What recommendations do y'all have for individual first aid kits (IFAK)? I'm thinking about buying a few and then adding any extra items I might need. I put a little kit from the NRA in my range bag, along with a Quick-Clot Trauma Kit.

I've been looking at kits like this: mymedic.com/products/t...8817428576

I like the bag it comes in mate, but as for the contents, you could easily put one together with the same contents more likely than not cheaper.

Emergency First Aid kits are actually a very personal item. We are all different, with different problems and needs. I put together an emergency kit when I was in the Army and it contained the sort of things that were useful for me and that if need be would be ok for someone else. Bear in mind I was not far from well trained and experienced medics.

What I would do is sit down and write a list of things that you may most likely need to deal with existing problems should they flare up, then I’d look at more real emergency type things (a couple of Army Shell Dressings are very good to have on hand, especially the Israeli offering), then consider more generic things for everyday problems. I’d then revisit the list every couple of days where you’ll find you will add and delete things until you list is realistic for you. Don’t forget a waterproof carrier for your kit, and also think about the size…you don’t want a day pack full of med items, preferably something that will fit in a side pocket of your trousers.

We put together a first aid bag that we keep in the truck, try to keep with us when we go ATV'ing or whatnot in the hills. We made it from things we thought we would need.

First I got a small MOLLE bag, bright orange to keep things in, I like how there are multiple ways to attach this to whatever. Then we added a couple "Israeli trauma bandages similar to what Vince Posted. Another thing people overlook that I think every first aid kit needs is a SAM splint. Its easy to bend and conform to arms, legs, wrists... whatever. With the sam splint, I added a roll of orange hockey tape, to tape up the splint or any other useful needs. From there, basics like bandages, basic pain medications, small knife, small light, "endless match" fire starter, magnifier card, alcohol swabs, paracord, emergency rain poncho etc etc. Got alot of other misc items in there I cant recall atm.

I'd really like to find a tiny water filtration device that would fit in a small bag, but even Life Straw's are too big for it. Still looking...

Bag:

www.ebay.com/itm/40335...BMjNzj-sRf

Trauma Bandages (I got a 5 pack back when they were super cheap).

www.ebay.com/itm/28362...Swbv9djqe5

SAM splint:

www.ebay.com/itm/17474...BM3tnz-sRf



-DallanC

a first aid instructor years ago put it to us like this...
"you are walking down the beach in just your togs,with a towel around your neck,and you slice your foot open on some glass.....what are you going to do???? thats right you will use the towel....you use what you have on hand"

and thats been my go to for the last 30 years....
yip Ive got 3-4-5 commercial first aid kits...and usually carry one...BUT in all the years on the hill...the only thing Ive used other than a couple of disprin for a headache....was my neck scarf/bandana when sliced my leg....oh and antihistamines when dirty hot arsed german huas sting crap out of my legs,or daughters head,or sons head....or mates ribs...have I mentioned I hate wasps???

roll of insulation tape fixes most things with added clothing for padding....closed cell foam sleeping mat makes awesome splint.

if I cant fix it with whats at hand,its time to push the epirb/plb and get some serious help in a serious hurry.

I have a sizeable first aid kit in the 4wd, bandaids and antiseptic are the only things ive used out of it, the joys of camping with kids.
Ive added shell dressings and a few other things for hunting trips, to date they havent been needed.
I agree with Elvis, they are nice to have, but you rarely have them with you when needed.I picked up a young bloke who came off his motorcycle on a bend, checked him over and splinted his wrist with bits of his bike fairing and a couple of plastic bags off the side of the road, flagged down a car and they took him to the next town.
The couple of car accidents Ive been unlucky enough to attend were a case of keep them calm and still, dont move them until the professionals arrived.
By all means have one in the car or camper for the things you do, more importantly do a senior first aid course so you can use what you have .

I agree totally with all of the comments above…adapt and overcome and make use of what you have at hand, which is so much easier if you have a reasonable small first aid or trauma kit at hand. As Elvis said, if it’s real nasty, activate your EPIRB, but not everybody has one and they can be a bit cumbersome to carry.

A SAM Splint is a good idea, and another consideration is an air splint. Only problem with an air splint is they are body part specific, meaning you would need more than one type in your kit, but again, light and easy to carry.

I agree with the comments by Pete of dhc4ever fame…it’s usually only bandaids and minor analgesics that get used…but then that day arises when you need more.

Only you will know what you want to carry, and it’s surprising how many simple items will have a dual use, ie a Shell Dressing (outer cover can be used to seal a sucking chest wound), a bug repellant like RID can be used to ease minor stings etc, SteriStrips to seal a minor cut, burn creams usually have a local anaesthetic constituent that can be used to ease other minor injuries.

None of us wants to be in the situation where we have to deal with a very nasty medical situation, and it can easily happen…how many hunters have shot themselves climbing over or through a fence, or simply tripping over? When it’s necessary to call in the experts, do so, but you have to keep your hunting mate, or yourself, alive until they arrive, and it’s much easier with suitable kit. I even carried sterile packaged tampons in my emergency med kit…think about what a tampon is designed to do, then think bullet hole. As an aside, I even carried condoms…many uses including a water carrier by putting one inside the leg of your spare trousers and filling it with water.

Speaking of water…there are a number of different ways and means of sterilising water for personal use. Water Purification tablets are readily available, but they leave an iodine taste to the water. A Life Straw is a good idea, but as Dallan said, a bit big. Maybe each person could carry their own LifeStraw separate from their survival kit. In the Aussie Army we have a thing called a millbank filter (a British idea)…a material bag for filtering ground water, and it does an excellent job. I’m sure the US military have something similar. Of course, always boil filtered water afterwards to be safe. If possible, get your water from a swift running stream or spring.

I could go on and on about med and survival kits, but as I said, everyone has different needs and ideas, and only you can decide what is useful for you, what you are comfortable using and how much you want to carry.

Twice now I've come across others in need of severe medical attention. First was a kid on a dirt bike motorcycle that went through a barb wire fence gate and got torn up really bad including a severe neck laceration.

The second was a boyfriend and girlfriend who missed a corner on a crotch-rocket (motorcycle) and went through a barbed wire fence sideways. The girl was pretty shaken up, the boy (obviously drunk) had severe road rash (like down to the yellow fat) and wouldn't accept help. I gave his girlfriend a ride home in my truck. Amusingly, a neighbor drove past as I was helping them, thought *I* cause the accident and called my parents to inform them. They were extremely pissed when I got home later that night. LOL

With our kit, I've considered those events and what other gear I might have used had I had it. I liked Vince's idea of the air splints, but not only are they limb specific, but WAY overpriced for what they are. Thats why I went with SAM splints, you can use them on any limb, form them into misc shapes etc etc as needed.

Lately, our family has been really getting into riding ATV's at our local Sand Dunes (we have amazing dunes here in the Utah west desert... the pinnacle attraction is Sand Mountain, a 700ft high pure sand climb. Its a hoot). Accidents happen so frequently out there they have concrete helicopter landing pads strewn around the area. While we try to be safe, I know others aren't and there's a better than average chance to run across someone there that had a bad wreck.

-DallanC

in all the first aid courses I have attended over the years,the one story that stuck out was dirt bike crash,femural artery hit by inserted handle bar.....guy had his thumb on artery for close to hour before help arrived,guy survived.
amazing how things change over the years and techniques improve, get refined down. the rate for chest compressions has changed now....tourniquet is back in favour,having been a no no for years.
the very best tutor was an old bushman who had been involved in ambulance since way back when it was a 3P service.
.pick em up
pile them in
P off

he had some very good photos taken over the years including chainsaw injuries......made thing hit home hard.
AND he wouldnt pass us on CPR with the usual 5 minute mamby pamby on the dummy test....nope we had to do it for 15 minutes and let me tell you there was some very pooped students......
have heard of people doing CPR for up to and over an hour....... that is dedication considering how few come back and survive.

Plain cpr something like 2%
Cpr with oxygen and a defibulator and the knowledge to use them, near 50%, if started early.
Still 2% is better than zero...