Which first aid kit?

[analog_peninsula]

I've seen a number of people suggest that a good first aid kit is an absolutely mandatory piece of equipment. What kit do you choose to carry, and how do you balance size/weight versus capability?

 

[mdwest]

I build my own…

For me it’s a balance of “boo boo” and trauma tools…

Simple band aids, ointment, tweezers, etc etc for the little nicks and scratches, etc… and a quality tourniquet, clotting agent, gauze, shears, steri strips, etc for the more serious stuff…

I keep a small kit in every glove box of every vehicle to include my side by side and boat… I keep one in my hunting pack and in my “bail out bag” that is stored under the back seat of my truck… I also keep one under the cabinet in my master bathroom…

I also keep a much larger medics bag in my closet…

North American Rescue has been an industry leader for decades… if you don’t want to build your own, take a look at the variety of IFAKs that they offer… they are generally very well thought out and they only use high quality supplies… you won’t get junk from NAR

Tactical Medical Kits | North American Rescue

Tactical Medical Kits

www.narescue.com

 

[pilar]

I build my own…

For me it’s a balance of “boo boo” and trauma tools…

Simple band aids, ointment, tweezers, etc etc for the little nicks and scratches, etc… and a quality tourniquet, clotting agent, gauze, shears, steri strips, etc for the more serious stuff…

I keep a small kit in every glove box of every vehicle to include my side by side and boat… I keep one in my hunting pack and in my “bail out bag” that is stored under the back seat of my truck… I also keep one under the cabinet in my master bathroom…

I also keep a much larger medics bag in my closet…

North American Rescue has been an industry leader for decades… if you don’t want to build your own, take a look at the variety of IFAKs that they offer… they are generally very well thought out and they only use high quality supplies… you won’t get junk from NAR

Tactical Medical Kits | North American Rescue

Tactical Medical Kits

www.narescue.com

I do the same thing a small basic one in every vehicles & suitcase ( found on sale at Walmart $7 a set ) then I have a full kit I carry in my truck ( eye wash & much much more ) I would suggest when in a foreign environment take a special eye wash kit .
And a suture kit with tape and super glue

 

[Sabre]

I've seen a number of people suggest that a good first aid kit is an absolutely mandatory piece of equipment. What kit do you choose to carry, and how do you balance size/weight versus capability?

If you want the most bang for your buck as far as price, weight, and life saving ability, carry a CAT tourniquet.

 

[farmer_john]

I've seen a number of people suggest that a good first aid kit is an absolutely mandatory piece of equipment. What kit do you choose to carry, and how do you balance size/weight versus capability?

What is your hypothetical mission parameters?

That will determine what im lugging around.

 

[analog_peninsula]

I've never needed one, though I've twice been witness to hunting accidents, one minor, the other not so minor. The first was simply someone nicking themselves when cleaning a hog. The cut was hardly life threatening but it definitely required stitches. The other was when a hand was shattered by a brass case blowing out the back of an open receiver. Not much to do on that one other than to get the injured party to a doctor as quickly as possible. In the context of my question, there would be two possible scenarios, the first being that of a traveling hunter, so I'd be restricted to something modest added to my day pack. The second scenario would be hunting here in the US, where I might have a kit in my vehicle. Does that make sense?

 

[mdwest]

Google IFAK… that’s what you’re looking for.. small, compact, lightweight… built for trauma…

Add in some small boo-boo products… a few band aids, some burn cream.. a set of tweezers, etc…

Small enough to fit in a pack easily… or a glove box.. etc…

It’s limitation is you’re likely only going to treat one person with it… yourself… or someone else…

But it’s designed to let you apply emergency aid for anything from a broken bone to a gunshot wound to a severe burn to a major laceration… and if you add the boo boo goods you’ll be able to also deal with small cuts, burns, etc etc…

 

[RedTag]

The pre made kits vary considerably in quality. I made my own first aid and emergency kit. Everything fits in a 4”x6”x7” airtight and water resistant plastic box, weighing exactly 2 pounds. Includes: assorted bandages, gauze pads, butterfly closures, a small flat thermometer, lancet and splinter removers, cpr mask, 2 epipens, antibiotic ointment, burn ointment, wound wipes, hand sanitizer, anti diarrhea medicine, day quil (acetaminophen), ibuprofen, aspirin, sunscreen, q-tips, ballistol wipes, space blanket and poncho, waterproof fire sticks, bic lighter, waterproof matches, flint and steel (you could say that I like redundancy in my fire starting kit), water purification tablets, fingernail clippers, several nitrile gloves, a good compass, a Swiss Champ knife w/33 tools including scissors and pliers, and of course a very loud storm whistle. This kit fits neatly in the day bag.

 

[mdwest]

Nice kit.

I’d recommend throwing a clotting agent and a tourniquet in there… but otherwise that kit is capable of handling most boo boos and most light trauma well…

If you don’t want the high cost of something like quick clot, there are some pretty good products out there that are much more affordable these days… you can literally find a couple of options in the Walmart camping section that are under $20…

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Biolife-...mWebSmartBanner&vtcWeb=cfr4y1Pygdzykp0PhBYmuk

They won’t add hardly any additional weight or take up any additional space since they’d be going in your hard box… but those two things would add another dimension to your emergency aid capability…

 

[AZSkibo]

I really like the MyFAK kits but I build my own for my truck as well. Gloves (and lots of them), gauze, vet wrap, CPR kit, quick clot, hemostat’s, trauma shears, tweezers, iodine, saline wash, badaids, cotton packing. These will all hold the dike until help arrives.

 

[Tintin]

2 x snake bandages.

Here they are suitable for a bite from any of our snake species.

Bit different in Africa, where they are effective for neurotoxic bites (e.g., Mamba, Cobra) but generally not for use on cytotoxic bites (e.g., Puff Adder, Spitting Cobra).

Hopefully PH is not the one that is bitten and can offer the right guidance.

 

[NDWoods]

You are getting solid advice,

I personally carry boo-boo kits and stop the bleed trauma kits separately these days. Personal preference, just consider it as an option.

Advice - Whatever you put into your stop the bleed kit, buy an extra of everything and practice with them. Have everyone you hunt with practice, and have your family practice. Tourniquets and Israeli bandages are awesome but not necessarily intuitive or realistic to be applied correctly in a high stress situation with zero experience/practice.

We have some great courses here in N Texas. Search online and also check with your local Fire/EMS guys. They almost always have an instructor or someone who does classes on the side. I arranged for a stop the bleed class for all of our employees and a local EMT was more than happy to lead the class as part of his community outreach. I have since had a local hospital administrator tell me they have an outreach program as well and would love the opportunity to do another class. I am taking them up on it because I feel most people need the annual reinforcement.

I was an Army Medic a LONG time ago so that is some of my bias in advocating for training, but I have also had to take over in an emergency where onlookers completely panicked even with a good kit in front of them.

I congratulate you on being dedicated to being prepared, and wish you all the best.

 

[RSL]

Nice kit.

I’d recommend throwing a clotting agent and a tourniquet in there… but otherwise that kit is capable of handling most boo boos and most light trauma well…

If you don’t want the high cost of something like quick clot, there are some pretty good products out there that are much more affordable these days… you can literally find a couple of options in the Walmart camping section that are under $20…

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Biolife-...mWebSmartBanner&vtcWeb=cfr4y1Pygdzykp0PhBYmuk

They won’t add hardly any additional weight or take up any additional space since they’d be going in your hard box… but those two things would add another dimension to your emergency aid capability…

The US military stopped using QuikClot because of the 2nd degree burns to surrounding skin caused by the ingredient kaolin clay reacting with blood. Celox is a better, safer choice imo. I consider a tourniquet as essential outdoor carry.

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

Kit is important, but the training to recognize the severity of an injury and how to employ the tools in your kit is even more important. Many items can be improvised if you understand the mechanics behind the treatment, but knowledge is tough to improvise even if you have the right tools. The recommendation above to seek out and attend a Stop The Bleed course is a great one. Excellent basic skills to build on. I ran a course with my entire safari camp in Zambia this year (along with courses for PGOAZ and the government Wildlife Police Officer and Game Scout school). It's one thing to train the PH, but IMHO more important to train the staff that are going to be up the tree when the PH get's hammered by the animal he's fishing out.

I have a home-built kit that lives in my vehicle and travels to all shoots/ranges/hunts with me. On a hunt, it lives in my day pack and any staff accompanying me on said hunt is made aware of what and where it is. It's bright red and easy to identify in my pack. Key components are PPE (heavy nitrile gloves), pressure dressings, wound packing (impregnated with hemostatic agent), and two CAT tourniquets. You can build from there. I also like to have chest seals, decompression needles, suture material, and a scalpel and forceps.

 

[Legion]

Don't look for a brand-name kit. Buy the components you understand, put them in a waterproof bag, and force yourself to go through it before every trip. You'll quickly learn what you use, what you don't, and what you're missing. That’s how you find the perfect balance.