Be Prepared :
Stock Your First Aid Kit

No matter how careful you are, accidents happen—especially in the outdoors. Never go camping without a fully stocked first aid kit for treating minor injuries and coping with more serious ones until you are able to obtain medical assistance. Your kit should contain all of the following items:

• Antiseptic wipes or lotions, for cleaning cuts and scrapes
• Cotton balls, for applying the above
• Adhesive dressings, for small cuts and blisters
• Assorted sterile dressings for covering large wounds
• Sterile eye dressing in case you meet with a sharp stick
• Triangular bandages for slings or bandaging
• A roll of 25mm medical tape
• Crepe bandages for sprains
• Safety pins, tweezers, and blunt-ended scissors
• Painkillers (aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen)
• Antihistamine cream for insect bites and stings
• Antihistamine tables or capsules for allergy attacks
• Aloe vera gel or other soothing treatments for sunburn

Assemble your kit in a well sealed, waterproof, and clearly marked container. Add any other medications you or your family are likely to need. Everyone in your group should know where the kit is, have easy access to it, and know how to use it. And finally, be sure your kit is unlocked (the last thing you want is to be fumbling around for the key in an emergency!)

Store the kit out of reach of small children, check it periodically, and always restock items as soon as they are used up. When discarding drugs, be sure to dispose of them where they won't be found by children or animals.