What goes in a camping first aid kit: the Red Cross basics (bandages, gauze, tape, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, gloves, tweezers, an emergency blanket, a breathing barrier) plus outdoor extras: blister dressings, an elastic wrap, sunscreen, insect repellent, your own medicines and, for the backcountry, a splint. Easiest: buy a premade kit and fill its gaps.
The Red Cross keeps a first aid kit list for a family of four, the kind it suggests for home and car. Camping adds ticks, blisters, sun and help that may be hours away. So the tables below add what the CDC, the National Park Service and NOLS Wilderness Medicine recommend outdoors, by type of trip.
What should be in a camping first aid kit? A checklist by trip
Start with the base kit, then add the outdoor items for your trip. “Yes” means pack it; “optional” depends on your group, your distance from help and your space. The family column gives the Red Cross’s own quantities for four people.
The Red Cross base kit
| Item | Day hike | Car camping | Backpacking | Family or group (Red Cross quantity) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adhesive bandages, assorted sizes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 25 |
| Sterile gauze pads, 3 × 3 and 4 × 4 in | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 of each |
| Absorbent compress dressings, 5 × 9 in | Optional | Yes | Yes | 2 |
| Roller bandages: 3 in gauze, 4 in | Optional | Yes | Yes | 1 of each |
| Adhesive cloth tape, 1 in × 10 yd | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 roll |
| Antiseptic wipes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 packets |
| Antibiotic ointment, about 1 g | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 packets |
| Hydrocortisone ointment, about 1 g | Optional | Yes | Yes | 2 packets |
| Aspirin, 81 mg | Optional | Yes | Yes | 2 packets |
| Nonlatex gloves | Yes | Yes | Yes | 2 pairs, large |
| Breathing barrier with one-way valve | Optional | Yes | Yes | 1 |
| Emergency blanket | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 |
| Instant cold compress | Optional | Yes | Optional | 1 |
| Oral thermometer, non-mercury and nonglass | Optional | Yes | Yes | 1 |
| Triangular bandages | Optional | Yes | Yes | 2 |
| Tweezers, fine-tipped for ticks | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 |
| Emergency first aid instructions | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1 |
Items and family-of-four quantities: American Red Cross, Anatomy of a First Aid Kit, read October 2026. “Fine-tipped”: the CDC’s tick removal advice. “Yes” and “Optional” per trip are our reading of the sources on this page, not the Red Cross’s.
What to add for camping
| Item | Day hike | Car camping | Backpacking | Family or group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your own medicines, including any prescribed epinephrine | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red Cross, NPS |
| Pain relievers and antihistamines, adults’ and children’s | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red Cross, CDC |
| Anti-diarrheal | Optional | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red Cross, CDC |
| Blister dressings: moleskin or gel pads | Yes | Optional | Yes | Yes | CDC, NOLS |
| Elastic wrap, 2 and 4 in | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red Cross, CDC |
| Scissors or trauma shears | Optional | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red Cross, NOLS |
| Broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 15 or higher | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | CDC, NPS |
| EPA-registered insect repellent | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | CDC, Red Cross |
| Hand sanitizer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red Cross, CDC |
| Splint, padded flexible aluminum | Optional | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red Cross, CDC, NOLS |
| Irrigation syringe, 12 cc, for cleaning wounds | Optional | Optional | Yes | Optional | NOLS |
| Wound-closure strips | Optional | Optional | Yes | Optional | CDC, NOLS |
| Oral rehydration salts | Optional | Optional | Yes | Optional | CDC |
| Burn gel, or aloe for sunburn | Optional | Yes | Optional | Yes | Red Cross |
| Duct tape | Optional | Yes | Yes | Yes | Red Cross, NPS |
Sources, read October 2026: Red Cross camping checklist; CDC Yellow Book travel health kits (blister pads, elastic sizes, and the splint, closure strips and rehydration salts on its list “for extended remote travel”); CDC sun safety and tick prevention; NPS Ten Essentials; NOLS 27 Considerations for a Wilderness First Aid Kit. Trip columns are our reading.
The Red Cross camping list also names eye drops, oral glucose tablets, sterile saline, a heating pad and a tourniquet. NOLS’s rule covers all of them: never pack anything you don’t know how to use. Both the Red Cross and NOLS suggest a wilderness first aid course.
How did we build this checklist and choose the kits?
We started from the Red Cross family-of-four list, then added only items named by the Red Cross camping checklist, the CDC, the National Park Service or NOLS for outdoor trips or remote travel. Each source is linked in the table notes and was read in October 2026. The page is edited by Brian Hamilton.
For the kits, we read the current contents lists on the makers’ own product pages and checked each one against the checklist. Nobody on our team has used these five kits; they’re here on their makers’ specs. We couldn’t check Surviveware’s kits, a common pick elsewhere, because its website wasn’t reachable when we looked.
Should you buy a camping first aid kit or build one?
For most campers, buy one and add to it. The National Park Service says to start with a premade kit and modify it for your trip and your medical needs. NOLS notes that it’s usually cheaper to buy a kit and add supplies than to build one from scratch.
Building your own makes sense if weight matters most. Senior NOLS instructor Tod Schimelpfenig argues that pre-packed kits are heavy and never hold everything you need, and packs his own in a one-gallon zip bag. Either way, here’s how five current kits measure up.
| Kit | Best for | Maker’s rating | Pieces | Weight | Missing from our checklist | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .7 | Day hikes | 1–2 people, up to 4 days; waterproof inner bag | Not stated (40 listed) | 5.8 oz | Antiseptic wipes, breathing barrier, emergency blanket, thermometer, scissors, hydrocortisone, anti-diarrheal, first aid guide | $$ | Check price |
| Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker | Budget pick | 1–2 people, up to 2 days | Not stated (39 listed) | Under 8 oz | Antiseptic wipes, breathing barrier, emergency blanket, thermometer, hydrocortisone, anti-diarrheal | $ | Check price |
| Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Backpacker | Backpacking for two | 1–2 people, up to 4 days | Not stated (56 listed) | Under 1 lb | Antiseptic wipes, breathing barrier, emergency blanket, thermometer, hydrocortisone | $$ | Check price |
| Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer | Groups and long trips | 1–4 people, up to 7 days | Not stated (59 listed) | — | Antiseptic wipes, emergency blanket, cold compress, hydrocortisone | $$$ | Check price |
| Red Cross Deluxe Family First Aid Kit, soft case | Car camping with family | Family; home or on the go | 115 | 2.05 lb | Elastic wrap, blister dressings, fine-tipped tweezers (its pair is plastic), antihistamine, anti-diarrheal, pain relievers beyond 2 low-dose aspirin | $$ | Check price |
Contents, ratings and weights from each maker’s product page (Adventure Medical Kits; the Red Cross Store, whose kit is made by First Aid Only), 27 October 2026; all five were listed in stock. “Missing” = not on the maker’s contents list. AMK doesn’t state piece counts, so the figure is our count of its contents list. “—” = not published. None of the five includes a splint, sunscreen, insect repellent or your own medicines. Price bands at the maker’s list price: $ under $40 · $$ $40–80 · $$$ over $80.
Did you know? A big piece count is mostly bandages. Of the 115 pieces in the Red Cross’s own Deluxe Family kit, 67 (58%) are adhesive bandages, yet it has no elastic wrap or blister dressing. Count the gaps, not the pieces. (Our count from the Red Cross Store’s contents list, October 2026.)
What should you add to a premade kit?
These are the gaps that show up most often in the table, and the items the sources single out for outdoor trips:
- Your own medicines, plus any epinephrine auto-injector you’ve been prescribed. The Red Cross and the NPS both say to pack personal medications.
- Sunscreen and insect repellent. No kit includes them. The CDC advises broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, and says to apply sunscreen first and repellent second.
- Fine-tipped tweezers if your kit’s pair is plastic. The CDC’s tick method depends on them.
- Extra blister dressings. Each AMK kit lists one pack of moleskin, and the Red Cross kit has none.
- An emergency blanket, on the Red Cross list and missing from all four AMK kits. Our survival blanket guide compares them.
- A wider elastic wrap. The CDC calls 4 in and 2 in the most useful sizes; the AMK kits pack 2 or 3 in.
- Antiseptic wipes or hand sanitizer. Of the five contents lists, only the Red Cross kit’s names them.
- A padded aluminum splint for backcountry trips. None of the five has one.
How do you keep a first aid kit stocked?
Restock after every trip and go through the whole kit once a year. Supplies don’t last forever: the Red Cross says creams, gels and pills lose strength, bandages lose their stick, and aging packaging can let bacteria reach sterile dressings.
| Supply | Typical shelf life |
|---|---|
| Bandages, tape, gauze, compresses, cold packs, gloves, scissors, tweezers | Up to 5 years if the packaging is intact; tape and bandages lose stickiness first |
| Hand sanitizer | 4 to 5 years |
| Eyewash | 3 years |
| Alcohol wipes, antibiotic ointment, first aid cream | 2 years |
| Burn ointment | 1 to 2 years |
| Sunscreen with no expiration date | No more than 3 years, less if it has been hot |
| Medicines | The date printed on the package |
Shelf lives: American Red Cross, Is Your First Aid Kit Expired?; sunscreen: CDC sun safety page. Read October 2026. A date printed on an item always wins.
What the date on the box means: an expiration date printed on a first aid kit is when its first item expires, not all of them, the Red Cross explains. Check the date on each item, and replace anything wet, torn or discolored even if it’s still in date.
- After every trip: replace what you used, check dates, and make sure sterile items haven’t been opened or damaged (NOLS).
- Once a year: empty the kit, check the case closes, inspect each package, clean out dust, replace what’s expired, and note the date (Red Cross).
- Keep it dry: NOLS advises sealing sterile dressings in clear plastic. A zip bag or a small dry bag does the job.
- Store it sensibly: the Red Cross says to keep kits in an acceptable temperature range and out of young children’s reach.
- Label medicines with instructions, NOLS advises, since the person who knows the doses may be the one who’s hurt.
How do you remove a tick?
The CDC’s method uses nothing but the tweezers in your kit:
- Grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible with clean, fine-tipped tweezers.
- Pull it away from the skin “with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick,” which can break off its mouthparts. If they stay in, remove them with tweezers if that’s easy; if not, leave them, and the skin pushes them out as it heals.
- Clean the bite and your hands with soap and water.
- Get rid of the live tick in a sealed container, wrapped in tape, flushed or in alcohol. Never crush it with your fingers.
Skip the folk remedies. The CDC says not to use petroleum jelly, heat or nail polish, which can agitate the tick and force infected fluid into the skin. One tick also means there may be others on your body.
If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor and say when and where you were bitten (CDC).
To keep ticks off in the first place, the CDC recommends:
- An EPA-registered repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, PMD or 2-undecanone.
- Clothing and gear treated with 0.5% permethrin.
- After the trip: a shower within two hours, a full-body tick check, and clothes tumble-dried on high heat for 10 minutes.
How do you treat a blister while camping?
Cover it and stop the rubbing. MedlinePlus says blisters usually heal on their own, and the skin over one helps keep infection out. A bandage keeps it clean.
Normally you shouldn’t drain a blister, because of the risk of infection. MedlinePlus says you can drain one that’s large, painful or likely to pop on its own. See a health care provider if it drains pus, the area turns red, swollen, warm or very painful, you have a fever, or you have diabetes or circulation problems.
Prevention starts with shoes that fit and well-fitting socks; MedlinePlus suggests acrylic or nylon to keep feet dry. On the trail, cover hot spots early. NOLS lists moleskin for reducing friction, and a systematic review in the Wilderness Medical Society’s journal found moderate evidence that paper tape may help prevent blisters.
When should you call 911 or head home?
Call 911 for anything that could threaten a life. MedlinePlus lists these adult warning signs from the American College of Emergency Physicians, among others (children’s differ):
- Bleeding that will not stop.
- Breathing problems, or choking.
- Chest pain or discomfort lasting two minutes or more.
- Fainting, confusion or a change in mental status.
- A head or spine injury.
- Swelling of the face, eyes or tongue.
- A sudden injury such as a burn, a near drowning, or a deep or large wound.
- Sudden, severe pain anywhere in the body.
The National Park Service’s outdoor emergency plan covers the rest. Turn around if an injury won’t let you finish safely.
When you call 911, give the injury, any medical conditions, your GPS coordinates, the trail name and nearby landmarks, then stay put. With no signal, ask another visitor to call from where there’s reception.
Before you go, leave your trip plan with someone who isn’t coming, the NPS advises. It also suggests a two-way satellite messenger for some trips, and a whistle to signal without shouting; our emergency whistle guide compares them.
For a suspected broken bone, NOLS’s advice is that it’s time to hike out. If the person starts to lose circulation, feeling or movement in the injured limb, evacuate them rapidly.
Why there’s no snakebite kit on this list: for a venomous snakebite, the CDC says to get emergency care as soon as possible and not to drive yourself. It also says not to cut the wound, apply a tourniquet or ice, or “try to suck out the venom”, which is what suction kits do.
The kit goes on our camping checklist, and our camping safety tips cover fire, weather and wildlife.
