First Aid Kit

Hello, I'm new to this site and have seen all the really good advice on it. I don't know if I am starting a new topic but I want to know what companies make a great first aid kit. In the Army I have a CLS(Combat Life Saver) bag, and our medic carries his A bag. i am looking for one that is not too expensive, hopefully under a hundered dollars( or cheaper). It will have to support me and maybe a couple of people. I have experience in traumatic wounds on others and myself. I hope this is a good start. I am just getting into this type of activity and do not know any reputable companies outside the military. Thanks for you time.

Outside the military what certifications do you have??

And Welcome to the Fire NEWGUY!

the basic first aid by the Red Cross. I am enrolled in a course at CTC(Central Texas Collage) for advanced first aid. I have just started hiking and backpacking, outside the military.

Take a look at Adventure Medical Kits.


Tom

thanks, has anybody else have a site that has a good first aid kit on it. I want to try to get the I can afford. Like I said a hundred or less.

Yah, I think a lot of us went the route of building our own. Here is mine.

And search for existing FAK threads on this forum. There are a lot of them like The Official First Aid Kit Show-off Thread.

-john

I would try searching on Ebay.

+1

If you are not interested in building your own kit from scratch, AMK offers a variety of kits depending upon what your goals are. If I were in your shoes, I'd consider picking up one of the AMK kits and adding some trauma items to it (ETD, a tourniquet, roll or two of Kerlix, etc).

The other option would be go at it from the opposite direction and pick up a USGI or USMC IFAK, then add the wilderness and boo-boo items that you feel would be helpful.

Jim

+1 on the AMK they have a bunch of great kits and good prices

Welcome Newguy!

As others have said, get a container you like, and fill it yourself. It will save you money, get you better quality stuff, and only get you what you think you need...

I Highly recommend the First aid kit show-off thread. It was actually made for this exact reason. One good cheap supplier of FAK (First aid kit) materials is This Place*. It is were I got most of the stuff for my kit. I got enough stuff for a 20 person FAK, and enough stuff to resupply everything At least twice. I think the total, including bag, and shipping was 160, but thats only because it was a for a scout troop of 20-30 scouts, and I wanted to be able to refill it more than once with the materials available. i Highly recommend the "Make your Own route" as it is fun, its a learning experience, and you know you know how to use everything in it.

-CS

*No affiliation except being a happy customer

toecutter,

couple more links for you.

REI

And if you want to build your own, Kachina Rescue

Thanks guys, I will go through all these sites and then run them by my medic. Even though I have treated and helped in care of major wounds, I still have a lot to learn. In this case I don't want to just go by what I think I need. I do not want to be out in the middle of nowhere and somebody or myself gets hurt and not have a simple bandage that could save the day.

I am a 19D on active duty. I got injured and now on "reserve" status until I can get cleared by the med board. I started backpacking with the WWP(Wounded Warrior Project) and feel in love with it. That is how I was lead to this site.

+1 on AMK.

I have also built my own from scratch and never been completely happy with it. So I upgrade certain items and include items with the AMK brands.

Today, I got a CLS bag that was laying around. I went and hit up my medic and he was able to give me some stuff that is still in the expiration but they can't keep. Just some bandages. I went to the store and bought meds, all that I could think of that might happen. Now, does anybody else have the problem of thinking of too many senerios and plan for them all. Then you end up with a bag that weights eighty pounds. How to counteract that, anybody have suggestions?

I'm guessing that you're joking a bit when you say 80 pounds, but there aren't too many scenarios that I can think of that my STOMP II FAK couldn't handle, and yet my pack weighs 37 pounds (49 pounds with all the IV fluids). I wasn't concerned with weight when I put it together as it isn't something that I plan to carry around on my back during a bugout (I have a smaller FAK for that).

My STOMP II FAK has a bunch of built-in redundancy and large quantities of consumables -- if I were trying to cut back on weight the first thing I'd do is trim back on the quantities, while maintaining the ability to treat all the various medical emergencies.

Jim

Today we are setting up cots and handing out food to the people that are going to stay here at Fort Hood due to the hurricane. So far not many have showed up. Just a few buses and families. I'm at one of the computers we set up for them to use. I am glad that I can do something. One thing that I can see to put in my FAK is some candy for little ones, mannly a lollipop to help with tears. It is amazing what a little iece of candy can do to help a little kid calm down.