Med kits on DofE: what do you need to bring, and how does expedition First Aid work?
It can be confusing knowing what medical equipment you need to bring on an upcoming DofE expedition. Do you need this bandage or that plaster? What’s the difference between a personal med kit and a group med kit? When should you actually use your medical supplies? In this article I answer all the questions you might have on med kits for DofE.
For a DofE expedition you need two types of med kit. A personal med kit, with items like blister plasters and personal medication, and a group med kit containing first aid supplies for use in emergencies.
The two types of med kit
There are two types of med kit you’ll have on a DofE expedition: the personal med kit, and the group med kit. Each serves a very different purpose, so it’s important not to get them confused.
Your personal med kit contains the items that you, as an individual, are likely to need or want. This could range from plasters to medication to bite cream. When I was on DofE, my personal med kit was filled (and I mean filled) with blister plasters. In almost all cases, you’ll have to bring your own personal med kit.
A group med kit, on the other hand, is designed for first aid and emergencies — on an ideal expedition the group med kit will never even be opened. It contains items like bandages, cling film, and gauze pads, which are used if someone were to have a bad fall, for example. Some expedition providers will provide you with your group med kit, and some require you to bring your own, so make sure contact them if you’re unsure before buying supplies.
Personal med kit
Although the contents of a personal med kit will vary from person to person, I have listed the most important items to include below.
Blister plasters are the only absolute non-negotiable item for every personal med kit. On my expeditions I used them on my hips, shoulders and feet the second I felt skin rubbing. Remember: it’s much easier, and much more comfortable, to prevent a blister than to treat one. Only use Compeed plasters like these — all the other brands are notably worse.
Small standard plasters are really useful to have with you to quickly deal with cuts, which could be caused by anything from prickly plants to barbed wire fences (climbing over not recommended). While you will likely have plasters in your group med kit, it’s preferable to save them for more serious incidents. A few plasters from a pack like this would be perfect.
Bite cream for summer expeditions is highly recommended. I did my Gold practise expedition in the Peak District in June, and it was swarming with midges most of the daytime. Something simple like a tube of After Bite will do just fine.
Antihistamine in the spring and summer for those who get hay fever. You don’t want to end up looking like Bear Grylls after he got stung by a bee — seriously, Google it.
Rehydration sachets are also not a bad idea (just one or two), especially if your expedition is in the heat of the summer. When you get dehydrated you lose lots of vital salts and minerals, which drinking plain water won’t replenish. Rehydration sachets, such as these ones by Dioralyte, give you the salts and minerals you need to rehydrate much quicker and much more effectively.
Personal medication should be taken in your personal med kit too. This can include prescription medication, or even just a few paracetamol if you’d prefer to have painkillers with you.
Feminine hygiene products, while you may choose not to physically store them in your personal med kit, are still worth including on this list. If you are expecting your period on a DofE expedition, read this brilliant post on Feminine Hygiene on DofE, kindly written for DofE Hero by avid hiker Alice.
Group med kit
Firstly, as mentioned earlier, you may not need to bring your own group med kits. Some expedition providers do supply their participants with the group med kits, so if you’re not sure, make sure to double check before spending money on bandages you don’t need.
If you do need to bring your own group med kits, it’s important to know how many. Normally the answer is one or two. Again, your expedition providers have the final say in exactly how many you’ll need, but as a general rule of thumb: a group of 4 needs one, a group of 5 needs one or two, a group of 6 needs two, and a group of 7 needs two or three.
If you are looking to buy a pre-packed med kit, this one by Lifesystems is an excellent choice. It is recommended by DofE and, whilst I do have a number of issues with the ‘DofE recommended kit’ branding (read my post about it here), in this case I wholeheartedly agree with them.
The cheapest way to put together a group med kit, however, is by purchasing the items individually where possible and combining it all yourself. I’ve listed the most common items included in a group med kit below. Note that for each consumable item on the list, only bring a modest amount — for example, for antiseptic wipes, I would recommend bringing just one pair per med kit.
Tweezers
Safety pins
Scissors
Vinyl gloves
Cling film
Antiseptic (cleansing) wipes
Assorted plasters
Medical tape
Gauze pads
Tubular bandages
Triangular bandages
Wound dressing
Tip: many multitools will have tweezers, scissors and a knife all in one place, reducing the number of items you need to carry.
In what situation should you use your group med kit?
Your group med kit is reserved for emergencies and minor traumatic injury. Avoid taking out a plaster if you have a small cut, for example (that’s why I would recommend bringing a few small plasters in your personal med kit).
But what specific situations should you use your group med kits in? Below I go through some of the most likely scenarios you’ll come across, and what to do in each situation.
If someone has a twisted ankle — or worse a potentially broken bone — which is preventing them from continuing to hike, then you should use your group med kit. Assess the situation and decide what first aid kit supplies; for a twisted ankle, tubular bandages are common. More importantly though, call your Assessors to inform them of the incident. If it’s a serious emergency, consider calling the emergency services immediately.
Burns are a common reason you may have to use your group med kit — for example, if you spilt a pot of boiling water from your Trangia over yourself. In this situation, locate a water source with cool to lukewarm water (do not use ice) and run the affected areas under the water for 20 minutes if possible. Then, wrap the burn in a layer of cling film. Again, inform your Assessors of the incident.
You may experience splinters or stings on a DofE expedition. Splinters could come from a number of sources, be it an old gate to just a tree, while stings may come from wasps, bees or ticks. In general, if you receive a splinter or a sting, simply remove the offending object with tweezers, and keep the wound clean.