I have a setting in my brain that goes to worst-case scenario (WCS) in just about any situation that disrupts my illusion of any kind of certainty, especially when adventuring on a motorcycle. Add to that a couple of medical conditions that require a bit of special handling on my part, especially in trauma conditions, and I’ve come up with a couple of first aid kits to not only assist others who may be injured along the road, but to save my own skin as well. Hopefully, I’ll never have to use them.

There are two kits on the Tiger Explorer, one in my tank bag and one in the LH pannier.

The tank bag kit is in a red protective case and contains the items I might need for my own first aid.

Since I’m on an anticoagulant I need to make sure I can stop my own bleeding quickly, hence the clotting sponge and wound seal. And since my ticker likes to beat more to Brubeck than to Getz, I have a medication in my Altoids tin to help out my damaged pump (and yes, it’s repacked Rx, I get it, but if someone pops one thinking to freshen their breath, they’re just going to get a banger of a headache). There’s also a CPR mask, bandages and OTC pain meds.

This first aid case is easy to get to and easy to find if I’m shouting at you where to look from the ground somewhere. Not so for the trauma kit in the pannier. You’d need a key to get access to that kit, so it’s prepared more for my response to someone else’s bad mojo.

This kit is in the lid of the LH side pannier, attached with industrial hook and loop making it able to break away and be ported to the patient with just a tug. Inside the kit are three compartments.

From left to right, is general wound care, more traumatic wound care, and wound dressing and closure.

The top clamshell of the pouch contains wound debridement, management and binding. The red pouch contains alcohol and Betadine swabs and there’s a pair of latex gloves for protection.

The bottom clamshell has larger wound response items including a tourniquet and an oximeter.

And the insert pouch has wound closure items ranging from bandages to butterfly strips to this cool ZipStitch kit.

Each side of the four plastic sutures is secured to the skin with a powerful adhesive and once they’re in place, each suture is pulled closed drawing the tissue together.

Yes, there’s some investment here. Chances are most of this stuff will hit an expiration date before it hits a use date, at least I certainly hope so, but there’s peace of mind inside both these kits as I ride on.

While it’s great to have all this on board, it’s useless if you don’t know what you’re doing or are not familiar with each product. School yourself, get First Aid and CPR qualified.

I know. That’s a pretty high order in a day and age where we can’t even get folks to help each other out by simply wearing a mask.

For more more information on these kits, watch She Rocked a 600RR on the UTADV YouTube Channel.