SAR aid kit

[BossyCow]

A few things I haven't seen mentioned. You need some sort of irrigation device. The big issue in wilderness, SAR first aid is that there can be several days of walking out which means infection, infection, infection. There are several available models of irrigation devices that are made for this purpose, or a couple of syringes, you want to be able to force water under pressure into a wound to clean it out.

Also, for the hot packs, ignore the commercial hot packs because they leak, get accidently crushed and when you go to use them, they are past date or damaged and they no longer work. We carry dry de-icer in ziplock bags. It creates an exothermic reaction when added to water and doesn't need to have clean drinking water to activate. The powder is light and pretty easy to keep dry in either a zip lock or in one of those vaccum pack food sealers. If you fill up a couple of water bottles with that de-icer and water combination, they fit nicely between the legs on a stokes, or up into the spaces around a pt. They also stay warm a lot longer than the commercial hot packs.

Moleskin is another must have. Use it for padding around splint edges or for ambulatory pts. where the blisters show up.

There's also a telescoping femur splint that doesn't have the nerve, vein damage issues of the Sagar and Hare splints. You can also do a modifed traction splint using cravats and the stokes.

O2 and AED are for urban rescue or for base camp. They are of little use in the backcountry. Same with the BVM.

 

[Outbac1]

I've been in ground search and rescue for 12 years. Its what pushed me into paramedicine. Most wilderness first aid courses will teach you how to make a traction splint if you need one. I wouldn't carry one for the few times its needed, although the KTD is a nice little rig. The usual 4x4s, roller gauze, aces, bandaids, tape and the like will do most injuries. A b/p cuff and scope is good to record trends with very ill pts. A glucometer and supplies( 6 should do) don't weigh much. If some glucagon and oral sugers will fix the hypoglycemic pt so they can walk out, it beats carrying them. Kendal makes a P2 sharps shuttle that will carry a glucagon and protect it. ASA and nitro could be useful, if you can give it. Epi 1:1000 could be good too. 1ml ampules are WAY cheaper than the epipens and only need a 1cc syringe and two 23ga IM needles,(one to draw and one to inject). Also you can get 3 x 0.3ml doses from one ampule. SC and IM injections are standard PCP training.
Break similar stuff up into clear ziplock bags and put in a nylon stuff sack in your pack. If you want waterproof go to an hiking store and get a dry bag. Some are coated seamsealed nylon and are very light.
Thats what I carry and fortunatley I've never needed much of it.

 

[Summit]

I find I adjust my personal pack by the season... but we have substantial primary packs provided by our volunteer agencies. You really should get your sponsoring agency to have a communal main kit that has O2.

 

[cfrench]

Zip lock bags are cheap and easy for stuff. Another thing to consider is vacuum bags. You can toss the gauze and other soft items in them. They are great at making things more compact.