Originally Posted By: JeanetteIsabelle
As it has already been said, knowledge is the best tool. I've taken first aid and have read other first aid guides but nothing I have come across yet compares with A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine by Eric A. Weiss, MD

Jeanette Isabelle


Weiss is a good book, I keep one in every backpacking FAK I put together - and when things are slow and when I'm in my tent and its raining, or I'm waiting for my dinner to cook or water to boil (usualy the same thing), I take it out and re-read sections as a refresher.

For less portable Wilderness First Aid books I'm partial to any book in the NOLS WFA series by Tod Schimelpfenig. I happened to take a WFA course from Tod back in pre-history when WFA seemed new, and his direct and practical brand of medicine has seemed to stick through 3 refresher courses since. Can't say it too loud or strongly enough, get thee to a Wilderness first Aid course if you want some decent instruction on treating patients in hard times, eg.post-disaster, or 24 hours up a trail with a bunch of Scouts who are your responsibility. (Disclaimer: no money or consideration from NOLS, just thanks for the solitude their training has given me in tough situations.)