Just a brief message of appreciation to those who provide information here. Some of it may be pretty basic to the regulars, but it helps less knowledgeable ones too. I have spent a lot of time educating myself and want to thank you as it came into use this 4th of July weekend, during an extended family trip to rent a cabin. My 10year old fell on his bike and put a nasty 2in. cut across his knee (right below the knee cap). If we were near a hospital, it would've been stitches. But over the past year of reading/researching here, I've built a pretty good auto FAK (stored in a tackle-box). I was able to use the butterfly bandages and medical tape that I had to close the wound pretty tight. The pieces of hard candy also helped the patient <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. One item I've wanted to add was a SAM splint. I didn't have one, but I used a magazine to help immobilize the knee. I also wished I had some saline solution to help irrigate the wound. And finally, some superglue to help keep the wound tightly closed. I also realized that I need to better understand what/how/when to use what I do have. For instance, I didn't know whether to use the alcohol wipes on such a deep wound (I ended up cleaning around it). No this isn't a "survival" story, but I did find myself reasonably prepared, and desiring to be better prepared next time. Thank you. PS, the knee is healing up very well.