Feb 01 2025 - Apr 20 2025
Handstands and Kiteboarding Private Retreats in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
“Bring a small first aid kit.” We’ve all heard this advice before. But what does that actually mean?
For those of us who thrive in the outdoors—whether hiking, climbing, kiteboarding, biking, or exploring remote places—a solid first aid kit isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a non-negotiable.
But here’s the challenge: you need a kit that’s small enough to carry but effective enough to actually help.
Too often, pre-made first aid kits are either overstuffed with things you’ll never use or missing the absolute essentials. So let’s cut the fluff and get straight to what you really need in a small, adventure-ready first aid kit.
A first aid kit is only useful if you can find it when you need it. In an emergency, you don’t want to waste time digging through your backpack trying to locate bandages or medication. Plus, let’s imagine that you’re the one in need of help—would your friends or even a passerby know where to find your first aid kit? If your kit is buried in your bag or stored in something that looks like a regular pouch, they might not.
Let’s make it easy.
We pack our emergency kit in three distinct bags. Why? Because if everything is crammed into one bag, it becomes too bulky, disorganized, and harder to find what you need in the moment. By breaking it down into smaller, purpose-driven kits, we can access the essentials quickly while keeping the entire system lightweight and efficient.
This small but mighty bag carries a one-day supply of everything we need, ensuring that the most commonly used items are always within reach. This is the kit we use the most and take absolutely everywhere. It’s small enough to be lightweight and unobtrusive, making it an easy addition to any pack. No second-guessing whether to bring it along. Because let’s face it, an emergency kit left in your vehicle, hotel, or campsite isn’t going to help when you need it most.
Our tiny first aid kit is like a Russian doll! Efficiently nested and organized within a 1L dry bag. Despite its size, it holds everything we need for day-to-day first aid, without taking up unnecessary space. Inside, we use two repurposed mesh bags (originally from dry bags we bought a while ago) to keep everything organized.
Whats Inside or 1L Bag
To prevent crushing, all pills are stored in tiny zip-top bags and further organized into two small plastic containers (repurposed travel-size Q-tip containers) and travel size pills that we refill every so often.
Travel-size medication containers:
While aspirin and ibuprofen are recommended for a first aid kit due to their ability to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and manage fever, we personally do not carry them because I am highly allergic to NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
We used to keep a small travel-size container labeled “NOT FOR RAQUEL” to ensure I wouldn’t take them by mistake. However, one day, while giving Sam his allergy pills, I accidentally took one instead. That moment made us realize that in a rush or on a mentally foggy day, I could unintentionally ingest something that could be extremely dangerous for me. After that, we decided the risk simply wasn’t worth it and removed them from our kit entirely.
But if you’re not allergic to NSAIDs, carrying both aspirin and ibuprofen can be a good idea. Aspirin can be valuable in emergency heart situations, while ibuprofen is effective for muscle soreness and swelling. Just make sure you’re aware of any allergies in your group and never give medication to someone without confirming it’s safe for them.
This bag holds all the wound care basics. Items on each bullet point are contain in their own small medicine zip-top bags for easy organizing, sorting and to protect them from wet/dirty hands.
With S-Binner and some paracord
This bag is dedicated to critical emergency supplies. Items that can stop severe bleeding, assist in airway management, or provide life-saving intervention in serious situations.
While we keep this inside our backpack, we make sure everyone in our group knows where it is. On boating trips, we take it a step further—both our first aid and lifesaving gear bags are hung in a highly visible and accessible location.
Whats Inside or 3L Bag
We have resupplied and modified this kit several times! This is what we carry:
In addition to our daily essentials kit and lifesaving gear bag, we travel with a third bag: our refill & resupply kit. This bag stays in our luggage, base camp, or vehicle and never goes out into the field with us. It holds extra supplies of frequently used items, ensuring that we can restock or modify our main kits as needed without scrambling to find items in unfamiliar places.
The contents of the resupply kit vary depending on the location, length, and type of adventure. When we went to Nepal, we packed altitude sickness medication (Diamox). In waterlining retreats we pack waterproof wound care, ear drops, and anti-nausea meds. While climbing, finger tape and hand salve are a must. During running and cycling events, we bring anti-chafing cream. In winter, we throw in an assortment of hot packs.
This kit is always evolving!
Some items (like allergy medicine and pain relievers) we do use quite often. So we add full-size versions of those.
Yes! They’re expensive, constantly expiring, and just one more thing to pack and keep track of – only to sit untouched at the bottom of our bag, taking up space.
But here’s the thing, that’s exactly what we want: an unused emergency kit, untouched across countless adventures.
Every time I update our kit and find expired or near-expired supplies, I feel a wave of gratitude – because it means we didn’t need them. No major injuries, no medical emergencies, no moments of panic where we desperately reached for it.
We don’t pack a first aid kit because we expect to use it. We pack it in case we have to. So yes, they are annoying! But not as annoying as the alternative.
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