The first thing on the list should be proper training.  I encourage everyone who regularly participates in wilderness trips of any kind to take as a minimum a Red Cross wilderness first aid course and better yet the WMI or NOLS wilderness first responder course.  Without proper training you may not know how to use some of the items that will be suggested.
With only basic training the first aid kit described in the Boy Scout of America First Aid merit badge booklet would be suitable for most common injuries or emergencies.  Campmor sells several first aid kits.  The most expensive one is very comprehensive but probably heavier than what you want to carry.
I put together my own based on my own training/experience.  It packs into a 8"x6"x4" tupperware plastic storage tub with waterproof snap on lid.  I carry prescription antibiotics, benadryl, epipen, immodium, chewable peptobismol, suture material/forceps/scissors, local anesthesia, irrigation syringe, baby aspirin, latex-free gloves, rescue breathing barrier, surgeons hand scrub, sterile cling wrap, ace bandage, 4x4 gauze pads, roll gauze, mole skin, big triangular bandage, assorted cloth backed bandaids, and the one item I almost always run out of on group trips: 600 mg Rx strength ibuprofen. I put a sheet with copies of my training certification and RX's for the meds in the box too.  The anesthesia and syringes are not strictly legal, but with the certification I have and an explanation of where I am going, I have never had a problem.  I just make sure everything else I have or am doing is legal or I am sure a customs agent or ranger would nail me for it.  I'm probably forgetting something, this is off the top of my head.  But again, the most important thing you can carry here is knowledge and training of how to assess and manage emergencies.

A list of phone numbers for the proper authorities for the area your going to be in...speeds up logistics if the unexpected happens. Also the foam pack inserts, like in the GG packs, and webbing/cord makes a decent splint. Nex-care duck tape bandaids are the bomb. Superglue!, quarters, safety pins, poison ivy care, foot rot care....

Yep on the 25 cents...Nols has a very good read on wilderness first aid that should be in all of our libraries...covers womens health issues too Think about the logistics issues too....and how that ties into response time/evac time. Remember just because our public servants wear a badge does not mean they "camp", with a humble tone

marlin55388 wrote on Jun 4^th, 2010 at 5:01pm:


While I suppose the pack parts could be made into a crude splint, that begs two questions. 1) Why not carry a SAM Splint, which is way cheaper than replacing a pack? 2) What are you going to carry your stuff in after you've cannabalized a pack?

One item that saved MY Bacon was a small bottle of Oil of Clove.
You can find it in any good health food store. Pain relievers are fine but they have side effects if you use to many.

I lost a crown prior to my trip and couldn't get into seeing the dentist before I left. I bought a do-it-yourself dental kit and made a temporary one, but it didn't hold up very well.

As part of the kit, they give you a real small bottle of liquid painkiller. The main ingredient is Clove Oil. A little Googling and I found that Clove Oil is a well known and effective natural toothache pain  reliever that has no adverse side effects ( other than making your breath smell like a Easter Ham)

Using a Q-tip, you rub in into gums and hold on tooth/open area. In a few moments the nerves are numbed and your good for hours.
I take the little dental kit but another Iodine size bottle of the Clove Oil.

If you ever had a bad toothache or broken filling, you know how bad the pain can be. This is a trip saver in a bottle

Db's advice about prevention, especially when solo is right on.
I follow the Carpenter's Rule, modified for the outdoors. Measure twice, cut once. Or in our case, think before you act/step!