First aid gear

emopunker2004

emopunker2004

Joined
Jul 21, 2011
Messages
454
Hey guys,

I was thinking about starting camping and hiking with the wife and was wondering where you guys buy your first aid supplies, either in kits or in pieces. Was thinking of putting a kit together for when we go out into the woods.
 
You can usualy get a basic kit , traingle bandage , crepe bandage , bandaids , antiseptic etc in the supermarkets first aid section for about $5 - $10 its not fancy or brand name but itll work , add pain killers , insect sting oinment etc as you see fit ...
A first aid kit is kinda personal , what is your level of training ? ..
thats my 2c anyway
 
Myal said:
You can usualy get a basic kit , traingle bandage , crepe bandage , bandaids , antiseptic etc in the supermarkets first aid section for about $5 - $10 its not fancy or brand name but itll work , add pain killers , insect sting oinment etc as you see fit ...
A first aid kit is kinda personal , what is your level of training ? ..
thats my 2c anyway
Click to expand...

I'm a corrections officer and get the same first responder training our police do, Basic first aid,1st repsonder training and CPR.
 
Wal-mart, CVS, whereever. I'm a big fan of athletic tape and ACE bandages/supports, plus throw in some pads, and a rolled bandage. I added a pack of QuickClot awhile back-talk about something you hope you'll never use!

We keep about that same level of training, along with a bunch of Hazmat stuff on my job. What higher levels of training I had in the past depended on having supplies that most of us aren't going to be carrying, but treating the likely outdoor injuries are pretty common sense, anyway. Controlling bleeding, supporting sprained ligaments or tendons, immobilizing breaks...compression, compression, compression.
 
I started with pre made kits. And then I realized that nearly any premade kit below 50 bucks suck. Pretty much all of them are lacking on gauze and various compression wraps.

One of the most important things you can buy is rolled gauze, preferably kerlix, or compressed gauze. It doesnt take much space, it isnt expensive, it isnt heavy, and is used for a lot of things. Add a bunch of gauze to a kit, and you can deal with a wide variety of problems.

What is your focus? General first aid? Trauma/gunshot wounds? Your focus will determine how much you have to shell out.

Also, I would avoid quickclot sponges. It isnt worth the money in my book. They aren't much good for penetrating wounds, and you probably wont need QC for lacerations or cuts. Gauze, ABD pads, and direct pressure can solve almost all bleeding issues. If that doesnt work, it's probably time to consider a tourniquet. If you want a hemostatic agent, celox is the best. It creates a gel inside the wound, and doesnt leave much behind to cause problems down the road, unlike QC granules, which can be extremely dangerous if left in. Also, treating trauma is very complicated. But there are some basic supplies that can help a whole lot, and dont require a ton of know how.
 
I concur with the others…I’ve purchased ready-made kits in the past and I even keep the cases and pack with the items I’ve found works best for me and my family. Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens are pretty much where I get the most of the supplies. County Comm is a good web site to pick up some hard to find items like the smaller safety scissors and even the syringes for irrigating cuts and abrasions.

I much prefer the athletic medical tape than most of the other first aid tape you’ll find. Also, I really like the larger Band-Aids (1x3” variety) and knuckle bandages (either my cuts are big or in hard to reach places:D). I’ve had ankle problems in the past and still pack an ACE ankle brace as part of my standard kit.

Since I’m a frequent customer of REI, I’ll sometimes pick up other items such as SAM splints, second-skin dressings and burn gel packets. REI (and some of the other outdoors stores) also have some of the replacement packs of several FAK items…handy for the smaller kits.

If you have or get more technical medical training, you can add some of the other life-saving items such as tourniquets and some of the high-speed hemostatic bandages...but as mentioned, that really depends on what types of activities you'll be doing and the most likely threats.

ROCK6
 
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