A recap from OAK Nights, February 2020

Each month, The Outdoor Adventure Kind hosts a live event for local members of the community focused on outdoor education and inspiration. February’s OAK Nights was all about First Aid Kit Basics – what to pack to be prepared, including a peek at my own first aid kit and how I change it up for different adventures. I shared a few ideas on how to keep your overall pack weight down with some multi-purpose gear, too.

Kit Basics

I broke down my approach to first aid kits into five categories to keep it simple:
1. Prepare – for temporary treatment of injuries in the backcountry
2. Pack – basics for most kits: bandages, anti-bacterials, and anti-inflammatories
3. Renew – review & update kit contents regularly
4. Self-Care – focus on the carrier first, including prescription medications
5. Others – whom the carrier is responsible for, including kids & dogs

Using these five categories as a guide to creating or updating your own first aid kit is a great way to ensure you’ve covered all the basics. It’s also helpful to remember that most items in a day hiking first aid kit are about maintaining a level of comfort.

I generally recommend against packing any items in your kit that you are unsure of how to utilize; it’s always wise to seek out additional first aid knowledge. There are a plethora of resources online, and several styles of first aid courses provided by various organizations. In addition to a lot of personal research and experiencing administering minor first aid in the field, I am certified for Wilderness First Aid through NOLS. I really learned so much through their course; the in person instruction and hands-on practice was a great way to learn. It definitely left me feeling confident for bigger medical situations.

First Aid Kit Basics Presentation

The February OAK Nights was recorded live for members of our community who were not able to join us in person. Catch the full presentation here! I’ll be sharing a PDF with some of this information & a first aid kit mini-checklist with the February newsletter, so be sure to sign up and get your copies. (Watching after February? Drop me a note here.) Also, be sure to let me know if you think I should keep doing these live streams each month, and what else you’d like to see discussed.