A first-aid kit for the mountains: what you really need in your pack

In the mountains even a small problem like a rubbed heel or a headache at altitude can stop the whole group. Yet there's no point stuffing your pack with a dozen random packets from the bathroom cabinet: a hiking first-aid kit should be light, easy to understand and put together for the real risks of the route — injuries on rocks, blisters, sun, wind, changes in altitude and cold.

Personal vs group kit

Even if you're going with a guide or an experienced organizer who carries a large group kit, a personal minimum should be in your own pack (and within reach, not at the very bottom):

• your own medicines that you take regularly or for chronic conditions (asthma, allergies, blood pressure), with 2–3 extra days' supply;
• a set of plasters (ordinary antiseptic ones and hydrocolloid ones for blisters);
• an individual dressing pack or a sterile bandage;
• a painkiller you know works for you;
• lip balm with SPF and sunscreen;
• an emergency thermal blanket (the foil weighs 50 g but keeps you warm during an unplanned stop).

The basic kit for 1–3 days in the mountains

1. Dressings and wound care

Falls on scree and cuts from rocks are the most common reason to open the kit.

• Antiseptic in a plastic bottle (chlorhexidine or miramistin) and alcohol wipes.
• Sterile gauze pads and a bandage (an ordinary one plus a self-adhesive cohesive one).
• Fabric tape on a roll (wide, 2.5–3 cm) — to hold dressings in place and to cover "hot spots" on your feet before a blister forms.
• An elastic bandage — in case of a sprained ankle or knee on the way down.

2. Blisters and chafing

The main rule: don't wait for a blister to appear. As soon as you feel rubbing in your boot, stop for two minutes and tape the spot. Hydrocolloid plasters (Compeed and similar) work like a second skin and stay on for several days.

3. Painkillers and anti-inflammatories

• Ibuprofen or another NSAID you're used to — for headache, toothache and muscle pain, and for a fever.
• An antispasmodic.

4. Stomach and fluid balance

A change of water, unfamiliar food on the road and hard exercise often affect digestion:

• Oral rehydration salts (electrolytes) — restore your salt balance after a long climb in the heat or a stomach upset.
• A sorbent as a powder or gel.
• An anti-diarrhoea remedy (for an emergency descent to transport).

5. Altitude, sun and cold

In the mountains of Kyrgyzstan most routes quickly climb above 2,500–3,500 m:

• Altitude sickness. With a headache, nausea and weakness at altitude, the main remedy is to stop gaining height, drink more warm fluids and go down if you feel worse.
• Sun and wind. SPF 50+ sunscreen and lip balm are needed in summer and winter alike: on snow and at altitude UV burns you within an hour. "Artificial tears" eye drops help when the wind dries out your eyes.
• Cold. On autumn and winter hikes, put 1–2 pairs of chemical hand and foot warmers in the kit, and in frost move liquid medicines (drops, antiseptic) to the inside pocket of your jacket so they don't freeze.

How to pack the kit

Use a bright waterproof case or a sturdy zip bag so the medicines don't get wet in rain or snow. Cut the sharp corners off blister packs, mark expiry dates with a marker and check the contents once a season before you head out.