One Thing that Should Always be in your Day Pack

A few years ago on a small day hike, Finley had a small fall that resulted in a fairly major knee injury. We were only planning to be away from the car for about 1.5 hours, and didn’t bring our normal pack so didn’t have our first aid kit.

We were able to hike him out, but since we didn’t wrap his knee in anything sterile, it ended up getting infected and led to a much longer recovery and a lifetime gnarly scar.

Now, whether we are heading out on a 1 hour walk or a full day hike in a National Park, we always bring a basic first aid kit. It doesn’t have to be huge and fancy (in fact something small is more likely to make it into the bag).

This is the ultra-compact kit we carry on most of our day hikes (we have a bigger one for long hikes or overnights).

Whether you use this one or have your own, this is your reminder to check your pack this weekend for basic first aid equipment (and take a minute to know how to use it!)

Gretchen