First aid kit?

Buffalohump

Buffalohump

Joined
Sep 7, 2006
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I've seen a lot of great PSK's here, but what about the little more mundane, but far more likely to be used, first aid kit?

Do you guys just buy a generic one or is it better to assemble your own.

If so, what essentials would y'all include (without making it overly bulky and heavy)?
 
I start off with a basic Adventure Medical kit and add specifics like poison ivy meds,Extra motrin,and prescription Meds(if needed), burn med/cream,bug bite lotion, eye wash solution ETC.
 
I'm a big fan of making your own, that way you have to think about exactly what is in it and exactly what you're going to use it for. It's not so good when you really need the kit, the rip it open to remember that you don't know what's in it or why.

I did a quickie entry on it-
http://wiki.funditor.org/ (Follow to the First aid basics / assembling a first aid kit links)


I'd definitely recommend finding some first aid training if you can. It's a skill that will always be good for you to have regardless of environment.
 
Like Tony said, buying one of the premade ones from a good company is a great start. Then you can add some things and personalize it a little bit. Some things that are needed and often used are nail clippers, tweezers and Advil. Moleskin, bandaids and Neosporin are also used quite a bit for blisters and scrapes.
 
I bought a commerical pack and added a few personalized items.

What I would really like to add is rattlesnake anti-venom and copperhead snake anti-venom. Maybe something for scorpions, too.
 
I do the same as Texas and Tknife. I have a small one and large one. One for the pack and the other for the truck.
 
Buffalohump said:
I've seen a lot of great PSK's here, but what about the little more mundane, but far more likely to be used, first aid kit?

Do you guys just buy a generic one or is it better to assemble your own.

If so, what essentials would y'all include (without making it overly bulky and heavy)?
Click to expand...

I have started with a pre-made commercial one and have added as the others have already mentioned. I really like the Adventure Medical ones...

http://www.rei.com/product/721800

They come in a few different sizes. I usually add:

Moleskin
Extra roll of medical tape
better (cloth type) bandaids and knuckle/finger ones as well
Sliver Gripper tweezers
Needles and dental floss and extra safety pins
Extra Motrin, Benadryl and Asprin and Immodium

Mine gets used often at work and with my kids...this isn't a Blow-Out kit, just a often-used small FAK.

ROCK6
 
I bought a littls stuff sack from REI and made my own. The stuff sack is even red and I wrote First Aide on the side.

What I put in it:
Advil
Tylenol
Benedryll
Various Size Bandages
Butterfly Closures
Mole Skn
Pepto
Alcohol Cleaning Pads
Ace Bandage
Gauze
Medical Tape
Razor Blades
Neosporin
Hydocortizone
Snake Bite Kit
Water Tablets
Foil Blanket
Wire Saw
Mirror

The last few items are not supposed to be in there but I guess it couldn't hurt.
 
Buffalohump and anyone else who is not trained in advanced first aid, in all honesty forget the first aid kits in the sense of store bought ones and what you need, for right now. It would be far more useful to get at least certified in firstresponder training or its wilderness equivalent.

Being able to know what to do and how to do it will be a lot more useful then a store bought first aid kit. And once you have become trained you will know what needs to be in your kit! I think this apples to every one who goes out into the wilderness, as they say about bushcraft the more you know the less you carry.

I got my redcross cpr and basic first aid when i was 12 and 15, then at 16 or 17 i got my firstresponder cert, and retook the course again at 20, and now having just finished my EMT class at 22, and am going for that cert.

Store bought First aid kits are good but they really dont help in so many situations were knowledge is more important, but i cant tell you how many times i have heard people say and even my friends "i heard some one calling for help, i rushed over to help" Then i say "great what did you do" them " i got there and asked what was wrong, then i um did not know how to help, and stood there" This happened to a friend of mine, and after that they realized they had no idea about how to help really, so they took a class on crp/basic first aid. Now they can help and be useful! And the person is very proud of them self, and may be taking the next step up.



My first aid kit includes firstresponder training, cloth tape!, triangle bandage!, gaze pads/rolls and tinfoil/emergency blanket, and plenty of the woman "products" there great for soaking up blood!. Those items alone can do about everything you need as far as healing your self from cuts and broken bones and wounds. For providing rigid support use branches or sam splints if your traveling alone, as i think it would not be fun whittling splints with a broken arm! And some cloth tape and gaze rolls, and Triangle Bandage, in case i forgot those.

For splinters and personal grooming, sewing pins(for splinters i find it easyer to dig them out with needles/pins) and nail clippers. Along with sunscreen and sunglasses and a form of an after sunburn cream/gel. And a good old fashion bar of soap.

For meds anti diarrhea, anti itch/bug bite, and pain killers. Also make sure your caught up on all your shots like tetanus. And if you can get some anti antibiotics, and advanced pain meds, legally of course. This will help in case you are stuck out for a time you will be able to feel, better long.

Though i will say knowing more about first aid makes you want to bring more, like do i need the air tank, body brace, neck brace, oral tubes, bp cuffs in infant and over sized, femur traction torture device, soon you have more medical crap then you do "hiking stuff". So just forget my post haha:D


ps a sterile water sqeeze bottle is great, the one with the "hard straw" bent at an L. Washing wounds and eyes.
 
I have a larger one that my parents got me for Christmas last year. I'm all about small survival kits(mine fits in a coffee can, minus the first aid kid) but I don't get stingy with the first aid.

I'd rather have plenty of everything and have to keep it separate in the backpack or vehicle than have "The worlds lightest most compact first aid kit!!!!" *TRUMPET BLAST* and then not have enough of something when I need it the most, or have to constantly replenish whats in it. The store-bought ones have a list of everything inside, and you can just rummage through it and make a mental note of everything. Although I did add a few things to mine as others suggested doing.

Just do it based on what you plan on doing a lot 'in the wild'. For instance, me and my buddies fish A LOT during the summer, out on the ocean especially. So basically I tried to add things that would help with fish-hook injuries. I took out the plastic tweezers and replaced them with metal ones. Added another handful of band aids(can never have too many of those). And also a small bottle of peroxide as back up. Also a small thing lip balm and sunscreen in case we take people out who forget.
 
Some good advice so far in this thread.

My take: I'll buy the first aid kit for the container it comes in, and then basically pitch all the contents. Why?

Most of the stuff in the pre-made first aid kits is throwaway junk from various makers. You get gauze pads that aren't large enough for real wounds, bandages close to expiration, and a host of nonsense stuff that you're never going to use in the field. Seriously: hand moisturizer?

From there, I refill it with stuff *I* purchase and know the origins of.

Bandages, a knife, scissors, that great 3M bandage tape that sticks to itself, white tape, a small bottle for irrigation, and a lot of what Orrey45 mentioned.
 
Watchful, buy an Outdoor type first aide kit and you get practical items.... any wound is a real wound... and go from there ...
 
Good tip Watchful, i have done that with my REI first aid bag. Its a great bag but crap on the inside.




I have a question to others on this forum i see a lot of poeple recommending band-aids. And i cant figure it out, they always fall of my fingers or were ever i have them from getting rubbed and wet. So i just use a strip of cloth tape and gauze and rap that sucker on.

Am i the only one with that problem?
 
mindwip, are you using the hand lotion before applying the band aid.:D...just joking,the plastic type band aid do not hold very well,I like the stretch fabric type,curad or 3m style band aids:thumbup:
 
texastonydobbs said:
Watchful, buy an Outdoor type first aide kit and you get practical items.... any wound is a real wound... and go from there ...
Click to expand...
As with Mindwip, I just prefer to pack my own. That way I know exactly the quality and quantity of the items I've got in there. For example, and speaking personally, I like that 3M tape waaay better than the off-brand stuff. I expect your kit would have items that you've found better-than-average for your needs. Hmmm. Interesting idea for another round-robin thread.

That said, TexasTonyDobbs bring up a point that we've only just skimmed so far: the first aid kit in my guest bathroom is very different than the first aid kit I keep in my car...which is different from the kit by my workbench in the basement...which is different from the travel one I'd take outdoors! Pack according to your most likely need.
mindwip said:
Good tip Watchful, i have done that with my REI first aid bag. Its a great bag but crap on the inside.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the real money for the manufacturer is in the bag, not in the mostly disposable contents. No manufacturer is going to spend a whole lot of money on good first aid supplies, which would drive the cost out of reach for most folks. They take the "made in China" bulk stuff and throw enough in there so you can gauge how much it holds.

There are professional kits, like TexasTonyDobbs is describing, that have real stuff in them. Even so, I'd probably still pack my own.

mindwip said:
I have a question to others on this forum i see a lot of poeple recommending band-aids. And i cant figure it out, they always fall of my fingers or were ever i have them from getting rubbed and wet. So i just use a strip of cloth tape and gauze and rap that sucker on.

Am i the only one with that problem?
Click to expand...
Depends on the quality. Cheap brands are worthless. They're more for kids' boo-boo injuries than real blood, and sweat right off.

Curel or Band-Aid brand are generally pretty good. But I've had some bad luck with them as well: generally, my test is pretty simple: can I open the box, pull out the bandaid, tear open the paper, and peel and apply the bandaid with one hand?

Over the years, this has ranged--even with the big names--from "Easy!" to "Need a Sawz-All to Open." Seems like every few years, the manufacturers experiment with techniques. Some work, some don't, but they go and out like fashion with the ease-of-use with one hand.

Band aids are quick and easy, but shouldn't be the bulk of a first aid kit. Keep a few for minor cuts and scrapes especially in septic areas. The good brands are more water resistant, and that keeps goo out of cuts better than gauze and tape.

But also remember that a minor cut and scrape probably won't need treatment in a real emergency: that's where you wish you had lots of gauze and tape!
 
Yea, I use the fabric bandaides. I carry the gauze and tape but dont use it unless its a big/weird cut. I like bandaids better because they are smaller and have a lower profile. They also tend to soak up less water.
 
Dont worry i check for Check for distal pulse and perfusion/capillary refill:D

I have tried the fabric band aids and i will say they are my favorite! But when i get a cut that a band aid could cover, i just leave it open after cleaning it, and make sure it stays clean and free from hitting stuff until it heals a bit. And when i want to cover the cut it seems to be in just a shape that i never have the right band aid size lol. So i think this is just a me issue.
 
I buy pre-made ones and "replace" most of the stuff too! I put in bigger bandages, sterile cleaners and wipes, chew able tylenol (if you don't have water) bug sting relief, a good multitool (sak), a waterproof pad and pen (to keep records and notes), among things.

I would like to get some Celox for bleeding but that "womens products" is a very good idea! ty and any medical training is always a good idea, a good emergency pamphlet or such inside is also what I like (it could be me my kit is being used for!).
 
Wanted to add this bit too, many people and books will say that heat stroke can be identified by how your body stops sweating. While it is true, that this could happen, poeple have over looked heat stroke due to some one still sweating and thinking there ok. The only sure fire way to know is hot/red skin. Thats a heat stroke and needs help now! Do not go by sweating alone!


http://www.drreddy.com/heat.html for more detail, a quick search found it. This is important to know! keep it in your bag at all times
 
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