The "field" kit I've carried most is in my "junkyard" tool roll.
Wanna know what the most useful item in that kit has been?
The gallon bladder of water. 8 lb. of water is nothing when carting in 40 lb. of tools and that makes the 2 lb. of first aid supplies seem downright negligible.
Why?
When you're covered in grease and oil and see some blood it lets you wash shit away to see where the blood is coming from.
We also pack in a small bottle of Dawn® dishwashing soap because it does a great job of lifting the grease and oil off skin. The lemon stuff is also really good at finding small cuts from the burning sensation.
We haven't needed more than a gauze pad and some tape yet, but there's more in the kit just in case.
Band-aids are the most used item after the water and soap.
What we're really preparing for is something getting sliced off or pinned because something heavy shifts. We even have a flare gun in there. The EMTs arrive at the yard and... where are you again?
The bottle jack and block of wood that are part of the tools comes in handy for unshifting too.
Based on other preparedness blogger opinion, I should advocate that everyone carry a 750 lb. bottle jack at all times, no?
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A roll of paper towels, a couple plastic shopping bags, and duck tape. I have yet found an injury, even as injury prone as I am, that hasn't responded to the application of the above.
ReplyDeleteI've used diet coke, diet Dr. Pepper, diet Gingerale, vinegar, whatever to wash a wound out.
As to Dawn, that stuff is just about universal in it's use. I've used it to degrease a suit of chainmail, wash the dog, wash the car, make laundry detergent actually work (about a 1/4 cup added helps cut the grease in clothes) and so much more.
For infections in fingers or feet, like from a sliver of metal or a splinter, a bowl of as-hot-as-you-can-stand-it water with a generous dollop of Dawn will soak out the infection and the splinter or sliver.
Works on Poison Ivy/Poison Oak also. Put directly on the area affected, let sit for 15 minutes, wash off with hot water. Takes the sting out and soaks up the volatile oils that cause the reaction.
It's almost as good as Windex... (reference to 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.')
"...I should advocate that everyone carry a 750 lb. bottle jack at all times, no?"
ReplyDeleteI do know that an inexpensive "4-ton" bottle jack is all kinds of helpful vs it's small size and weight.