Ordering

     To order click on the "shopping cart" button next to the item you wish to buy. If you want more than one item you must click the shopping cart button multiple times. Each click represents one item. Click on the "View Cart" button on the side bar to check your total or change your order. Shipping & Handling charges for the continental United States are based on your total purchase and automatically added to your total. If you live outside the continental United States please e-mail our office for a shipping & handling quote; please include a list of the supplies you wish to order in your e-mail. On-line payment is via PayPal.com and is very secure. Follow their directions when you checkout. Your order will be sent to us via e-mail and processed the following business day. You will be notified by e-mail when your order has been shipped. In order to maintain reasonable pricing, all orders are final; we do not accept returns or refunds.

     Important ordering information: To avoid processing delays on the PayPal web site, you MUST be registered with PayPal. If you are not already a PayPal member please follow the specific registration directions on the PayPal web site; there is no charge for registering.

     We ship most of our orders US Priority Mail. Enter your US Postal address under "shipping address" NOT a UPS or FedEx address. Occasionally large or heavy orders are shipped with a different carrier (UPS or FedEx). If we plan to ship your order via UPS or FedEx, we will e-mail you to request and verify your shipping address.

Building YOUR First Aid Kit
     Whether you are traveling alone, taking part in an expedition, or responding as a member of a search & rescue (SAR) team, you will need a first aid kit. What you should take and how you should package it depends on many things. Here are a few basic concepts that you will need to know in order to begin building your kit. Click on linked items for detailed description and cost. For best viewing open your browser window to its fullest.

There is no generic first aid kit. The type activity or expedition defines the amount of weight and space available for your kit (e.g.: a sailboat can usually carry more than a raft and a raft can carry more than a climber etc.). The longer you are from "help" generally the bigger your first aid kit will be; consider resupply(s). The level of training of the medical "officer" will limit how much invasive equipment or Rx drugs you can carry.

     Examine the medical history of each expedition or team member; you may need to add special equipment or drugs to your kit. Pay attention to any allergies. If your experience in wilderness medicine is limited, look over our publications and consider carrying the Wilderness Medicine Handbook. You should also consider using our Weatherproof Patient SOAP Notes or our Reusable Patient SOAP Notes to thoroughly document your assessment and treatment.

     First aid kits used by expeditions are conceptually very different from those used by rescue teams. Expeditions hope that they will NOT use their first aid kits and adhere to the principles of improvisation: they limit specialized items, focus on multipurpose equipment, and adapt expedition gear for medical uses (splints or litters). As your ability to improvise increases, the size of your expedition first aid kit decreases. Rescue teams know they WILL use their equipment and often carry specialized gear with them rather than scavenging their personal gear for improvisation.

     Packaging is extremely important. Well thought out organized packaging protects valuable and irreplaceable equipment. It permits fast and easy access to emergency gear without "vomiting" kit contents everywhere. Critical concepts to organization and packaging are:

• Use different colored compartments or packs. DO NOT use plastic bags as pack or compartment substitutes.
  
• Clearly label each compartment or pack: In many expeditions each expedition member carries their own personal care kit (blisters, sun screen, OTC meds, personal Rx meds, minor cuts & scrapes, etc.) leaving the expedition first aid kit for emergencies and minor trauma (more serious wounds and unstable injuries). This helps ensure that the expedition first aid kit is complete when it is needed.
  
• Laminate a contents list for each pack and indicate the intended use for each item.
  
• Seal soft goods in plastic to protect them from moisture. Use individual mini zip-locks or "Seal-a-Meal" freezer type packages.
  
• Tubes break. Repackage ointments into one and two ounce wide mouth (or larger depending on group size) Nalgene bottles.
  
• Liquids leak. Package liquids in one and two ounce narrow mouth (or larger depending on group size) Nalgene bottles.
  
• Use a weatherproof drug log for ALL medications so that you know who is using them and why.
  
• Train your expedition or team members to use your kit. Until they are trained only you know why you assembled the kit as you did. Without specific training most people will not know how to use the equipment you have so thoughtfully assembled. Restrict access to compartments or packs that members are not trained to use.
  



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Possible Problems & Solutions
An effective first aid kit is built from a comprehensive possible problem list. Divide your list into Basic Life Support or Trauma, Environmental, and Medical problems. Choose the problems that you will likely encounter (rule out zebras) and prioritize them. Once you are satisfied with your possible problem list, compile a list of first aid supplies needed to treat them; carry more of the stuff that you WILL need. A basic check list for many possible problems and first aid supplies follows; use it as a guide.


Basic Life Support or Major Trauma Possible Problem = Respiratory Arrest ~ Mask or face shield Possible Problem = No Pulse ~ AED (useful only if ALS is within hours) Possible Problem = Severe Bleeding ~ Trauma scissors ~ Trauma gloves ~ Trauma dressings (maxi-pads, diapers) ~ Elastic wraps, coban (vet wrap) for pressure bandages   Possible Problem = Vomiting ~ 60 cc suction syringe & tube Possible Problem = Unstable Spine Injury ~ SAM splint (for improvised C-collar) ~ Improvise a backboard or litter from expedition equipment. Possible Problem = V, P, or U ~ Emergency Action Plan ~ Cell phone, radio, or satellite phone

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Minor Trauma Possible Problem = Stable & Unstable Musculoskeletal Injuries ~ Improvise a cast, sandwich, jelly roll, or buddy splint from expedition equipment. ~ SAM splint, Coban (vet wrap), Pain & aniti-inflammatory drugs & herbs Possible Problem = Wounds, Blisters, & Infection ~ Irrigation syringe ~ Scalpel & blades and/or surgical scissors ~ Forceps or tweezers ~ Exam gloves ~ Povidone Iodine solution for cleaning high risk wounds ~ Herbs & antibiotics (topical & oral) ~ Tincture of Benzoin ~ Cloth tape ~ Second Skin for treating blisters ~ ShearBan/ENGO for blister prevention & treatment ~ Tegaderm micro thin film dressing ~ Roller gauze for dressings ~ Coban for holding dressing in place

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Environmental Possible Problem = Hypothermia ~ Hypothermia thermometer ~ Space blanket or space bag for inner vapor barrier of hypothermia package ~ Improvise hypothermia package & heat packs (hydropacks, water bottles, etc.) from expedition equipment Possible Problem = Heat Stroke ~ Mist bottle for cooling in arid climates ~ Digital thermometer Possible Problem = Heat Exhaustion & Dehydration ~ WHO Oral Rehydration Solution Possible Problem = Sunburn ~ Sun block ~ Aloe Vera & Vitamin E gels Possible Problem = Second Degree Thermal Burns ~ Silver sulfadiazine ointment (Rx) or White Petroleum Jelly ~ Tegaderm micro thin film dressing ~ Roller gauze for dressings ~ Coban for holding dressing in place Possible Problem = Ingested Toxins ~ Activated charcoal slurry Possible Problem = Allergies ~ Epinephrine (Rx) & oral antihistamine Possible Problem = Poison Ivy, Oak, & Sumac ~ Pre-exposure lotion ~ Technu Oak & Ivy Cleanser (post-exposure soap) ~ Hydrocortisone cream (treatment) Possible Problem = Acute Mountain Sickness ~ Gamow bag ~ Herbs: Ginko biloba ~ Rx Drugs: acetazolamide, dexamethasone, & nifedipine

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Medical Possible Problem = Disease ~ Disease specific Rx antibiotics & antimicrobials ~ Grapefruit Seed Extract ~ Disease specific herbs Possible Problem = Diabetes ~ Glucose paste (OTC) ~ Glucagon injections (Rx) Possible Problem = Asthma ~ Rx medication (oral, inhalers) & injectable Epinephrine (Rx) Possible Problem = Water Treatment ~ Boiling ~ Filter ~ Iodine or two part chlorine tablets ~ Grapefruit Seed Extract Possible Problem = Ears ~ Irrigation syringe ~ Vinegar or Rx antibiotic drops Possible Problem = Eyes ~ Irrigation syringe ~ Rx antibiotic ointment ~ herbal wash Possible Problem = Teeth ~ Cavit (temporary filling without Oil of Clove) ~ DenTemp (temporary filling with Oil of Clove) ~ Oil of Clove (pain relief)

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Accessories

While all our packs come with velcro strips and/or pockets you may need more.

	Three Loop Velcro Strip: $1.50		Cordura Pocket: $3
	Four Loop Velcro Strip: $1.50		Mesh Velcro Pocket: $3