NICHE Opinion: first aid kits for travel and exploratory fly fishing. Not medical advice

The best first aid kit is the one you actually take with you. A generic, 10lb, 300+ item kit is great in concept - but you are unlikely to actually lug it around. Prioritize and customize so you take it every single time!

Hand sanitizer: I keep it in a ziplock inside a dry bag w other daily toiletries (wet wipes, gold bond powder, stick sunscreen, emergency whistle) inside my fishing backpack, which is also a dry bag. A lack of hand hygiene is a massive cause of stomach problems in wilderness outings - don’t blame the water, blame your hands, bro.

Large wounds: I carry gauze, a quick clot and corn starch in grizzly country/ when hunting anywhere. I generally don’t carry it when salt fishing. Maybe I should. Prolly not the ziplocked corn starch tho. Already have enough customs drama with protein powder.

Tape: I generally don’t have tape in my first aid kits. I wrap duct tape around my Nalgene water bottles. That way it’s always with me. I also have it wrapped around a pencil for my hunting go bags. In non-wet wading environments, I always have Leukotape ready to go - best blister prevention ever.