Restocking a First Aid Kit for Camping

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HealthySavings #CollectiveBias 

My husband and I recently went tent camping for the first time in over ten years. And not a little camping trip. We packed up and hit the road, driving from our home in Ohio to the Coast of Oregon. Our intent had been to pitch our tent wherever the mood struck as we traveled across the country. In reality, it didn’t quite work that way. Though we love to travel with little advance planning, we learned that when you’re camping, it’s best to make a few advance reservations. Especially when traveling during the busy summer months.

The first night, we had hoped to stay at the Starved Rock State Park campground, but all the sites were taken. The surrounding campgrounds were also booked. So after an hour of trying to find an open campsite, we gave up and booked a room at Super 8 where I immediately made reservations at a campground the following night. Only I was a bit ambitious when figuring how much ground we’d cover and we were pushing it to reach the campground before the office closed at eleven. I kid you not, we arrived frantically at five till eleven!

We checked in and received a map to our campsite, which we set up in the dark. That first night wasn’t as smooth as I hoped. We were packed into a cramped campsite, the door of our tent wouldn’t zip closed, and the bathrooms grossed me out because I forgot my flip flops for the shower. Honestly, I fell asleep dreaming of spending the rest of our vacation in plush hotel rooms.

The next morning, our insulated cooler sprang a leak, we realized the sun was quite a bit brighter in the west and needed hats or sunglasses and I’d forgotten my saline solution for my contact lenses. But that wasn’t the only thing we forgot. We also left home without stocking our first aid kit and had to buy some essentials on the road- which ate up some of our travel budget.

Thankfully, our trip improved and we decided that we really do enjoy tent camping. We’ve actually camped several times since that trip last month and looking forward to more camping trips. But there were a few items that I picked up as soon as we got home. Things like a road atlas, new cooler, longer tent stakes and a other odds and ends. I also stopped by my local Walgreens store and purchased items to restock our first aid kit for camping. Our basic first aid kit was fine….and basic. There were a few things that needed to be restocked and a few things that needed to be added. I started by taking inventory of what we had- which was pretty much nothing other than a few bandages. I purchased a new, larger container and a few items I consider necessities.

First aid kits will vary on your personal and family needs, but here are some items that I’ve found essential for mine:

Advil, or other pain medicine
Antihistamine for allergic reactions
Blister Treatment
Gauze or Non-stick Sterile Pads
Medical Adhesive Tape
Assortment of Bandages
Antiseptic Wipes
Antibacterial Ointment
Chap Stick or Lip Balm
Emergen-C
Cotton Swabs
ThermaCare for aches and pains
Tweezers (for removing splinters)
Safety Pins
Poison Ivy Soap
Aloe or burn treatment
An assortment of Essential Oils- I use Lavender for burns and Tea Tree Oil for bug bites

With such a wide variety of products, I was able to purchase nearly everything I was looking for at Walgreens. I also earned a ton of Balance Rewards points to use on my next visit because I purchased $30 of Pfizer products.  And you can too. Read on.

Look for the display with participating Pfizer products that include Advil, ThermaCare, Children’s Advil, Dimetapp, Robitussin, Emergen-C (30 ct), Centrum, Caltrate, Chapstick and Nexium 24HR and you can earn 10,000 Balance Rewards when you spend $30. Whether you’re restocking your first aid kit for camping, or stocking your medicine cabinet, Walgreen’s has a wide selection to choose from.

What items would you purchase at Walgreens to add to a camping first aid kit?