Just the Basics – Your Boo Boo Kit

 

Boo-Boo: a usually trivial injury (as a bruise or scratch)

Awhile back I covered the “Holy crap I shot myself!!!” kit in a post entitled Survival – Your Blow Out Kit. It’s purpose is to give you a chance to survive a catastrophic wound a major artery or your chest. The whole idea of this kit is to prepare for something THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN. Still, never is a very long time . . . .

However, simple injuries – a cut, bruise, blister, sliver, tear in your skin – are common injuries for a person that works with tools, knives or in the case of shooters who frequent the range – just handling our firearms. It certainly isn’t uncommon for a shooter to have the web of their dominant hand torn by a handgun’s slide. Or to have a finger caught in an ejection port. Or to have a thumb sliced by a magazine during a reload.

On a broader scale – if you are a hiker, camper or just doing work around the home, small injuries happen every day. For me, my lovely wife expects blood to be drawn during each and every DIY project I work on. Sadly, I mimic “Tim the Tool Man” all too well. The good news – I have a Boo-Boo kit at hand. The bad news . . . . I “rotate stock” much too often. Heavy sigh.

So, what’s in it? Well, here is a look-see into my kit:

I’ve used a 5”x7” tri-fold pouch – this pouch actually – for over 10 years. Each column shows fits into the pouch pocket above it. So, left to right:

• Band Aides – assorted sizes
• Alcohol Wipes
• Blister Kit
• Large Gauze Pad
• Neosporin
• Chap stick
• Elastic Bandage Wrap
• More assorted Band Aides
• First Aid Tape
• Advil
• Assorted meds – trip dependent
• Carbineer to hook the kit to a pack, range bag, (or the headrest of  my seat in my Jeep).

This is a pretty simple kit. Obviously I stock what I use most – Band Aides. It is the kit that rides in my Jeep, is transferred to the range bag, (along with the BOK) when I reach the range and my day pack every time I travel. Also note that I repackage everything into small Ziploc bags for some additional weather protection.

I encourage you to update the kit at least once a year – or more frequently if you have a fondness for self-mutilation.

There is certainly no reason for you to “pack your own” – there is any number available via Amazon. However, the advantage of your own package is that you can tailor it to your own needs.

And, to go along with your Boo-Boo Kit – take a First Aid course to learn how to best use it. The Red Cross is a great place to start – from the basics through a Wilderness First Aid course to teach you how to handle major injuries when you’re a long way from the nearest help.

Build a kit. Learn how to use it.

And carry it each and every day . . . .