Wilderness First Aid — Kit Checklist
Protect yourself
You're priority #1 (Lesson 1). Gloves go on before you touch blood, every time.
Stop bleeding
The X in XABCDE, and the fastest killer you can actually fix.
Wound care
Far from help, most of wound care is preventing infection.
Bones & joints
Splint it as it lies, and check CSM before and after.
Medications (OTC)
Label everything with name and dose. Carry personal prescriptions where the group knows to find them.
Tools & documentation
The unglamorous stuff you'll actually reach for.
Call for help
No kit replaces getting the patient out (Lesson 13).
Scale it to the trip
The checklist above is a day-trip baseline for two people. Scale it by how long help would take to reach you, not just by days out.
| Trip | Adjust the baseline |
|---|---|
| Short day hike, front-country | Trim to gloves, bleeding control, blister kit, meds, whistle, phone. |
| Full day, remote | The full baseline above. Add the satellite messenger if you're out of coverage. |
| Multi-day backcountry | Double consumables (gauze, meds, gloves), add a low-reading thermometer, wound-care refills, and a real repair kit. |
| Group or trip leader | Scale consumables by head count, collect everyone's medical info and where they keep their prescriptions before you leave, and carry a group shelter. |
By activity
Match the kit to the way your sport actually hurts people.
🏍 Motorcycle / dual-sport
Crashes mean high-energy trauma, so the tourniquet and shears earn their weight. Cutting riding gear off beats wrestling it off. Review helmet removal (Lesson 7) before you need it, and mount the kit somewhere on the bike that will survive a crash.
🛶 Rivers & open water
Double-bag everything. Add a full hypothermia setup: a dry insulating layer, a blanket or bivy, and sugary food. Review drowning and cold-water immersion (Lesson 14).
🥾 Desert & heat
Extra water beats extra gauze. Add oral rehydration salts, electrolytes, and something to make shade. Review heat illness (Lesson 8). Cool first, transport second.
❄️ Winter & cold nights
Here the kit is mostly warmth: chemical heat packs (chest, armpits, and back, never directly on skin), a foam pad to insulate from the ground, a low-reading thermometer, and calories. Review hypothermia and frostbite (Lesson 9).
Skills over stuff. A tourniquet you've never practiced with, or a splint you've never molded, is dead weight. Buy less and practice more. Restock after every trip, or the gauze you used last time won't be there next time. A commercial pre-built kit is a fine place to start. Upgrade the gloves, add a tourniquet and an irrigation syringe, and make it yours. Not sure where a skill is taught? The course syllabus maps every skill to its lesson.