The Camping Emergency Kit For Every RV Adventure!

Are you putting together a camping emergency kit and wondering what’s important enough to include, especially when RV space is already limited?

Of all the emergency kits to have, it’s your first aid kit for camping that will serve all of your outdoor adventures, whether that’s hunting, fishing, biking, hiking, or just hanging out at the campsite.

I travel in a tiny teardrop camper, so don’t have any storage space to spare.

I’m also a Registered Nurse who spent decades working in emergency departments and know the value of having emergency gear at your fingertips. And how you suffer when you don’t.

Is your emergency kit for camping properly stocked for all your outdoor adventures?

This post is all about camping emergency kit essentials.

Camping First Aid Kit

No matter what you travel in, your recreational vehicle is your home away from home. It only makes sense that you have what you need when that inevitable mishap (or emergency) happens.

(Image: Are you prepared to fend for yourself in a medical emergency?)

RV First Aid Kit 

The last thing you want to do is skimp on your emergency supplies, no matter how little storage space you have. The good news is, premade first aid kits have really stepped up their game in how well they’re stocked. And, while most will need some extra goodies added to them, all-in-one kits ARE a great starting point for building a kit you can count on. 

One of the better kits I found without breaking the bank is this  Mountain Series pack made by Adventure Medical Kits: 

(Images: The Mountain Series First Aid Kit, made by Adventure Medical Kits – BUY it here)

Pros of this first aid kit:

• Supplies are in individually zippered and labeled pouches and organized by injury, making things easy to find. 
• Quality instruments! The forceps (tweezers) are metal, not plastic, and these “EMT” shears can easily cut through clothing.  
• There is a diagram of where to find things printed directly on the bag, which is water-resistant!
• The included Wilderness & Travel Medicine Guide is an awesome resource.
• An included CPR mask provides a personal protection barrier against body fluids if you need to help someone who isn’t breathing. 

Cons of this kit:

• While it does have some supplies to “Stop Bleeding Fast“, they are limited to 1 absorbent 5×9 inch trauma pad, 2 gloves, and 1 triangular bandage. There aren’t nearly enough dressing supplies here for those hiney-puckering injuries. 
• This kit forgot splinting supplies for broken bones, but most ready-made kits do. Luckily, you can find cheap (but worth their weight in gold) splints that can be cut down to size & molded around arms or legs. Not only does this help control pain, but it makes much easier work of stabilizing painful fractures. Why stabilize fractures? Bones get sharp and pointy when they break, like shards. The bone ends can easily poke through the skin, especially if it’s broken in more than one place… A one-way ticket to the operating room. 

(Image: SAM splint in use – BUY here )

• The storage pockets are semi-transparent, meaning not completely see-through. What’s inside is too hard to see, especially if someone is trying to find something under stress. I mean, what is the difference between “Wound Care”, Cut & Scrapes”, or “Stop Bleeding Fast” when you can’t see the contents?

First Aid Kit Items List

Once you’ve decided on your camper first aid kit, make sure to take inventory to see if you need to add any essentials. I do this at the start of every season. This is also the best time to check the expiration dates of any medications (and any food that’s stored in the trailer):

(Images: Our first aid kit items are stored in a Dollar Store box and seen at eye level when you first enter the camper)

• ADHESIVE BANDAGES, such as “Band-Aids” are a must to cover open wounds. I keep a box of a variety of sizes.
• NON-ADHERENT GAUZE PADS don’t stick to wounds. You’ll want these on hand to cover burns.
• ABD PADS or other COMBINE PAD for those extra bloody wounds.
• SELF-ADHERING BANDAGE WRAP or other TAPE helps hold bandages in place. 
• ELASTIC BANDAGES, such as an “ACE” brand wrap, hold splints in place. Get the no-fuss velcro-closure wraps so you don’t have to keep care of those 2 easy-to-lose clips!
• ROLLER GAUZE or other GAUZE ROLL
• DIPHENHYDRAMINE is an ANTIHISTAMINE. This is a must in every first aid kit for allergic reactions, even if no one in your camping party has known allergies – See my post on First-Aid Kit Items & Their Uses to learn why.
• STING & BITE KIT
• ANTISEPTICS, such as a wound wash or antibacterial ointment helps clean and keep wounds from getting infected. All of my washes and creams expired before they were ever opened because we use Tea Tree Oil as our antiseptic & bug bite care:

(Images: Tea Tree Oil is our antiseptic of choice for all our first aid!)

Camping Emergency Kit

A complete emergency kit for camping includes more than just a first aid kit. It makes sense to have more than one designated kit to be able to cover all of your anticipated needs.

• TOOL KIT, for all those unexpected repairs to your coach, toys, and vehicles while you’re out and about.
• ROADSIDE EMERGENCY KIT, in case your vehicle leaves you stranded.
• BLEEDING CONTROL KIT has supplies to stop a life-threatening bleed. Not sure what to do with this? Read my post to learn how easy it is to stop a life-threatening bleed!

(Images: Some of the first-aid supplies kept in the car emergency kit) 

And if you have a tow vehicle, even better! A designated car kit can ease the load of one fully packed emergency kit struggling for space in your RV. 

Read all about the Car Kit Essentials that keep your vehicle properly stocked at all times.

(Images: Where’s there’s one, there’s the other: my camper kit always travels with the car emergency kit in my tow vehicle)

There’s nothing like heading off to your adventures with your RV.

Do you have all you need in tow? 

This post was all about the camping emergency kit for your RV adventure.