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I'm curious what sort of First Aid kits people carry in caves. In particular I'm wondering whether people have advise on "good enough" kits that aren't too bulky.

Try a search for First Aid kits. There are several previous threads that may answer some questions.

I always carry this one in my Swaygo pack.

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/product.php?product=236&catname=Ultralight%20/%20Watertight&prodname=Ultralight%20/%20Watertight%20.7

That "Medical Kit 7" looks interesting, but I'd be tempted to ditch a few things and add some items of my own.

Here's a couple of previous topics to check out:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12381
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6880

I'm also interested in what people actually carry, versus recommend. Hence the poll. I know a lot of cavers that cave without one. I was curious how prominent that phenomenom is.

sampson.adam wrote:I'm also interested in what people actually carry, versus recommend. Hence the poll. I know a lot of cavers that cave without one. I was curious how prominent that phenomenom is.

Don't know what it is about the people I cave with, but it seems that in almost every group I cave with, I'm the only one with a First Aid Kit and emergency Blanket. Maybe its because they know I always carry that stuff, so why bother

First aid kit:

Two sanitary towels, a roll of gaffer tape and a fistfull of asprins!

Oh yeah and a biig sense of humor to take the mickey out of the injured party!

I personally carry some ibuprofen, potassium, Tums, and Tylenol, as well as some duck tape and super glue. I can also use my swaygo as a splint, I've never had to use it for that though.

There is no simple answer to what needs to be in a first aid kit. First, you might read up on the cave rescues over the last ten years, just to get some perspective. Then you have to know what sort of cave you are going into. Some are flat caves, and vertical falls are almost unheard of. Some are vertical caves, and all manner of injuries can come from rope work. You need to know the experience level of the people you go in with. Some groups advocate that all individual first aid supplies should be shared amongst the group in the event of injury. With other groups, it is every man for himself.

If I am going caving with just one other person, then I keep a minimum of stuff in my kit mostly to allow a patient to be evacuated with something like an ankle sprain or broken wrist. So that includes a Sam splint, Ace wraps, and lots of good sports tape or Leukotape. Any smaller injuries, like a banged shin or bruised arm, can simply be ignored. An aspirin will go a long way there, although it has the effect of blood thinning. I carry a half-dozen Naproxen pills. Strangely, what I end up using more of is for low blood sugar, so I carry Glucose tablets.