Critique my first aid kit.

[Keiichi]

Hi all

I've been putting together a "universal" first aid kit for my needs - home, car, hunting, camping - that I can rely on. I've been really dissatisfied with off the shelf kits; they seem low value for the price, and there's so much extra empty space in them.

The theory behind my choices and compromises is this: Capable of anything from minor scrapes and headaches to a single gun shot wound - not full-on surgery or long-term care but able to preserve a life until more capable medical help arrives, even miles from population (obviously communication capability is necessary to facilitate such an emergency in hunting/backpacking/camping type situations, but that's not first aid kit equipment).

So, here's my list.

Let me know what you think. I'm particularly interested in feedback from those with general medical and/or actual wilderness/outdoors medical experience. What am I missing? Do the counts/sizes look reasonable? Have I included anything that you think isn't worth the space?

[For pictures, I've asked for feedback on KTOG as well, and they host local pics... https://www.thektog.org/threads/hunting-outdoors-car-home-first-aid-kit-what-would-you-add.275320/]

I have the first kit put together in its entirety for my hunting gear, and assuming no major changes will be building three more.

Some notes:
1. I'm currently getting educated on the safe and skillful use of some of these contents. I'm no EMT, but I am competent and want to be able to actually use all of what I prepare.
2. A significant number of items included can only be found in containers of 20 or 50, etc. Planning multiple kits makes the expense tolerable.
3. The specific counts may likely be adjusted at least for the hunting/camping kits, as the container I'm using is 7.5" x 5.5" x 4" (Link here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CPNGF31) and fitting everything inside is a bit of a game of tetris. Hence the <space permitting> notes on a couple of items. Various sized plastic bags help with squeezing the air out and compressing things to fit. Current overall weight is 2lbs 9oz. The original kit listed 230 pcs, but I've got it up to 396 pcs.

Item	Size	Count
Abdominal/stump trauma <space permitting>	N/A	1
Absorbable soucher	2/0	1
Absorbable soucher	3/0	1
Absorbable soucher	4/0	1
Absorbable soucher	5/0	1
Ace wrap <space permitting>	3" x 15'	1
Advil (ibuprophen)	200mg	24
Alcohol pad	N/A	23
Antiseptic pad	N/A	6
Bandaid	Round	10
Bandaid	Finger tip	10
Bandaid	Knuckle	10
Bandaid	Medium	25
Bandaid	Large	25
Bayer (aspirin)	81mg	36
Benzoine swab (bandage adhesive prep)	N/A	4
Chest seal	N/A	2
Cotton ball	Large	8
CPR mask	N/A	1
Disposable tourniquet	N/A	2
Finger condom	Small	4
Finger condom	Medium	4
Finger condom	Large	4
Gauze pad	2" x 2"	8
Gauze pad	3" x 3"	8
Gauze pad	Eye	2
Hemostat	N/A	1
Hydrogen peroxide tube	10ml	1
Iodine swab	N/A	6
Iodine tube	10ml	1
Laminated contents card	N/A	1
Lopromide for diarrhea	2mg	24
Loratadine (allergy)	10mg	30
NaCL cleansing wipe	N/A	6
Neosporin (antibiotic)	0.5 oz tube	1
Nexcare strong hold cloth tape	3/4" x 6 yd	1
Nexcare durable cloth tape	2" x 6 yd	1
Non-absorbable soucher	2/0	1
Non-absorbable soucher	3/0	1
Non-absorbable soucher	4/0	1
Non-absorbable soucher	5/0	1
Qtips	Small	20
Quickclot	3" x 24"	1
Rubber tipped tooth pick	N/A	1
Scissors	N/A	1
Self adhesive wrap	2" x 80"	1
Sterile scalpel	N/A	1
Steri-strip skin closure	1/4" x 3"	5
Steri-strip skin closure	1/2" x 4"	5
Sting relief pad	N/A	7
Tefla non-adhesive gauze	2" x 3"	10
Tefla non-adhesive gauze	3" x 4"	5
Tegaderm windowed bandage	2 3/8" x 2 3/4"	5
Tegaderm windowed bandage	4" x 4 3/4"	5
Tegaderm windowed bandage	6" x 8"	1
Thermal blanket	63" x 82.5"	1
Tweezers	N/A	1
Tylenol (acetaminophen)	500mg	24
Vinyl gloves	Pair	3

[Kenk]

This is such a good idea, I keep a first aid kit in my hunting and range bag, and has proven very useful, E.g. got a nasty slide bite one afternoon while out shooting, and I must say, having this on hand was paramount
Thanks

Ken

[Rooster41]

I am a 14 year paramedic with 9 years Tactical EMS (SWAT Team Medic). At the end I will tell you what I have in my Ouch Pouch.

It is a big list. You don't realize how much room this stuff takes up until you get it all put together.

The abdominal/trauma pad is 5"x9", if you were unsure. Some of this stuff may only be available by prescription. It sounds weird, but oxygen is a prescription medication. The sutures Im pretty sure are only available by prescription. I did see suture "practice kits" on amazon but it did state "not for clinical use".  But I have never went out and looked for sutures, so I may be wrong.

Chest seals I would recommend the Halo Seals. They come in packs of two. Designed for entrance and exit wounds so both can be sealed. I carried these on the SWAT team. Thankfully never had to use them. The package might be a little big for your container. Ascherman chest seals are the only other type I have had experience with. Outside of training I have never had to use one.

I would ditch the ace wrap and go with coban. Coban is self adhesive. Whether you are securing a bandage or splint in place this is the stuff to use.  This is better than messing around with those two metal clips. I would also add SAM Splint. They are small, light and don't take up much space.

Tourniquet I would recommend is the CAT tourniquet. Easy to use, but spendy. About $25 each I think.

Trauma shears are cheap but they work good. For work I have the Leatherman Raptor. 

Quickclot is a good thing to have. 

CPR Mask: If you want. American Heart Association is teaching "Hands Only" CPR and focusing more on circulation than breathing.

Iodine: I would ditch the tube of iodine and just go with the Povidone Iodine swabs. They are packaged as two swabs each. They way you would use the liquid would be to put it on a gauze pad. With swabs you dont have to.

Three things I would add if you have room. Pulse Oximeter to monitor pulse and oxygen levels. Blood pressure cuff w/ stethoscope attached for obvious reasons. Check with your local EMS service to see if they would teach you how to use it, but its really not that tough. Lastly a pen light for checking pupils. Your probably wondering why you would need this. In there area I work, when you call 911 it is answered by the Sheriff's Office. They transfer the call to my dispatcher (Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN). Those dispatchers are Emergency Medical Dispatchers and will ask you a ton of questions to rely the info to responding medics. If you have the pulse rate, O2 levels and blood pressure it will give me a baseline of the patient. The pen light is used for checking pupils. Learn the signs of shock. I wouldn't expect you to know the difference between hypovolemic, spinal or cardiogenic shock, but knowing signs and symptoms and relaying that info to the dispatcher is huge. If your interested, look at ITLS or PHTLS books. These are trauma text books.

In my kit when I travel is the following:

Littman Cardiology III Stethoscope
Pulse Oximeter (picked up on amazon for $15)
Blood Pressure Cuff
Leatherman Raptor
5x9 Abdominal Pad x2
4x4 Gauze pad x4
Coban X2
Sam splint x2
Povidone Iodine swab
Pulse oximeter
Blood pressure cuff
Pen light

IF you have any questions please message me through here or post it on the thread. I would be happy to answer your questions to the best of my ability.

[Keiichi]

Thanks for the great info and insight Rooster41. I really appreciate it - I'm still learning a lot about how to use some of it, but I figure it's better to have it even if I'm not the one actually making use of it. The list is certainly pared down focusing on the backpacking/hunting use-case since that's where the most practical size and weight limitations are. Obviously the larger tools and such make sense to have in the vehicle/home kits.

As of this past week I have everything on my list gathered and organized and with the exception of the abdominal/trauma pad it all fits inside the kit container in that amazon link. Took a bit of tetrising, but the vast majority of the supplies are flat anyway and it's not packed so tight as to damage any of the contents. It's actually kind of surprising how much you can actually fit if it's smartly packed - which is why the off-the-shelf kits are disappointing.

The SAM splint is something I'll add to my list for sure. I wasn't aware these were available.

Nothing on my list has required a prescription, and the vast majority were purchased off Amazon.

Thanks for pointing out that indeed these are "practice" sutures. In your opinion should I go to the effort of getting "official" prescription sutures for my kits, or will these suffice since my use-case is emergency and not full on clinical surgery?

Here's the link to the suture pack I bought FYI: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BHL4BKN

I do have a 3M coban self adhesive wrap in the kit, alongside the ace wrap. Both fit in just fine, wrapped more as a 2" x 5" flat-ish sheet than as a roll. Depending on how bulky the SAM splint is, I might swap it over the ace wrap per your advice if it fits.

I went with the North American Rescue chest seals (Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M9C9BSX), which look to be pretty comparable to the Halo ones.

I'll definitely look into the hardware you suggested as well. I have a few extra pen lights I can work in without any trouble.

[Kenk]

This is such a good idea, as many / most don't think about these things until they are in the middle of nowhere cleaning up a deer and slice a huge gash in their hand, great stuff guys

Ken

[Rooster41]

I think you will be fine. After reading about them it looks like what makes them "practice" is they don't have FDA approval. I thought maybe they weren't sterile or maybe factory seconds. But they look fine. Im not a Dr nor do I have clinical experience with sutures or suturing. Use at your own risk. I think trying to get sutures on "prescription" would be futile.

I would encourage you and anyone wanting to carry medical gear to find a basic first aid course. Depending on where you work, there may be a medical response unit inside the building. Talk with them. They may even pay for you to take a class. Here in MN it is a 40 hour class giving you the certificate of Emergency Medical Responder (aka First Responder). Which comes with other benefits too, for instance Glock Blue Label purchases.

There may also be online first aid courses. The service I work for provides all of my continuing education so I am not 100% sure. But I am currently taking a course called Flight Medical Provider through IA MED which is totally online. When finished I will be able to test for the flight paramedic certification (FP-C). I am hoping to get out of the ground ambulance and board an EMS helicopter or plane. The service I work for has both.

Again, if you have questions please reach out to me. I enjoy helping people to be the best they can. If I didn't hate public speaking so much I would be an instructor.

[Keiichi]

Thanks again for your advice Rooster41, I really appreciate it.

Best of luck with your new certification.

[gnappi]

I have a small cache of band aids, antiseptic, and aspirin, and I always have a few bottles of water handy to flush out a wound or to drink. There was a flask of some bourbon or some such there but some unscrupulous villain drank it.

Kidding about the bourbon, I was born into an Italian family where wine was commonly made by the adults and I never had use for liquior.

[Keiichi]

The post on KTOG was finally made public for anyone interested in seeing the early pictures. I've made a few changes to the card layout for clarity, and to the contents, but it's still a good illustration of just how much can fit in a small-ish kit with careful packing.