What is in your first aid kit?

[mvangaasbeck]

Hello! I am starting this thread to get others opinions on what you bring in your pack first aid wise? I used to never carry any first aid supplies, but working in healthcare for the last few years ive seen that a lot can actually happen when youre outdoors.Ill post a comment of what is currently in my backpack first aid kit, and Im interested in what YOU carry, and why?

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I currently have:

4x4 gauze pads
gauze roll
alcohol wipes
tape
ACE bandage (had terrible inner thigh chafing in the backcountry last year and rolled my upper thighs with it to finish the hunt, worked great!)
handful of bandaids
triple antibiotic ointment
Israeli bandage
skin affix (skin glue)
Syringe and a 22g needle for irrigation/drainage
CAT tourniquet
benedryl
Tylenol PM

 

[tlkaetz]

Everythings Packs into a VERY small Loksack Bag.

4x Imodium
4x Advil
4x Benedryl
4x Tylenol
2x Single Neosporin Packs
3x Single Alcohol Wipe
4x 3" Bandaids
12x Steri-Strips
1x 4x4 gauze pad
6x Aquatabs
Super Glue
Small Roll of Duct Tape
Small Roll of Leukotape
Small Bic Lighter


I am not a Doctor, Nurse, EMT and am by no means trying to give any medical advice regarding first aid. This is just what I carry in my personal kit. I did think the ELK101 guys had a great idea using a synthetic game bag for the medical situation they had this year.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I've gone back and forth with a designated first aid kit, and decided to merge mine with my gear repair kit. There is some overlap, so I simplified my life. Mine contains:

Benadryl
Advil
Immodium
Tums
1 roll CoFlex or Vet Wrap
about a dozen bandaids, the good kind, like the nexcare waterproof ones
Tweezers
2 safety pins
Leukotape
Some gorilla tape around a mini bic lighter
Tenacious tape
super glue
Chapstick
Aquaphor- This is for diaper rash in babies, but a squirt of this into a ziplock sandwich baggie can save you from some extreme chaffing situations

the DIY in me thinks this is pretty cool... I take the last couple of inches off of an old Bic pen, chuck it into my drill, and spin on a bunch of Spiderwire fishing line. Then I toss a few needles inside, and cap both ends. Presto! sewing kit.

 

[snowplow]

Ine is more like a military blow out kit. I figure 'what injury would kill me out here' and only plan for that. I can live without my hello kitty band-aids.

(2) Israeli Bandages (pass through gun shot, fall on arrow, etc)

(1) SWAT-T tourniquet (rubber kind, can be used for all sorts of things)

(1) Quickclot combat Z fold gauze

I vacuum pack this with a small sharpie marker in a seal a meal bag.

I would love to trim this down and almost have many times but havent. I would love to learn how.

I always carry duct tape and super glue in my possibles kit.

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[wseidel]

Like Snowplow, I prepared three kits this past year for emergency situations - primarily life threatening situations caused by firearms/arrows/knives. Two went into each of our vehicles (larger, upgraded kits in case we happen upon a bad accident) and one I carry with me whenever I'm in the woods that is somewhat smaller and lightweight. I package them in Vanquest small packs (4x6 and 5x8, as I recall) so I have no excuse for not having them with me. They are modeled after a military IFAK for those of you with military experience. I tried uploading photos but was unsuccessful so contact me if you'd like me to email you a photo (I'll try and figure out how to load a photo in the meantime). Though I'm comfortable with my kit, I need more instruction on how to use each item effectively at a time when seconds matter. Note: I do carry a separate "survival" kit that has stormproof matches, extra headlamp, batteries, 550 cord, wire, whistle, emergency blanket, extra compass, plastic gloves, meds, electrical tape, band-aids and...wait for it...toilet paper! (weight - 2# - need to work on that!). Hope this helps...

First Aid Kit Contents (weight - 1.25#):
Scissors
Knife
Cat Tourniquet w/marker
6" Israeli Bandage
Antibiotic ointment
Band Aids
Alcohol Prep Pads
Insect Sting/Bite Pads
Aspirin/Ibuprofen/NSAIDS
Cough Drops
Cloth Tape
2 pair gloves
Safety pin
Gauze
Triangular Bandage
CEL+X Rapid (z-folded gauze with Chito-R)
Super Glue

 

[mcseal2]

Mine is pretty much mixed in with my possibles kit. My pack contains other items like chapstick too. I also cut a roll of blue shop towels in half (makes it the width of toilet paper) and put 5 or 6 rolls of shop towels 5ft long into a quart ziplock. This is intended to be toilet paper but has plenty of other uses.

DSK 7-22-18 (23.3oz total)
Contained in Granite Gear zipper pouch, qt ziplock in pouch for small items:

Medical
-2 gauze pads 3”x3”
-2 Band-aids 1lg, 1 small
-1 Israeli bandage 6”
-packaged suture 1 small
-Neosporin small tube

Multi-purpose
-Adventure Medical space blanket 96“x60“
-Gorilla superglue single use tube
-partial roll Tenacious Tape
-trotline cord 10yds 142lb green
-50ft 1.9mm paracord

Repair
-3 6” zip ties
-2 repair needles (one curved, one straight)
-6 safety pins (2XL, 2med, 2 small)

Emergency/Survival (1.2oz in small ziplock)
-12 fish hooks med to small (in tape with braided line wrapped around them)
-30ft 80lb braided Power Pro line
-3 nylon coated cable fishing leaders 12”
-9 36” 45lb cable fishing leaders converted into snares (have taken game to rabbit size with them)

Fire
-4 wetfire cubes
-1 Mentos bottle filled with Vaseline soaked cotton balls
-mini Bic lighter
-Light my Fire firesteel and striker

Misc
-Petzl E-Lite in hard case, 4 CR2032 batteries
-lens cloth
-Danner boot lace (boot laces run through eyelets way easier than paracord)
-Silva compass
-10 aquapure tabs (1/qt of water, 30 minutes)
-Benchmade tactical carbide sharpener (tiny .5oz carbide sharpener)

My bino harness has a Benchmade Altitude, Fenix 1AAA flashlight, and a mini bic lighter so I have that much always with me and not in my pack. Sometimes I add a quart ziplock, wetfire cube, and 4 aquamira tablets but not always.

The vehicle no matter if it's the truck, boat, or UTV always had a more complete kit than what I pack with me. I don't always want all the weight on my person but I want it as close as I can have it without carrying it.

 

[woodson]

CAT (Tourniquet)
Israeli Dressing
ABD
Quik Clot sponge dressing
3-0 Vicryl and 4-0 Monocryl and a peel-pack needle driver and forceps
Chlorhexadine prep stick and Povidone-iodine swabs
Gauze roll
alcohol wipes
tape
ACE bandage
triple antibiotic ointment
Dermabond
Tylenol
Ibuprofen
Imodium
Salt tablets
Benadryl

 

[Desk Jockey]

Sow good info here.

Only thing I would say to add is tweezers and a scalpel blade in case you need to remove a splinter.

My other thought to offer is my kit is broken into two parts. Part one is a bleeder kit. Out side / top pocket of my pack or in a pouch on the outside is a CAT, an iz bandage and a couple of quick clot sponges. The rest is inside in a booboo kit in my possibles pouch.

Blowout gear buried deep in your pack is a bad idea. Ask me how I know.

 

[snowplow]

Sow good info here.

Only thing I would say to add is tweezers and a scalpel blade in case you need to remove a splinter.

My other thought to offer is my kit is broken into two parts. Part one is a bleeder kit. Out side / top pocket of my pack or in a pouch on the outside is a CAT, an iz bandage and a couple of quick clot sponges. The rest is inside in a booboo kit in my possibles pouch.

Blowout gear buried deep in your pack is a bad idea. Ask me how I know.

This is a great point. One thing I could add is I said above that I vacuum pack it in a seal a meal bag. This keeps it dry and structured. Also you can turn the seal a meal bag inside out and Sharpie a big red cross on the inside so when it is all done it is easily identifiable if anybody else is rummaging through your pack and it won't wear off well it's rattling around inside a backpack since it's drawn on the inside of the bag. And you can cut a slit on all four corners so you can easily tear it open even with No Hands and Teeth if you need to.

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[Beckjhong]

My principles:

Stop the bleeding:
Tourniquet
Pressure dressing
Chest seal

Those rocks are sharp:
2-5 small bandaids
Irrigation syringe
Iodine tablets
Benzoine
Steri-strips
Ace wrap
Tape
Tweezers

Drugs:
Ibuprofen and Tylenol
Pepto Bismol
Immodium

I wouldn’t sew myself up in the backcountry. At the most, I would use steristrips to intermittently close a wound. The idea of sewing a dirty wound shut is a bad idea. The tourniquet or pressure dressing should stop the bleeding, steri strips can manage the wound. I would mix iodine tablets in water and use that mixture to irrigate the wound. PSI is the key in cleaning a wound; as long as the water is clean. My goal is to get myself back to the truck if things go badly, not to provide prolonged field care.

6 yrs EMT, 6 yrs medic, currently PA in trauma surgery.

This is not medical advice and if you have medical concerns you should talk with your provider or receive formal medical training.


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[MTForester]

-Duct tape
-6 Advil
-2 Benadryl

Have been thinking about adding a Quickclot type product to the list.

 

[Codyk315]

I believe that the Elk 101 article gives some good additions to anyone's first-aid kit. Does everyone run a first aid kit and an emergency kit separate or do you combine them? IE survival space blanket, waterproof matches, emergency fire starter, etc.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I believe that the Elk 101 article gives some good additions to anyone's first-aid kit. Does everyone run a first aid kit and an emergency kit separate or do you combine them? IE survival space blanket, waterproof matches, emergency fire starter, etc.

Separate.

I have an emergency kit in a pants pocket and then further layers of stuff in bino harness and anything else in the pack with some redundancy between the pants kit and the pack kit. If I leave my pack somewhere I still have some basics but if I get separated from my pants then I am SOL.

Bleeder kit is easy access in pack or on the outside. Booboo kit inside.

 

[mcseal2]

Mine are in the same zipper pouch inside my main pack. I understand the philosophy behind having them together though.

 

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

I need to make one.


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[Tailz190]

Separate.

I have an emergency kit in a pants pocket and then further layers of stuff in bino harness and anything else in the pack with some redundancy between the pants kit and the pack kit. If I leave my pack somewhere I still have some basics but if I get separated from my pants then I am SOL.

Bleeder kit is easy access in pack or on the outside. Booboo kit inside.

Desk jockey what do you include in your emergency kit in your pants pocket?


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[Joseph08]

My first aid kit includes:
• plasters in a variety of different sizes and shapes
• gauze dressings
• sterile eye dressings
• safety pins
• disposable sterile gloves
• tweezers
• scissors
• alcohol-free cleansing wipes
• sticky tape
• antiseptic cream
• painkillers
• antihistamine cream or tablets
• distilled water for cleaning wounds
• eye wash and eye bath

 

[Chico103]

I keep it simple. A SWAT-T and Quickclot on me in the field for life threatening injuries and the other creature comfort stuff like painkillers and regular bandages in camp.


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[bnoble318]

Tagged. Great thread.

 

[rbljack]

last year I started cutting down on the first aid items, but then I watched the elk 101 series and decided to take a different approach. I took out some of the band aid crap, and I have a boo boo stuff....and went with the first aid for a serious injury. I keep a dedicated first aid kit, and keep survival items in a separate location. The first aid is strictly that, and its always going to be stored in my exterior medium belt pocket on my pack. There are two items in that pocket actually, and they are both for emergency. the other item is the extra TP!! LOL.

And the adds I am making to the first aid are exactly the items cory and Donny talked about. I added the zip bandage strip, the SWAT T, and the quickclot. I already had a few other gauze packages, plus the other typical first aid stuff. Oh, the other important add I made in the fall was leuko tape. SO glad I added that because I had an accident with the folding saw while cutting firewood and found my thumb! Bled pretty good, but let me tell ya...once I bandaged it up with that leuko tape...that crap stayed on the whole week. It didn't come off until after my drive home. Pretty good stuff, don't leave home without some!!