spencer_ross•21d agoProlific Poster

Finally stopped carrying a full first aid kit after a thru-hiker on the JMT showed me their 3-ounce setup

I used to haul a 2-pound pharmacy through the Sierra until I met a guy near Muir Pass who had done 800 miles with just leukotape, ibuprofen, and an iodine tab split in half, and now I'm down to 10 items total; what's the one thing you'd never cut from your kit?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivere3021d agoTop Commenter

Wait isn't the iodine thing more about concentration than just drinking dirty water? I thought if you split a tab you're supposed to let it sit longer to compensate, not just take half the dose and call it good. That guy probably had a system worked out but it's not like giardia waits for you to figure out your math. Anyway I'd never cut my tiny scissors. Not for cutting leukotape even though I know everybody uses their teeth. I use them for trimming ingrown toenails on trail and that alone has saved me from having to limp out of the backcountry more than once.

kim.wren21d ago

Gotta laugh at the people flexing their ultralight kits until they step on a rusty nail or get a gnarly blister five miles from camp. I'd never ditch my tiny tube of superglue, honestly. It seals up cuts way better than butterfly strips and I've used it to patch holes in my tent and fix a broken trekking pole tip too. Everyone acts like a .5 ounce razor blade is the ultimate hack but I'll keep my crappy little multitool just so I can cut my leukotape without crying. Also, if you're splitting an iodine tab in half you're basically just drinking dirty water and playing chicken with giardia.