Field Tweezers

Ticks and Lyme disease are much on our minds and in the news. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer this advice for removing ticks.

Here is a great tool to help you do the job right: “Uncle Bill’s Sliver Gripper – The Tweezers with Pin-Point Precision” from El Mar. These somewhat unconventional-looking tweezers are not the sharpest but do the job without getting lost or stabbing you. They securely click into a holder which features a lanyard attachment hole. You can easily carry these on a key ring due to the diminutive size: 2-5/16 in. with holder and 1-9/16 in. without.

The Gadgeteer, EDC Reviews, and Kevin Kelly reviewed these tweezers. They are available at many outdoors retailers online, including A. G. Russell. CountyComm stocks these as well as a set of large and small tweezers.

You might want to visit the Tick Encounter Resource Center for information on ticks and their treatment.

Beef Bandages

Remember when folks used to put beefsteak on a black eye? Well, now you can put a Beef Bandage on a wound or blister. That's right, through the miracle of modern medicine, realistic replicas of T-bone steaks are now available in 2 sizes to warm the hearts and ease the fears of your littlest patients. Have fun while doing good.

The supplier, Accoutrements, also offers Bacon Strips, Bacon and Eggs, Boo Boo Kisses, Skin Art (Tattoos), and more, all realistic.

3M™ Precise™ Vista Disposable Skin Stapler

Serious injuries call for serious tools. The 3M™ Precise™ Vista Disposable Skin Stapler enables any patroller to staple gaping lacerations with virtually no training. You can be your own MD! Establish better patroller-patient relationships when you can do the job yourself. Not recommended for eye injuries.

You just can’t beat the convenience of stapling-while-you-wait. At only $22.95, who can afford to pass this up? Available now at Cabela’s and wherever do-it-yourself tools are sold.

Duct Tape Bandage by Nexcare

If duct tape holds the world together, it ought to hold a wound together. With this in mind, 3M’s Nexcare division introduces rugged, larger bandages made of duct tape. They stick, last, and seal better; the strip and sterile pad are longer than usual: 1 in x 3-5/8 in. They should serve well for minor repairs to clothing and gear.

Sold at Walgreens and other pharmacies.