a good first aid kit..

i want to carry around a decent first aid kit in my car. i saw one at walgreens by jhnson and johnson for $15, but it seemed like it was 95% different sized bandaids. not much to treat anything major except a few gauze pads and some tape

who sells a good first aid kit? or do i have to make one myself

ZippyDan said:

i want to carry around a decent first aid kit in my car. i saw one at walgreens by jhnson and johnson for $15, but it seemed like it was 95% different sized bandaids. not much to treat anything major except a few gauze pads and some tape

who sells a good first aid kit? or do i have to make one myself

Click to expand...

This has been covered a lot here. You can find some good kits on ebay.

Colored bandages for kids, and let them pick is a must.
A red LED shows up splinters quite well.
Other than that it depends on your level of training (and access to the ambulance)
I EDC a face mask, gloves, a few airways, "penny cutting" scissors, pencil and paper, and a package of "candy" for diabetics, but they should be in a kit also. (They also make tubes which are better but tend to get holes in them.)

thnks. doing a search of the forum i found some lists of what to carry in a DIY first aid kit, but no specific good kits to buy premade...

my better half is a nurse. she maintains a first rate kit.

I'm going rafting with 2 doctors, but I always wonder what kind of first aid supplies they actually bring. We never have any casualties, so it hasn't been much of an issue next. I'm not looking forward to getting my foot sewed up off in the wilderness, and I'm pretty sure they don't pack pain killers, so I bring those along in case they are needed.

most household first sid kits usually consists only of anti-bacterial wipes and bandages...nothing much aside from flesh wounds. seen a few others when I visited some friends living in or near mountain areas, their first aids include sutures, gauze, staple guns [apparently made for arrow wounds], and snake bite kits.

I guess theres no "good first aid" kit unless you know what situation you maybe looking at

I started this thread a while ago to get some ideas and comments on portable medical kits.

Most people pack this type of thing to take care of themselves, friends and family members, so you can mostly dispense with the legal admonitions, but there are some interesting ideas on what to pack.

(And if you couldn't tell by now, my vote is build your own!)

I agree, build your own is the way to go. But, if you must buy, some of the adventure medical kits first aid kits are a pretty decent, although expensive way to get started.

Here's some other ones to check out.

http://www.statpacks.com/

ah the same old question found in ANY forum.
(and I just keep saving all those threads)

Anyway, and seeing things with the eyes of a RedCross certified person, you have two ways to go.

Assemble a kit yourself with all the staff YOU know how to use.
Assemnle a kit with everything a doctor could use. (You won't BELIEVE that most doctors do not carry any in their car amd trips outdoors)

Maybe there is a reason to it, and that is that KNOWLEDGE is more important than materials. That we were instructed in the classes I took. You can always improvise. You can never carry all that staff with you. (My all possibles bag is about 20lbs+)

So there is a better way to find out the proper kit especially when all the prepackaged ones are always lacking something. Get some red cross civilians' first aid trtaining and you'll find the answer. (then you'll spent some 100s on proper gear LOL LOL, and find some more reasons to buy flashlights!)

BTW. it is not reassuring to have only one person at home trained (dear fellow member what happens if your nurse wife faints?). For this reason, I managed to get my mother and sister trained.

Best of luck, kostas

More to add....

you will soon find yourself building more than one FAK. For hoem, car, travel, outdoors even a pocket sized one.

Also there are soem thing that SHOULD be there and are real lifesavers:
Aspirin for heart attacks (if you are trained to administer it)
Sugar for all the cituations of low blood sugar
A CPR one-use mask and a pair of glove for YOUR protection
A simple 2x2 gauze to create an infection barrier to a wound

and that is what i carry in a small pocket pouch....

YMMV, kostas

Costco.com has some great kits at good prices.

I purchased an Adventure Medical Kit and used it as a starting point that I have supplemented with items to treat more serious injuries. I use the full kit for family outings/camping but pare it down dramatically for solo climbing/backpacking. Like others have already mentioned, knowledge is, by far, the most valuable asset to have.