First aid kit for my hike

I spend a lot of time with my first aid kits. When planning the first aid kit for my hike, I began, as always, by listing the risks and concerns I wanted to manage. You can classify risks into two areas: common, easy-to-treat ailments and rare but serious risks. Treating minor ailments is all about comfort and preventing minor ailments from becoming major ailments.

Minor ailments

• Blisters
• Minor strains/sprains
• courteous
• Norovirus
• Diarrhea

Major ailments

• Breaks
• Severe sprains/strains
• serious bleeding
• High fever
• Severe allergic reactions

If you don’t agree with the ranking, please comment. I agree that this is all debatable and I love talking about these things. For example, diarrhea may be mild, but if left uncontrolled, it can be quite serious. A mild allergic reaction would be minor, but severe reactions can kill. You must consider your own situation.

So what’s in the first aid kit for my hike?

There are some controversial items on this list. I considered leaving them out, but I wanted to be open and complete. Without further ado, roughly ordered from least to most serious, the first aid kit for my hike:

• Antibiotic ointment
  • Yes, you technically don’t “need” antibiotic ointment for minor cuts. I prefer the extra help when I can’t wash easily.
• K Tape
  • It covers many things, from blisters to cuts, sprains or strains. I use this and not leucotape because the latter gives me a rash.
• super glue
  • Please don’t read this and throw super glue in your kit. For me, this solves a specific problem of wounds on my fingertips that don’t heal because I can’t stop using them and therefore reopen the wound. Just know that there are many disadvantages and risks that you should research before trying this.
• ace bandage
  • Mainly for sprains and strains, but can be used as a compression bandage for serious cuts.
• Ibuprofen and Tylenol
• Antiemetic and antidiarrheal
  • If I get norovirus, despite washing my hands, I can treat the symptoms.
  • It is also good for other causes of vomiting or diarrhea.
  • I don’t list which ones I carry because it varies from person to person. Talk to your doctor about what is right for you.
• Oral antibiotics
  • I suspect this is the most controversial item on the list. I can already imagine comments about the overuse of antibiotics. But we live in a time when I can call my doctor for a consultation.
• Benadril
  • Unexpected allergic reactions.
• triangular bandages
  • Covers everything from slings to splints and tourniquets.

Down to the last two items, it’s all about avoiding unexpected outings into the city for things I can treat myself. But if there’s a serious allergic reaction that requires Benadryl, or something worth using a triangular bandage on, it’s time to go to a medical facility.

At the beginning I said that I spend a lot of time on my first aid kits. Over the years they have gotten smaller, but the risks haven’t changed much. What has changed is that I gained a broader range of skills and more confidence. I no longer wear a SAM splint because, thanks to NOLS outdoors, I can improvise one with confidence. 10 years ago, my first aid kit weighed two pounds. Today it weighs six ounces. Shout to the Tahoe Rim Trail. They are organizing a class in April 2026.

There you have it, my first aid kit for the Appalachian Trail. I have yet to get two triangle bandages, but they currently all fit in a ziploc and weigh 6 ounces, so they should be pretty light.

*I debated a bit about what to call this post, since people might reasonably call this emergency team. This one is missing a lot of items you might consider in an emergency kit and focuses on the medical, so I went with first aid.

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