What’s in the bag?

Wednesday, May 17th, 2006 at 8:43 pm by AngiPants

After stopping to help out at another accident while on my ride up to Bakersfield, I began to think on some of the items I should perhaps carry with me in my saddle bags. My first thought was latex gloves. Both times I have helped I have come away with blood on my hands and clothes. The clothes I don’t care as much about, but blood on my hands kind of freaked me out. My dad was a Sheriff, and he always had a small pack of gloves, alcohol wipes, and a mouth guard (for CPR) stashed in the glove compartment of all of our cars.

I then also thought full-on first aid kit, but realized I would have to scale back. I still need to fit my basic road stuff (tool kit, tire patches, extra fuses, flashlight/glow sticks, and gas pump), and still need room for packing if I am riding somewhere for a weekend. So, what items would you recommend as a must have for first aid? I am also interested to hear about what other items you recommend for a road kit.

Oh, you can read about accident #1 here: What a Weekend!

And accident #2 here: Nice Relaxing Weekend, NOT

6 Comments

I do usualy go with a full set of first aid kit, but I have paniers, and it is the least I can do for my customers.
The basic, from my perspective and based on the first aid training would be: gloves for your protection, a compression pad for major bleeding, bandages, a safety blanket (the super light gold colour ones - don’t know the exact english word)…with that you have the strict minimum to wait for an ambulance.
Now this is my list but I am not an ambulance expert.

Comment by Unicorn | May 18th, 2006 2:01 am | Permalink

David Hough makes a first-aid list in his book More Proficient Motorcycling. I’d love to type it up for you but I returned it to the library some time ago. The one thing I’ll never forget his recommending is a small cup and some tape, so if someone’s eye is disloged, you can tape the cup over it.

It’s hard to see how you could go wrong with anything from RiderWearHouse; they have three sizes of stocked first-aid kits to choose from.

Comment by Ricky | May 18th, 2006 9:33 am | Permalink

My V-Star 650 custom has a really neat storage compartment under the driver’s seat. In it I have a small 1st aid kit, put out by “First Aid Only” and it has 86 items it comes with, all packed in a canvas bag. It also has a mini booklet with what to do for some circumstances. In addition to that I also have extra latex gloves and a few small packets of santi-wipes. I also keep my motorcycle tool kit in there.

Other stuff I carry in my bags are the usual rain gear, and asst. bungee cords. I also have a small towel, in case of rain and I need to wipe my helmet visor or for whatever else might arise. I also have a can of “Emergency Tire Sealant” and a protein bar. I try to remember to bring a small bottle of fresh water for any long trips. I also carry an emergency card with my name, address and other emergency info, including any allergies and health data.

The safety blanket mentioned above I know as silver and is a “space blanket.” You can find those for about a dollar at many places (Walmart and sport stores) and that’s a great idea. I plan to add that to my 1st aid kit. It can have so many uses from accident victims in shock to keeping us warm and a little drier if caught in a rain.

Safe Travels

Comment by Betty | May 18th, 2006 12:39 pm | Permalink

Wow. Sounds like you have been the victim of the odds rolling up on a couple of rollovers. I don’t really keep a first aid kit on my bike. I have witnessed one crash before my eyes (Rhino…remember Chet?). He was messed up pretty bad. I would imagine a standard first aid kit would be a wise thing to add.

NOTE: I winced a little reading your linked article. While you are likley protected by the Good Samaritan Law, please be careful when removing injured people from vehicles. It is best to simply immobilize their neck/head if possible until the pros get there. Of course if theres a fuel leak, etc. that’s a different story.

Great thought starter.

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