First Aid/Med Kits

What is your setup? What kind of kit do you have? Where do you keep it?

I’ve got an old fanny pack stuffed with some bandaids and gauze strapped to the rear of the passenger headrest. I’m wondering what other things people are doing out there.

 

I've migrated to keeping tactical trauma kits in my vehicles because if I'm reaching for any first aid kit, it means things have gone horribly wrong, and I need to keep myself together enough to get to the nearest hospital.

And for me, a dainty AAA-approved pack of small bandages and aspirin won't ever cut it--i can and have toughed those situations out. But if I need immediate medical attention, it generally means a deep cut...

 

Great point. If you need it, it's likely you really need it.

Are you building your own or buying one of the pre-assembled ones?

 

Stop the bleeding & trauma kit
Some 5x9 & 4x4
Padded aluminum splint
Triangular bandage

 

Trauma kit with bandages for controlled bleeding, including quick clot

Large bandages (multi-purpose) for makeshift slings, splint wraps, etc

Sam splint

And the knowledge on how to use it all

(Stop the bleeding before restoring breathing - body can go a bit longer without oxygen, as one can bleed out fast before breathing needs to be restored)

 

I get the preassembled ones from a local prepper/weapon store. They all have expiration dates, and I haven't had a predefined specific need for any of them, so I don't see a reason to spend a lot of time preparing for unique situations by creating my own version

 

I like the Rhino Rescue stuff sold on Amazon. Have equipped 2 vehicles with the Trauma kit, Burn kit and an Israeli style bandage.

 

No, I am not a prepper but I can see a use for all of this when not near a town or ranger station.

Cost is nominal unless otherwise indicated. About $150 total, packed in an old bike-rack side-bag.

(1) CAT certified tourniquet ($20)
(2) Israeli bandages ($20)
Poncho
Zipties
Sunblock
Icy hot cream
(2) Glucose gel
Neosporin
(30) "wound closures" (thin tape strips across long slices that help until you can stitch it up)
Emergency blanket
Aqua tabs for water cleaning
Nair ... in AZ cactus can leave thousands of tiny spike in skin ... do not ask me how I know
1 multi-use splint ($20)
Hydrocortizone
Trauma pack with triangle bandage and blood-clotting gauze ($30)
(5) Transparent waterproof dressing
Burn gel
Arm "shower shield" ... latex-free sleeve that covers hand and forearm in case you have hand/arm injury ... leftover from use last year ($12)
Finger sleeves (braces)
Self-adhesive wrapping ... sticky/stretchy so cloth tape not needed to hold it on
White cotton tape for other uses
Salver alginate patch
2x3 non-stick pads
2x2 non-stick pads
2x5 big pads
Lidocane patches for muscle ache
Allegra-D
Sport hydration mini-squeeze bags
Stomach remedy ... that pink stuff I cannot recall the name of in small tablets
New Skin bottle

A pre-fabbed first-aid kit with several other bandaids/pads/etc.

 

Israeli bandages are a good mullti use item. They are basically an ace bandage with a gauze pad and a pressure applicator. If you are in need of the ace bandage or gauze pad you can disassemble it for them. Make sure to get enough of them so that you have 1 to open up to play with. Like most things they are useless without training.

As far as gauze goes the vacuum packed z fold packs or rolls take up a tenth of the space of a regular roll and are super handy.

Quikclot and tourniquets are really last resort items. All the little quikclot crystal have to be removed before a wound can be closed which can sometimes be problematic. Tourniquets are also dangerous if used improperly. A sharpie should always be stored with one.

SAM splints are great and have instructions printed on them.

Duct tape is super useful for all sorts of injuries. Strips make a decent butterfly bandage. They can hold dressings on, secure or build a splint, etc.... It does go bad after a while in the heat of a truck though.

Little spray cans of sterile saline solution wound wash can be handy for cleaning out wounds when away from running water.

Soap and water is the best wound cleaning method the majority of the time but if cleanliness is an issue neosporin/triple antibiotic ointment is handy. Dont use it if not warranted though.

Hydrogen peroxide generally does more harm than good but is called for for animal bites, puncture wounds or someplace like the gulf coast where there is flesh eating bacteria in the water.

Carry plenty of ibuprofen and some tylenol. They can be taken together to deal with serious pain.

5% lidocaine ointment is great for all sorts of pain and irritation. Good for bug bites, muscle aches, numbing skin before removing splinters, etc. Over the counter it is only licensed to be sold as hemmeroid relief so it will be labeled as such.

 

A good pair of tweezers is a must. The ones that came with your first aid kit are useless. At least go into the beauty section at the drug store and get a decent bame brand pair with a good sharp ground point where the ends actually meet.

I also carry a baggie of diabetic lancets. They are designed to prick your finger to get a drop of blood but are great for digging out splinters and are sterile.

 

Spray saline, duct tape, real tweezers, 5% lidocane I will verify or fix.

Tourniquet is to save lives, not limbs, but may be useful.

I will more likely run into someone who knows how to use these and just wishes they were on-hand instead of me bumbling the ones needing training. But "I wish I had it" is something I hope to avoid.

 

I have the one the dealership gave me

 

Here. Pack can be ripped free with a minimal tug.

Basic trauma plus tourniquets, chest seal, knife, bandaids, aspirin, burn cream, and moleskin.

All the things a basic camper needs.

 

Great topic! Way too many people don't think to have even the basic first aid supplies with them. And even more don't know how to use them.

One thing I would add to your first aid kits is some Benadryl for mild/moderate allergic reactions in the field. (Treating anaphylaxis in the field is a whole different story/topic.)

 

I agree

I used to carry band aids in my wallet for my kids up to the time they were knee high

there was some magic to be able to put a Transformer band aid on a sidewalk scuffed knee to make it “all better “

 

A friend gifted me this one but I had to leave it in the garage for a few months to air out because I guess he smokes in his house and his truck.

 

@NoCoTacoMan -- we're neighbors. Not sure what neck of the woods you're in but I could change my username to FoCoTacoman and we could form a posse

Thanks to all who have contributed. In addition to the smattering of bandaids and bandages I already had, I also added meds, gloves, a SAM splint, an Israeli bandage, saline spray, a vented chest seal (guns abound out here), duct tape, and some z-fold gauze. I packed it all into an old med-kit fanny pack I had from back in college when I was on the CERT.

As for placement, while I like the passenger kickboard placement best a la @Rock Lobster, my beloved felt like that was encroaching on her space, so I put some hook and loop onto the bag and stashed it between the rear jump seats.

 

https://www.preppingdeals.net/deals...ps-free-2-pack-emergency-wound-closure-strips

Good deal on some of those wound closures I've seen mentioned in this thread! Picked up a few myself

 

Surprised more people havent recommended the MyMedic kits. That's what I was looking at getting. Plus you can use your HSA/FSA money on them.

 

Interesting point about HSA $$. I selected a plan through work with $500 HSA (incremental through the year). And I probably could have used it last year when building my kit. A bit late to do it now ... would have to throw away a perfectly useful medical kit. Though I may add the larger would closures in post #18.

All this for something you hope you never need anytime.