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

Here are some web site for the product:

http://www.hhwaterjel.com/Burn-Jel/burn-jel.html

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductD...p;amp;lnk=INCEP

http://www.industrialfire-safety.com/burnkits.html

http://www.ambulancia.com/respuestos/product1472.html

http://www.allmed.net/catalog/showitem.php/3375

I can get more sites if you need. Pete

I too have made "informed" purchases of "first aid" items from Ebay, mainly to take to Ecuador and supply Fire Dept., Red Cross and Civil Defense groups. However, be careful, many of the supplies are quite dated, may no longer be sterile or just not right to have in the wrong hands. The dangers of do-it-yourself suturing have been discussed here before. If you are not trained to do so, leave it to those you have the medical training, you can end up doing far more damage then you think. The same goes for I.V.'s and providing medications, both over the counter (OTC) and prescription meds to individuals if you do not know what medical conditions or medications they have or are taking. Pete

What I think about it depends on how you're going to use it and for how long you think this kit will have to last you. If it's your only medical kit on you, then I like the NAR BATTLE PACK™ FIRST AID KIT but would add to it:

More 1x3 Fabric bandaids (J&J or Swift brand) 10 total
More knuckle and Fingertip fabric bandaids 5 each (If lacking room, add the knuckle ones)
2 Steristrips (or 5 of the Bandaid equivalent)
Small tweezers
5-10 Povidone Iodine pads
10 Triple antibiotic packets (or a small tube).. I prefer the packets
2-3 burn dressing packets
No tape? Add tape
and you have no meds at all... I tend to get an upset stomach under stress or when not eating properly so I'd add
Immodium 5
Pepto Bismol tablets 12-24
Tylenol packets 5 (10 tablets total)
Motrin packets 5 (10 tablets total)
Cough drops 5 (they fit in the cracks and make you feel so much better)
Modify the amounts depending on room. I have been amazed at how much I can pack into a med kit. I originally started creating med kits with Trauma and cuts in mind. I added even small packets of sutures (they can double to sew up equipment) but I quickly realized I'll also likely need pain relief and more "ordinary" medicines. A small bottle of Visine is a good idea if it will fit.
If I'm walking I'll have blisters (Added Moleskin), and intestinal issues can quickly dehydrate you under the best circumstances... so Immodium is in all my kits too (regardless of how small..)
A few electolyte packets would also be useful.
Any prescription meds you want to add (antibiotics, pain killers, meds you normally take).

You could also trade the 71/2 shear for 51/2 ones and save some bulk (the 71/2 are very large). Some friends of mine have either used 2 packets of meds or have pulled their meds (out of larger bottles) and then put them all in one small Nalgene bottle (waterproof).

I like the idea that the kit would strap to you (or easily to the outside of a small backpack). For the amount of trauma material you get it is a bit expensive (I prefer to buy larger quanities, make a large kit and use the extras for my smaller kits)... but if you're going to buy a kit to start with this one looks interesting (in how it's organized), and so far I've been happy with the quality of everything I've gotten from BQ.

I totally agree with you <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I got the sutures when I first started buying materials and so I have a LOT of them...more than I need really. But now that I've done more research I likely would not use them but instead would use the steristrips I got and then try to get someone to a doctor. ( I guess I bought the sutures for a worse case medical meltdown in Atlanta... and one of our best friends is a doctor who lives very close by... ) So I wanted to have "what we would need" but hope we'd never use them. On the upside, I found them to be great for sewing up other things (we played with a few of them). When they get close to their expiration date in 2006 I'll resell them on Ebay (I mostly bought sealed, closed boxes of them so they hadn't been tampered with as far as I know). I also didn't buy from just any medical seller but found a few trusted sources and stayed with them to try and mitigate exactly the scenario you described.

As far as meds, I would only give medicine to myself or to my family so I know our health backgrounds... but that's sound advice you're giving. Thanks <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Our friend also told me to change my focus on what I originally was buying and instead get more of what we were more likely to use (OTC meds, 3 antibiotics, povidone iodine pads, Pepto Bismol etc)...