A good premade First aid kit?

G

guitardemon

Joined
Jun 8, 2005
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288
After sitting through all my EMT classes it has got me thinking about my first aid kit and if it is adequate or not. It’s great for hiking and back packing but I don’t think its for around the apartment, or the car. I know I will probably have to buy a few extra things to through in there but what is a good starter kit? The ones I’ve been finding don’t seem to have much in them and seem to cost allot for what you get. So what do you guys recommend?
 
Check out Drugstore.com, they have a comprehensive selection and good prices. The kits I carry are the Johnston & Johnston 175 piece kits.

-Yooperman
 
Are you looking for a first aid kit or a first responder kit or a med bag that an emt would carry?

KR
 
I suggest making your own to get the specific things that you need/want in it.
 
If it is for the car or hunting, include some large Kotex pads. They are perfect compression pads for bleeding wounds. Our sisters in arms use the battle dressing pads for the reverse when needed. Yes, my own opinion is to buy a does-it-all kit that seems to fit the bill for you personally, then add to it as you see fit. A simple little toothache kit with temporary filling material can be worth a million when the needs strikes. It will fit easily in the space left when you toss the snake bite kit in the trash.

Codger
 
I too, would say that AMK has well thought-out kits. I would also STRONGLY suggest investing the time and effort (and probably less money) to build your own with exactly what you want. Also, IMO DO NOT buy a stocked EMT bag. They invariably are not set up right. Not horrible, just not right.

Forgot to add. An EMT's "jump bag" and a 1st aid kit are not the same and should not have the same items in it. There is some overlap, but that is as close as it gets.
 
I bought a Maxpedition M5 Waist pack and a Trauma Bag repack kit off Ebay for $40.00 plus shipping.

http://maxpedition.com/product/product_m5.htm

The repack kit had more stuff in it than I would ever use but well covered any bandaid, stretch wraps, 4x4/3x3/2x2 gauze pads, assorted tapes, chest/ab pads, ointments, wipes, EMT Shears, scissors, tweasers, scaple, clamp, light and I forget what else.

I picked through it and packed what I figured I would need and stored the rest in the 1st aid drawer in the hall.....Ya, go figure a drawer dedicated to fixing cuts and bumps.

Karsten
 
Ya, go figure a drawer dedicated to fixing cuts and bumps.

Well, it is a good idea. I go beyond a drawer. I have a couple of plastic sealed cases like Pelican cases. Plus the bottles of everyday stuff in the bathroom drawer and under the sink. The everyday stuff gets the most use, of course. Bottles of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, bandaides and the like. The small case is a USN electronics and avionics test case. It has plastic divided boxes in the bottom with a minor surgical kit, sutures in several sizes, tubes of ointments and over the counter medications, and in the seperate lid compartment are a wide variety of gauze dressings, Ace wraps, splints, small surgical drapes, swabs, betadine and provodine, iodine and merthiolate. And several basic first aid manuals. The bigger case was for transporting a small aviation gyroscope. it is about 14" square and contains more supplies like bottles of saline eye wash, alcohol, peroxide, vet supplies and antibiotics and more. Both cases are waterproof and shock resistant, have strong latches and fold-down handles for easy carrying. So yeah, a drawer for bumps and bruises is a good idea.

Codger
 
Codger when you mentioned "vet supplies" did you mean vet medicines for animals or humans? Or maybe something else entirely. Vetrap is a great product though it aint cheap. It is a good bandage when you need to maintain some pressure on a wound.
 
The vet supplies are mainly for my farm animals and pets. Antibiotics, ointments, wormers, syringes, anesthetics, empty capsules, suppliments, etc. Would I take vetinary quality antibiotics myself? I'd have to think about that. I might if it was a desperate situation. I often use other vet preps on humans. Got a really bad case of foot rot? Blue liniment for horses and cattle will kill it, but your feet will look like smurf feet for a while. Udder cream is great for chapped, dry hands. Vetrap in horse sized rolls are really pretty cheap, and make splint applications a breeze if you need to immobilize a limb. You just have to be mindful, as with ace bandages, to not wind them tightly. Allow some stretch room for swelling without restricting circulation. Plaster cast wraps are also good for a comprehensive kit it you study up on how to properly apply it.

Codger
 
I am not sure about the Vet Meds and ointments but I have lots of leg wraps, blood stopper (burns like H#LL) but it works and I even went to a Vet for stitched once.

Karsten
 
I just purchased a small personal sized AMK first aid kit from Backcountry.com. It should fit well in my BOB (Maxpedition Fatboy shoulder bag). I was able to find a Penrith survival kit, a good candle in a can (36 burn hours), flint, water-proof matches, tinder, compass, etc., all of which fits nicely all together with the first aid kit. The first aid kit is in a water-proof sealed pouch so everything together will be light and easy to carry.
 
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