How to customise a 1st aid kit

Safety 1st

1: Get some clear resealable bags to organise items into categories like: trauma, wound management, blister kit, burns, topical medications, over-the-counter medications, and prescription medications. I have worked for many years as a paramedic and I can tell you how important it is to organise your kit well. When something goes wrong and you need your first aid kit, you really don't want to spend time searching for things. The resealable bags keep the contents of the different categories together, are pretty well waterproof and are transparent, allowing you to see what's contained inside.

2: Consider the following items for your wound management kit:
    * Irrigation syringe & sterile saline (for wound irrigation)
    * Tweezers, needles & scalpel ( to remove splinters, or to pick foreign objects out of wounds)
    * 10% povidone-iodine ( to disinfect wounds and cuts)
    * Antiseptic ointment (as a antiseptic dressing of a wound)
    * Alcohol swabs (skin disinfection, they double as fire starter)
    * Gauze pads, rolled gauze, adhesive dressings/bandages, sterile wound dressings, non-adherent dressing, BPC combine dressing (for wound dressing)
    * Athletic/ adhesive tape (to secure dressings or to tape something up)
    * Butterfly bandages or super glue ( to close deep cuts and to bring the wound edges back together)
    * Safety pins
    * Cut a roll of glad wrap in half and pack it. (It is useful to fix sterile wound dressings on wet skin, and waterproofs a wound to a point as well)

3: Consider the following items for your trauma kit:
    * Disposable one way gloves (a must for personal protection, doubles as water bladder)
    * Scissors
    * Roller bandages
    * Triangular bandages (cotton, one of the most universal things in your kit)
    * Permanent marker (to write on where ever needed, like dressing & skin, or to monitor infections (make dots around, does it grow?))
    * A face shield (barrier foil with valve for resuscitation)
    * A small torch or pupil light ( to check pupil reaction ,or to inspect throat, ears or nose)
    * Plastic bags ( to pack or dispose things)
    * Emergency/space blanket ( to preserve body heat, create shade, as windbraker, signalling device or to collect water)
    * Chemical cold packs ( for strains and swellings as well as stings/ bytes)
    * Sam-splint (small & lightweight splinter, very universal to use)

4: Think about personal heath problems, e.g. allergies, diabetes, asthma, motion sickness and take the appropriate treatment out with you.

My ideal kayak camping tent

It's been quite some time since I've even really wanted to spend another night in a tent up until recently, but once again the urge to back into my camping roots has struck. In planning for a yak fishing/sailing trip around Fraser Island towards the end of this year (among other outdoor ambitions) I figured I needed to equip myself with a tent that was suitable for kayak camping endeavours. I'll miss the space of the DMH Murray Geodesic dome (which I used when travelling the coastline), but it's a bit big and heavy for my current needs. When I started looking around at something to replace it with I immediately went to the MSR website. I've used their gear before, including several of their tents, and I know it's top notch stuff (best I've used).

The Mo Room 2 tent redefines the amount of livability (aka space and comfort) to be had in a trail-friendly tent. Bow Frame geometry is combined with a time-tested hoop tent design to create steep sidewalls and vast interior spaces. A giant, pole-supported front vestibule and a traditional rear one save the cavernous interior living spaces for living and let you enjoy the view—even in nasty weather.

I guess it was only ever a matter of time before Hobie broke out with their own dedicated trampoline designed for use on the Hobie island. Hobie's Matt Miller has spilled the beans on the latest Adventure Island accessory, of which I will surely be acquiring for myself sometime soon. I can think of a few ways in which a tramp could be useful, for storage of extra gear, facilitaion of greater weight distribution for sailing, and even perhaps laying down on to have a short siesta in the middle of the day. Matt has provided a pretty good rundown (including more pics) of the Island tramps at the Hobie community forums. And yes, these have just arrived into Australia and will be available through dealers shortly.