FIRST AID BOOKS FOR THE BACKCOUNTRY

In my Backcountry Bibliography there’s a long list of 1st Aid books in the "FIRST AID, BODY CARE & SANITATION" section. Some of these books are extremely thorough; others are small and concise, and could be carried while hiking. To help you pick and choose from that long list and decide what book(s) to buy, here are my choices for the “best of the bunch.”

An excellent one in the “small enough to carry” category is "Backcountry First Aid" by Buck Tilton. (4th ed., 2002) It's only 2.5 ounces and should always be in your pack in a small ziploc--in fact I'm going to take my own advice and go do that right now--better late than never!

Another good small one, with a bit more information, and weighing a bit more at 4.25 ounces, is “Mountaineering Medicine" by Fred T. Darvill, Jr. (14th ed., 1998)

And then there are the tomes that are extremely thorough--too heavy to be packed, but great for study and memoriziation at home. Three stand out among the dozen-and-a-half I own:

(1) "Wilderness Medicine" by William W. Forgey. 5th ed. 1999.

(2) "Wilderness First Aid" by Howard D. Backer, et al., National Safety Council. (Revised ed., 2001)

(3) "NOLS Wilderness Medicine" by Tod Schimelpfenig. (4th rev. ed., 2006)

Last but not least, there’s one I just discovered, do not own, but will probably purchase. It looks like another very good book for study. "Wilderness First Responder" by Buck Tilton. (2nd ed., 2004) Tilton's books are usually among the best.

Be careful out there, folks! And be prepared.