Break open your first aid kits for me

Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
142
Location
Montana
I spent a bunch of time last week rebuilding my first aid kits in preparation for hunting season. I am curious to hear from others on this forum what their kits consist of. At one time, I was an EMT, so I tend to have a fair amount of stuff, between my backpack and the truck. I have three kits I've put together: 1. Day kit (Made up for 1-2 people for a day out) 2. Multiday kit (2-3 people for 3-4 days) and 3. Truck kit (a more extensive base kit). I'll write up a break down of each and post here, but am just generally curious what others consider the essentials.
 
Honestly, if I carry anything at all, it's a small tube of superglue for cuts and a bit of moleskin for blisters. I usually carry one of those small foil blankets, as well.
 
I'm pretty minimalist with my first aid...band aids in a couple different sizes, gauze, alcohol wipes, kinesiotape or leukotape (they are different but both work similar), and Second Skin. I have removed duct tape in favor of Leukotape or Kinesiotape.
 
I plan on carrying an Israeli bandage, quikclot, a flask and my inreach from now on. If quiklot or an Israeli bandage are overkill, I'll just "rub some dirt" on it and get out of the woods as quick as possible. If quikclot or an Israeli bandage can't fix it, I'll break out a flask of bourbon/Scotch and hope the inreach helps S&R find my body.
 
A couple of carry always items not already listed.......

Tweezers (splinters and ticks)

Medications: peptobismol tablets
antihistamine meds (allergic to Kansas)
inhaler/epi-pen (wife mandated due to allergy to Kansas)
Tech-nu poison ivy lotion prevention and treatment--small tube

In my car I have Blue Emu for muscle cramps (several days of waterfowl wading gets me in the quads and calves, and riding in the car is when it hits the worst), as well as assorted NSAID's and Tylenol
 
Good idea for a thread. I was going through mine not long ago and wondered what others have.

I'm probably overkill on mine, but multiple times I've been able to hand hunting partners things that they're glad to have.

-gauze
-quickclot
-clothtape
-alcohol pads
-antibiotic ointment
-electricians tape

Then I keep a pill bottle with-
-ibuprofen
-immodium
-benadryl
-diamox
-aleve

I'm paranoid about infection, so being able to get a deep finger cut cleaned up and closed off eases my mind and let's me get back to hunting.
 
I added a Swat-t tourniquet and Dermabond to my kit this year, in addition to my gauze, various band-aid sizes, Quick-clot, stitch kit, duct tape, tweezers, mole skin, Advil Tylenol, NyQuil, Neosporin, and Ace bandage. My wife is a physician and recycles expired clinic supplies to me once in a while to make sure I can take care of myself, I had an opportunity to use Dermabond on myself this summer and can say from experience it works really well...
 
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Here is my kit.

Space blanket
800mg ibuprofen & Tylenol PM
Peptobismal tabs
Bleed stop
Aquatabs
Burn cream
Butterfly band aids
Antibiotic cream
Anti itch cream
Gauze
Alcohol wipes
Safety pins
Chap stick
Tweezers
Super glue
Misc Band-Aids
Leuko tape

I didn't want to take full tubes of itch cream or antibiotic cream, so I sealed some up in a couple pieces of straws. Sharpie wouldn't write on the straws, so I wrapped them in some tape to make labeling easier.

Everything but the space blanket and pills go into a small ziplock and weights about 6 ounces.

I am not really a band aids guy (gimme electrical tape instead), but they make my kid feel better if she gets a cut, and it's no big deal to stuff some into my kit.

I the put everything into a small kifaru pull out with my fire kit.
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I carry a full-up IFAK, and I'll attach the inventory. I added a mini-maglite, RATS tourniquet and an extra compression bandage to the kit. I also carry a bottle of 800mg ibuprofen tablets for when the 200mg Vitamin M isn't doing the job. I also have a SAM splint folded up and stashed behind my water bladder. It's probably overkill, but this is weight I don't mind carrying.
 

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Thanks everyone who's replied. Very helpful to see what others are packing. Here's a my day kit broken out. The majority of it is straightforward.
Bandaids
Wound closure strips
Burn/blister dressing
Moleskin
Quikclot bandage
Tourniqet
Celox-A Syringe (similar to quik-clot, but designed to work for deeper punctures to limbs)
Trauma bandage
Iodine swab
Antiseptic wipes
Duct tape
Cloth tape
Gauze rolls
Electrolytes
Anti-itch cream
Antiseptic cream
Antacids
Sudafed
Immodium AD
Bug bite wipes
img_3604-jpg.117794
 

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I spent a bunch of time last week rebuilding my first aid kits in preparation for hunting season. I am curious to hear from others on this forum what their kits consist of. At one time, I was an EMT, so I tend to have a fair amount of stuff, between my backpack and the truck. I have three kits I've put together: 1. Day kit (Made up for 1-2 people for a day out) 2. Multiday kit (2-3 people for 3-4 days) and 3. Truck kit (a more extensive base kit). I'll write up a break down of each and post here, but am just generally curious what others consider the essentials.
Can you post a breakdown of what you carry and maybe why? Someone, such as myself, might learn something and create a kit. Thanks.
 
I carry one that’s divided into the life-threatening stuff and the basics. For the life threatening I carry a CAT tourniquet, quick clot, a Hyfin chest seal, and a needle decompression kit. The rest is comfort stuff: bandaids, Neosporin, ibuprofen, things like that. Some Benadryl wouldn’t be a bad idea too
 
Anyone putting zipstitches in your kit? They look interesting but a bit expensive to hopefully let expire.
 
1 CAT TQ, package of quick clot type gauze, package of regular gauze, tube of superglue and roll of tape. for meds I carry asprin (heart attack), advil (pain and anit inflamitory) and some benadryl( I hunt with weak ppl).
 
Great thread! Former military paramedic here, and I've also given classes on wilderness first aid, including one specific to hunters. Additionally, there was a recent MeatEater podcast addressing how to prepare for and treat (some) injuries possible while recreating out of doors. While I am as happy as anyone to go down the rabbit hole of what and why to carry in your pack, I highly recommend taking a wilderness first aid course if you are a hardcore outdoorsman. Here in Montana, a lot of us are often far from the truck, and without cell phone service. You need to know how to preserve yours or your buddy's life until you can either get to cell service, the truck, or someone can get to you. Here's a short list of what I believe are the essentials to carry for the emergencies. But remember, learn how to use them!

SOF-T tourniquet (I believe this is superior to the CAT-T).
Sam splint + cravats (absolutely awesome for stabilizing an extremity injury)
Wound control: quick clot + kerlex + ace wrap
Halo chest seals (penetrating wounds are more common than you'd guess. you can also use a mountain house wrapper and good tape)
Non-drowsy diphenhydramine (claritin - if an allergic reaction starts, get these down the hatch! can save a life when an epi-pen is not available).
Tylenol/ibuprofen
Latex gloves

This list does not add significant weight if you are backpacking, and if you ask me, is non-negotiable when it comes to gearing up.

I also have a small non-emergency bag similar to many of the kits posted above. Bandaids, alcohol pads, pen-light, more gauze, tweezers, etc.
 
My was is still a medic in the army so he passes me alot of his excess equipment. What I usually carry is a TQ, bandages, compress gauze, heat blankets, and more. Depending on where I'm going I have separate bags for it.
 
Ollin Magnetic Digiscoping Systems

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