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What's In Your Pack?

post #1 of 37
11/29/06 at 9:10am
Thread Starter 
Would anyone be willing to share their "fanny pack" contents list?

I'm looking to stock up on First Responder stuff and just dont' have a good sense of what all should be included. I'll be talking with the local patrol chief about this and other items, this weekend, but wanted to be prepared.

In addition to an official list (bandaids, whistle, flashlight, slings, creams, etc...), which will be very helpful, I'd also like to hear the types of things you carry that you've found really useful that are either not on the list or that you've found in your experiences to be helpful.

Thoughts, help, suggestions...let us hear it!
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post #2 of 37
11/29/06 at 11:57am
Sam splints, toungue depressors for splinting, some folks around here are cutting up gallon size plastic bottles and carrying the rolled up remains for use as a forarm splint. Cravats, tape, space blanket, cravats, tape.

did I mention cravats?

did I mention tape?

zip lock sandwich bags---fill with a pair of gloves and 2 4X4's each. Carry as many as you can, stuff in all available pockets, carry lots in your pack.

Did I mention cravats ? You can never have too many cravats.:
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post #3 of 37
11/29/06 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skier_j View Post
Sam splints, toungue depressors for splinting, some folks around here are cutting up gallon size plastic bottles and carrying the rolled up remains for use as a forarm splint. Cravats, tape, space blanket, cravats, tape.

did I mention cravats?

did I mention tape?

zip lock sandwich bags---fill with a pair of gloves and 2 4X4's each. Carry as many as you can, stuff in all available pockets, carry lots in your pack.

Did I mention cravats ? You can never have too many cravats.:
When I started, one of our instructors took me in the first aid room and loaded my pack for me, it's been all I needed so far.
We carry SAM splints, I guess that's what you use the plastic bottle for.
Off the top of my head, gauze cling wraps, I don't carry 4x4s, instead carry several 4x10?s. Band aids, Nasal and oral canules, pocket mask, plastic baggies to use as ice packs, scissors, ass't 2 pack meds for personal use, extra gloves, a boot hitch for a traction splint, tape, and without looking at my pack, I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Oh yeah, did anyone mention cravats.
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post #4 of 37
11/29/06 at 4:56pm
What they said above. Full set of Oropharyngeal airways and keep them in the plastic box so they don't get damaged. Also Nasopharyngeal airway with lubrication. Yes pocket mask is important. In fact now that you are trained in CPR you may want to get one of the those very small CPR masks that fit on you key ring. Extra empty large freezer size zip lock plastic bags. Red bag for your bloody gloves etc. I have at least 5 pairs of BSI gloves. You should be constantly changing gloves otherwise you will just contaminate the contents of your Patrol Pack. I like butterfly bandages to close lacerations. The ER docs hate having to pick out strands of qauze that may fall down into a deep laceration. Couple rolls of cling. Cling is your friend. Cling makes it look professional before the patient is moved to the ER. Also a wide roll of white tape. Oh yeah don't forget the cravats. I have other tiny gadgets that don't take up much space collected over the years like a very tiny pipe cutter. Hey you never know.
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post #5 of 37
11/29/06 at 6:39pm
The only thing I have to add is a knife. I work at a small hill, so we don't need to carry the airways.

I bought a retractable cord from Office Max, I think it is for name tags. I use it to attach my whistle to my coat.
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post #6 of 37
11/30/06 at 4:19am
A few of our patrollers are in the Cdn Military(no jokes, please) and they provide us with field dressings every year.Hope you never have to use them,but they can cover a large,lacerated area in a hurry.

A small flashlight,and those small silver(metallic?) blankets.Have also heard of folks who carry the used bladders from wine that is sold in boxes,Andres here in CDA.They can be used as extra padding,or as a pillow once inflated.Too much weight to carry the full ones around,I suppose.
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post #7 of 37
11/30/06 at 9:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by catskills View Post
Full set of Oropharyngeal airways and keep them in the plastic box so they don't get damaged. Also Nasopharyngeal airway with lubrication..
How big is your mountain that you can't wait for a trauma bag to get on scene?


Quote:
Originally Posted by catskills View Post
You should be constantly changing gloves otherwise you will just contaminate the contents of your Patrol Pack.
I keep everything I may need in one gallon size bag in my pack. I pull that out right when I get on scene and don't worry about getting in my pack anymore. If I contaminate whats in that bag, I throw it away and replace it.

Really, I think less is more. I carry a few rolls of kerlix, a pocket mask, some tape, a couple of cravats, maybe some band-aids, trauma shears. If I can't handle from that then I need help anyway and they can bring a trauma pack.
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post #8 of 37
11/30/06 at 9:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag View Post
How big is your mountain that you can't wait for a trauma bag to get on scene?




I keep everything I may need in one gallon size bag in my pack. I pull that out right when I get on scene and don't worry about getting in my pack anymore. If I contaminate whats in that bag, I throw it away and replace it.

Really, I think less is more. I carry a few rolls of kerlix, a pocket mask, some tape, a couple of cravats, maybe some band-aids, trauma shears. If I can't handle from that then I need help anyway and they can bring a trauma pack.

Ditto
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post #9 of 37
11/30/06 at 12:14pm
Yep,

I keep putting in less and less each season. How do you put in less?

Plasters (band-aids) go in my radio harness. The fanny pack gets 4X4's, Shears, kling and those muslin triangle thingys that can use tie up just about anything ahh... cravats (Dick?) Good white tape hangs on a sled pin fixed to the pack waist strap. I always carry another sled pin as well. More tape in the pack too. I do hang a very small LED flashlight from the fanny pack zipper. So handy to signal to the guy on the next trail over during TCP in the dark. heck,,it's three years old and still on the same battery.

Gloves Gloves and more gloves BSI is not something I am in a hurry to compromise. I open my pack Once, and set out a lot of stuff if there is any bleeding going on. Clean scenes, the pack is just a head pillow.

Oh there is a pocket mask, that keeps pushing me forward in the chair, I try to stuff that to the side pretty much.
Oh I have a tube of the sugar stuff for glycemics. I hear it tastes pretty bad, but the patient is supposed to be in such a bad way they supposedly won't notice.



CalG
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post #10 of 37
11/30/06 at 8:47pm
I carry about half now that I carried when I was a rookie. Largest thing in my pack is my pocket mask, which is the only thing I have never used.
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post #11 of 37
12/1/06 at 8:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cgrandy View Post
Oh I have a tube of the sugar stuff for glycemics.
CalG
Finally! Sugar tablets or (from 2 daibetics themselves) a small tube of cake icing. They said you won't choke on it like you might a piece of candy. Gloves, Cravats, SAM splint, Leatherman, Scisors (great for cutting off turtle fur's when you need to apply a collar). Aceman
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post #12 of 37
12/3/06 at 9:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aceman View Post
Finally! Sugar tablets or (from 2 daibetics themselves) a small tube of cake icing. They said you won't choke on it like you might a piece of candy.
Oral glucose isn't that expensive. I can't imagine you actually have a protocol for "cake icing." And yes, pt is less likely to "choke" on paste, but an altered diabetic can still aspirate especially if they are really low.

Scary.

You usually shouldn't be giving sugar PO to an unconcious/unresponsive diabetic. You should check your protocols. Do your EMTs have protocols for IV D50 or glucagon or do you have to call for ALS?

On a lighter note, five cents to any provider who knows what the "honeybear maneuver" is.
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post #13 of 37
12/3/06 at 9:45pm

The "10 Essentials" plus

I carry the (in)famous "10 esstentials" whenever I go into the backcountry, plus a Tacoma Mountain Rescue survival kit, my NOLS medical/first aid kit, a BP cuff and stethascope, Gore-Tex parka, headlamp, weather radio, Mini-Mag Light (all use the same batteries) spare batteries, sheath knife, Gerber pack axe with in-handle saw, bandana and heat packs.

In care you are wondering, the knife is for survival; making kindling, splitting wood, etc.

Ski safe,
Hans
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post #14 of 37
12/3/06 at 11:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TrailPatrol View Post
I carry the (in)famous "10 esstentials" whenever I go into the backcountry, plus a Tacoma Mountain Rescue survival kit, my NOLS medical/first aid kit, a BP cuff and stethascope, Gore-Tex parka, headlamp, weather radio, Mini-Mag Light (all use the same batteries) spare batteries, sheath knife, Gerber pack axe with in-handle saw, bandana and heat packs.

In care you are wondering, the knife is for survival; making kindling, splitting wood, etc.

Ski safe,
Hans
I was wondering what the bandanna is for.
Seriously though, what's the (in)famous 10 essentials, as it's not so famous where I come from....:
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post #15 of 37
12/4/06 at 3:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2-turn View Post
Seriously though, what's the (in)famous 10 essentials, as it's not so famous where I come from....
Courtesy of Google: http://tinyurl.com/y5fnue

Apparently, the 10 Essentials were originally listed in the 1930s by the Mountaineers, a Seattle-based hiking, climbing, and conservation organization. Since then, they have been discussed, updated, reconsidered, and ammended to by writers and purveyors of back country gear.

The 10 Essentials (Plus a few)
  1. Map (in a watertight case)
  2. Compass (Plus maybe a GPS)
  3. Extra clothing / Rain gear
  4. Extra food and water
  5. First-aid kit
  6. Headlamp or flashlight (with extra batteries)
  7. Matches (storm proof, or in a watertight container)
  8. Fire starter
  9. Knife (or multi-use camp tool)
  10. Sunglasses
  11. Sunscreen
  12. Water filter (or other method of water treatment)
  13. Whistle
  14. Insect Repellents
  15. Shelter
Many have suggested that one should also have common-sense, knowledge, conditioning and inner-strength <g>



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post #16 of 37
12/6/06 at 8:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2-turn View Post
I was wondering what the bandanna is for.
Seriously though, what's the (in)famous 10 essentials, as it's not so famous where I come from....:
Actually, it was modified a few years back to be more all-inclusive, since there were separate lists for mountain climbers, X-C skiers, backpacker, then mountain bikers and snowboarders, etc. etc.

Taken from the Mountaineer's website, http://www.mountaineers.org/

"The Ten Essential Systems

The following list is made up of items that everyone who ventures onto a trail or into the backcountry should have. You could add more, possibly, but these are the basics.

1. Navigation (map and compass)
2. Sun protection
3. Insulation (extra clothing)
4. Illumination (flashlight/headlamp)
5. First-aid supplies
6. Fire (matches/starters)
7. Repair kit and tools
8. Nutrition (extra food)
9. Hydration (extra water)
10. Emergency shelter"

The bandana is for all sorts of things; hold snow for a ice pack, use as a triangular bandage, protect your face or neck from the sun, marker flag, wipe your glasses/goggles, train robber's mask, blow your nose, etc.

Ski safe,
Hans
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post #17 of 37
1/11/08 at 8:10pm
Deleted due to accidental double posting.
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post #18 of 37
1/11/08 at 8:12pm
This is another thread that I think should be revived, simply because, well, it interests me....

In my fanny pack, I have;

-assorted band aids
-4 elastic bandages (wraps)
-2 tongue depressors
-3 triangular bands
-1 small bandage scissors
-1 EMT shears
-1 forearm splint
-1 abdominal compress
-assorted small compresses
-1 small bottle of Purelle type hand disinfectant
-some benzalkonium chloride disinfectant pads
-1 50 foot static rope
-1 Belay/Rappel Device (No way I'm gonna get caught in a broken chairlift!!!)
-3 biners (1 is an extra. It holds my rope in place.)
-one pocket mask
-assorted hand, toe, and foot warmers
-1 two metre length of tubular webbing
-1 presewn tubular sling (instant harness... just add one carabiner)
-1 headlight that attaches to the velcro patch on my helmet
-6 pairs of examination gloves
-1 Rite in the Rain notepad
-2 copies of the Skiers Code
-1 partridge in a pair tree!

In my jacket:

-more gloves,
-one pen
-free meal tickets (courtesy of the ski hill)

Hanging from my jacket:

-Combination thermometer/watch
-lift pass
-first aid reminder cards
-a Fox 40 whistle

And finally, around my neck is the mini-sharpie that I use to mark the lift tickets of the people who break the rules.

As for the ten essentials, if there is a whiteout, all you have to do is walk downhill for 5 minutes and you are at the bottom of the hill. Small hill. Big chalet! It's kinda hard to get lost.

Dean.
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post #19 of 37
1/12/08 at 3:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dean View Post
-1 50 foot static rope
-1 Belay/Rappel Device (No way I'm gonna get caught in a broken chairlift!!!)
-3 biners (1 is an extra. It holds my rope in place.)
How do you rap off a chair more than 25 feet off the ground?


HH
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post #20 of 37
1/12/08 at 6:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HHTELE View Post
How do you rap off a chair more than 25 feet off the ground?


HH
The highest pylon we have is a giant 30 feet. The highest chair is about 23 feet. If it is a bit higher, I can anchor the rope to the chair using a biner and a piece of tubular sling, rappel down the single cord, and retrieve it later.
This is about the only advantage of working at a small hill.

Dean.

Don't try this at home, kids
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post #21 of 37
1/18/08 at 8:44am
I take a bare bones approach because the small hill I patrol at has sleds with well stocked packs that can arrive at the incident scene within a few minutes. So it goes like this --

Personal protection -- gloves, refusal form

ABC's -- Items that can save a life. -- airways, pocket mask, 4x4's or bigger, pads to control major bleeding, Kling, Trauma shears (to expose major bleeds) glucose gell

A few handy things -- tape, more 4x4, flashlight, leatherman, a couple cravats, ziplock bags, pencil, paper, band aids, and a few more items that I am probably forgetting.
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post #22 of 37
1/25/08 at 7:07am
Over the years my pack gets more and more streamlined. The ticket is to team up with the newbies - they always carry half an ambulance on their backs.

For me, the essentials are

- glove pairs and assorted 2x2, 4x4 gauze pads. I have several sets, each sealed in their own plastic baggie.

- a couple of roles of gauze wrap. They are useful for just about everything

- pocket mask

- 4 or 5 long cravats. A couple of thick feminine hygiene cotex pads for the serious blood incidents.

- assorted band-aids and tape. A couple of plastic soup spoons and knife from the cafeteria : great for splinting fingers, thumbs, etc. A tube of glucose.

- personal stuff: flashlight, all purpose tools, incident report/paper/pen.

That's it. Everything else except trauma pack comes in the tobaggan. And did I mention we like to work off the newbie packs?
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post #23 of 37
1/28/08 at 7:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by josseph View Post
Over the years my pack gets more and more streamlined. The ticket is to team up with the newbies - they always carry half an ambulance on their backs.

Clip-----

That's it. Everything else except trauma pack comes in the tobaggan. And did I mention we like to work off the newbie packs?
This post is right on!

all responders, I want you to go back and add how long you have been doing this to your list of stuff.

I suspect the relationship will be more years, less stuff.
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post #24 of 37
1/28/08 at 11:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by josseph View Post
Over the years my pack gets more and more streamlined. The ticket is to team up with the newbies - they always carry half an ambulance on their backs.

And did I mention we like to work off the newbie packs?
I'm a noob patroller, and have seen this attitude from some of our veterans, but most of them seem to have at least as much stuff in their packs as I do. The guy with the most stuff (even more than any of us noobs) has probably the most experience in handling emergencies than anyone on the patrol. Will my attitude change as I get more experienced? I don't know, I don't expect it to, and hope it won't.

Skier_j, do I patrol with you in W.Mass? If you know me, you will know based on my username.
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post #25 of 37
1/28/08 at 11:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by josseph View Post
Over the years my pack gets more and more streamlined. The ticket is to team up with the newbies - they always carry half an ambulance on their backs.
One of the most experienced guys on our patrol has the biggest, fullest pack on the mountain. (Before meeting him, I thought it was me!) When I asked him why, he was quite forceful when he said: "I got caught once without the equipment that I really needed. That will never happen again." Nobody ever bothers him about it, either.

Dean.
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post #26 of 37
1/28/08 at 12:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eblackwelder View Post
I'm a noob patroller, and have seen this attitude from some of our veterans, but most of them seem to have at least as much stuff in their packs as I do. The guy with the most stuff (even more than any of us noobs) has probably the most experience in handling emergencies than anyone on the patrol. Will my attitude change as I get more experienced? I don't know, I don't expect it to, and hope it won't.

Skier_j, do I patrol with you in W.Mass? If you know me, you will know based on my username.
It is not intended to be attitude, more like practicality. I have stuff in my pack that I put in back in 1991---I probably should go through it some day! and follow my own advice!

The stuff I use most often these days is in my jacket pockets, sandwich bags with two gauze and some gloves and a bandaid or two. I must have 6 of these baggies stashed in my coat.

About the only things I have used from my aid belt in the past 5 years have been cravats, sam splint and space blanket. I should find a way to carry them in my jacket then I'd ditch the fanny pack in a heart beat.

In almost 20 years I have never used my pocket mask nor have I heard of anyone at my hill actually having to use an airway. (Knocking on wood--I certainly hope I have not jinxed myself).

I do carry a mask but not airways.

If I had long response times or long transport times and long waits for ambulances etc, I'm sure my readiness and pack contents would be different.

And yes I do patrol in Wmass but no I don't think I know you.
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post #27 of 37
1/29/08 at 9:53am
It goes both ways. Some old timers still lugs around half the first aid room on their backs. Others go streamline. Personally, I've been patrolling for 17 years at an area where additional equipment can be delivered anywhere within minutes. Our rescue toboggan comes with a lot of stuff, and I can't get anyone off the hill unless I get a toboggan anyways.

So I work on the light and mobile model. I get to the scene in a hurry, assess and call for whatever is necessary, and I haul them off the hill in a hurry.

I see the lists of what some of you lug around. They are 90% stuff I never used on the hill in my 17 years. My essentials: cravats, rolls of gauze, blood stoppers, gloves, baggies. Everything else can be optional. Yeah, I carry my pocket mask, as does everyone else. But I have never heard anyone using theirs. Also, if a guy is gonna need an artificial airway, he will also need O2. Unless you are lugging a trauma pack with you wherever you go, what good is that artificial airway that you carry in your pocket?
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post #28 of 37
1/29/08 at 12:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by josseph View Post
Everything else can be optional. Yeah, I carry my pocket mask, as does everyone else. But I have never heard anyone using theirs. Also, if a guy is gonna need an artificial airway, he will also need O2. Unless you are lugging a trauma pack with you wherever you go, what good is that artificial airway that you carry in your pocket?
Optional until you need it, ever get an O2 without airways, or the gasket ripped. I'd rather not play the odds that someone else will have one. Although if we need an airway, they're in the trauma pack, so in that case, with the duplication, maybe they are unneccessary to carry.
There's a lot of stuff in my pack that I hope to never use, but also hope that I have what I need when I need it.
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post #29 of 37
9/1/08 at 9:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by josseph View Post

...Snipped...

I see the lists of what some of you lug around. They are 90% stuff I never used on the hill in my 17 years. My essentials: cravats, rolls of gauze, blood stoppers, gloves, baggies. Everything else can be optional. Yeah, I carry my pocket mask, as does everyone else. But I have never heard anyone using theirs. Also, if a guy is gonna need an artificial airway, he will also need O2. Unless you are lugging a trauma pack with you wherever you go, what good is that artificial airway that you carry in your pocket?
I have heard of people using their masks. We have had more than a few heart attacks and CPR cases, adn we have also had at least one fatality. (Yes, they did try to revive him.) It can happen at any time, so keep it around. Besides, if someone used the mask with the oxygen cylinder and forgot to replace it, you can use yours.
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post #30 of 37
11/15/08 at 7:32am
I really love the sam splints. those are they greatest things ever
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