening and so it’s important for you to know the signs and be prepared.
This last one isn’t related to medical kits as much, but wear your helmets if you use an ATV or bike to your hunting spots. Nearly everyone I have seen come into the ED from a hunting-related accident, ATVs are involved.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Only things that I would add are for those that hunt with others, make sure you are prepared to deal with something that could potentially happen to them. If you hunt with older relatives, be confident with CPR, if they are prescribed nitro or aspirin for chest pains carry some in your kit, or if someone in your group is diabetic have glucose in your kit, or if someone in your group has had previous allergic reaction to something maybe an epi pen wouldn’t be a bad idea, stuff like that... depending on who you hunt with will determine those “other” items you may want to have with in case something happens to them. If they are in an altered state, they may not realize what is happening and so it’s important for you to know the signs and be prepared.
This last one isn’t related to medical kits as much, but wear your helmets if you use an ATV or bike to your hunting spots. Nearly everyone I have seen come into the ED from a hunting-related accident, ATVs are involved.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I've said this before, but it should be repeated from time to time...
Always, always, always, always, carry a TQ.
Most humans understand that applying direct pressure to the site of a wound is the right thing to do to stop bleeding. Folks can usually find materials within their immediate, everyday environments to satisfactorily function as makeshift pressure bandages or seals (shirts, plastic bags, etc.). However, stopping major arterial bleeding with an improvised tourniquet can be difficult to accomplish. Time is of the essence and you don't want to be "trying to figure it out" in the heat of the moment using non-purpose built gear. A tourniquet is really the one piece of equipment you don't want to be without if you NEED IT NOW.
TQs are so compact nowadays that there's really no reason not to let one ride in your pocket, full-time. Mine replaced a Skoal can and I never noticed the difference.
Always, always, always, always, carry a TQ.
Most humans understand that applying direct pressure to the site of a wound is the right thing to do to stop bleeding. Folks can usually find materials within their immediate, everyday environments to satisfactorily function as makeshift pressure bandages or seals (shirts, plastic bags, etc.). However, stopping major arterial bleeding with an improvised tourniquet can be difficult to accomplish. Time is of the essence and you don't want to be "trying to figure it out" in the heat of the moment using non-purpose built gear. A tourniquet is really the one piece of equipment you don't want to be without if you NEED IT NOW.
TQs are so compact nowadays that there's really no reason not to let one ride in your pocket, full-time. Mine replaced a Skoal can and I never noticed the difference.
My "first aid kit" pouch. A gas station bottle of Tylenol/ibuprofen/aspirin 4 of each of I can fit them. 3 extra AAA batterys. A half dozen bandaids, half used roll electrical tape. A couple gauze pads, Leatherman micro, a few feet of paracord. All this adds up being about a pound and fits in a very small zip open Walmart pouch.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2017
- Messages
- 1,171
man that is nuts!
I value this forum and its community immensely. And I came here to listen and learn. But I can't hold my tongue on this one.
With all due respect (and I SERIOUSLY mean that)...
You only get one you. Sounds goofy but ponder it for a moment. The corollary to that is that your family only gets one you.
S**t happens. Refuse to acknowledge that at your own risk.
Approach first aid / trauma care as a descending scale from "you go home in a bag" to "ouch, that hurts!".
Do your own risk assessment looking at the probability and severity of such an event. An arterial bleed is not likely but the severity is profound. I personally choose to acknowledge that severity. For things lower on the severity scale, I weigh the weight/bulk of my response to how much I am likely to snivel if it happens. Case in point: I have sissy feet. So I suck up the couple of ounces to carry a blister kit so I don't have that convenient excuse not to hump that extra mile or two.
So here goes my sermon:
At the very absolute minimum carry the items necessary to address a traumatic bleeding event. For me that is a tourniquet and a pressure bandage.
Arrows are surgically sharp and firearms.... well, we all get that. Whether it's you in a moment of epic dumba33ery or some idiot that "thawt yoo wuz a deer", if you find yourself face-to-face with an arterial bleed in the woods and don't have a way to staunch that flow, just sit down and call your significant other to say goodbye. A CAT or SOF-T wide tourniquet takes up almost no room and a good pressure bandage (Israeli / OLAES, etc) is not much bigger. When I leave my truck I always have on me a small IFAK that carries a tourniquet, pressure bandage, hemostatic, chest seal, and tape. It's about the same size as a can of monster. In my pack will be a boo-boo kit with gauze, bandaids, tincture of benzoin, alcohol wipes, and about 10 feet of NAR Gecko Grip tape wrapped around an old hotel key card. That kit is roughly the size of my wallet.
The boo-boo kit saves the trip. The trauma kit saves me.
By far the most important tool in a trauma event is your mind. Having the training and composure to "calmly" handle the event and not wig out outweighs any amount of gear you can carry. That training doesn't just apply to the woods either. Life is littered with opportunities for disaster to strike. Car wrecks, household accidents, natural disasters, the list is endless. A very good friend of mine heard his (then) 11 year old son scream bloody murder in the back yard one afternoon. The kind of scream that makes your hair stand straight up and your blood run cold. He ran out to find that his son had come down wrong on the trampoline and had a severe compound fracture of his left femur. The sharp bone had twisted and sliced into his femoral artery. Blood was everywhere. He ripped off his shirt and had the other kids (who were about to pass out) apply direct pressure while he ran back to the house. He called 911 as he ran. He then grabbed the tourniquet off his daily carry pack for work and ran back out to his son. Applying the tourniquet, he was able to stop the massive blood loss. The time from 911 call to ambulance on scene was 15 minutes. His son would have bled out were it not for his intervention. His son had a couple big surgeries but made a complete recovery and is very active in sports to this day.
Soooo.... If your'e feel'in my gospel, seek out the training and go through a reputable vendor for quality supplies. An EMT or paramedic that orbits in your social solar system is a great place to start. In a pinch, just stop by the local fire dept and ask for guidance. There are tons of online resources but vet them carefully. And lastly, don't buy your tourniquet off of Amazon. There are way too many crappy chinese fakes on there to warrant the risk.
Here are some good placs to start:
Rescue Essentials Tactical Emergency Medical Supplies
Rescue Essentials is your single source solution for IFAK, TEMS & EMS supplies and gear. Our products will help you prepare for any type of emergency situation.
Dark Angel Medical - Tactical IFAK and Trauma Kits - Every Day Carry Med Kits
Be prepared. Carry a trauma kit. Stop the Bleed and start the breathing. Every Day Trauma Training and easy to use Trauma Kits and Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK)
Chinook Medical Supplies
Chinook Medical Gear medical supplies. Hemostatics - Tourniquets - Chest Thoracic - Bandages/Dressings - IV-IO/Blood Transfusion
I have used both the SOF-T and CAT. I think most of my instructors have preferred the CAT, but I think either one can be good, the important thing is knowing how to use them correctly. I personally think the CAT is easier to use and to apply to yourself, but I learned the CAT first and have used it more so that could be why I am more confident with it. Most people who decide not to use a tourniquet even though they have it say they didn’t want to because they were scared they would lose the limb if they applied the tourniquet, but this is actually mostly a misconception... while it is possible to lose the limb eventually, it usually would take hours before the tissue is irreversibly damaged to the point of losing the limb for good. The risk of hemorrhagic/hypovolemic shock is greater than the risk of losing the limb if you are really bleeding bad enough to need it; so if you really need a tourniquet, use the damn tourniquet and worry about the limb later!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Aaronpaul14
Well-Known Member
Really appreciate the advice here! Question: what are you guys thoughts on the Swat-T?
www.rescue-essentials.com
SWAT-T Tourniquet
The SWAT-Tourniquet allows a more rapid means to control extremity bleeding and allows application higher into the groin and axilla than other tourniquets. Its ease of application is one of its greatest benefits; individuals can apply it in seconds.
www.rescue-essentials.com