I use the Adventurer Light and Fast First-Aid Kit that is put together by the Adventure Medical Kit company.

The kit is very comprehensive, and a few readers have asked if I’ve customized the kit. The answer is a resounding YES!

I love the Adventurer Light and Fast First-Aid Kit, and I definitely make a few modifications/additions to the standard kit. When I purchased this kit, I was very focused on weight. Cost is important too, but I am happily willing to spend a few extra dollars to save ounces of weight.

Here are the modifications I’ve made to my first aid kit:

• Toss the book! I do not hike with the Wilderness First Aid book that is included in the Adventurer Light and Fast First-Aid Kit. I did read it carefully and frequently refresh my first aid skills through Wilderness First Aid classes every other year.
• Add Technu wipes. Out here in California, we have poison oak in our coastal mountains, so I always want to have Technu with me. East coast hikers should include it as well in case they encounter some poison ivy (poison oak is only on the west coast, and poison oak is on the east coast)
• More Motrin! I really like the medications that AMK includes: ibuprofen, antihistamine, After Bite sting relief wipes (these come in handy as people I hike with frequently get stung by bees!). I add a couple of extra ibuprofens, which have come in handy on many occasions!
• Add salt. I include a tiny package of salt, which I keep along with me in case water is too clear for my SteriPEN water treatment system to recognize that there is water in my Nalgene that needs to be treated! Plus salt has many other first aid purposes.
• Add extra bandages. I add 2-3 extra bandages that come in handy for finger cuts and blisters.
• Check the moleskin! The AMK kit comes with moleskin, but I always make sure that I have enough. That is invaluable for blister prevention and treatment!
• Duct tape! I add duct tape around my “sanitation trowel“. Friends put duct tape around their trekking poles. It is definitely a fantastic first aid tool and great to have on the trail.
• For the girls! I keep a tampon to my first aid kit – great just in case for women, plus it could be used as a fire starter!

Want to know why I use the Adventure Medical Kit as my hiking first aid kit?