Wilderness First Aid

Backpacking is challenging and exciting.  It is meant to be an adventure, but in order to be safe and ensure it is fun you should have a basic knowledge of wilderness first aid.  Planning involves some simple preparation before a trip.  Your plan should be well thought out and prepare you for every possible surprise the outdoors can throw your way.  By being properly prepared you will be able to focus on the actually joy of backpacking rather than worrying about the technical details once you get on the trail.

Your backpacking plan really has to do with staying safe.  You should have maps of your planned route so you know exactly what to expect.  You should also check out the predicted weather.  If you are not comfortable with any part of your route or with the weather predictions then consider changing your plans.  You should always trust your inner feelings or gut instinct because it is usually right.  You should also be prepared for any weather changes.  You need to really plan out each leg of your journey and include alternatives in case something does not work out.  Your actual plan should be a map marked with your stopping points and labeled to show when you will be walking each area. 

One of the biggest parts of first aid is prevention.  You should understand what you can do to prevent accidents.  This will go a long way to helping keep you safe on the trail.  You should always make sure your equipment is in good shape.  You also need to wear protective gear.  Have a good plan for your backpacking trip and tell someone about it so they can be aware if you should become missing.  You should learn about poisonous plants so you know what to avoid.  You should also learn about basic survival skills. 

You can not prevent everything, though, so you should also learn basic first aid.  One of the biggest things is to try to keep all supplies sanitary.  This includes trying to clean hands as best as possible before treating a wound or injury.  Bacteria grows quickly and once it is introduced to an injury things can get worse quickly.  You should take a first aid course to brush up on the basics, so if you should veer need them you know them.

More on camping equipment and backpacking can be found here Wilderness First Aid as also here Backkpacking Trip