As long as you know how to use it than it's all good. I know it may sounds silly when somebody tells you that you need to excersise a proper care when using elastic bandages but they can be dangerous. Also when you are hiking injuries do happen. You trip, fall, sprain or strain something and all those things need first aid. Than with proper care you take out elastic bandage, asses the "damage" and work on it. Reason I'm so against elastic bandages is because they give people false sense of security and cure. Pain is body's way of telling you that there is something wrong. If you didn't experienced any trauma, yet your ankle is hurting that means that there is a problem. I see people just putting on the brace or wrapping up aching joint with elastic bandage and they go on. All they are doing is further inflaming the painful location creating even more serious injury. I've seen it happening many times. I'm still in contact with a pair of women who were on the approach when I was descending from Mt. Kenya. We spend the night at the same camp and one of the ladies was limping so I asked her what happened and if she needs help. She said that her knee is swollen and she is hurting but she will go on. Her friend was a doc that gave her a protein shot, than they wrapped it up in elastic bandage to "stiffen" it up a bit and prevent bigger swelling. She never made it to the top, she never walked off the mountain they carried her down, she will be using a cane or crutches for the rest of her life. Example that you used is a different story since you guys needed to get patched up on the way back and as opposed to many you knew what were you doing. All I'm saying that there is a lot of products in med field that give people false sense of security. I see it all the time when I'm kayaking, hiking or climbing.

Matt