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ATWATER CAREY
LIGHT & DRY LD3 FIRST AID KIT
You’re only human…
If you like to hike, backpack, hunt, fish, climb or do just about anything else in the outdoors, you will eventually need a first aid kit. It’s inevitable. As resilient and as tough as the human body is, we still have to face the fact that rocks and trees and other things in nature are harder and tougher, that insects sting and bite and that people have accidents with knives, stoves and other gear.
Even a relatively minor medical emergency can be distressing when you’re several miles from the car and further still from professional help. A calm demeanor, a good first aid kit and some training will go a long way to making the patient as comfortable as possible. We recommend that every outdoor enthusiast receive the highest level of medical training possible, in addition to carrying an up-to-date first aid kit on every trip.
First aid kits are not all alike…
Striking a nice balance between size, weight, cost and comprehensiveness, the LD 3 contains a selection of hospital grade components chosen by wilderness medicine professionals. Of special interest is the endorsement by the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS. The National Outdoor Leadership School is a well recognized organization and very highly regarded. These folks have a long history with wilderness medicine and know whereof they speak.
The Atwater Carey LD 3 is designed for outdoor excursions up to 6 days and a group size of four. LD stands for light and dry and it is, in fact, both. The LD 3 weighs only 7 oz. and has all of the contents sealed in two food grade, 3 mil, zip-type plastic bags. These two are contained within a hi-vis yellow, silicone impregnated, ripstop nylon, outer bag. The importance of a waterproof kit is obvious. When you’re in the woods, you never know when you might get caught in a real toad strangler, take a tumble in a creek or capsize a canoe. A soggy, contaminated bandage is worthless.
Having the right mix of components is just as important as having quality components. This is the difference between professionally designed first aid kits and the suspiciously cheap ones found in discount stores. With the LD 3 you’ll have everything you need to keep a minor emergency from becoming a major one.
THE LD3 CONTAINS:
 Medical Information 1 "Ask the Expert" free membership card  Blister Treatment 2 2"x3" Moleskin 1 Tincture of Benzoin  Essential Tools 1 Splinter Grabber 2 Safety Pins  Other Items 2 Nitrile Protective Gloves 2 Bitran® Saranex® Waterproof Inner Bag 1 Water Resistant Outer Nylon Bag |
 Bandage Materials 1 1x10 Yards Tape 4 3"x3" Sterile Gauze Pads 1 Conforming Gauze Bandage 3 Knuckle Bandages 12 1"x3" Adhesive strips  Wound Treatment 1 Antibiotic Ointment 1 Povidone-Iodine Ointment 1 2"x3" Non-Adherent Dressing 5 Wound Closure Strips 10 Antiseptic Towelettes  Medications 8 Ibuprofen Tablets 4 Antihistamine Tablets 4 Sting Relief Pads |
The “Ask the Expert” membership card is a nice bonus and is another item that sets Atwater Carey Kits apart from the rest of the pack. If you have a question about anything in the kit or about outdoor health and safety in general, simply log in and ask away. Your answer will come from Buck Tilton, cofounder of the Wilderness Medicine Institute, author of over 30 wilderness medicine books and regular contributor to Backpacker magazine.
In conclusion…
Not too big, not too small, just right for small groups and families who want a 7 ounce, watertight first aid kit designed by professionals and built for the outdoors.
See the Atwater Carey Light & Dry LD3 product page for more information.
Price: $21.95
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Email this page to a friendBASIC FIRST AID
Your first priority in a survival situation is to treat any injuries the best you can with what you have and what you know. Stabilizing the injury will allow you to concentrate on getting out of the situation and minimize the distractions of medical problems. Wilderness or first-aid medical training will provide you with important skills that could save your life or that of a companion.
"First, do no harm" is the best approach to rendering medical assistance in a survival situation. Knowing the limitations of your abilities and situation can keep you from making the situation worse. Treat any injury as soon as you can. Minor problems can develop into major ones quickly.
When you are treating an injury or multiple injuries you should treat them in the following order of importance:
1. Restore and maintain breathing and/or heartbeat
2. Stop bleeding
3. Bandage wounds and burns
4. Repair bone fractures
5. Treat shock
Few pre-assembled first-aid kits will include everything you need. First-aid kits should be customized to the hazards specific to the area you will be in, the dangers of the activity you will be participating in, and your personal medical needs including prescriptions. The amount and type of materials you include has much to do with the training and experience of those on the trip. Remember that the person who knows the most, may be the injured person who can no longer answer questions about what to do. How far away you are from help and how fast it can get to you will also affect what to include in your first-aid kit.
© 2008 LifeView Outdoors