What do you carry in your medical kit (for wounds, etc.) ?

Since it got warmer around here I've been spending a lot of time on the
bicycle; commuting and mountain biking on the trails. I love summer

On the trails today I got some (what I thought were) pretty minor
scratches, but have since become somewhat caked with blood and misc. dirt
and are actually throbbing somewhat. At the time I tried to clean it with a
bit of water. When I look at it now it's a big oozing hairy mess!

At some point I think the front gear cut into my leg... messy.

Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals carry in
your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails? I really want to
carry as little as possible, I was thinking: alcohol wipes for disinfecting
and polysporin antibiotic cream to protect an open wound. What else?

--
Jem Berkes
http://www.sysdesign.ca/

On Sun, 16 May 2004 22:38:18 +0000, Jem Berkes wrote:

Since it got warmer around here I've been spending a lot of time on the
bicycle; commuting and mountain biking on the trails. I love summer

On the trails today I got some (what I thought were) pretty minor
scratches, but have since become somewhat caked with blood and misc. dirt
and are actually throbbing somewhat. At the time I tried to clean it with a
bit of water. When I look at it now it's a big oozing hairy mess!

At some point I think the front gear cut into my leg... messy.

Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals carry in
your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails? I really want to
carry as little as possible, I was thinking: alcohol wipes for disinfecting
and polysporin antibiotic cream to protect an open wound. What else?

Thin strips of duct tape and a couple gauze pads. You can use it like a
butterfly bandage to hold gashes together, make a regular bandage that
sticks like a MF, or use it to make a splint. It also use it to boot tires
that get cut badly.

"Jem Berkes" wrote in message
...

Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals carry
in
your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails? I really want to
carry as little as possible, I was thinking: alcohol wipes for
disinfecting
and polysporin antibiotic cream to protect an open wound. What else?

On tour: duct tape wrapped around seatpost (see other poster's comments),
polysporin. I wash out cuts with a water bottle.

"Mike Kruger"
wrote in message
ws.com..."Jem Berkes"
wrote in message
. ..

Jem Berker wrote
Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals carry
in your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails? I really want
to carry as little as ossible, I was thinking: alcohol wipes for
disinfecting and polysporin antibiotic cream to protect an open wound.
What else?

Mike replies
On tour: duct tape wrapped around seatpost (see other poster's
comments), polysporin. I wash out cuts with a water bottle.

Doug responds
For commutes and rides of 5 hours from home, nothing. For rides in rough
bush starting a 4 hour drive from home, I've tried carrying the Red
Cross kits but they have a habit of being unfound after I empty my van
so I carry nothing for those either.

In 5 years of commuting 1 hour each way, year round, I've had a
potential use for bandages for light road rash, uh, 1 time, and actually
I didn't really need it then either.

Biking is really boring for hopeful first aid specialists. Maybe you
should try skiing.

Doug
For email, a sense of wonder.

Jem Berkes wrote:
Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals
carry in your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails?

Nuttin' honey.

Bill "I've always relied on the kindness of strangers" S.

S o r n i wrote:

Jem Berkes wrote:
Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals
carry in your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails?

Nuttin' honey.

Bill "I've always relied on the kindness of strangers" S.

The only time I've ever needed anything, I had nothing -- Big Grandson
fell and scraped his knee. Washed it with canteen water and wrapped it
up with the clean bandana I had stashed in my trunk-bag and forgotten.
I think I have a couple of really old band-aids in a plastic bag along
with my patch kit now.

--
Cheers,
Bev
================================================== ====
I am grateful that I am not as judgmental as all those
censorious, self-righteous people around me.

Jem Berkes wrote:

Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals carry in
your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails? I really want to
carry as little as possible, I was thinking: alcohol wipes for disinfecting
and polysporin antibiotic cream to protect an open wound. What else?

Let's see. I once remember having a bandaid in my bike bag. I'm not
sure how it got there - maybe my wife tossed it in. It eventually
disintegrated from lack of use.

That's been adequate since 1973 or so.


--
-------------
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

"Jem Berkes" wrote in message
...

Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals carry
in
your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails? I really want to
carry as little as possible, I was thinking: alcohol wipes for
disinfecting
and polysporin antibiotic cream to protect an open wound. What else?

My "ouch pouch" currently contains:
Envelope of antibiotic gel
Envelope with antiseptic wipe
Two large-ish bandaids for major scrapes
Two normal sized bandaid for smaller injuries
Two aspirin
....and now we're in warm weather months, a small bottle of SPF 30 sunscreen.

Some may scoff, but having this stuff was nice when I crashed up in
Vancouver. And I remember one time, while signing the registration for a
century, some poor fellow asking where on the route he could buy
sunscreen -- it was nice being able to simply offer him some of mine, as he
would have fried to a crisp by the time he would have passed by a
convenience store on the route where he could have bought some. Plus, I have
at least once held together some critical bike part with bandaids until I
made it to the shop, much to the amusement of the shop guys.


Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

"Doug Purdy" wrote in message
le.rogers.com...

In 5 years of commuting 1 hour each way, year round, I've had a
potential use for bandages for light road rash, uh, 1 time, and actually
I didn't really need it then either.

Biking is really boring for hopeful first aid specialists. Maybe you
should try skiing.

The one time in 7 years I used the first aid kit in the back of my pickup it
came in quite handy ... I was in the city and a very cute girl took a spill
on her bike and scraped her knee. I patched her up and bent back her wheel
so she could at least baby it home. I scored some big time points that day
and did date her for a while. Well worth it.

C.Q.C.

Anyway, what I'm curious is, what kinds off stuff do you guys/gals carry in
your med kits when you're commuting or on the trails?

I have a little first aid kit containing antiseptic wipes, tissues, tweezers,
scissors, sticking plasters, dressings & tape, & blister dressings. It came in
useful when the offspring got his front wheel caught in a tramline in Cologne
last summer and left a considerable quantity of his DNA on the track. He lived
:-)

Cheers, helen s


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