Wilderness First Responder Course Packing List

Your course, in truth, begins BEFORE you arrive! It begins with you tracking down and packing the below things outdoor professionals use to treat patients in the backcountry. There are no fashion points. We encourage you to borrow items or check out secondhand stores for any items you’re missing, and the course will cover why these things are needed, but please trust us: It is important that you and your working partner have everything on this list to be successful in class.

Your Train NEK course consists of different learning environments, all outdoors:

Lectures where you’ll be sitting in a chair in our outdoor classroom.

Practical Sessions and Scenarios where you’ll be kneeling and rolling around on wet, muddy, rocky ground in all but extreme weather conditions, pretending to be hurt and practicing your rescue skills.

Mock Rescue: At some point toward the end of the WFR class you might be traveling / hiking as a group to perform a mock patient rescue.

It’s Vermont! Expect a mix of bright sun, strong winds, rain, hail and/or snow. The more prepared you are to stay warm and comfortable, the more you’ll get out of the course.

WHAT TO PACK FOR YOU

Participants must either bring their own patient or be willing to work with one other student or pod at their own risk. Please see our COVID precautions for more info.
Food and Water enough for long days.
Footwear: Any footwear is fine for lectures but you’ll need sturdy shoes or boots for practical sessions. No bare feet!
Clothing layers for yourself: Wear ample warm and comfortable layers you don’t mind getting stretched or dirty.
PPE: Everyone needs a face mask for using shared facilities. If you are being paired with a student from outside your pod please also be prepared to wear a face mask, gloves and eye protection for all close interactions. We supply gloves but not face masks or eye protection.
Wristwatch (ideally): Easy and practical way to have instant access to count seconds while taking vital signs – without worrying about where you put your phone (although your phone will work too of course).
Paper and Pencil or Pen (pencils work in the rain)

WHAT TO PACK FOR YOUR PATIENT

Please bring the below items to class in any weather to practice warming and otherwise treating patients. These supplement the clothing and other items you need for yourself. For ex. if you don’t want to get your sleeping bag wet because you’ll be camping, bring an additional one. Again, yard sales and second hand stores are great for these.

Warm Socks, Hat, and Mittens or Gloves
Base Layers: Top and Bottom (Non-Cotton Long Underwear). Here is a good article on base layers.
Mid Layers: Sweater/Jacket and Pants (Fleece, Wool, Acrylic, etc.)
Windproof/Waterproof Outer Layer, Top and Bottom
Sleeping Pad (a yoga mat will suffice for practice)
Non-Cotton Blanket or Sleeping Bag
(1) Tarp, Tent, Rain Fly, Plastic Sheet (about 4′ x 6′ is nice) – or (2) 55 Gallon Trash Bags
10-12 Ties for securing splints, 4′-5′ or so in length (p-cord, shoelaces, scarves, webbing, cravats, etc. – but NOT zip ties)
Day Pack, Garbage Bag or Duffel Bag etc. to fit all of the above and carry with you each day
Anything else you want to practice treating patients with (pfd, paddle, trekking poles, Crazy Creek®, SAM Splint® , etc)

Trust us, we don’t care what your socks / fingernails / feet look like! But some people appreciate a heads up that we will be checking each others’ extremities on a daily basis as part of performing patient exams.

Optional But Useful Additional Items

First aid kit, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug repellent, and ball cap.

Wicking Base Layers
Insulating Mid-Layers