The Hiking Essential You Need
Packing your gear for hiking shouldn’t be hard. There are a few common sense things that apply. Water, food, sunscreen. But I’m here to show you what you should be packing in your pack every hike, or camp trip. This could save a life which is why we consider it a hiking essential. Here in Australia, we live in a harsh and unforgiving environment full of unpredictable animals. This is where this piece of equipment comes in. This article is going to show you why Survival’s snake bite kit should be in your pack on every hike and how it differs from a regular first aid kit. (ps you should also pack a regular first kit). Also, we stand by this is the best snake bite kit in the market.
Every time you go hiking remember to pack the following:
- First Aid Kit – We recommend this emergency first aid kit as it is designed for travel and can easily be placed in your day pack.
- Water – For obvious reasons.
- An offline map – not everywhere has access to the internet and you need to be prepared.
- Snacks – for extra energy.
- Camera – so you can capture some memories.
- Multi tool – So you’re prepared for anything.
Before we started hiking we came up with a list of things we needed to buy, a first aid kit, packs, boots etc. The list felt never-ending, but thanks to some research we found out about these snake bite kits. At first, we couldn’t see the difference between a regular first aid kit and a snake bit kit. Don’t all first-aid kits come with compression bandages? What else do you need? And to our surprise. No, not all first aid kits include this.
But more importantly, this Survival kit takes the stress out of being bitten. The kit includes the basics like gloves, splint and bandages, but what is important about the kit, is the life-saving information it comes with. Inside the pack is a fact sheet on what to do if you were bitten by a snake. This could save minutes from googling (assuming you have reception) which could save a life. It also provides comfort in knowing you are prepared for the worst-case scenario.
But
More importantly, the kit comes with 2 revolutionary smart bandages. These bandages essentially tell you if you are applying the bandage correctly for a snake or spider bite.
According to Survival ‘The revolutionary SMART Bandage uses a clever pictogram to demonstrate how to achieve correct tension when applying a pressure immobilisation bandage – a critical factor in snake and funnel-web spider bite first aid.’
The level of comfort this pack provides is phenomenal. We are yet to use it (Thank god) and hopefully, we never will. But it is good to know that if the worst happens, we not only will have the knowledge on hand of what to do. But also know right then and there that we are applying the correct tension to the bandage to slow down blood flow until we find a doctor.
This pack could literally be life-saving, which is why it is our No1. hiking essential.
The snake bite kit should be used in conjunction with a survival kit. We have found the best survival kits Australia has. This kit is specifically designed for the Australian environment and is pocket-sized.
If you’re looking for some more hiking tips, make sure you check out our top tips for new hikers.
Check out these easy hikes on the Central Coast to get started!
*This article contains affiliate marketing