First Aid Contents For My Boat/tackle Bag 2024

OkobojiEagle reply :

Had a scuffle with a musky this past weekend that has me putting together a small first-aid kit I will carry in my tackle bag:

3/4" band aids

3"-4" gauze pads

antibiotic ointment

adhesive cloth tape

tweezers

emery files

what am I overlooking?

Dtree11 reply :

I have a pair of sanitary (vinyl) gloves just in case I have to help someone else. But, anything more than that will probably warrant you to head in.

badhatharry reply :

Ibuprofen or like, cold pack, lidocaine spray.........

Choporoz reply :

The only thing not listed that I have in mine (and have used in last 10 years) is a couple 2-packs of ibuprofren. Really, all I ever use with any regularity is bandaids and antibiotic. I'd consider adding one of those 2 oz bottles of JD....for emergencies

blckshirt98 reply :

Maybe a finger cot or two, in case you really gash a finger with a hook or knife and a bandage/gauge won't do, but otherwise you seem to have it covered. I keep my first aid stuff in the small plastic fishing license holder that I always carry in my backpack. Full disclosure I steal the little single use antibiotic ointment packs from the first aid kit at work, they're small and fit perfectly

Catch and Grease reply :

Not really a first aid item but I keep a whistle in mine in case I ever need to get somebody's attention from across the lake, kinda curious though, how bad was that musky injury?

fishballer06 reply :

Side cutters - in the event you need to cut out a hook

Ibuprofen - for obvious reasons

Cotton balls - Very absorbant, works for cuts or nose bleeds

Distilled water - clean out cuts

Peroxide - kills germs and can be used in livewell to add oxygen to the water for fish

K_Mac reply :

On 10/6/2015 at 3:23 AM, fishballer06 said:

Side cutters - in the event you need to cut out a hook

Ibuprofen - for obvious reasons

Cotton balls - Very absorbant, works for cuts or nose bleeds

Distilled water - clean out cuts

Peroxide - kills germs and can be used in livewell to add oxygen to the water for fish

All good additions. A good pair of side cutters that can be found quickly is a must.

MDBowHunter reply :

I carry a roll of paper towels and a roll of electrical tape, or in other words a carpenters band

aid

FoxOne reply :

Everything listed and my thought. If you think you might need it, pack it.

Senko lover reply :

On 10/6/2015 at 3:23 AM, fishballer06 said:

Side cutters - in the event you need to cut out a hook

Ibuprofen - for obvious reasons

Cotton balls - Very absorbant, works for cuts or nose bleeds

Distilled water - clean out cuts

Peroxide - kills germs and can be used in livewell to add oxygen to the water for fish

Yep, I was thinking Hydrogen Peroxide as well. You never know when you're going to run into rusty hooks.

MIbassyaker reply :

Helpful info, folks, thanks. I have not been carrying a kit with me but I should.

OkobojiEagle reply :

Some of the suggestions are a little cumbersome for an over-the-shoulder tackle bag and others are part of my "emergency boat kit", but I appreciate all of the responses.

thirtysixit reply :

Everyone needs to have a tourniquet in their first aide bag. It can absolutely save a life if someone is losing blood quickly. I think its the most important item on my boat.

Bassguytom reply :

Good ideas guys. I put a pair of side cutter in my first aid box. One thing that has not been mentioned that is extremely important at least to me is skunk repellent.

bigbill reply :

Being a retired logger I went to a local drug store and explained my situation. I'm deep in the woods running chainsaws. I got the 6"x6" gause, the tape. I wanted that foam stuff that melts into open wounds that stops the bleeding. I had a 50cal ammo box as a first aid kit

bigbill reply :

Carry more than you need. Antiseptic, antibiotics, peroxide, rubbing alcohol, crazy glue, steri strips.

blckshirt98 reply :

Looking through this list I'm going to add a whistle to my fishing bag. I fish alone most of the time and one bad fall in some of the places I go could really put me in the sh*ts quickly.

bigtattoo79 reply :

Betadine and a tourniquet are two things most kits are lacking.

bigfruits reply :

hook remover. store bought or homemade.

Choporoz reply :

Frankly, I'm sorta puzzled at the stress on tourniquets....."most important item" on your boat?

I'm no medical professional, but I have been exposed to some pretty extensive first aid training over the years.

My issue lies with the 'fact' that traumatic limb injury resulting in ruptured artery(ies) is fairly rare and unless you're using a chainsaw in your boat, I don't think its a high risk in that environment...unless you think you'll split someone with your prop, I suppose. I was always taught that the use of tourniquets by the 'untrained' carried more risk than reward value. I don't have any data to back up anything, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if more harm than good has been done with tourniquets by well meaning, but untrained 'civilians'. I suggest leaving the tourniquet out and make room for a new "most important item"....maybe an extra pfd, or flashlight, or quart can for bailing, or air horn, or extra length of rope, or....

Angry John reply :

I carry side cutters if your fishing with large heavy hooks bring a better more robust pair. Consider cutting the split ring if its bad.

bigtattoo79 reply :

I spend a lot of time fishing the swamps and bayous with woods all around me. Those woods are full of hunters and while not likely I could catch a stray bullet one day. I also carry and while I have a good amount of firearms training accidents happen. Then there's the chance of freak accident stick though arm, slip with a knife or just a boat accident. You can bleed to death in 90seconds or so and its proven that tourniquets save lives so why not carry one? I carry a IFAK and a boo boo kit in my boat/range bag all the time and have never needed the IFAK but will always carry it.

I also feel everyone should learn to use a pressure dressing and a tournament very simple skill that could save your life one day.

On 10/7/2015 at 2:43 AM, Choporoz said:

Frankly, I'm sorta puzzled at the stress on tourniquets....."most important item" on your boat?

I'm no medical professional, but I have been exposed to some pretty extensive first aid training over the years.

My issue lies with the 'fact' that traumatic limb injury resulting in ruptured artery(ies) is fairly rare and unless you're using a chainsaw in your boat, I don't think its a high risk in that environment...unless you think you'll split someone with your prop, I suppose. I was always taught that the use of tourniquets by the 'untrained' carried more risk than reward value. I don't have any data to back up anything, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if more harm than good has been done with tourniquets by well meaning, but untrained 'civilians'. I suggest leaving the tourniquet out and make room for a new "most important item"....maybe an extra pfd, or flashlight, or quart can for bailing, or air horn, or extra length of rope, or....

ColdSVT reply :

Bandaids

Bandages

Tape

Scissors

Tweezers

Anti bacterial ointment

Tylenol

Normal saline flush (3)

Alcohol wipes

Crevate

Samsplint

Aspirin

Yes i go a hair overboard...but i am prepared!

OkobojiEagle reply :

Won't your belt work as a tourniquet?

bigtattoo79 reply :

Not saying it won't work but it's not ideal 1) a belt will never get as tight as a tourniquet with a windlass 2) a homemade tourniquet will/may have a better chance of skin/tissue damage "still better than bleeding to death".

At the end of the day everyone has to decide what works for them and what their needs are. Heck I've never been knocked unconscious and fell out of my boat but I still run with a PFD. Never been thrown out of a windshield but still wear a seatbelt. Never had an artery hemorrhage but still carry a tourniquet.

On 10/8/2015 at 10:12 PM, OkobojiEagle said:

Won't your belt work as a tourniquet?

oe

WIGuide reply :

Something easy to throw in for your first aid kit would be super glue. You can use it to seal up cuts and stop bleeding as along as the cut isn't too big.

blckshirt98 reply :

Better to have and never use than need to use and not have. I've lugged around a fire extinguisher to wherever I live for 15 years and wondered if I'd ever need it. Well a month ago there was a fire and without the extinguisher i could have been in some sh**. Well worth having one sitting around taking up space for so long.

thirtysixit reply :

On 10/8/2015 at 9:07 PM, bigtattoo79 said:

I spend a lot of time fishing the swamps and bayous with woods all around me. Those woods are full of hunters and while not likely I could catch a stray bullet one day. I also carry and while I have a good amount of firearms training accidents happen. Then there's the chance of freak accident stick though arm, slip with a knife or just a boat accident. You can bleed to death in 90seconds or so and its proven that tourniquets save lives so why not carry one? I carry a IFAK and a boo boo kit in my boat/range bag all the time and have never needed the IFAK but will always carry it.

I also feel everyone should learn to use a pressure dressing and a tournament very simple skill that could save your life one day.

^Truth!!!!!

I bet 100$ that this guy is a VET. God bless you sir.

bigtattoo79 reply :

LOL You lost your $100.00 I'm not a vet. My wife is a vet so I've learned some from her and I've taken a couple med classes from a retired Ranger Medic. Amazing how a simple pressure dressing and or a tourniquet can save a life "should be taught to ever high school student in the country".

On 10/9/2015 at 5:11 AM, thirtysixit said:

^Truth!!!!!

I bet 100$ that this guy is a VET. God bless you sir.

Choporoz reply :

Ha! Funny. The guy who said "Don't bother with a tourniquet" (me) is a 27 year vet...

Angry John reply :

Basic training like CPR and first aid taught by the red cross is better than anything you can bring. The training and equipment together is a real resource.

bigtattoo79 reply :

I'm very surprised you don't carry an IFAK and are not trained in the use of one. I do know two vets that never carried one my "wife Air Force she now does" and a good "friend of mine Navy".

I would never tell people they must carry a tourniquet but to tell them not to bother with one is very strange. I won't post links on this forum or argue over this but I would hope every man woman and child would do their own research and realize the benefits of them.

Again I've never had a bad guy walk in my house but I still lock my door every night.

Huge thank you for your service sir. What branch did you serve in?

On 10/9/2015 at 5:51 AM, Choporoz said:
Ha! Funny. The guy who said "Don't bother with a tourniquet" (me) is a 27 year vet...

MDBowHunter reply :

On 10/8/2015 at 10:12 PM, OkobojiEagle said:

Won't your belt work as a tourniquet?

oe

Shirt, belt, pants leg, anchor rope, sock. There's a ton of stuff in a boat that could make an improvised tourniquet.

MDBowHunter reply :

[quote name="MDBowHunter" post

bigtattoo79 reply :

A couple kits I carry.

K_Mac reply :

OE I was just reading through the thread again. I know you want to keep your kit small enough to carry in your tackle bag. One more thing you might consider is a small watertight bag to pack everything in. Keeping bandages and dressings dry is a problem without one. Even with one condensation can and will get stuff damp if you don't let it dry out occasionally. I hope you never need any of this stuff.

Gone_Phishin reply :

I honestly bring Pedialyte for hangovers...honest to goodness.

thirtysixit reply :

On 10/10/2015 at 8:49 AM, bigtattoo79 said:
A couple kits I carry.

Perfect....

Dye99 reply :

Tourniquet for me is a belt.

I take a small little kit in my pfd that has a band aid or two, aspirin, bacitracin, and the cheap little plastic tweezers.

I fish a lot on my own, but really don't see the purpose of rolling with a 7 lb trauma bag for fishing...

Gerber, knife, one MRE...

The comment of "if you can think of it, bring it " just doesn't fly in a kayak.

And the vet comment was even worse, if you knew anything about the hi tech, modern world of combat medicine, you would know anything from severed limb or gun shot would all the way to a sunburn can be solved with taking two ibuprofen and lots of water!!!

Fishes in trees reply :

If you have zip ties in your boat, you have a tourniquet if you need one. I keep an 18" clear tube in my boat, filled with many sizes of zip ties, from big to tiny. I keep a first aid kit in my fishing truck and my boat, with most of the stuff previously mentioned. I'm not a first aid expert, I just bought some first aid kits and expanded some from there. I did "waterproof" my first aid kit in my fishing truck & boat, i.e. I put all the stuff in separate zip lock bags, so if the box gets really wet, all the stuff inside probably won't. The product that I go through the most of in my fishing truck kit is Solarcaine. I lead the league in forgetting to put sun screen on and then getting a nasty sunburn - at least once or twice a year. The spray sun burn stuff is the difference between a tolerable ride home and a miserable ride home.

I know - I keep sunscreen in the bathroom, in the fishing shed, in the fishing truck and in the boat, but even then, sometimes I forget to apply it until it is too late. Can't remember everything all the time.

The original poster is correct in that we should all keep a first aid kit in the boat.

thirtysixit reply :

On 10/22/2015 at 1:17 PM, Dye99 said:

Tourniquet for me is a belt.

I take a small little kit in my pfd that has a band aid or two, aspirin, bacitracin, and the cheap little plastic tweezers.

I fish a lot on my own, but really don't see the purpose of rolling with a 7 lb trauma bag for fishing...

Gerber, knife, one MRE...

The comment of "if you can think of it, bring it " just doesn't fly in a kayak.

And the vet comment was even worse, if you knew anything about the hi tech, modern world of combat medicine, you would know anything from severed limb or gun shot would all the way to a sunburn can be solved with taking two ibuprofen and lots of water!!!

LOL!!!! You are correct sir!

Take a knee, drink water....

wytstang reply :

I'm putting together a first aid kit and one thing the naughty nurse at work told me NOT to use was peroxide. Appartly it is no longer advised or used in the medical field as it does more harm then good (google confirmed it). She strongly recommended Betadine to disinfect any wounds (after being flushed out with clean water). Food for thought.

bigtattoo79 reply :

On 10/25/2015 at 3:15 AM, wytstang said:
I'm putting together a first aid kit and one thing the naughty nurse at work told me NOT to use was peroxide. Appartly it is no longer advised or used in the medical field as it does more harm then good (google confirmed it). She strongly recommended Betadine to disinfect any wounds (after being flushed out with clean water). Food for thought.

Yes peroxide is garbage. I buy the big bottles of Betadine and split it up in smaller "travel size shampoo bottles" for the boat, truck, office and home.

But heck some folks believe a belt or zip tie make a good tourniquet. People should educate themselves before giving poor advice.

MickD reply :

I am surprised so little attention is given to getting an imbedded hook out. The reference to a "hook remover" probably is simple a length of heavy braid. But you need to know the technique. I have used it effectively for hooks as large as spinnerbait trailer hooks, and it works cleanly with no damage to the flesh. It does take a big dose of confidence and the will to jerk hard. Put the braid through the bend of the hook, press the hook down toward the flesh so as to push the barb down so it will clear when the hook is jerked out, and jerk fast and hard. The link below is by a doctor, so this is not "junk science."

If you are out in the sticks of Canada or some other remote location, this can save the trip.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0601/p2231.html (string yank method)

Choporoz reply :

Performed a string-yank this weekend. Worked perfectly. My wife barely felt the 'yank' at all.

bigfruits reply :

On 10/25/2015 at 8:58 PM, MickD said:
I am surprised so little attention is given to getting an imbedded hook out. The reference to a "hook remover" probably is simple a length of heavy braid. But you need to know the technique.

this should cover it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp6jimTV7o4

6634

First Aid Contents For My Boat/tackle Bag 2024

related Fishing Tackle topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed Fishing Tackle topic