Building a proper first aid kit

[Lorgar]

I've been sporadically looking for a first aid kit for a while but am yet to buy one as all the kits I can find for sale online are basically useless.

Other than a few exceptions which include scissors or a maybe a scalpel, they're all essentially a collection of more band-aids than you could ever use.

The larger kits don't get more comprehensive either, they just add more band-aids or similar items, e.g. one 300 piece kit on eBay at the moment has 50x band-aids, 100x junior band-aids (whatever the difference is ) 50x large band-aids... and so on. How many bloody band aids do you need?

They'll cover up more boo-boos than you're going to get in a lifetime - stuff that could happily (IMO) go untreated for a few days - but in the event you sustain an injury that requires actual aid there is nothing of use in them.

So, I'm going to go to a proper medical supply place and make my own.

My thinking and requirements are this:

I don't want to bloat the kit out to cover every possible little thing, I just want a small, effective kit that's of real use in the event of a serious injury e.g. broken bone, major laceration/bleeding etc

Between weekend getaways and the occasional major road trip I can be in places that have no phone reception, where the closest town could be several hundred km away, and where it could be four-wheel-drive only access for a considerable amount of the journey out; so no way to call for help, and no chance of a good samaritan stumbling by and helping.

I don't need too many of each thing either, in the event of someone sustaining a significant injury the idea is to have enough in the kit to apply some meaningful treatment/relief and get home, and the kit could be replenished after.

Here's what I have on the list so far and some quantity guides; it includes a few of the basics for minor things, but I'm talking quantities like 1 pack of band-aids, not a carton etc.

• Band-aids - 20 pieces, variety of sizes.
• Dressings/gauze - 10 pieces, variety of sizes.
• Bandages - 5 conforming, variety of sizes.
• Bandages - 2 triangular, for slings.
• Splinter probes - 5.
• Adhesive tape - 1 roll.
• Butterfly clips - 1 pack.
• Gloves - 2 pairs.
• Saline wash.
• Burn cream.
• Splits - 2 of something like the Flex-All Roll Splints (If you haven't seen these they seem pretty clever, it's like a foam patch that rolls up one way to be compact, but when you curl it down the length like you do around a limb it goes rigid as works as a splint. Google it.)
• Basic tools - Scalpel, scissors, tweezers, forceps.
• Skin stapler and staple remover - I haven't used one of these but I figure it's a better addition than sutures and stitches; easier to apply on people who can't sit still for stitches or on yourself on tricky angles/spots. I've given myself stitches before and it sucks
• Something to address clotting? Don't know my options here.

<edit>
Added to the list from forum suggestions

• Appropriate skin glue
• Painkillers
• Tourniquets
• Betadine / antiseptic
• Safety pins

</edit>

I think I'm pretty close but just wondering if anything has slipped my mind. And any info on addressing serious bleeding and clotting it would be handy if anyone's in the know.

[Daddybang]

3× compression bandages( essential for snake bite)
Superglue
And a pair of closing circlip pliers ( wrap a bandaid around the points and use a rock and rubber band to hold it closed ya got arterial clamps!!)
Thick rubber bands
And quickclot not sure where to get it !!!

[brett1868]

Nurofen, Panadol, Super Glue, Leatherman, Latex tubing, Matches, Solar Blanket, Sulphur powder, Alcohol wipes are all that comes to mind. I believe there's a "Major Trauma" kit on the market that could be purchased then add the missing bits on your list.

[bladeracer]

I've never tried to list what is in my FAK but it's fairly complete.
Quikclot is worth having and takes up bugger all room (I ordered it from France).
Mine is all packed into a bumbag but I've just ordered a pair of molle pouches to replace it and make it more compact. When they arrive I'll have to transfer everything across so I can make a list then.
I'd like to find room for an oxygen bottle and defibrillator as well

[juststarting]

If you are serious about it, go to your GP and say what you've written here. Preventative medicine is a thing. Ask for antibiotics (if you're gone for a while), your GP will decide which ones. And, probably endone or similar.

Also worth knowing the difference between paracetamol (Panadol) and ibuprofen (Nurofen). It's worth having all three.

Consider a tampon and a sanitary pad. One to stop the bleeding, one to contain it.

Also, burn gause and elastic bandage.

Rest you seem to have under control.

I generally have a larger kit in the car and a small vacuum sealed bag with immediate requirements on me (pain killers, elastic bandage, leukoplast, pad, tampon - yes, both for heavy bleeding management, but not limited to only one cavity lol).

[Oldbloke]

Lorgar, why not just have a good look in the first aid box at work. That should be a good guide.
If you want a first aid box list just pm me.

[darwindingo]

Regarding the super glue, its worth mentioning the idea is to stick the epidermal layer only.. Not deep inside the wound... It can be difficult to see where it is applied, this is why I prefer Vetbond as it contains a dye that makes it easy to see where it has been applied.. Although it is more expensive, but not as expensive as say Dermabond..

[AusTac]

When i can make holes i carry gear to patch holes,

Minimum list for me is

Gloves
Chest seals x 2
tourniquet
Quickclot
Some sort of bandage either an olaes or israeli
And in sunmer a full 3m pressure bandage

I don't carry stuff i don't know how to use ( not aimed at anyone ) or stuff that i can't quickly improvise like a splint

Thats my firearms specific kit, have all different kits made up, the one in the car is a major hemorrhage + more general stuff, like bandaids, a variety of gauzes, dressings, some meds like immodium, hayfever, basic panadol best thing is training however, alot can be improvised

[juststarting]

Whaaa? No chest darts?

Training is interesting... I've done some training, but in the moment, most of that goes out the window (popping that cherry so to speak). You either react instinctively or bleed out or go into shock and then bleed out or, probably the most realistic scenario (since you're not going to be managing your own holes) have someone else go into shock and then end up with their puke all over yourself. And that special kind of sticky crusty feeling all over, when you're covered in blood, mmmmm, unforgettable. Good times. Suddenly you don't know what's what and why everything you touch is crusty brown and who is bleeding, because you distinctly remember it wasn't you, but it's all kinda loud and you are covered in blood and not even sure now if it's not you. I think training is great, but it needs to be continuous to the point of instinctive, not - oh I've done a course or two, 15 years ago (I have done a course or two 15 years ago, forgot everything). I am pretty sure nobody here does that. Unless that's the case, it's all child's play.

p.s.
Ibuprofen with Paracetamol chaser, fixes everything. Always have a strip of each. If that's not working, you're probably dead.

[Gwion]

Been wanting to do a wilderness firstaid course for years. Might make a point of it this coming year.

My back country first aid kit is very simple:
- 1/2 doz steri gloves
- steri wipes
- 2× compression banages
- small pack of gauze
- elastoplast
- antiseptic cream

Can patch up most things, big & small, with that set up. Mind you, most of the time I'm out fishing. If i was hunting I'd carry tampons and maxi pads as well.
Best first aid is to be sensible and don't get hurt in the first place. I cringe at some of the unnecessary risks i used to take while out bush alone in my 20s. Some people never grow out of it. I still test myself from time to time but not when i am far from help and by myself.
Edit: oh yeah... small injuries can cause big issues if left untreated in the wrong environment. Don't discount them, especially if you are out for an extended period.

[marksman]

I recommend salt in your kit for getting leaches off
I pinch them from Maccas cheap as

[Oldbloke]

I recommend salt in your kit for getting leaches off
I pinch them from Maccas cheap as

Yeah, good idea.

[Bigjobss]

I recommend salt in your kit for getting leaches off
I pinch them from Maccas cheap as

Would that also work on mates that leach beer and cartridges?

[darwindingo]

Salt does the job , but burning the kents off gives me more satisfaction...

[juststarting]

[bladeracer]

I haven't heard of the blood clotting stuff before. There is no way I would give it to someone though. You might cause them to have a stroke and die.

Clotting agents are absolute last resort, meaning your patient is definitely going to die from blood loss unless you can stop it. You would never throw it into a less-than-fatal wound.

[Zarrs]

Don't get quick clot its really bad, surgons hate the stuff and want it banned. The only thing close to that I would use and have used before is medical grade glue its not cheap. Super glue kinda does the same thing as medical glue so I have that in all my kits.

Match your kit to what you are doing and dont have anything in it you arnt trained or have researched how to use.

You want a snake bite kit you can buy them pre made but its cheaper to make your own and make sure you have a first aid book in every kit. You can get small ones and they are worth every penny. I still have the ones I was issued in the military and I've used them several times. Also keep in mind that you might be a first aid wiz but the person giving you first aid may not be.

As far as meds go you want stuff to help you s**t, stop you s**ting, meds to stop the stomac cramps, and pain killers you can see where I'm going with this. I also like to put small straws full of powder Gatorade in my kits as well.

Israeli Bandage/dressing are amazing as well but they arnt cheap.

Small torch and lighter in every kit

[Lorgar]

Added a few I missed, good stuff

[Norton]

I haven't heard of the blood clotting stuff before. There is no way I would give it to someone though. You might cause them to have a stroke and die. I agree with the comment on not doing something I didn't know how to do as well.

If you don't know anything about it how are you making the leap to it causing someone a stroke and killing them?

Tone down the drama a bit

You know you apply it to a wound, you're not injecting something into the bloodstream etc.

[Norton]

Yeah it's applied externally

[Gormanchov]

The quick clot he’s talking about is the probably the bandage impregnated with kaolin, look up the videos on its use. Warning it’s pretty bloody but very impressive.

[holden4th]

What you put in your First Aid kit should reflect both your experience and your knowledge. You also have to think about what you are legally able to do to another person, especially if that person is unconscious.

I was a paramedic at one stage and our first aid kits beggared belief. However, we were trained to use them effectively. Most people have only basic training and their kits should reflect this.

So what do we want to do with our kits. The majority of incidents involve bleeding of some kind and that can require something as simple as a bandaid or something larger to stem major blood flow. (BTW,this should almost never include a tourniquet - there is one excepetion here). Snake bite is another consideration and compression bandages should always be included.

Other bandages could include slings to help immobilise a compromised limb but yet again, you have to know how to use them.

Saline solution for washing out wounds (especially those involving eyes) is something that everyone can use.

As a first aider, is it really your responsibility to a remove foreign object with the likes of tweezers? (I saw forceps mentioned and shuddered) or should that be left to the medical professionals.

I saw clotting compounds mentioned. Unless you are a haemophiliac, your blood has it's own clotting compounds which respond to contact with air. Compressing the wound is the way to go and let nature take its course. This applies to arterial bleeds as well.

The best First Aid kit is knowledge! Make sure you keep up to date with current first aid procedures.

[Lorgar]

In a typical setting I'd agree with much of what you've said there holden4th, but I think you've missed the point.

As outlined in my original post, the purpose of my would-be kit is to provide a degree of aid for a serious injury when literally no alternative is available, either due to distance, accessibility, no communication, or some combination of all three.

If help was 10 minutes down the road and a phone call away, that would be the first action, obviously.

For the record, I have no illusions about being a paramedic, doctor, or any other variety of medical "expert". My experience and knowledge extend only as far as being an intelligent, rational guy who can act in that fashion and render what aid I reasonably can until a better alternative can be reached, however long that might take.

[Oldbloke]

I have followed this with some interest. Just wondering if we are about to be attacked by the yellow hords?
All seems way over the top for a hunting trip.

[albat]

If you go places off the grid lorgar the first $250 bucks you spend on a bit of medical kit should be on a plb imho ,and dont forget to update your travel itenery with amsa.gov.au every time you go bush

[Daddybang]

If you go places off the grid lorgar the first $250 bucks you spend on a bit of medical kit should be on a plb imho ,and dont forget to update your travel itenery with amsa.gov.au every time you go bush

I agree that a plb is an essential itrm when going bush but it can still be hours or more(depending on many factors) before help arrives

I have followed this with some interest. Just wondering if we are about to be attacked by the yellow hords?
All seems way over the top for a hunting trip.

Op not really looking at simple hunting trips but those occasions when ya in the middle of nowhere with any sort of help being a long long way off and having sh@t go badly wrong.

[tom604]

are you going to carry it /short walks/all day or car based ,, just a "get me back to the car one will be pretty basic while a car one you can have all the bells and whistles, my walk around kit has bandaids, panamax, two large wound, one small wound,one roll of crepe bandage. i always carry a roll of electrical tape for the muzzle and for when the bandaids wont cut it, plus gloves that i use on what i shoot ,double use if your out and about all you need to carry is enough to get you back to the car

[Lorgar]

I have followed this with some interest. Just wondering if we are about to be attacked by the yellow hords?
All seems way over the top for a hunting trip.

Op not really looking at simple hunting trips but those occasions when ya in the middle of nowhere with any sort of help being a long long way off and having sh@t go badly wrong.

Yup... I don't know how to explain this any clearer than I already have so might have to leave you puzzled OB

[Lorgar]

are you going to carry it /short walks/all day or car based ,, just a "get me back to the car one will be pretty basic while a car one you can have all the bells and whistles

This will be vehicle based. No carry kit.

[bladeracer]

if your out and about all you need to carry is enough to get you back to the car

That's assuming you can still move around.
Even a badly twisted ankle can make it almost impossible to return to your vehicle in some terrain.