First Aid Kits

Snake bite kit? Really? I thought there was no viable treatment other than getting the victim to a hospital ASAP. The old slash and suck method is way out of date.

LOL I know right, had it for probably 15 years, never used it, just something I keep in a small FAK. In all honesty I am not sure I would mess with a snake bite other than a light bandage and keeping the bite as far below the trunk as possible. I certainly wouldn't slice the affected area. That has always seemed pretty hollywood. It has been 25 years since I took my EMT, I know a lot has changed since then. I have a dozen friends that are active ski patrol/nurses/ect. Never occurred to ask about updated venom procedures.

I have thought it might be useful for more superficial things such as stings and bites.
 
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Gunslinger-13;2200574 -EAG Tactical IFAK: [url=http://www.austereprovisions.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=APC-EAG-IFAK said:
EAG Tactical IFAK built by Austere Provisions Company[/url]

Supplemented with meds and extra bandages, gauze, glue, gloves- etc.
More important than what you have is how you've trained to use it.
that IFAK looks a bit over priced.

I carry a little bit more than a basic kit assembled from stuff i had in the military and other kit. I work as a first responder
SAM Splits are alway nice to have
 
regarding : medical kits
there is A LOT of CRAP out there .
and the well thought out good stuff can be high priced ,
BUT I have found a couple of sources that have put together professional
kits that are reasonably priced .
many kits give you way too much , of what you do not really need.
the following , have kits that are small and they sell to
POLICE departments and other gov agencies that are small enough for glove boxes or even personal carry , yet they maintain you until help arrives or you get to the help.
on this first one , CLICK on the medical kits for Law Enforcement
Medical Kits - TEMS/Law Enforcement - Rescue Essentials
these kits can handle many types of trauma in both the wilderness or urban environment
if you just want a medical kit for being out in outdoors / camping environment :
these guys have good quality
and sometimes , buying a couple of separate modules and putting the little specialized kits in one bag , can give you a better setup than one big box that tries to cover everything
Home - Adventure® Medical Kits - First Aid Kits and Survival Gear
 
I carry two, one is just a large Ziploc freezer bag with really basic stuff tucked into one of the rear door pockets: gloves, band aids, some tape, 2x2 and 4x4 pads, ibuprofen, a couple cravats, gauze. Easy to grab without digging through other stuff in the cargo area, and the stuff you would most commonly need.

The other is a larger version but still fairly basic, all the above stuff plus CPR mask, trauma and burn pads, more gauze rolls, more tape, emergency blanket, EMT shears, I think that's about it. I keep it in a velcro bottom pouch that was getting thrown away at the ambulance, after I cleaned up the velcro it stuck perfectly to the back of the back seats.

I don't keep it in my first aid gear, it's with my tools, but duct tape is a seriously great piece of kit. You can use it as a tourniquet, hold down dressings, wrap it around a stick to split an extremity, etc.

I used to carry a monster of a first aid kit with oral airways, a bag valve mask, IV supplies, the works. In almost 20 years I never used anything but the extreme basics - band aids, 4x4s, tape, and gauze. Maybe an ice pack. I decided between the lack of use and the potential for getting in trouble (starting IVs when not on duty, outside my area or even outside my state), it was just easier to carry the most simple stuff.

I suppose if I was taking an unsupported trip into no man's land I'd temporarily up my gear and include IV stuff, epi, pain meds if I could legally and easily source them, tourniquet, quick clot. That sort of thing. The IV and meds would only be for me or someone in my party.

Not really first aid but - don't forget a fire extinguisher.

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There's a deep thread on this forum for an emergency preparedness bag/go bag/bug out bag which has all sorts of medical suggestions.

I don't do a lot of wheeling, but I've attended several TEMS/CPR courses, treated basic field stuff and run a couple of IVs on folks who were dehydrated (work related). In any event, don't necessarily discount all the other stuff you would have in a stock med kit. 99% of the time you won't need the gauze, quikclot or a quick reference book on trauma treatment in the field, but you will find yourself dipping into it for headache meds, burn gels, bug bite ointment, handiwipes or bandaids quite often.

The best suggestion I can give someone building a med kit is to do just that. Take a few stock ones and piece meal the kit for the situation you'll be finding yourself in.

Sorry to bother, but was this the thread that you are refering too... http://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-topic/160194-whats-your-medical-kit.html#post1599755
 
I keep these in all vehicles I use for general purposes:

REI Backpacker Multiday First-Aid Kit - REI.com

SOL Origin Survival Kit - REI.com


...and I have a much larger first aid/trauma kit that I keep for offroading, camping, etc.

I keep essentially the same. REI backpacker med kit (with extra Star Wars and super hero band-aids for the kids) and a small emergency preparedness kit. I'll put in a 5 day survival kit if going for an extended trip (more than a weekend). In reality the most used in the kit are the Star Wars/Super hero band aids on the kids "boo boos".
 
If you're going to carry any sort of advanced IFAK, i.e. chest seals, clotting agents, tourniquets, it would be a good idea to take some sort of medical class as well. I did mine primarily for the event that something bad happens at the gun range.
 
Great thread. I have 3 small first aid kits, 1 came with the 4runner and 2 others were gifts. I really haven't check what's inside of them and will do so this week and upgrade accordingly.
 
I've see a lot of articles and videos on what people carry for first aid kits and a lot of it is overkill for the general public and even potentially dangerious. Youtube is filled with videos on IFAKs and you'll notice that most of these guys pretend like they're in the local militia and are preparing for end of the world situations or some battle zone is going to breakout in the middle of the street. I've seen kits that include needle decompression kits and laryngoscopes. For the love of god if you don't know how to recognize a pneumothorax or even use needle decompress do not get one for your kit. If you've never intubated anyone don't get a laryngoscope. BLS is a good skill to have but keep in mind that after 5 minutes of cardiac arrest mortality is like 90%. So consider if this is for your off-roading and outdoor adventure you're not gonna be able to get EMS transfer for hours, days or not at all depending how remote you are. In a catastrophic event like that chances are the person is dead. Do what you can but don't try to be a hero and either put yourself at risk or do more harm to the patient. Point is to keep your IFAK to simple things that you can handle like minor cuts, burns, sprains, basic fracture care, and maladies like allergies, headaches, diarrhea. Anything beyond the basic should be left to a medical professional or you need to get them to the ER asap.

I've also found that the pre-made kits are way overpriced. You can piece meal a kit off amazon for not too much and it will be tailored to what you need. There are some decent pouches on there and you can buy most of the bandages, gauze, trauma shears, tapes etc etc off amazon too.

https://www.amazon.com/Condor-Rip-A...7?ie=UTF8&qid=1499027610&sr=8-7&keywords=ifak

https://www.amazon.com/Vanquest-FAT...d=1499027631&sr=8-1&keywords=vanquest+fatpack

I have two bags. One is my Blue Ridge small IFAK pouch for basic first aid and since I'm a sports med doc I have a dedicated game day/sideline coverage bag which works for off-road trips too. I simply raid the supply closet if I need things. Shhhh don't tell the hospital :D

https://www.blueridgeoverlandgear.com/Medium-Hook-Loop-IFAK-Kit-Bag-Gen-2-p/21ifak-v.htm
 
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I run 1 ifak in my vehicle (more like a afak), 1 duplicate Ifak on my plate carrier (for gun games) and a fullblown trauma kit at home.

The Ifak (or afak) I have in my vehicle are as follows:

1. medical shears
2. tweezers
3. medical scissors.
4. quick clot
5. israeli trauma bandage
6. hemorrage pads
7. tourniquet
8. chest seal
9. roll of ace bandage
10. roll of gauze
11.. roll of medical tape
12. assorted bandaids
13. assorted antiseptic wipes/alcohol
14. motrin, benadryl, and allergy eye drops (opcon or napcon).
15. cpr plastic sheet
16. gloves
17. clothe mask
18. nasoesophogeal tube
19. oral airway opening kit
20. decompression syringe
21. space blanket

Yes its overkill, but the kit is small enough to compress into a basic IFAK pouch (so its small), as in tiny. Obviously, this is a kit that isn't designed for small cuts or things like that. The kit is designed to expand quickly at the pull of a tab, so repacking it is a pain in the butt. I have a altoid sized container i keep in the glove box for those life threatening paper cuts.

Point is don't buy stupid premade crap at your pharmacy or hardware store that won't save you from anything other than a papercut. Piece things that you need, and skip the stuff that you don't need.

Everyone should take a BLS course (its inexpensive and takes only a few hours). I'd still carry carry gear designed to keep airways open (nasoesophageal tube/oral airway kit/decompression syringe) even if you aren't trained to use it b/c you never know who might come to your rescue that does have training. Obviously, if you don't know how to use it, don't use it unless you want to potentially kill someone.

FYI my medical credentials are as follows:

PharmD
ACLS certified
and a bunch of other useless certs that are required to work in a hospital (inpatient pharmacy).

Real life experience: 0/1 on a cardiac arrest patient in a grocery store. The dood was pretty much dead when I got there, nobody else in the whole damn building had BLS training, and no AED available, so his odds of being resusitated where less than 1 percent. Anyways, I did BLS until EMT arrived which was 15 minutes later. What I learned in that situation, the general public are morons in general, don't listen to them in a panic situation. IF you are trained in BLS or ACLS just focus on what you were trained to do (it will come to you fast). If you aren't trained, back the F@ck up and STFU in those situations, or be useful and do crowd control. Sorry I have to vent, b/c a huge crowd formed before I arrived and they did nothing but shout at each other and take pictures....@#$# losers.
 
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I realize that this thread is a couple of years old, however, I have a first aid kit that I made. For me, I am allergic to many types of common medicines, so I bought a pelican case that has the padded dividers. I have the stuff that I am not allergic to and filled it with items that benefit me the best.

When I buy a first aid kit from the store, the only thing I can really use are the bandaids (provided they are not medicated), the guaze, the gloves, and the bag it came in.

Some kits are very detailed, but I don't know how to use many of the things that are in them.

Side note, one thing that I keep in my truck at all times is blue Dawn dish soap. It works great for cleaning and will even remove the oils from poison ivy.
 
Any good videos that show how to use the blowout kits? Have one from a deal but would take some figuring out, and naturally that’s not the time to figure that out.
 
Any good videos that show how to use the blowout kits? Have one from a deal but would take some figuring out, and naturally that’s not the time to figure that out.

post the contents of the kit. Video's won't help you b/c everybody's kit is different unless you going by some standard (US army).
 

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