Knowing what to do in an emergency is only half the battle. Being organised and properly equipped with a well-stocked first aid kit and other useful items in your camping setup can really give you peace of mind, especially if you are a beginner camper and are focussing on other more pressing matters.
The information in this guide is provided in good faith but if you continue reading you are agreeing to comply with, and be bound by, the attached disclaimer.
Knowing you are doing everything you can for your health and safety and that of your loved ones is incredibly reassuring.
While not every item will be relevant for each camping trip, consider the following:
Medications
- Pain relief medication (eg: paracetamol and/or anti-inflammatories)
- Anti-diarrhea tablets
- Antihistamines (for allergies, bites or stings - preferably non-drowsy)
- Cough medicine / lozenges
- Motion sickness tablets (for travel sickness)
- Adrenalin autoinjector (eg: Epipen®) if required for serious allergic reactions
- Other personal medications
Creams, cleaning and sterilising
- Antiseptic cream (eg: savlon / betadine)
- Sunburn cream / spray
- Antiseptic wipes (eg: alcohol wipes)
- Anti-itch cream (eg: Stop Itch)
- Saline solution (for cleaning wounds - or make your own by boiling ½ teaspoon salt with 1 cup water for 15 minutes then set aside to cool)
- Vinegar (for tropical stinger / jelly fish stings)
Bandages and dressings
- Adhesive sterile bandages of varying sizes (eg: Band-Aids)
- Non-stick sterile dressings (eg: gauze pads)
- Long elasticised bandages (for wrapping injuries and for compression - not necessarily sterile)
- Triangular bandage (for wrapping injuries and making an arm sling - not necessarily sterile)
- Adhesive tape (2.5 cm wide – preferably a permeable tape such as Micropore)
Other first aid related items
- First aid manual
- Cotton wool
- Latex gloves (to reduce risk of contamination)
- Tweezers
- Scissors
- Pocket knife
- Safety pins
- Thermometer
- Dosage syringe
- Face mask (to reduce risk of wound contamination)
- Water filter / water purifying tablets
- Thermal / space blanket
- Note pad and permanent marker (to record symptoms and medical treatment)
Other health safety related items
Communication and information
- Mobile phone
- Satellite phone
- Distress beacon - PLB
- Whistle
- Small mirror
- Portable AM radio and spare batteries
Directions
- Compass
- Maps
- GPS tracking
Other health and safety related
- Hand sanitiser
- Insect repellent
- Sunscreen
- Matches / fire starters
- Bucket (fill with water and located beside campfire)
- Clothing (light-coloured, loose-fitting made of natural fibres such as cotton for hot weather as well as long pants and long sleeve tops to protect against mosquito bites)
- Shovel (for off-road recovery)
- Woollen blankets (for fire safety)
- Torch or headlamp and extra batteries
- Extra drinking water