[Closed] How many of you carry a first aid kit on your rides?

gaffer tape and zip ties count?

only if I'm going to be far from civilisation or doing some hooning

Used to, pretty pointless though, what you going to do with an antiseptic wipe and a plaster or two ?

I have one in my bag. Never used it though.

As well as a first aid kit I have a space blanket just incase. I think most things can be patched reasonably adequately with what you have on or about you. Water for washing a wound, bag straps or just a top as a pad.

However if you have someone badly hurt and have to wait for help keeping them warm is a priority whilst waiting for the professionals. That is after breathing and bleeding.

My club did some specific first aid training for outdoors, the majority of accidents which would occur on the trail can be bodged with standard items you should have in your pack already. Main thing I'd consider packing would be something to absorb/stop fluid leaking from body parts... which obviously t-shirts can do, or sanitary towels (pre waterproof packed).

i do, i see it as part of my tool kit. but then i've seen some nasty crashes and had to administer first aid out in the hills.

Used to, pretty pointless though, what you going to do with an antiseptic wipe and a plaster or two ?

that's not really a first aid kit

No I carry a mobile phone which is much better.

If that doesnt work I'll either be found alive/dead or I will cut said limb off like in that film.

I carry some antiseptic wipes and spray plaster, just to clean up any cuts and scrapes. Use it every few months.

"that's not really a first aid kit"

Correct a first aid kit is knowledge and a hospital in reality

"I carry some antiseptic wipes and spray plaster, just to clean up any cuts and scrapes. Use it every few months."

Why just wait until you get home and have a bath or a shower, surely?

Always when out on group rides, occasionally when I'm on my own, tbh, the one time I had a serious tumble I ended up flat on my back unable (and not wanting to risk) to move, as the kit is in my backpack it wouldn't have been a lot of use, but you never know what circumstances may present so like every good scout ........

I take blister pads if I've got new shoes, and food,space blanket, spare tops and leave route dets, worry time and call helicopter time with mate if on remote Scotland but I reckon a mobile is probably the best first aid tool

Always have a small one in my bag, whether commuting or riding for pleasure.

Yep, this one (I think, mine's red)

http://www.skibartlett.com/trekmates-wilderness-first-aid-kit-11790-p.asp

Not had to use it beyond cuts that won't stop bleeding yet, but nice to know it's there if needed.

I also carry a space blanket and survival sack in my camelpack, argued with TJ about this last time this topic came up and he said he's never more than a few miles from a road in the UK so what's the point. My point was a few miles is a bloody long way if you've broken a leg and the weather turns nasty! They take up next to no room folded flat behind the bladder in the water compartment and weigh little enough not to notice.

Thought I'd get in quick before the usual argumentative tw*ts turn up and start rowing about the definition of a first aid kit..

I carry a pencil case with some basic stuff (plasters/gauze/eye wash/etc) and a space blanket. The thinking behind it is I like to be able to patch up cuts/splinters and scratches and carry on with my ride.
If anyone takes a big fall you can use what you have with you to keep them alive/comfortable until the pro's arrive - I'd be quite happy for someone to use a muddy t-shirt to try and control a big bleed - the risk of infection is a lesser concern than bleeding to death.

There was a thread on here before where people were talking about carrying full trauma kits for a ride round a trail centre...

Yes always better to be prepared just in case.

Yep - it lives in my camelbak so it tends to be out on every ride.

Antiseptic wipes, some cutable plaster (knife on mini tool for cutting), steri-strips (which have been very useful for closing wounds up to get off the hills) and some small tweezers for getting crap out of wounds/eyes etc.

It's been used probably three times in ten years - so I do understand those that say it's not worth having. But - it has been useful in those circumstances.

Better safe than sorry.

And out of all of you who have answered so far saying they carry stuff, who has been on a first aid course?

Must admit I keep meaning to buy a survival bag to carry, space blankets wont keep you warm and dry.

Yep, carry one but haven't a clue what to do with it.
Rely on the fact that out of my regular riding mates, 1 is a GP, 1 will be a qualified GP within a month or so and is also an army doctor, and another has military first-aid training.

Carry an essential hipflask of sterilising alcohol too...

I always carry one. I'm currently doing an outdoor specific first aid course and it's been a bit of an eye opener. I always knew about the potential for shock to kill you but now feel more confident if I have to deal with such things.

One clear message from the training is that phones are fine but if someone stops breathing or is bleeding out, the time it takes for help to arrive can mean the difference between a good and a bad ending so I wouldn't ever want to rely on the emergency services alone.

Even on local rides, I'll carry the kit along with a survival bag, food / drink and spare clothes as you don't have to be out in the wilds to **** yourself. 😀

Cheers

Sanny

survival bag!?! just pack the kitchen sink too. Unless you're heading off to the proper wilderness there's a fair chance you'd be found by a walker/rider anyway

I tend to a carry a suture kit etc. with me on long MTB rides in the peaks etc.

i'm the most likely to hurt themselves on a ride due to my over-enthusiasm so i like to go out already prepared to save my riding buddies the hassle of having to look after me:

[img] [/img]

the people i ride with are useless when it comes to dealing with somebody in pain or injured! luckily it appears i'm good at telling people what to do even when nearly unconscious 😆

ir-bandito

Of all of those folk, I reckon your best bet is with the military first aider as they're most likely to have the knowldge and skills to deal with issues. I had this discussion with a mate who is a medic and he reckoned he'd rather trust a first aider than a GP who may have had years away from ever having to deal with any kind of trauma. It's clearly a big generalisation but it got me thinking!

I kind of struggle to find a good reason not to carry the kit and a survival bag. They weigh next to nothing and I'd rather have them and not use them than not have them and regret it. Each to their own I guess and everyone has different priorities but it just seems like common sense to do it.

Always carry one (inc survival bag on longer Highland rides)and know what to do with it.

Never had to use it in anger, but it's there if I do.
Even if you're close to civilisation, it could take 30 minutes for the pro's to arrive and a lot could happen in that time.

Sterile pads
Big elastic bandage to either attach pads, strap something up or suppoert broken wrist if walking out
Steri strips for sticking bits together that the elastic bandage won't
Water in bottle
only ever used a couple of times

Oh, and plasters for when out riding with the kids. It's easier than trying to explain why they don't need them

T'is an interesting topic. I'm not sure what a couple of plasters and antiseptic wipes can do for you either. If you're touring/biviing etc, then fair enough. But in most cases when you're going to be sitting in the bath after a long day... I mean an elastoplast isn't going to stop you bleeding to death.

So what should be in a first aid kit? Space blanket is a good one. But I'm not sure what else is useful out in't hills?

I carry a ton of stuff every ride, first aid kit, space blankets energy tabs, phone, tubes and small spares and £20 cash.

Not really nessecary as I never go that far from civilisation, but the thought of needing to call my other half for help fills me with dread.

I am a trained first aider, and agree with other peoples comments re knowlegde being more important than the actual Kit.

Condoms and lube.

Carry some bandages and loads of antiseptic wipes they have come in pretty useful over the years. The space blanket has helped a couple of fellas on the hill 400 metres to the car park is a long way with a ruptured spleen/smashed ribs/broken collarbone.

You might think you're indestructable but people break really easily when they hit trees or the ground.

FunkyDunc - Member

And out of all of you who have answered so far saying they carry stuff, who has been on a first aid course?

i have. doing a re-fresher course on the weekend.

I don't and I've never been on a first aid course.

Out of interest, is there a perception that you are more likely to need a first aid kit when out on a big ride away from anywhere more than just riding along on local trails? Is it that the familiarity of riding somewhere you know means that you feel inherently more safe and thus are less likely to bin it?

As rugbydick says, half an hour is a long time to wait for help to arrive and a lot can happen in that time.

I reckon getting trained up so that you have the knowledge and the confidence to deal with an incident is no bad thing.

Condoms and lube.

What are you going to do, **** the injured? 😀

I don't and I've never been on a first aid course.

You are a paramedic, you know what to do.

I reckon getting trained up so that you have the knowledge and the confidence to deal with an incident is no bad thing.

+1

Out of interest, is there a perception that you are more likely to need a first aid kit when out on a big ride away from anywhere more than just riding along on local trails? Is it that the familiarity of riding somewhere you know means that you feel inherently more safe and thus are less likely to bin it?

I never ride with a first aid kit tbh - take some spare clothing commensurate with the ride length and that's about it. That's not meant as look-at-me-I-don't-give-a-monkeys, just that the arguments for the kit seem very marginal and not that convincing. I guess it's better to have then have not, but I can't see it generally making a real difference.

Mountain bike yes, road bike no. If you're going off-road I really don't understand why you wouldn't at least carry a space blanket. They cost a couple of quid, take up next to no space and can make a genuine difference in keeping someone warmer. I'm not really sure why I don't have one in my road pack.

There's also the reassuring element to the injured party. Speaking from experience, an attempt to clean and dress a wound using a "real" first aid kit is going to give most people a bit more peace of mind than wrapping a dirty t-shirt around a gaping wound. As is often said, first aid is not about magically putting someone back together again, but making them comfortable before proper help arrives.

I carry one when right out in the wilds or sometimes on group rides.

The difference a kit can make is small - a bit more comfort for small injuries perhaps and I do have some super strong painkillers in case of serious injury.

The number of injuries where having the kit alters ride over to carry on is very small and narrow range

Re the survival bag thing, they are tiny + cheap.

There was a couple of times this winter on local rides where I was no more than probably 500yds from a local road busy road but I am certain that if I had fallen and broken my leg, probably no one else would have found me until Mrs FD got worried probably 2-3hrs later, and even then they wouldnt necessarily no where to look for me. A survival bag would keep me a lot warmer for longer than not having one or being in a space blanket.

Drac - Your a paramedic arn't you... and they dont even get you as qualified as First Aider tut tut

I ALWAYS carry a first aid kit and have used it in anger more than once. I spent 10 years working as an instructor in the outdoors so that teaches you to have a kit with you. My personal kit is much smaller though.

Despite what people say about carrying plasters and antiseptic wipes etc, I would much rather use the space to carry dressings and kit to deal with more serious injuries rather than those that could be dealt with after a ride/walk out. For example, I would rather have some large wound dressings, a triangular bandage and some crepe bandages and some scissors to cut clothing/bandages than a massive pile of elastoplasts and some antiseptic wipes. Saline pods are also good for stuff in eyes or for cleaning wounds etc. I also think it is essential to carry a survival bag or space blanket.

The last time I broke out the first aid kit was in December last year after a member of an unknown group came off a jump wearing no helmet less than a kilometer from the car park. He was unconscious, then semi conscious and covered in blood from a significant head injury. The piece of kit I was most grateful for was a space blanket. There was no phone signal and the nearest house with land line was a 15min bike away. Ambulance crew took 40 mins to arrive.

Absobloodylutley! What sort of a question is this!? Mountain biking is such a dangerous sport I find it essential to have a first aid kit to hand! A lot of my riding now i've advanced consists around coed-y-brenin which isn't a place for beginners! One of the most demanding technical descents I have ever done exists there called false teeth and if one was to be a victim of this descent the outcome would not be nice! 😕

Safety first and ALWAYS first!

No

Make sure you have also registered your phone with Emergency SMS 999
which allows you to text the emergency services when there is no signal..

http://www.emergencysms.org.uk/

Searches rupertpostlethwaite's post for traces of irony and fails to find any.

Cloudnine - what mobile phone?

I carry a first aid kit so that I can keep on riding in case of minor injuries. It's probably not going to save my life.

My "kit" contains:

Strong pain killers
Anti-histimine tablets (insect bites and stings)
Saline for eyes
Strapping and wound pads
Antiseptic spray (the stinging is reassuring)
Tweezers
Knife (to cut off arm in case it get's stuck between rocks)

And in case it gets more serious:

First aid training
Phone
REGA membership (Swiss mountain rescue)

I've used all the things at some time (except the REGA - but friends have used that as well). I ride in some pretty remote places and can't normally just roll down the hill to get picked up by my mum

Searches rupertpostlethwaite's post for traces of irony and fails to find any.

+1

**searches some of Rupert's other posts** still not sure.

cloudnine - Member
Make sure you have also registered your phone with Emergency SMS 999
which allows you to text the emergency services when there is no signal..

http://www.emergencysms.org.uk/

if you dial 999 in a poor signal area all other mobile traffic is reduced to allow a 999 signal to any network transmitter.. i think its the same with emergencysms

Ive never dialled or txt 999 with no signal to test the theory tho

Saline pods are also good for stuff in eyes or for cleaning wounds etc

Adds to list. Not big but don't always have clean water

I'm surprised by the number of people mentioning 'strong pain relief'. I thought this was an absolute no-no when dealing with injured people ?
Or do we all go around like something out of Apocalypse Now with ampoules of morphine stuck in our helmets ?

@cloudnine, it's a good backup to have in any case. Cheers for the tip.

I too always thought strong pain relief was a no-no when dealing with injured people, and it is illegal to administer anything that isn't OTC to anyone else.

Cloudnine - that's not strictly true, it's that 999 calls can be made on any network, irrespective of which one your SIM is on.

Space Blanket
Fleece Top
Mars Bar
GPS enabled phone wrapped in cling film with app to show coordinates.

These things live in my Camelback.

I always carry a small kit in my rucksack. With enough duct tape wound around a pencil to strap a broken collarbone 😉 . When I'm out with the kids, I think it's only a matter of time before I'll need it.

It's like a pump - take it and you won't need it. Leave it behind and...

EDIT: and yes trained to use it.

survival bag!?! just pack the kitchen sink too. Unless you're heading off to the proper wilderness there's a fair chance you'd be found by a walker/rider anyway

Really?

3 good reasons to use one,
1) I can go for a walk and within 10 minutes of leaving Wokingham not see another person on the footpaths all day. Depite the fact it's pretty much one continuous urban sprawl in either direction from london to birmingham!
2) It's bright orange and big, so even if you're not using it for warmth/shelter, it's a massive cry for help to anyone that can see it.
3) Break a leg and however close you are to civilisation you're probably going nowhere.

Add to that that most MTB'ers pack light, often with not much more than a spare jacket/jersey for the cafe stop then the potential for getting very cold, very quickly if it rains or gets dark is a potential best mitigated against!

rusty90 - Member
Searches rupertpostlethwaite's post for traces of irony and fails to find any.
POSTED 33 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Can you please explain? 🙄

TJ, stronger than OTC? iz yu a nurse prescriber blud?! hook a bruva up

freeagent - Member

I too always thought strong pain relief was a no-no when dealing with injured people, and it is illegal to administer anything that isn't OTC to anyone else.

If I have a broken leg up a mountain then I want something proper strong now. NO messing around. I was given a script by my GP for this purpose.

Phil- Oh yes - proper shizzle

Can you please explain?

I think they were alluding to C-y-B, and most 'trail centers' being pretty tame in the grand scheme of thing and usualy thought of as the idal place to take someone who want's to try mountainbiking as a complete novice as the trails are usualy designed to maximise your visibility of obstacles in advance, offer alrenative chicken runs and limit the penalties for failure by building tabletops rather than doubles, berms to catch people cornering too quickly, drop offs that can be rolled etc etc.

In my Camelbak I always carry a space blanket, a phone, some electrical tape and an energy gel.

Have used the tape plus a buff/tissues (and clean water from camelback) a couple of times for gashes on shins and palms.

Agree with much of the sentiment on here that scrapes can be cleaned up after a shower.

PS also used to work as a first aider, qualification long since expired but most of the important knowledge retained!

Can you please explain?

I thinktis adds to the debate about accident rates and so on - if you ride with crashers or are one yourself then maybe you need this with you
[img] [/img]

after all - you can never be too safe can you?

ok, i carry a knife and a blowtorch, if something hurts, cut it off then set at the wound with the blowtorch.

for anything else there's the my good company and ability to alert and guide the emergency services to the exact location using nothing but interpretive dance and using the light shining out of my arse to flash S.O.S into the sky.

Isn't the pain killer thing a bit of case of MTFU?

I'm super hard and rode 5 miles round Gisburn with a broken wrist, stopped for a pint, then drove home. It hurt quite a bit.

I don't want to MTFU If I get properly hurt I want opiates and lots of them immediately

On every occasion when i got out cycling be it with my riding group or by oneself,
it is a must to carry my 1st aid kit with me much similar to this one here [img] [/img]

i do have some morphine pills
but plenty of painkillers Aswell as
Anti-histimine tablets
Saline
Strapping - wound pads
plastic gloves
Antiseptic spray
Tweezers
Knife
scissors
Space Blanket
Fleece Top
energy bars
GPS enabled phone
lipsyl
small stove sometimes
whistle
also reflective clothing is a must!be seen,be safe,be heard!

I just carry a simple Ambulance dressing - it can support a broken arm, tie a broken leg and (even) help stop critical levels of bleeding. Anything less can wait until you get home, anything more you aint gonna help much in the middle of nowhere, unless you carry a Defib, Portex Chest Drain Kit, Thomson Splint or MARS Resuscitator.
All IMHO opinion of course.

i'm guessing nobody else has been sensible enough to grab one of the defib machines from their local supermarket or trainstation to take riding then? 🙄

fools the lot of you.

'm guessing nobody else has been sensible enough to grab one of the defib machines from their local supermarket or trainstation to take riding then?

i did when i rode up snowdon yes!

Plaster? WTF. If someone is bleeding, someone takes a top off and ties it round. I would never carry serious painkillers. Not good for the professionals who turn up and have to then hand you over to A&E etc if you've self-administrated (confused) or don't have the training etc.

Better to stick with good waterproofs packed, food, tell someone where you are going, ID and a phone and a properly working bike with shared spares.

rash pack in Camelbak, or bigger pack when bivvying

not when on the road or only out for a couple of hours

I'm with djaustin's sentiment "take one so hopefully won't need one!!"

Although used antiseptic wipes and dressings on quite a few occasions, including someone skewered on brake lever!

1st aid kit really just out of habit and fact its always in camelbak along with, in my opinion, more important space blanket. Oh and also tick pullers.

I always carry a small kit round with me, plus an emergency blanket, even when not cycling. It's light, and doesn't take up much room in the bottom of my rucksack. When an incident needs less than an ambulance something the best kit is your personal reassuring presence by being seen by the 'victim' to treat them, reducing shock.

In the past, heading to [s]potential riot[/s] demos with the Met posting ahead of it online they're going to "get theirs" I carry fully fleshed out kits with stuff like large bandages from a bomb blast kit liberated during some urban exploring. Similar to standard issue infantry bandages. But many injuries for cyclists out in the country there's not a lot you can do with a small kit: ankle/knee/hip/chest/spine. I certainly doubt anyone here is carrying a knife and tube to deal with windpipe issues from allergic reactions.

I'm not one for taking small doses of it before doing anything to pre-empt where I'm at risk of impact, like some rugby players I knew......but I do carry ibrobrufen so I can get home after a major impact. I don't need the painkilling attributes of drugs, but I have frequently needed the temporary mobility offered by anti-inflammatories.

knife and tube to deal with windpipe issues from allergic reactions.

Blade on my multitool, chop a chunk off someones camelback hose 🙂

Meh, is it time for this thread again so soon?

Duct tape and clean hankie, or dirty hankie, or buff or T-shirt.

Antiseptic wipes are a waste; they don't do anything except make smooth undamaged skin a bit cleaner.

Space blankets really are a waste; they are good for Christmas turkey in foil impressions, but if you need that kind of protection, a big orange survival bag is far better.

The most important thing is the knowledge and the intelligence to apply said knowledge in a calm, sensible way.

I'm also not 100% sure about people carrying round prescription only pain killers; they can interfere with any assessment, and can, undoubtedly, make head injury or other loss of conciousness events more difficult to assess.

Small kit [platers, bandage etc]

I've used it about 5 or 6 times and quite glad of it.

Training is useful,,,,, but any First Aid is better than none.

As I would rather see myself and those around me safe rather than in pain or worse I carry:

Space blanket (in water compartment)
Duck tape (wrapped around pump)
Sling
Non stick absorbent dressing
Narrow gauze
Antiseptic wipes and cream
Zinc oxide tape
Micropore tape
Large heavy duty plaster
Superglue
Small tubes of saline (much appreciated by contact lens wearers)
Glucose tablets
Ibuprofen
Scissors (on penknife)

Packs to the same size as 2 medium apples. No reason at all not to carry it.

I know what to do with it and have had to use it. The piss wet through guy in the Cheviots last March with the dislocated collarbone and hole in his knee was particularly grateful, especially as he had no mobile reception, no real knowledge of what was wrong with him or how to fix it. He was just slowly walking towards the nearest road about 5 km away. Blue, shivvering and barely able to speak.

Maybe a bit out of the ordinary but a salutary lesson none the less.