Global Rescue travelers surely have learned many useful skills during their adventures. Appreciating cream and sugar yet being able to drink coffee black comes to mind, along with knowing how to sew a button or mend a pair of pants, or possessing a working knowledge of the half-life of a pair of Smartwool socks. Despite the obvious utility of those skills, another thing that is equally important is knowing what to pack in an everyday, travel-friendly first-aid kit.

All destinations have inherent differences from one another just as each individual traveler has his or her own unique differences. Evaluate your own personal needs and the parameters of your travel to find the items or kit that best suits you. An easy option is to look for a commercial off-the-shelf product. There are several high-quality kits out there that cover trips of different duration and are designed for the needs of the solo traveler up through the expedition group.

The alternative to a commercial product is to build your own. Global Rescue has tailored its own list of must-have items over the years, always including commonly needed items plus a few medicines. When possible, it’s best to try to use only items that serve more than one purpose, including medications. While it is impractical to pack for every single contingency, one can create a small, packable kit full of highly useful items that takes up very little space in your backpack. Most travel emergencies do not require a combat medic-style kit; quite the opposite. Blisters, minor soft tissue injuries (scrapes and cuts), orthopedic injuries (ankle sprains), and stomach ailments are some of the more frequently encountered issues.

The following is a list of items we recommend for every trip, whether you’re going to Switzerland or Nigeria. This is designed as a personal kit for individual use and the majority of the items can be carried in a small zippered pouch.

- Tweezers, fine point (hard to find a reason NOT to have tweezers)

- Tick remover (yes, a single-use item but very handy if needed and it’s nearly paper thin)

- Alcohol pads (eight is a good amount)

- Band-Aids (about a dozen)

- Blister pads (prefer the Band-Aid Advanced Healing, which work great and stay in place; carry a few of the regular and finger/toe variety)

- Gauze pads (a few small 2”x3” pads)

- Super glue (from minor skin tears, not ideal but works in a pinch, to getting a few more miles out of your shoes)

- Cravats (Carry two standard size triangular bandages. There is very little you can’t splint or bandage with two well-placed cravats. Too many other uses to list.)

- Ibuprofen 400mg (pain reliever, inflammation, minor fever reducer)

- Ondansetron 8mg ODT (anti-emetic; these dissolve on your tongue; great for nausea and vomiting)

- Cipro 500mg (gold standard for traveler’s diarrhea, unless you’re in Southeast Asia)

- Doxycycline 100mg (malaria prophylaxis, tick-borne disease, skin infections; a good multipurpose antibiotic)

- Pepto Bismol (chewable tablets; many indications)

- Antihistamine (a non-drowsy type like Zyrtec or Claritin; used for hives, itching, watery eyes, rash, runny nose, and sneezing due to allergies or the common cold. Secondary uses for motion sickness, anxiety, or as a sleep aid)

- Sewing kit (TSA approved for carry-on if needles and scissors are under four inches)

- Chapstick, with SPF (sunscreen for your lips, nose, ears; also useful on zippers or even hot spots)

- Iodine tabs (clean, treated water is a must)

- Small, emergency headlamp

- Duct tape (wrap about a meter around the outside of the kit)

- Consider an Epi-Pen if you or a member of your group have potentially life-threatening allergies

For trips that will take place in a more remote setting, you might augment this kit with other items, namely more medications and bandaging materials.

Prior to any trip, it is recommended that you consult with your physician to determine which medications are right for you. This can be done in conjunction with a visit to a travel clinic for vaccines and other destination specific advice. Despite the fact that many countries require medicines to be transported in their original packaging, several travelers take it upon themselves to repack the items to better fit in their luggage. Many of us are guilty of this but keep in mind that medicine not in the original packaging, especially prescription medications, run a greater risk of being confiscated.

It should be noted that a first-aid kit is not a substitute for proper first-aid training. Everyone has the potential to benefit from some type of first-aid training. Wilderness First-Aid (WFA) or the more in-depth Wilderness First Responder (WFR – pronounced woofer) are excellent options for travelers. These courses focus on providing care in austere locations with little support and finite resources. Improvising and using common on-hand items is highly stressed all the while adhering to sound medical principles. Check local outfitters and clubs for a course offering near you.

How exactly does a non-sedating antihistamine help as a sleep aid?




Only other glaring omissions IMO would be:
immodium to be used in conjunction with Cipro for TD
steroid cream
antibx ointment

IMO, alcohol pads tend to be a waste. They often develop small cracks and dry out. I have found a small nalgene bottle (2 oz) of rubbing alcohol to last much longer, easier to check if you have some in the bottle vs on a pad, and has the added benefit to use as a drop for getting water out of your ears, assuming you have an intact TM.

Also, Quick Clot and Dermabond (cyanoacrylate/crazy glue) can literally be life savers. And as discussed in other threads, Doxycycline is a must have.

http://www.z-medica.com/

http://dermabond.com/

and above all - a knowledge of what to do
i strongly suggest an emt basic course. it's only 80 hrs (with another 80 or so reading). this is something everyone can use everyday and the knowledge cannot be erased

Specifics for hunters:

QuikClot - either the Combat Z-Fold or Sponge, and 1 each is better yet. The sponge will likely fit into an entry wound. Check expiration date before every trip. Just checked mine - expired 7/13 and 10/14.

Israeli Bandage - 2, because most gunshot wounds have an entry and an exit. These also have expiration dates.

Tourniquet - Either of the GI models can be applied one-handed and they are dramatically better than a belt or shoe lace.

Three things need to be on your person at all times: QuikClot, an Israeli bandage and 2 Cyalume light sticks. I carry these in my CamelBack water bladder, which goes on my back whenever I leave the truck.

I have an additional QuikClot and Israeli bandage in an IFAK pouch that I have filled with what I need and it stays in my WP bag on the truck. I need to inspect everything for this years safari and I'll try to list the contents I have decided are important to me at a later date, but now I'm off to the gunsmith.

Good information.

Could someone please tell me what a tick remover is, and where to find them. Some years we have a lot of ticks in the mountains here in Utah. Thaks.

I believe it's called a Tick Key...

Tick Key

A magnifying glass works pretty well too if you are out in the sun and have a steady hand. Heat them until the release and then fry the hell out of them - somewhat therapeutic.

But most of the ticks you typically encounter in Southern Africa is the small pepper tick. They are hard to see and generally the damage is done (TBF) before you know it. You will see a rash and slight clear oozing followed by itching to know that you have been attacked by them. The red tick is the larger of the two and are fairly easy to see and remove.

You might try the tick remover from Coghlans too. That kind is quite common here in Europe. Not Africa but if there the ticks are the same it will work...