first aid/emergency kit

[jnunniv]

I'm in the process of putting together a personal first aid/emergency kit.  I have it in a SMALL dry bag so I can throw in my day/overnight pack (or carry on other outings) and I plan on having the basic needed items to deal with various issues that would come up while out and about.  It doesn't need to be able to address EVERY issue, but mostly the most common issues/concerns when away from other support.  It will be carried in addition to my normal gear when hiking.  

This is mostly for personal (or maybe a buddy) use - not a group kit. My aim is for something small and light.  I plan on carrying just few and/or small amounts of each item. My goal is having enough to deal with the situation until I can get/send for help.

So far, this is what I have or plan to include:

firestarter & tinder
spare compass
spare knife
water purification tablets
whistle
signal mirror
antiseptic wipes
moleskin
duct tape
tweezers
adhesive bandages/butterfly bandages
gauze pads
medical tape
variety of ibuprofen, aspirin, antihistamine, antiacid, anti diarrhea, etc....
antibiotic ointment
sting relief wipes
safety pins
rolled gauze
triangular bandage
lip balm
emergency blanket

What else would you include/change?

[weathermansam]

If this involves staying overnight, an SOL heatsheet bivy or emergency blanket, fishing line [for guylines and tiedowns if you make a shelter out of the blanket instead, glosticks and/or a keychain light would be things I'd suggest.  The cheap dollar knives they sell in the Wal Mart camping section wouldn't be a bad idea either.  

I have given up on the emergency kit thing as I usually ended up leaving something out, and the weight of a large waterproof box to house it in turned me off and was bulky.  I now treat day hikes very similar to a camping trip.  I end up with a base weight just over 11lbs sans food/water for a winter day hike, 9.5lbs for any other season [the difference is the weight of the 45 degree bag].  Another reason I do this is that I've found taking a pack that just has a couple water bottles and the emergency kit in a box I used to do ended up shifting weird or bouncing because of the extra space.  So, the 10lbs is a small price for me to pay to have everything with me, and now that I've done it for a while, has made camping easier since I'm only adding about 4lbs to that base weight.  As far as water weight, I carry two 32oz bottles, one filled with gatorade, the other with water, and I'll bring a small bag of gatorade mix.  My thinking on this is, if I get stuck, and need to boil water for whatever the reason may be, both bottles aren't filled with gatorade that I'd have to drink or throw away, and I wouldn't have to spend time searching for water.  When I camp, both those 32oz bottles are filled with gatorade and I bring an extra 20oz bottle of spring water for cooking purposes.  The weight of my day hike pack is high, I know, but the shoulder padding is quite comfy and it's possibly more of an overnighter pack.  It's an old Realwood camo pack I bought at Wal Mart 7 years ago and has held up ever since.  If it still works, I keep it!

Here's a breakdown of what I carry:  

pack                          3lb   8oz

Loose in pack:
sleeping bag          1lb   11oz  [Alpine Design MicroLite Terrain 45 degree bag]
trowel                            3oz

In one pack pocket somewhere:
headlamp                      3oz
first aid kit               7oz  3 or 4 of varying size of adhesive bandaids, including knuckle bandages,
iodine prep pads, antiseptic towelettes, alcohol prep pads, sterile sponges, a roll of gauze, a roll of tape, aspirin, excedrin migraine, benadryl, sting relief toweletes, antibiotic ointment, afterbite towelettes, sterile dressings, moleskin, scissors, tweezers, plastic zip ties all in a waterproof box.  
toilet tissu                        2oz

Bag 1:
tarp w/ stakes                   8.5oz  [coleman backpacker's 5x7' tarp]
hammock                     11oz   [grand trunk ultralight]
straps/rope          1lb    2  oz  [I carry 30ft of rock climbing webbing, plus 27ft of 5.5mm dynamic rope for the guyline, and it serves two purposes.

Bag 2:
fire starting kit         13oz  in a ditty bag I two 3oz bottles of 91% isoprotyl alcohol, 3oz jar petroleum jelly, small waterproof container with a bic lighter, two boxes of waterproof matches and as many cotton balls as I can stuff in there.

Bag 3:
water filter                  9oz

Bag 4:
pot                               1oz
stove                      9.5oz  [this is a sterno fold up stove.  i build twiggy fires beneath to avoid carrying fuel]

Bag 5:
bug spray                      4oz
2nd toilet tissue             2oz
emergency  blanket      3oz
2 glowsticks              1.5oz
poncho                      2oz
keychain light                   2oz
orange vest               1.5oz
2nd headlamp                  3oz    [because there's one person in every group that seems to forget it]

[Pathfinder]

Sam, I too almost always include benedryl.  One other thing not mentioned is that I usually include hydrocortizone.

[weathermansam]

Sam, I too almost always include benedryl.  One other thing not mentioned is that I usually include hydrocortizone.

That's a good idea.  I'll add that to what I've got.  I'm always tweaking the 1st aid kit.  A friend gave me one of these last year http://www.sportsmansguid...-issue-case.aspx?a=679753 , which I've added a lot of to my current kit. 

[ednotmilkman]

never have considered carrying extra compass? The first one is on a string around my neck.
Have not carried a whistle, signal mirror, 2nd flashlight or emergency blanket either.  I rarely do a dayhike alone so don't think much about emergencies in that instance.

[Woody]

I would scratch the extra compass, knife, and any other items you already have one of. Just get a good quality primary knife, compass, etc and you will be fine. I would also personally scratch the rolled gause, med tape, and mole skin and just take duct tape which can cover all of those uses plus some. Advil/Ibupro, Asprin, and Benidryl (?) are key meds in my opinion. One large gauze pad is a good item too and can serve multiple roles as wound dressing, water prefilter, and fire starter so you cover multiple bases with one item. Odds are you are only going to need that item for one of those uses and not all three at the same time.

[weathermansam]

I have one of those ball compasses the size of a large marble that I took the pin off of that I keep loose in a pack pocket somewhere.  If I lost that, I still have my gps, and the weather radio I sometimes take has a compass built into to the top.  I keep a couple of large coffee filters and some rubber bands as a prefilter set up.  For as negligible as the weight is with these items, I like having all three.  Something always seems to go awry on my hikes, so toting all that gives me a greater sense of peace of being prepared, I guess. 

[bramblypines]

I would include either butterfly bandages or superglue for closing long wounds