What’s in your first aid kit? Did you make your own or do you use a prepackaged one? Which prepackaged ones are worth purchasing? I’m looking to make some changes to mine and considering all options.
I have two first aid kits that I often carry. For bigger trips, I purchased an Adventure Medical Kit and added a few items - knife, lighter, luekotape, medicine. For smaller trips, I compiled my own ultralight kit.
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I have a travel kit and one specifically for short trips. I take the travel kit which is much more extensive when I am road tripping and slid it in for longer hikes to my pack. The smaller is great for every day and short hikes of a mile or less. The larger kit has everything from a cold compress to bandaids, KT tape and gauze to extra batteries for a flashlight should I be stuck somewhere for a lengthy amount of time or need to alert someone. There is a solar blanket and basic medications. For the smaller kit I actually have very similar items to Troy but I also carry a needle and thread travel kit most of the time in it.
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I keep a car FA kit and a camping FA kit. Car carries the basics: antiseptic, soaps, alcohol, bandages, motrin etc. Camping goes in depth with additional items: sutures, bandages, butterflies, gauze wraps, CPR shield, foil blankets, saline…
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I put mine together myself, and then bought a tiny first aid kit shell to put it in that suited my needs. I got the hard shell case which is about 3 x 5 on Amazon for about $4. Assorted Band-Aids, a little bit of antiseptic, tweezers, athletic tape is awesome! It serves the purpose of Band-Aids as well as blister protection and hotspot protection. A little bit of basic medication, that sort of thing.
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Neosporin, bandages, Benadryl
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I am a Girl Scout and a mom and an avid backcountry hiker so my first aid kit is actually a tactical first aid kit that I bought and then modified…I took out the Israeli battle dressing bandage and then added my own pieces like a tourniquet, mole skin, extra triangle bandages and some meds. I also got my wilderness first aid certification. So far all I’ve ever needed was a band-aid and the moleskin, but best to be prepared especially since I find myself so often miles and miles away from help.
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Only having first aid kit is not enough but you should also know how to use it properly. Check out our course @ https://link-resources.com.au/courses/emergency-response/first-aid-cpr/
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I took a short class from the local search and rescue. If possible to attend one, I highly recommend! It was free and had a lot of great information, although it was not intended to be a wilderness first aid course or anything like that. A great start though! They handed out a kit in a ziplock bag: disposable gloves, a length of gauze wrap, BandAids, nonstick gauze pads, and medical tape. I added Benadryl, Tums, and ibuprofen. That is the kit I hike or bike with. The van’s kit has those in larger quantities plus scissors, clotting gauze, emergency blanket, and a signal mirror, and maybe a few other things.
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I use Swiss Safe 2-in-1 First Aid Kit. It is a marine emergency kit that doubles as a survival kit. It comes with the staple items you’d expect from any good first aid kit and offers a variety of items for different situations. Some of the items included are bandages for fingers and knuckles, a large-size trauma pad, sterilization wipes and medicated pads; even an instant ice pack, gloves, and a mask.
All these items are packed into a woven nylon bag, and comes with a mini first aid kit as a bonus. The bag itself is durable enough, not a hard-case pack, but the material should survive most emergencies.
It also doesn’t resist water completely, but it won’t absorb much water unless completely submerged, and individual packaging for items within should help keep things useful.
What I really like about this kit, though, is its first aid guide. It is an 18-page booklet, and provides step-by-step instructions for different scenarios. The text looks clean, and instructions aren’t very long, so it doesn’t look cluttered.
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Duct tape. I hiked with a friend who fell and broke her ankle. We were able to make a strong splint with the duct tape, and she limped back the 5 miles to get help. I had never carried duct tape, but she did. I will never leave it out of my kit again!
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I used Deftget Deftaidkits001 First Aid Kit. I like the color and the design, which includes a quality zipper and internal elastic pockets. These allow emergency supplies and tools to be stored and organized well. There are a plethora of first aid items in this product, but as I spent time checking them one by one, I discovered that there are no band-aids. I suggest you buy them separately, like I did. But, nonetheless, I’m glad that all the other essential items are included and are with a long shelf life.
I prefer to stock up on bandages in various sizes, quickclot for handling more serious bleeding, disinfectant, and cream for those annoying bug bites. I recently came across a nice tool called senvok wound closure laceration kit - it’s great for quickly and effectively closing cuts and lacerations without sutures.
Stay safe and keep enjoying your outdoor adventures!