I have updated the original thread that started this one https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....98/index4.html
Check out page 4 if you are interested in a well priced building block for your personal first aid kit.
As that article dates back to 2013, I am lead to believe that things have moved on a bit since then. From personal experience, I was surprised how quick the Celox stemmed the flow of blood.
As a general comment, its interesting reading all of the postings on the issue of first aid and the essential kit to carry (or not).
There is the school of thought that believe that they will be able to MacGyver up a fix to any medical situation out of what ever they have on hand at the time, and then there is the opposite school of thought that some form of trauma kit is an absolute must and should be on your person at all times. So what's the right answer??
At the end of the day, its all about risk and probability, and then if the worst should happen to happen, will you be able to respond to a self injury or the injury of a loved one?
Its a bit like learning CPR. The day you need to use it will be the day you are thankful of having taken the time to train. Imagine the heartbreak of watching a loved one die because you were unable to perform CPR. What would be the outcome if you or your mate or a loved one seriously injured them selves while hunting. Would you be able to respond?
Years ago I was in marine search and rescue and we used to train on CPR in the club rooms on a regular basis. Then one day I suggested that we should actually do the training on the rescue jet boat while crossing the bar - boy was reality different to the theory.
The same applies to a medical event while out hunting - the desk top theory of what you will do will go out the window in a nanosecond once you are faced with a real situation. For example, if you've got a serious bleed to deal with (and mine wasn't), and you choose not to carry a personal first aid kit, what are you going to do? Make a bandage out of your clothing? The majority of what we wear as hunters today will perform poorly if needed as packing in a wound. The majority of hunters today wear synthetics, for the very reason that they are less absorbent than natural fibres, yet to stop a bleed, you need some absorbency. This is why gauze (a natural fibre) is still used in the medical sector. When did you last see polar fleece being used to stem the flow of blood? What do you carry in your pack that is cotton, is easily accessible, and that you can cut into something useful, with one hand, because the other hand is currently trying to put pressure on the bleed?
I'm not trying to be an alarmist. I'm a realist. Match your preparation and emergency kit to the risk and probability of needing it.
I have carried my PFAK around for 6-7 years and never used it once. The day I needed it, I had it on hand and had an excellent outcome. Some might say I was LUCKY! Definition of LUCK? PREPARATION MEETING OPPORTUNITY.
Do you need to carry a medical trauma kit fit for a paramedic? No. Should you carry something a little more prepared than a cotton tee shirt, a roll of insulation tape and a piece of inner tube? Talk to anyone who has experienced a medical emergency in the bush and I think the answer will be a resounding yes.
There was a posting on this forum a couple of years ago from a young uni student that went hunting in an area that he knew well. Shit happened and he ended up falling into a creek and badly injuring his back. His experience made me go out and buy an EPIRB.
I strongly recommend those that don't carry some form of first aid kit matched to the risk and probability of a serious injury to seriously reconsider your preparedness.
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