Backcountry Medical Kit and Emergency Preparedness

In the past, I carried a full medical kit while guiding but rarely brought it along on solo trips. The duct tape and super glue in my equipment repair kit doubled as a medical kit. The major limiting factor here is weight. Rather than strategically creating a solo, lightweight kit, I simply skipped it all together.

I recently spent some time creating an emergency preparedness gameplan and medical safety kit for hunting trips. It’s better late than never and is an obvious pre-trip necessity that too many of us overlook and underappreciated.

Emergency Systems

I used to carry a SPOT emergency satellite system on remote guide trips. I let that subscription lapse but am renewing it now. I never had to call for medical help but did use the call a tow truck feature several times. You can call the truck without cell service and it really saved my butt while being stranded in a ditch on the Olympic Peninsula in February. I also used it to mark interesting waypoints while backpacking on several occasions. It helped with map study and planning for future backcountry hunts.

Another option is a Personal Locator Beacon. They don’t have the message sending ability like a satellite system but they put out a distress signal when in clear view of the sky. They are also very small and easy to carry along. The typical battery will last for a full 24 hours of straight use.

Some of the emergency systems are packaged with rescue insurance plans. These are worth their weight in gold if you require a helicopter flight. Additionally, a policy with a company like Global Rescue can go a long ways towards covering emergency services and costs for domestic, foreign and backcountry travel.

Ultralight Backcountry Medical Kit

I’m keeping my kit pretty simple as I don’t have any medical conditions. It’s primarily centered around patching cuts and cleaning wounds in an emergency.

Tape and Glue – I didn’t throw out the duct tape or super glue. I used super glue in place of stitches for years as a wrestler and it works wonders. Athletic tape is great but duct tape can wrap a wound or fix gear so I keep a small roll for multipurpose use.

Gauze and Bandages – A few small squares of gauze and several adhesive bandage squares. I use the large squares and will cut them into strips if needed. Primarily used for blisters. You could stuff the gauze in a deep wound to stop bleeding if needed.

Disinfectant – A small amount of antiseptic in case of a serious wound and a small tube of triple antibiotic ointment. Rinse wounds with water first then clean everything before patching yourself up.

QuickClot – In a worst case scenario, rapid blood loss can crush your odds of surviving. Hunters and anglers are handling knives and firearms in remote places where accidents can happen. A blood clotting agent will stop the rapid blood loss and can save your life. It’s also easy to find over the counter.

Pills – I don’t keep any pills around but many folks take along aspirin for swelling and potential heart problems. Personally, I’ve don’t take pain meds and don’t bother carrying them in my pack.