If you live near a mountain or a wilderness area where people frequently go exploring--and you have knowledge of outdoor adventuring yourself--you may be considering giving back to the outdoor adventuring community. One way to do this is to make yourself available to local search and rescue teams. These teams are often groups of volunteers who know the land and have some medical knowledge. If someone goes missing or is in trouble, the volunteers are deployed to search for them and return them to safety. 

You don't need a lot to become a search-and-rescue volunteer, but you do need a trauma medical pack, which is a bag that houses all of the rescue and medical gear you need when you set off to rescue someone. There are numerous trauma packs on the market, and if your plan is to use yours in the backwoods, you should look for one with these features:

Cinch Straps

Trauma bags can be quite heavy by the time you load them with the necessary equipment and also water for your own consumption. Look for a bag with straps that reach around both your waist and chest. Known as cinch straps, these straps help stabilize the load so your back does not get so sore when you have to walk a long distance.

Built-In Hydration Pack

Having to shove water bottles into your bag is inconvenient, and you don't want to have to stop to drink when someone's life is on the line. So look for a bag with a built-in plastic pouch to hold water, and also a hose that allows you to sip while you're walking.

Easily Accessible Compartments

You don't want to have to dig through your bag and empty all of the contents to find one thing you need when performing a rescue. For this reason, backpack-style bags with one big compartment are not ideal. A better choice is a bag that rolls up but then unrolls to reveal many individual compartments. You can open just the compartment you need, minimizing the time you spend digging through your pack.

Waterproof

Rescues happen most often when the weather is bad, and you don't want everything in your trauma bag to be soaked through when you finally find the person you're searching for. A bag that is fully waterproof and that has special flaps that keep water from coming in the zippers is ideal. 

Once you have a trauma bag, you're ready to do your part and keep others safe! Contact a company like Life Long Survivor for more information and assistance.