Countryside adventure (Exam Research)

HAWK12HT

Hello everyone, I would like to get some research done for my exam of Product Design. My project is designing a First Aid Kit for a day out trip in Countryside.
After doing research on my own I am going for Hikers rather than Mountain bikers, Wall climbers, cannoers, Para gliding etc (all sort of other physical sport activites) related to outdoors.

Reason i choose Hiking is cause it can be taken by first timers easily and the brief uses "Countryside" as emphisis rather than just "outdoor" (i hope i make sense ).

Second reason is that i have access to information from sports shops in my area which focuses more on Hiking (in my observation) cause I live in Scotland .



So now It would be nice to get some feedback from you all (regardless the sports you do) on

-What sort of injuries happen commonly (your experience)
-What kind of first Aid Kit will you prefer to carry on you (either in rug sack, back pack or on its own) , ones which are like soft bags or hard casing ones.
-In your experience what you find frustraiting while using a First Aid Kit (regardless you use outside or indoors)
-Design wise i am thinking of adding internal light source for night time use, with hard case (body) as bag types can easily be mixed in clothes (hard to find) if you place the kit in rug sack etc. What you think about that?


Your feedback will be highly valuable for my research. (appologies if my english dont make sense)

MakingMeshes

I've been hiking up Mt Ascutney in Vermont USA once or twice a week now now since last November so I'm just a beginner. Having said that my only injuries have been sprains and soreness from slipping on the ice a couple of times last winter. I cary in my backpack in their own pocket in a waterproof bag duct tape,fire steel,multitool,compresion bandage,pen and paper,and in a ziploc bag an emergency blanket,headlight and spare batteries. I guess I need to buy bandages and antiseptic.maybe a travel size bottle of isopropyl alcohol. -never had to use it. -I always cary a light source. -don't need a light,easy to find in the placement I described.

HAWK12HT

Thank you for reply, really helping me piece together my project

AlexLeighton

A small and VERY lightweight hard case that fits snugly into the bottom of a backpack would be my pick, preferably with the opening on the top of the case so the whole thing wouldn't have to be removed from the backpack to get at it's contents. I would always have a light as well, I would only go for a light on the first aid kit itself if it didn't raise the cost of the unit and would rarely or never require the batteries to be changed.

I've never had to use a first aid kit hiking, you're probably looking at a lot of slip and falls and maybe scrapes, if you're in the woods like we do, from time to time someone will hit you in the face with the branch they're supposed to be holding back, but that's never caused more than some redness and strained friendships.

An absolute must for me is that it can be easily opened with one hand, last time I found myself using a first aid kit, I had sliced my right hand open on some glass and it was cartoonishly shooting blood out, so I had a cloth on the wound and I was holding it in place with the fingers on my right hand while trying to get at my bandages with my left hand, it was a pain.

HAWK12HT

O that end description was painful for me too as at the end of the day we all are artists here with imaginations . Thank you for your kind feedback really helped on some designs i have to make soon.