What to Pack for a First Aid Kit for Boy Scouts

The Boy Scout Motto is "Be Prepared;" for camping, hiking, boating and a host of other outdoor activities One of the best ways to prepare for any emergency is to pack a portable first aid kit.

  1. Find a Suitable Container

    • The ideal container should be lightweight and durable. The contents must be safe from moisture and in some cases sunlight. A small, opaque, plastic box with one large compartment works better than something with a lot of dividers.

    Pack Dressing Material

    • Dressing materials are used to cover wounds of various sizes. Depending on the activity, small self-adhesive bandages and packets of gauze will work for small cuts and scrapes. Rolls of gauze and surgical or cotton tape are essential to secure the dressings.

      When hunting or hiking long distances, pack larger compression bandages to help manage penetrating wounds with profuse bleeding. Compression bandages provide bulk that is cinched down over a wound to apply continuous pressure to stop the bleeding.

      Hunters should also pack gauze bandages permeated with petroleum jelly to cover potential lung perforations, also known as a sucking chest wound. The petroleum jelly helps prevents air from entering the chest cavity through the wound and collapsing the lung.

    Pack Cleaning Material

    • Before dressing a wound, if there is time, the wound should be cleaned. One of the best antibiotic cleaning materials available is povodone-iodine. Pack some small cotton squares, the type used for makeup removal, to use for cleaning wounds. A small bottle of sterile saline is useful for irrigating wounds with a lot of debris. An antibacterial ointment should be applied after cleaning before a dressing is applied.

    Prepare for the Worst

    • A Boy Scout should always be ready for anything. Disasters, by their very nature, come unexpectedly. A good first aid kit should have more than necessary to treat anything that comes up. Splinting material, tourniquets, needle and thread and signaling devices should be included in a comprehensive first aid kit. Training on how to use these materials is also important. One of the requirements for the First Aid Merit Badge includes building a first aid kit.