First Aid Kit DIY?

[sfelber9]

I got lucky this past year and only smashed my foot with a piece of firewood while chopping with the ax... Going forward, I know my inner-child will come out and I'll do something else stupid and need a first aid kit.

How does everyone get/stock/make their first aid kits?

Buy?
Build your own?
Dumb luck?

What's in yours? I am going to need one. It's not if... But when.

Signed,
Middle aged, blonde male of Polish descent.

 

[Witch Doctor]

You should build your own, buy a small box and then fill it up with the basics, bandaids all sizes and so on.

 

[PSU Turf]

I am also a blonde, middle aged person of Polish descent. I carry an Adventure Medical Kit in my backpack for hiking. It is stored in the trailer. It might seem a little excessive to some people but I am a nurse and I like a well stocked tool kit. This is a photo of what is in the kit.

 

[Mondaktex]

While I may not be Polish, I too am subject to life events involving small scale tramatic events involving blood loss. And we have four kids that make sure we are never overstocked on bandaids. My wife, whom is a nurse, built our kit, which is a more rounded medical cabinet/trama center. She put the cremes and ointments in, Advil, and probably some horse tranquilizers. I do sleep well in the camper....

All is in a tidy waterproof kit about the size of a shoebox kept next to the camper door so it can be brought out quickly.

For hiking, we just carry a small OTC kit with the very basics.

 

[camaro80]

My wife and I are licensed EMS volunteer First Responders. Of course we go over the top with our kit. We found a used kit for a good price and have added to it over the years. Other than the usual bandages we also include cold packs, burn kits, blister kit, SAM splint, sharps container, glucose monitor, pupil light, SPO2 monitor, BP cuffs (adult and ped), stethoscope, latex gloves (medium and large), flashlight, tweezers, trauma shears, CPR mask.

In the off-season it's used on other activities in a youth organization I work with (Canadian cadet program). But last year our neighbor in our season campground had a stroke. Unfortunately we weren't at our site that night but that's the sort of thing we carry this kit for. We would be able to get some early vitals for EMS to work with as well as record a patient history and treat what we can.

 

[Flybob]

Probably best to build your own and include what is appropriate for you. Commercial kits on the low end are usually missing a few critical items and high end ones include items you probably will not use. Either way you go once you have a kit it is critical that you go through it every spring and replace all the items that expired. Add a chemical light stick (Glow Stick) or two.

 

[Jfkmvk]

I have a very nice professional grade kit we gave out at work for participation on our response teams. While it is very nice, it was very expensive. One could put together their own kit for half the price.

 

[TheWolfPaq82]

We bought a medium priced one, found a bigger case and added to it as we saw fit. No matter how well you pack it, sometimes you never have exactly what you need. Just like the tools or spare parts you might carry in your TT.

 

[Hawkester]

Not so much for us you know...but for our kids...and now grandkids...
We bought a medium kit that contained items that expire and added to it. we replace the expired items usually each spring as it stayed in the trailer and with temp changes we just thought it best.
We always save the non-perishables so we now have 10 pairs of scissors, 100k bandaids, 10k rolls of tape.....I think it's time to purge.

 

[TheWolfPaq82]

Not so much for us you know...but for our kids...and now grandkids...
We bought a medium kit that contained items that expire and added to it. we replace the expired items usually each spring as it stayed in the trailer and with temp changes we just thought it best.
We always save the non-perishables so we now have 10 pairs of scissors, 100k bandaids, 10k rolls of tape.....I think it's time to purge.

Think I have 13 tweezers. I can spare 12 if you need some.

 

[ThruHiker]

My wife and I are licensed EMS volunteer First Responders. Of course we go over the top with our kit. We found a used kit for a good price and have added to it over the years. Other than the usual bandages we also include cold packs, burn kits, blister kit, SAM splint, sharps container, glucose monitor, pupil light, SPO2 monitor, BP cuffs (adult and ped), stethoscope, latex gloves (medium and large), flashlight, tweezers, trauma shears, CPR mask.

In the off-season it's used on other activities in a youth organization I work with (Canadian cadet program). But last year our neighbor in our season campground had a stroke. Unfortunately we weren't at our site that night but that's the sort of thing we carry this kit for. We would be able to get some early vitals for EMS to work with as well as record a patient history and treat what we can.

Can I camp next to you?? Good thread though, thanks for the ideas everyone. We will be headed out again this year after about five years with no camper; have to restock and redo everything!

 

[AZ Pete]

Good responses. I worked out doors for over 30 years, wildfire assignments, wilderness patrol, EMT, etc. Always had a small "pocket" first aid kit in my pack, and a bigger, better one in the truck. I modified the small kit to add alergy meds, aspirin, aleve, mole skin etc. Over the years I occasionally used the meds, and a band aid or adhesive tape and mole skin. I cannot remember ever needing much more than that. But I still carry them....you just need to remember to occasionally replace items that have "aged out".

Color me lucky, I have never made a home or auto insurance claim either. But I pay the premiums..just in case.

Having the kit is only part of the solution, it is more important to know proper first aid.

 

[jimmoore13]

I bought a $30 off-the-shelf kit for both cars...one of which is my TV. I augmented the TV kit (due to camping) with a few items.

My list FWIW.

My personal favorite is that "new" fabulous stretchy medical tape so popular in hospitals and labs these days. I also added a supply of superior band-aids and gauze pads. Then a set of REALLY good tweezers and an X-acto knife. A hotel sewing kit could do a few stitches. Finally a tourniquet is (sadly) an essential.

I keep a supply of alcohol wipes at home to refresh the kits. The ones in the kits dry out quickly (say 2 years).

In the console of my TV, I keep antihistamine spray and tablets, Tylenol and Advil, alcohol wipes and wet ones, hand sanitizer, and a couple of Cliff Bars. My adult son keeps an epi-pen in there, too. There are at least half a dozen bottles of water in the cab and in the bed tool box.

I also carry a space blanket and rain ponchos...all part of survival gear.

Speaking of tools, no emergency kit is complete without at least some tools. Lineman's pliers, hatchet, folding saw, nails, rope, and so on all contribute to being able to do things like splints, removing large thorns or splinters, or, in desperate times, being able to cut away fencing embedded in a wound. A tactical knife and several grades of flashlights are at my fingertips. There's also a tow strap, monster jumper cables, flares, glow sticks, and all that kind of stuff.

Our RAV-4 goes light on some of this stuff, but it, too, has rudimentary tools, a tow strap, jumper cables, several flashlights, a tactical knife, emergency clothes, and so on...all in an old gym duffel. But since the RAM has lots of storage, I take full advantage.

Other than a couple of band-aids, I've never needed the stuff for myself, but I've aided lots of people when camping, including at least a dozen jumps a year and plenty of wear and tear on the basic first aid kit.

Oh, I almost forgot the large supply of fuses of all sizes. Again, never needed one myself, but the kit has saved several others' camping trips.

There's more than one kind of first aid. I'm into overkill.

 

[oldsmasma]

We have a commercial mid sized kit in the motorhome that I restock and prune every spring when we open it up. DH and I spent some time this winter at a wound care clinic thanks to him having a close encounter with a table saw. The wonderful wound care nurse who helped him said in her opinion one of the most useful things to carry is an assortment of individually wrapped feminine sanitary napkins. Clean lint free inexpensive pressure bandages.

 

[jimmoore13]

<<SNIP>> a close encounter with a table saw. The wonderful wound care nurse who helped him said in her opinion one of the most useful things to carry is an assortment of individually wrapped feminine sanitary napkins. Clean lint free inexpensive pressure bandages.

Sorry about your table saw encounter!!
But I bestow best idea award on the tampon concept!! Many now contain special absorbent gel or similar that can contain a lot of blood.

And, if nothing else, they'd come in handy when I get crabby.

 

[CurtPutnam]

I think any kit should include at least one quality scissors. I'm a fan of 2" x 2" and 4" x 4" gauze squares and at least a couple rolls of 2" gauze tape Several sizes of bandaids and a tube of antibiotic ointment. I always have a bottle of rubbing alcohol in the trailer. For my own needs, I carry lidocaine ointment, cortisone cream, and a menthol based Bengay style ointment - all of which can be useful in some 1st aid situations.

 

[MCTroy]

So along the lines of building your own kit, how old is too old? I was gifted a very complete first aid kit but it is at least 10 years old. I have replaced first aid creams and things with expiration dates. What about rubbing alcohol, bandages and the such? Do they have a shelf life? The kit has always been kept dry and in a clean area.

 

[satdog01]

Part of getting ready for first trip of the year, replenish the first aid kit. Grands love to run through bandaids and creams. Carry a pint of peroxide for cuts when water is scarce. Bug spray is a must as well as mosquito spray and candles. Add to emergency kits, long zip ties at least 11 inch long. Have tied up awnings, banners at rallies and once a jt strong arm that got pulled loose when it was left down and trailer took off,

 

[rmoore0852]

We do a lot of boondocking with dirt bikes. I am also a police officer and have seen lots of bad wrecks just while traveling down the highway.

I built my own kit. Buy a bright colored EMT bag off of amazon and stock as needed. A good off the shelf first aid kit is a great starting point. In addition to the normal band aids and tylenol, I carry quikclot, steri-strips, liquid bandage, Israeli trauma dressing, compression dressings, non-stick gauze pads, and two different styles of tourniquets. I can stop major bleeding, stabilize broken bones, and do cpr if needed until EMS arrives.

Your kit is very dependent on your training and how remote you plan on going. It's better to have something and never need it, than to need something and not have it. I tend to carry everything. Lots of places we ride are over 2 hours from the nearest hospital. A serious injury out here means a helicopter ride.

In addition, make sure everyone that travels with you knows where it is kept and how to use it. Never know when someone else might have to use it on you.

 

[IsleDog]

I got lucky this past year and only smashed my foot with a piece of firewood while chopping with the ax... Going forward, I know my inner-child will come out and I'll do something else stupid and need a first aid kit.

How does everyone get/stock/make their first aid kits?

Buy?
Build your own?
Dumb luck?

What's in yours? I am going to need one. It's not if... But when.

Signed,
Middle aged, blonde male of Polish descent.

I have an ax shaped scar on my leg from being dumb while chopping wood. live and learn. I carry a larger first aid kit with quick clot now.