What’s in your First Aid Kit?

I volunteer with local search and rescue and provide backcountry support in my Tacoma. I always have with me:





Hyfin chest wound seals
Quick clot
Sawyer sting and bite kit
Regular gauze
Surgical shears
Surgical tape
Multiple bandages
Moleskin
Israeli bandages
Swathes and bandanas
Ceralyte electrolyte pouches
Tourniquet
SAM splint
Mini sharpie
Nasal pharyngeal airway
Disposable Surgical gloves
Goggles with black out inserts for eye injuries
CPR mask
Weatherproof notepad
Epi-pen
Gu packets and honey sticks for diabetics
Topical iodine
Alcohol pads
Small trash bag for haz waste
I’m sure I’m missing others off the top of my head.

I also have a carry at least 4 forms of comms at all times, in case i need to call for help.
1. Cell phone
2. HAM radio
3. CB radio
4. Garmin inreach/sat phone

Here’s a pic from a recent helo evac I had to coordinate in the AZ backcountry. Ended up saving a young woman’s life that day. Always go prepared. Have a plan. Have a backup plan. and have a backup plan to those 2 plans. Redundancy redundancy redundancy.
Also highly recommend a basic CPR course and wilderness first aid/responder course to anyone looking to venture off the beaten path.

 

Strong work. You seem very well-prepared. I think many people underestimate the importance of redundant comms. Also... those wheels. I need them.

 

Thanks. Like you’ve said it can’t be stressed enough. If you have no connection to the outside world, the level of care you can provide in dire emergencies will highly compromised. In the backcountry, the time a victim has to professional care is crucial. This girl completely lucked out. And it was still 45 minutes for the helo to reach us after it was dispatched. Seems like eternity when you’re trying to keep someone alive.

My wheels are raceline defenders I believe. I’ll probably go back to stock TRDOR wheels and 255/85r16 tires soon though. They’ve served well enough so far.

 

My kit is similar to a previous post. Have some softt-w’s, airway kit, chest seals, impregnated gauze (quickclot), gauze bandages, safety pins (which if you don’t know how to use, I wouldn’t recommend) and general field surgery kit w/ sutures (silk, and nylon), a torch lighter and some other little goodies I rather not raise questions about.

However here’s where it gets weird for some of the more good folks out there.

It’s with me for me and mine as a general trauma kit. I don’t stop for other people, I don’t trust other people.
If there’s brains out or if it requires resuscitation I’m definitely not getting involved. You can’t talk me into starting acls, bls, or any form life saving intervention on a stranger. I was a decent person once, but things happen.

 

Great info going on here guys keep it coming!

My DD kit if I’m on scene to an event that requires first aid.

- purple or blue nitrile gloves. ( it’s hard to see blood on black ones)
- eye pro (usually my sunglasses)
- NAR C.A.T TQ
- Israeli bandage
- abd pad
- 14GA chest dart ( only happening to family members )
- 14 & 16GA IV catheters (severe trauma only)
- 2 10GTTS INTs (severe trauma only)
- triangle bandage
- 4 10cc flushes
- pocket BVM
- sam splint
- roll of kerlex
- space blanket
- NAR hyfin vent chest seals x2
- petroleum bandage
- green, yellow, red, black triage tape (In the event of a MCI)

This kit is for traumatic accidents only. This is not my kit I use for my camping trips or home. This is my someone is dying right now if I don’t do something soon. Some things may not be attainable to everyone I know. But those are not required to someone’s survival in a traumatic accident.

I like that many are trained on this forum.

Don’t shy away from first aid if you are not.

Use this thread to ask any and all questions you have.

 

It changes based on what im doing or how many are going.
I have my med bag in the truck, which is pretty well stocked w/ airway, BP, c-spine brace, etc.
But when I'm out in the woods or on the river there are TQ, Israeli bandage x2, gloves, tape, chest seal, 4x4s, aspirin, acetaminophen, Imodium, tums, Benadryl, tweezers, shears, SAM splint, hand sanitizer, Neosporin, sting-ez, foil blanket, face shield, assorted bandaids, super glue.
And im always tweaking and making adjustments.

Cert Levels-Wilderness First Aid, EMT/FF, SAR, Swiftwater Rescue

 

Tums is worth it’s weight in gold when your have some sh!t go down.

And swift water rescue is solid skill! Here in NM not many hold that cert, but from what I’ve seen it is hard and has no margins for error when a PT is flowing downstream a river, ditch, arroyo.

 

duct tape and super glue.

 

I've always kept one of the mid-range Adventure Medical Kits in my truck. I believe I have the Sportsman 300 now.

I have the smaller ones for packs while backpacng, fishing, etc.

 

I'm curious about the negatives involving quick clot

 

I always keep Tums or similar close for acid refulx, but does it have other applications that make it valuable in the first aid kit?

No med kit for the truck yet, but I run the Blue Force Advanced Micro IFAK on my gun belt. Hopefully won't ever need to use it.

 

If I were to guess, I think that's more about not wanting to be in the situation where the quick clot is necessary. When you pull that stuff or a tourniquet out, you're having a pretty bad day.


It is a pain to clean up once in primary care, but it beats bleeding to death...

 

All I can say is tailor your kit to your needs. My pack for wilderness response and my truck kit aren’t going to be necessary for a Tacoma owner who spends majority of time in the city. Also if you choose a premade kit, know exactly what’s in it, and don’t wait until you need it to finally open it. Many of them contain cheap supplies that I wouldn’t trust to treat someone. My personal preference is to save money and build your kit exactly how you need it. It’s a win-win!

 

Well I only used it in the military so my experience is limited (though even 1 time is more than most will ever have with the stuff).

Anyway, the powder is really fine and I'd hate to be in a high-stress situation where I need to deploy it, and risk having myself or someone else breath it in or get it in their eyes. Remember, we resort to basic motor functions when shit hits the fan. Also, it's supposed to be a nightmare (and dangerous) when removing said clot and treating the wound by the next echelon of care.

Plus, I'll do what I can to not be in a shit-hits-the-fan situation, but if I can help, I will.

 

I believe they’ve gone away with the powder for safety reasons (eyes and other mucous membranes), and moved to the gauze, which is easier to use and safer.

 

Naloxone??? Dang that stuff has a shelf life & should be kept below a certain temp. Not Cheap either...your a good dude...

 

Didn't know that; I've been out of the military for 10 years now so I need to get myself up to speed.

 

Granular quickclot was discontinued because it was poured directly into the wound site and there were reports of grains getting into the blood stream. When it was looked into further, it was found that once the cas was moved to a level 3 facility it was extremely difficult to clean out. Think about the time it takes to prep for surgery, and not having the area cleaned in time or having to clean post surgery...nothing good comes from using it in comparison impregnated gauze.

On a combat medics level, which the military does NOT care about, yes it was hot as shit on the hands when applying pressure and generally uncomfortable for all parties involved.

From a tactical stand point, if the packaging was damaged and or not water proofed correctly, so especially important in the the SOF community it was virtually useless. Obviously the remedy is don’t fuck up, but, I’ve always found the the combat gauze comes in better packaging and isn’t as tall to pack away. In the event the packaging is broke and water gets in, at least you can still use the gauze as a makeshift tourniquet. There’s also a metal marking in the gauze so it will pop up on X-ray for the receiving facility, whether it be shock trauma or what have you.

 

Awesome thank you, do you have any gauze recommendations?

 

Just depends on your training and what you preparing for...I wouldn’t recommend anything to anyone without recommending getting formal training first, but if you know a guy who can show you how to use this: https://www.rescue-essentials.com/quikclot-combat-gauze-z-folded-military/
then I will say it works well for packing when trying to stop an arterial bleed but it’s not a substitute for a tourniquet or pressure bandage of whatever variant.