Build your own First-Aid Kit

To help you prepare for a safe summer, here is a list of basic tools that should just fill a first-aid kit you can easily fit into your backpack, tent, camper or even canoe, so you should never be caught without at least basic medical aid.

Bandages
No two wounds are alike, so pack every size and shape of bandage: triangular, round, square, rectangular, as well as large, medium, and small.

Tweezers
Use tweezers to remove splinters, glass shards, stingers and anything too tiny for fingernails to grasp.

Disinfectant
Disinfectant is available in several forms, including gel and liquid. Gels can be rubbed right onto the wound or onto the bandage before covering the wound.

Gauze
More absorbent and less expensive than a pack of bandages, gauze is especially useful for a bleeding wound that needs frequent bandage changes.

Scissors
You’ll need scissors to cut gauze and bandages to the proper size, and to cut away clothing covering a wound.

Alcohol Swabs
Commonly used to clean dirt and grime away from fresh wounds, these swabs are pre-coated in alcohol, which allows them to clean the wound efficiently.

Gauze
More absorbent and less expensive than a pack of bandages, gauze is especially useful for a bleeding wound that needs frequent bandage changes.

Safety Pins
In addition to holding together ripped clothing, they can keep a tensor bandage snug around an injured area and secure makeshift bandages.

Calamine Lotion
This lotion immediately calms the pain and discomfort of a sunburn and poison ivy rash.

First-aid Booklet
A small first-aid booklet could be a lifesaver when an emergency arises and you need to know what to do.

Gauze
More absorbent and less expensive than a pack of bandages, gauze is especially useful for a bleeding wound that needs frequent bandage changes.

Sunscreen
Even SPF 15 will be better than nothing (though 30 or higher is generally recommended for most skin types).