First Aid Kit

Assembling a personal first aid kit is a requirement for the Tenderfoot rank and should be carried on all Scout outings.  Here are some tips on how to assemble a good first aid kit:

1.  See the Boy Scout Handbook for a list of items to go in the kit.
2.  Get 1 quart size ziploc bag and 2 sandwich size ziploc bags.  Everything goes in the quart bag.  The sandwich bags are to help organize the items inside.  Put the gloves in one of the sandwich bags.  Put everything flat in the other sandwich bag (gauze pads, bandaids, moleskin, alcohol swabs, etc.)





3.  Cut down a plastic card (like an expended gift card) and wrap your tape around it.  You can use some sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood to smooth the cut edge and round the corners.  Now your tape can go in the bag with the flat stuff.


4.  Use heat shrink tubing and a hair dryer or heat gun to create protective covers for sharp items (pencil, scissors, tweezers).  Now they won't poke through the bag.  You can find an assortment of heat shrink tubing at Harbor Freight, eBay, and elsewhere for a few bucks.  You will find other uses for it as well.



5.  Create an ID label for your kit.  See first image.  I made mine in Microsoft Word with the Stencil font.  I found an image of the First Aid Merit Badge to put on it.  Make yours however you like.  Print it out.  Cut it to size.  The backside of this label can double as the paper that goes in the kit for taking notes.  Make sure you save the file on your computer so you can print out another one if the label gets used for note taking or becomes damaged.



6.  CPR mask.  You can get one on eBay for 75 cents.  It may take a month to arrive however.



7.  Soap or hand sanitizer.  You can use a hotel soap bar, or you can get a mini bottle of hand sanitizer.  I got mine as a freebee that was handed out at the end of a 5k race.  These races are a good source for free water bottles, carabiners, hand sanitizer, chapstick, mylar space blankets, etc.  Sometimes you can find free synthetic T-shirts leftover from old races that are being given away. Small hand sanitizer bottles are also available in the travel section of pharmacies and discount stores.

8.  You can probably get some of the items for your kit from your parents.  They can probably spare a few bandaids.  For other items, check your local dollar store.  They usually have the lowest prices on these items.

9.  Scissors.  I got mine from a disposable suture removal kit.  Make sure to disinfect them if they have been used.  You could also get some like below on eBay for 99 cents.  Search for "mini scissors".  Kids school scissors from the dollar store would also work.


10.  Tweezers.  I don't remember where I got mine, probably from the drugstore.  Found these on eBay for 75 cents by searching for "mini tweezers".









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Frapping Mallet

Image
I was doing some research on pioneering for an upcoming Camporee with a pioneering theme.  I came across a blog called Ropes & Poles .  One of the articles was about a tool called a frapping mallet .  It is used to tighten up lashings on larger projects.  You wrap the rope around the handle, brace the head against your spar, and use the handle as a lever to tighten the lashing.  I could not find much else on frapping mallets on the internet.  I don't think these are available for purchase anywhere.  I did find an old sailors tool called a heaving mallet used on rigging in a similar manner. Nevertheless, I was intrigued and had to make one.  This is not your typical project that anybody can make in their kitchen, but if you have the required tools, and know how to weld, it's not that hard. Materials 1/2" x 18" iron pipe 1-1/4" x 6" iron pipe scraps of hardwood spray paint Tools Cut off saw drill press center punch hammer 1/4" an
Read more

Dining Fly Poles

Image
Here is how to make some inexpensive poles for a dining fly.  Make two of these, add an inexpensive poly tarp, some cordage and stakes and you have a very economical dining fly. Materials: 1/2" EMT pipe (10') 5/8" oak dowel 7 or 8" aluminum gutter nail (spike) EMT stands for electrical metallic tubing.  It is used as electrical conduit.  It is galvanized steel, but fairly lightweight.  You can buy a 10' foot length of 1/2" diameter pipe for $2 and change at your local home improvement store. If you want an 8' pole, cut your pipe into two 4' sections.  Cut a 2" piece of the 5/8" dowel.  Hammer into into one end of one pipe.  You may need to sand it a bit to make it fit.  You want a tight fit so it doesn't move later.  Now drill a hole through the dowel that is slightly smaller than the gutter nail diameter.  I used a 7/32" bit.  Hammer the nail in until about 2" is still protruding. Now make a piece to connect th
Read more

Commando Rope

Image
Remember the commando rope with a loop on one end and a toggle on the other that commandos would use in WWII to scale cliffs, etc.?   It does not seem to have warranted a mention in the latest edition of the Scout Handbook.  It was featured in my 1980 edition Scout Handbook.  There were also articles about it in the June 1947 and December 1978 issues of Boy's Life.  We have a pioneering themed campout coming up, and I thought it would be neat to make some wooden toggles so the Scouts could make commando ropes. I used 7/8" oak dowels, which are about $5 for a 36" length, enough to make 8 4" toggles.  I used a 3/8" core box router bit, set to a height of 1/8" to make the groove.  I made a groove 2" (on center) from each of of each dowel using a router table.  It will take multiple passes to make a circumferential groove.  It is better to make the groove when the dowel is long.  Don't cut them to 4" and then try to make the groove.  T
Read more