Break open your first aid kits for me

[mmaddalena]

I have pared down my gear drastically over the years but am a first responder so I do carry a little more. I carry a tourniquet+major bleed kit in a small mystery ranch belt pouch on my pack. The idea is to have it immediately accessible for a major trauma. I also run my Inreach in a quick to access area. And leukotape is a godsend as well!

 

[WesternWild]

Trained in TCCC and EMT so I stress the no-shit life-saving stuff: several TQs, NPA, Israeli bandage, quikclot, decompression needle, duct tape, a solar blanket for shock/emergency, and superglue.

And whatever else like ibuprofen, anti-diahreal, emergen-c.

 

[SAJ-99]

1 pair surgical gloves (as much for game cleaning in case I forget those in my other kill kit)
1 pair hemostat pliers
1 pair tweezers
1 clotting application for large wounds
1 clotting gauze for small stuff
1 roll (12ft) sterile gauze
1 roll e2" elastic bandage
1 roll electrical tape.
3 tubes of liquid medical adhesive and 1 applicator

Weighs about 1.4lbs and it is always in the bottom of my pack. Bandaids are light and good for super light stuff, but suck when you need them to work. Cut the gauze and use the electrical tape.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

One item I carry in my kill kit is a stainless steel mesh fillet glove for my left hand (I butcher with my right hand)
First thing I do after punching my tag is put on that fillet glove.

 

[OzzyDave]

2 x snake bandages are probably the only thing in my small pack, right beside the PLB. I’ve got the med kit in the car or buggy with all the bits and pieces. I generally have a small UHF.

 

[RELIANT]

Great timing for this post as I've been working on a more comprehensive first aid for a multi-day backcountry archery elk hunt.

My normal day-hunt first aid kit was traditionally:
-Small Trek I Kit that included
-First aid guide
-Safety Pin
-Needle
-Assorted Bandages
-A handful Ibuprofen
-Electrical Tape
-Some Neosporine
-Cleaning Wipes / Prep Pads
-Mole Skin

Honestly the most often used items were the Needle/Safety Pin for removing thorns and splinters, electrical tape/band-aids if I nicked myself gutting, and Ibuprofen (usually for my Dad's back-pain or an occasional headache).

After watching a recent video where a guy stuck a broadhead through his leg I decided I wanted to beef up the kit to include a trauma kit to stop major bleeding as well as some additional meds for the multi-day trips. I also wanted to keep it under a pound.

So here is the expanded upon kit that will stay in my pack, I added the following to the day-hunt kit to make an overnight kit at 7.4 oz:

-Leukotape Strips for Blisters
-Tear-Aid Type A Patch (more for gear repairs)
-Steri-Strips Closures
-Butterfly bandages
-Set of Nitrile Gloves
-Assorted 2x2 and 3x3 gauze pads
-Celox Blood Clotting Powder
-Bee-sting gel
-Tube of Super Glue
-Uncle Bill Tweezers in tube wrapped with ~5 ft of Leukotape
- Small needles/thread, fish hooks and line in a tube wrapped with
~5 ft of Gorilla Duct tape
~5 ft of Electrical Tape
~5 ft of Zino Tape (like medical grade electrical tape that sticks a little better to skin)
- Straws filled with Lidocaine cream (burns/stings/and itches) and additional Neosporine
-Chap Stick
Pill packs Ziplock bags with dosing instructions
- Pepto-Tablets - (you know the song!)
- Calcium Carbonate - (work a little better for me with upset stomach)
- Loperamide - (Anti-Diarrheal)
-Ibuprofin - my go to pain reliever / anti-inflamatory
-Asprin - Another pain reliever + good if someone has chest pains
-Acetaminophen (Tylenol)- More pain reliever and can be taken with Ibuprofin to really knock down aggressive pain.
-Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) - Antihistamine/Night-Time Sleep Aid / Motion Sickness



For my trauma kit, not sure where I'll carry it maybe in the pack lid or hipbelt pouch weighing in at 7.5 oz
-Swat-T Wide Tourniquet
-Celox - Clotting Gauze
-4" Israeli Bandage

 

[Learner]

I split the kit that I carry into two groups (trauma and boo-boo). I keep the boo-boo supplies to a minimum on my body and plan on sucking things up until I can get back to the truck. I have an InReach as a backup, also. I intentionally keep my on-body kit small enough to put into a cargo pocket or my chest harness. If I can keep it out of my backpack, it's more likely to be handy when I need it.

Trauma:
I carry the Dark Angel Medical pocket DARK kit. I add an Israeli bandage and CAT TQ to this kit. This gives me the lightest gunshot wound or rockfall type IFAK I'm comfortable with. I generally carry trekking poles and can sacrifice backpack straps for splinting if needed. I decided to ditch the SAM splint and accessories after carrying them around for years without use, but a buddy ended up having to improvise a splint for a hiker that fell and broke both arms a few months ago. That's the one area I don't have a great answer for, but it's a low probability.

Boo-boo:
For day use or even light overnight backpacking stuff, I carry a small snack-sized ziplock with a couple of short strips of Leuko tape or K tape, a safety pin, a single glacier gel, and some Aleve, Tylenol, and Benedryl. I also have two alcohol pads and a single gauze 4x4 in there. I keep this intentionally minimalist since I would walk back to the truck where I have a more substantial kit if there was a real problem. These are more comfort items to fix minor cuts, scrapes, and blisters. Something like a broken fingernail or heel blister won't ruin your day, but you'll be thinking about it every second that passes before you put tape over it.

Car kit:
I have a more substantial trauma kit for dealing with vehicle accidents or multiple traumatic injuries. I have training on everything I carry, so it has more than the basics. I also have a robust kit of preventive meds, comfort items, snacks, warmies, etc. I keep this stuff in the same location in each of our vehicles and I always brief the crew where everything is and what's in there before each trip or range session.

 

[cookie_dodger]

Awesome thread, it reminds me I need to refill a few items in my kit and refresh myself on how to use the kit.

One item that I don't think was mentioned yet is a glow stick in case you are immobilized and need to be located by a rescuer in the dark... makes a fail-safe option for a battery powered light. It might be better suited for a kill kit or packed with a map and compass, but I keep one in my first aid kit since it fits there nicely. I've used a glow stick to mark a meat stash when packing out an animal at night, makes it much easier to find the meat for the second, third, etc load.

 

[1100RemingtonMan]

I have had First Aid Training and am a ExMarine also in my job I am required First Responder Training every year. Here is my First Aid Kit but don't forget how to use every thing else you have with you and how to repurpose it.

 

[JohnCushman]

I have had First Aid Training and am a ExMarine also in my job I am required First Responder Training every year. Here is my First Aid Kit but don't forget how to use every thing else you have with you and how to repurpose it. View attachment 142116View attachment 142117

Good kit, Marine (I started my career as a Corpsman). I would add a couple of tampons and an ace wrap and some super glue and you'll have an awesome kit.

 

[scandalousbob]

In addition to regular first aid supplies, a couple things I've added to my kit are a SOL emergency bivvy and a small thing of duct tape (I think also made by SOL). Besides bandaids, I've probably used the duct tape more than anything else in that kit.

 

[wyoboypt]

That’s it. The cushion tape doubles as band aids and mole skin. That’s my day pack kit. If I’m backpacking I throw in a few Benadryl and DayQuil that stays with camp.

 

[Outbound]

I'm an EMR so I carry stuff with me all the time.

In my truck is a trauma kit:

- Tourniquet
- CPR mask with 1 way valve
- Oral airways
- Nasophayngal airway
- Israeli bandages
- Abdominal pads
- Shears

In my pack is a IFAK:

- Tourniquet
- Israeli bandage
- 2 triangular bandages with safety pins
- Gauze pads
- CPR microshield
- Bandaids
- OTC meds; Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Benadryl

I also have a kit for extended trips or when travelling with large groups. It's in a GoRuck Bullet 10L pack:

- Gauze pads, sterile and non-sterile
- Gauze rolls
- Triangular bandages
- SAM splint
- Various tapes
- Various wraps
- Large assortment of bandaids
- Tools: Scissors, tweezers, thermometer
- Burn gel
- Blister treatment supplies
- Larger assortment of OTC meds
- Patient assessment forms for extended care
- Pen, pencil, sharpie