A first aid kit for hiking is an important piece of gear to have with you when you get in to the outdoors. For shorter, relatively easy trips where you’re with other people you don’t really have to worry about hurting yourself. Anything that you do you can likely deal with without a first aid kit. But when you get in to wilder areas for longer periods of time, and if you’re by yourself especially, a first aid kit for hiking is definitely a good item to have at the bottom of your backpack.
First Aid Kit for Hiking
What to consider when you want a first aid kit for hiking with.- Waterproof – Any first aid kit that you take in to the outdoors should be waterproof, or should be placed in something waterproof by you. Even just a ziplock bag will do the job. There are many items in a first aid kit, like bandages, that will be ruined be prolonged exposure to water, and so you should prevent that water exposure.
- Foot Treatments – Food problems are one of the more common problems to have when out hiking, and first aid kits that are not made for hikers may not come with some of the more common foot treatments, like mole skin for blisters. So look for a kit that has hiker specific treatments, or add them yourself.
Best First Aid Kit for Hiking
Some of the best first aid kits for taking hiking on your next outing.- Adventure Medical Weekender First Aid Kit - If you're going to be responsible for the first aid needs of a group of people over an extended period of time, then you want something like the Weekender kit. It's rated for 1 to 6 people for up to 7 days. It includes all the basics, bandages, essentials for cleaning and properly tending to wounds and some basic medication. But what makes it stand out are booklets on treating various injuries or ailments, miscellaneous gear like duct tape that could have plenty of uses, and things like disposable thermometers that might come in handy. The whole thing weighs 1 pound 10 ounces, or 737 grams, and is not waterproof.
- Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight / Watertight .9 - The .9 is the largest in a series of ultralight first aid kits that are ideal for taking hiking. The .9 size has enough medical supplies for 1 to 4 people for up to 4 days. It has the basics for properly cleaning a wound, bandaging the wound and a few medications for various things that hikers, backpackers and campers are likely to have to deal with while in the outdoors. It also has a few items, like Moleskin, that are likely essential for most hikers. The whole thing weighs 10.4 ounces, or 294 grams, and comes with a waterproof, resealable bag.
- Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight / Watertight .3 - The .3 is the smallest size of the same line of ultralight first aid kits that the .9 above belongs to. There is also a .5 and a .7 size in between these two. The .3 size is quite a bit smaller, and is just meant for one person for a few uses. It's the absolute minimal amount of first aid equipment, the biggest difference between this size and the larger sizes being less of the basic supplies. So if you're just going to be responsible for yourself, something like the .3 first aid kit is likely perfect for you. It weighs just 3 ounces, or 85 grams, and comes in a waterproof, resealable bag.
