Maine Outdoor Journal

A: Really not that much, according to Dail Martin. She is owner of Wilderness First Aid Educators — a company that has trained Maine wardens, Allagash rangers, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife staffers, private groups, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. And Dail doesn't think you need a big first aid kit much because you're probably already carrying a lot of useful stuff.

The kinds of injuries you're likely to be dealing with:

Blisters

Sprained ankles

Cuts and bumps

Stings

Poison ivy

To deal with these injuries, Dail recommends packing a kit with these supplies:

Band-Aids

Gauze pads

Ace wraps

Single antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin)

Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine (like ibuprofin)

Cortisone for bug bites and rashes

If an injury needs more than that, Dail says to "look at what you need to accomplish and see what you have." Then maybe think out of the box to create solutions to treat the injury. A lot of things you already have you can use.

For example, a clean T-shirt can be used as dressing on a wound and shoelaces can tie it on.

You don't need slings. Dail says you can put a hand between buttons on a shirt to keep it secure. Or make a sling out of a sweatshirt and safety pins.

"Bandannas can be used all the time," Dail says. They can be folded into slings or dressings. She also suggests making your own out of old sheets.

Splints can be fashioned out of what you already have. Some packs can be taken apart. They might have metal strips that can be used.

Plus you're in the woods. It's usually not hard to find sticks suitable for fashioning splints. Tie them onto limbs with spare socks or T-shirts. Dail also says, "Fifty-feet of parachute cord goes a long way."

"And you can't go wrong with duct tape," she says. Use it to fasten splints or dressings. It's also good to use on blisters. Wrap some around pencils or your water bottle. You don't need the whole roll.

It's more MacGyver than McDreamy.

Dail isn't telling you to be unprepared for emergencies. But a lot of the problems people can encounter in the wilderness are caused because they push themselves beyond their limits and they're not prepared. They bite off more than they can chew. They're setting themselves up for problems by not being prepared and still going on the trip. "I've turned around plenty of times, and I'm a Maine guide."

Carl Natale is a Registered Maine Sea Kayak Guide, hiker and content producer for MaineOutdoorJournal.com. Send questions to:

cvn@mainetoday.com