Be Prepared: Pack a Premade First Aid Kit

With input from Shana Tarter, assistant director of NOLS Wilderness Medicine, Outside’s Gear Guy discusses the advantages of purchasing a premade first aid kit. The bottom line? It’s much more economical than trying to construct your own, plus you’ll be prepared for a range of situations without adding a lot of weight to your pack.

“Having a robust first-aid kit is a no-brainer, but it can feel like betting against yourself. After all, if you’re careful and prepared, you shouldn’t need to use a first-aid kit. But you never know what type of wound you might have to treat, and having a pared-down kit is key if you want to keep your load light. Even after two decades of dealing with many minor—and a few major—injuries on rivers, I still prefer to leave the decision of what medical gear to pack to the professionals.

…I used to manage a whitewater rafting company, and part of my job was keeping track of the first-aid kits. I was a pro, so when I created my first proper and robust first-aid kit—for a buddy surf trip to the Mentawais in Indonesia—I thought there was no way I would buy a premade kit. And that’s when my bro hubris bit me in the ass.”

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