When you head out for a hike or your next adventure, the last thing you usually think about is if you are going to get injured or not. Typically, all you want to think about is getting away from the daily grind and enjoying some of what nature has to offer. And while injury should be the focus of your adventure, safety should also be included in the mix.
A first aid kit is a great place to start when you are thinking safety. Depending on your activity and the risk involved, there are different first aid kits that you might want to look at. Coleman has recently come out with a line of first aid kits that cater to someone going out for a day hike, a person or two headed out for a weekend trip, and a group first aid kit to help take care of 5-10 people. Now a first aid kit is not going to save your life or apply to all situations and injuries, but the products included in many first aid kits, including the Coleman series first aid kits will have some of the necessities for common injuries. Some of the items included in the Coleman first aid kits include; different size Band-Aids for cuts and scrapes, antiseptic towelettes to clean out wounds, Antibiotic ointment to help the wound heal, Ibuprofen and cold packs to reduce the swelling and inflammation, tweezers to pick out objects in your skin, scissors, safety pins and a number of other things to help in case of an emergency.
As you might imagine, the smaller and less expensive first aid kits will have less product included, so keep that in mind when you are shopping. Out of the 3 first aid kits that Coleman sells, I personally like the weekender best. I find that it has the essentials that I would want in a first aid kit and a little bit more. The Day Tripper has the essentials, but I like the addition of a cold pack and tape among other items in the larger kits. I also found the Day Tripper to be a little bigger than it needed to be. You can pretty much fit the pieces included in a kit half the size. The group sized first aid kit has pretty much anything you would need with additional internal organization. It also carries more products for larger groups.
Among a first aid kit, I always bring a few other items with me while hiking and camping. While you never think it will happen to you, you should always bring along at least the bare necessities in case you get stuck overnight; especially if it is not a well traveled trail. Items that I like to take along include; a headlamp, small windbreaker in warmer seasons and something with insulation in colder seasons, extra water or liquids, and 2-3 extra energy bars depending on the length of the adventure. These items should at least help get you through a night or two. So next time you are headed out for your next adventure be sure that you aren’t just prepared for the adventure, but also for the unforeseen. For more information on Coleman First Aid Kits, please visit www.coleman.com or www.amazon.com/coleman.
