Homemade First Aid Kit

[Its Brawnco]

I see a lot of first aid kit ads (e.g. My Medic) come across some of my social media pages and while some of them look nice and appear to be good quality, you can save yourself a significant amount of money my assembling a first aid kit yourself. Plus, I think that by assembling a kit yourself you'll be more familiar with what you have and where it's located, which could save precious seconds in a life and death situation.

I bought this pouch from Amazon for $15 and filled it with $30 worth of purchased medical supplies and other supplies I already had on-hand. This Bleeding Control Kit would be a good place to start if you're going to purchase something. My primary focus of this kit was for road-side emergencies where my response might prolong life until the paramedics/EMTs arrive.

The outside of the pouch has a chemlight (useful to illuminate pouch contents when dark out), trauma shears, and a seat-belt cutter/window punch. The pouch is velcro backed, so that it can be torn away from where it is molle strap mounted to my tailgate and be carried with me to the accident scene.

Opening up the pouch, on the right side are most of my bleeding control supplies. Gloves, combat/trauma dressings and multiple different sizes of gauze pads. QuickClot can be good to have, just keep in mind it does have an expiration date:

The center pocket has a mix of emergent/non-emergent supplies. A tourniquet, pocket knife, Neosporin, ace bandage, moleskin, tape, and a space blanket. I have a cold pack that I need to replace to go in this section as well:

The left side has almost all non-emergent supplies. Bandaids, burn cream, insect sting wipes, poison ivy wipe, antiseptic wipes, aspirin, ibuprofen, and electrolyte mix, safety pins, and a CPR face mask:

I keep this kit strapped to my tailgate table molle panel, next to my 3lb ABC fire extinguisher. I think my tourniquet, combat dressings, and seatbelt cutter/window punch are probably my most important 3 items. I'd be interested to see what others keep in their rigs and if there's anything I'm missing.

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[SubmarineNuke]

I’ve often done the same. Sometimes I’ll buy a pre built kit and add things to it myself. Always add more gloves, and I carry a RATS tourniquet in mine.

I hate that advertisers will tell you “200 pieces”, then fill it with fluff like 5 different sized bandaids at 20 each and count every one as a separate piece.

 

[Jeff_Bronco]

Great list

 

[Jmo0311]

The most important part of a first aid kit. Is to know how to use everything in it properly. A tourniquet is a great tool, but useless if not placed or tightened properly.

 

[PG1o1]

I would flip that Lum stick around. You don't want the 1st Sgt chasing you down and shoving it down your throat! lol

 

[sjp]

The most important part of a first aid kit. Is to know how to use everything in it properly. A tourniquet is a great tool, but useless if not placed or tightened properly.

My first thought too. Get some training. I was an EMT many years ago (in the 1980s) and though my certification expired long ago, I take Wilderness First Aid through NOLS every three years or so. I just took it again last summer, in fact. Unless you use your training on a consistent basis, you need to retrain often. You do not want to apply a tourniquet - or execute certain other first aid practices - unless you know exactly what you're doing.

I agree with building your own kit though. I built my own until a couple of years ago, when I finally bought a premade one. I add supplies to it as needed, for the trip (e.g., water purification tablets for long hikes where water might be a problem, in case my water filter breaks down). In Colorado, we have something called a CORSAR card that supports search and rescue, and I stick that in there too. I also include my own personal info such as height, weight, gender, etc. so that if I'm injured, anyone who finds me and knows to look in my first aid kit for any meds that I'm on can find it and pass it on to SAR.

 

[ColoradoKid26]

This is a good thread with great ideas.
People should be squared away for sure in the back country.

MyMedic is GTG and is good kit.

 

[Fly by Nite]

Great topic.
I'm not an EMT nor am I trained.
I had some FSA money to spend so just went with the full kit like this one for about $50.
It's a trauma kit with Tourniquet, Israeli bandage and SAW roll. Small items like band aids were added later.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFW4WJ...colid=37RXR3ZCPXEE1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

What do you guys think about adding a SAM Splint roll to your kit? Get some elastic bandages too.

https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Spli...cphy=1024674&hvtargid=pla-1645039091979&psc=1

I also picked up a couple of LifeStraws to purify/drink water. Tweezers for splinters.
I made up a couple similar kits for the shop and one to take with when I'm out in the woods cutting firewood.

 

[sjp]

Tweezers for splinters.

And for cactus spines and ticks.

 

[604Bronco]

Great write-up, and an important reminder.

People need to remember that some items do expire, so maybe set an annual calendar reminder to review the contents.

 

[RagingBulldog]

I would add it’s a good idea to have an “ouch pouch” and a true trauma kit. One is for cuts, bites, stings, headaches, pepto, etc. The trauma kit is for true emergencies like open fractures, crush injuries, gunshot wounds, etc.

 

[Ground_zero298]

I use these ones. Already setup for the lazy. Real nice kit. I also carry a defib, de chocker, narcan, and 2 epi pens. My broncos being geared as a support vehicle.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07CQ8JVC7?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[Havoc1]

You also need a sharpie in that kit, or at least something to write the time and location of the tourniquet if applied. I always see people get the tourniquet but not know how to use it properly or know about writing the time down, typically on the forehead in 24hr format.

 

[SubmarineNuke]

You also need a sharpie in that kit, or at least something to write the time and location of the tourniquet if applied. I always see people get the tourniquet but not know how to use it properly or know about writing the time down, typically on the forehead in 24hr format.

Dating myself here: we used to just say use the victims blood. If there’s a need for a tourniquet, there’s enough blood

 

[Its Brawnco]

Dating myself here: we used to just say use the victims blood. If there’s a need for a tourniquet, there’s enough blood

Yeah that's what the military taught me, but a sharpie could def come in handy in other situations and won't take up much space.

Great comments on training, and knowing how to use these kits. That is definitely the most important part. Most people don't rise to the occasion, they fall back on training

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