I ordered the C-A-T trainer. Mom and I will be practicing it.

Jeanette Isabelle

JI, nice kit. May I suggest that if you are carrying 6, 5”x9” trauma pads, u need more Coflex or, better yet, 2-3, 3” roles of Vet Tape, to strap on the trauma pads. Add a roll of 1” waterproof adhesive tape. It is easier to apply than duct tape and more flexible. But keep the duct tape. Did you give any thought to one or two Israeli 6” , doulble pad bandages , in place of 1-2 f the 5”x9” pads? They are the gold standard for Trauma bandaging. Inexpensive substitute for a chest seal is sterile, foil wrapped Vaseline gauze pad. Watch the U-Tube video for application instruction.

Is your tweezers needle nose. It should be for effective splinter removal. And, especially in ur part of the country , a tick key or equivalent.

In my years as an EMT and the neighborhood first-aid Dad, I found u never pack too many/ enough sterile 4”x4” gauze pads. IMO, ur 6 is too few. 10 is a minimum and 20 is better.

A headlamp keeps ur hands free to give aid. Use AA or AAA lithium batteries for long life and no corrson.

If u r going to give assistance to strangers,e.g. car accidents, I’d add a pair of swim goggles and 2-3, N-95 masks to fend off blood spatter. If you are going to rescue breath, a one way valve mask is a must. Even reusable ones aren’t too expensive and single use ones are very inexpensive. The 28 French NF airways u mentioned r a good idea.

I’d also suggest u buy or assemble a better emergency dental kit. Just Google them and pick.
,
Finally, keep 2 or more, 20oz. , push-pull drink tops of bottled water, along with a few single wrapped iodine pads. One pad in bottle for wound cleaning and one to pour in ur rehydration powder.

Misc. Edit: waterproof pad + pen, #11 disposable sterile scalpel, 6-10 Wet Wipes invidual wipes for wound/ skin cleaning, small magnifier for splinters, thin waterproof marker pen to note tourniquet application with “T” and time , on victims cheek. Make sure ur aspirin is chewable childrens’ 82mg ( 6 is suspected heart attack dose), ibuprofen and acetaminophen together in the correct dosage ( Google it) is now said to give almost as much pain relief as common opoid tablets.


Cheers

I mentioned I'm modifying my kit and listed the changes along the way. On June 28 I listed what was then the current contents. I reduced the trauma pads from six to two and removed the CoFlex. For what you're mentioning, that is why a trauma bandage is there.


Though they are 4" instead of 6", the trauma bandage is close to the Israeli Bandage.


Yes.

https://www.chinookmed.com/01751/uncle-bills-tweezers.html


Space is limited in the wound pocket.


Where in the med kit am I supposed to include a headlamp?


Where, in the medical kit, would I put the safety goggles? The respirator masks are already listed. The CPR mask is also listed.


I question the usefulness of a dental kit. If I have access to a dentist, why would I need a dental kit in the first place? If I don't have access, a dental kit would only delay the inevitable.


Where, in the medical kit, would I put the bottled water. I do keep an 8 OZ bottle of water in my EDC bag and I often have a second bottle of water with me. I understand why I would need bottled water with me for the hydration powder. Why would I need a sport-top water bottle for irrigating when I have an irrigation syringe listed among the instruments?


Listed.


That is beyond my level of training.


Listed.


I considered a PSP, which has that.



Listed.



The following is what the kit comes with and what I have to work with.

https://www.chinookmed.com/05193pa/aspirin-325-mg-tablets-analgesic.html

There is no room for a bottle of chewable aspirin in my kit; I do have a bottle in my EDC bag.

Jeanette Isabelle

...”Where in the med kit am I supposed to include a headlamp?”...

One option is to keep a headlamp separate from the FAK because it has more uses than lighting for field surgery.

There are quite a few small headlamps that can fit in small spaces. The Fenix hL10 is a good example, but there are others as well. You definitely want both hands free in a FA situation.

Recently I've been reading to not have anything touching the eye in the event of an injury as there could be swelling. That disqualifies eye pads. Instead, protect the eye with an eye shield. With the modifications that I'm making I had concerns with the Combat Eye Shield getting flattened because the kit is getting stuffed as it is. That leads me to believe that it would be best to skip the eye shield.

The Polycarbonate Eye Shield appears to be addressing concerns I had with the Combat Eye Shield.

https://www.chinookmed.com/item/05262pa/...d-orange/1.html

While it's probably best to wait before making this addition, I want to know what you think.

Jeanette Isabelle

A headlamp....or any other light is useless......30 plus years on the road has proven that no matter how much light you have it will either; 1. Never be enough or 2. It can't reach where you need it.

So your advice is ...?

A headlamp normally used for hiking is better than no light. First aid in the dark can really suck. It’s probably tough to do surgery with just a headlamp, but for basic first aid a little light than none.

I heartily disagree. In fact, it is surprising and instructive how useful even a small amount of light can be. There are occasions where you want to bring back the daylight, but they are rare.

in wild caves, a headlamp is essential, since your hands are often busy as you move over rough, varied terrain. The same is true for hiking at night, although I often hold my lamp in my hands near waist level. The variations in the ground ahead of you are much more apparent that way.

In fact, I have been disoriented, walking on smooth trails at night with a headlamp mounted on my head, unable to sense exactly where the ground lay.

I prefer a modest (less than 100 lummens) hand held headlamp, lit sparingly as night falls, so that my eyes can adjust to darkness. You can follow a well defined trail at night, especially if the sky is clear,using a light only now and then. If you have a bright moon, you will go for miles and miles with no artificial light at all.

First aid is a different story. You want LIGHT, and plenty of it. it is all too easy to miss significant injuries if there is not enough light (Don't ask me how I know this). Even the quality and character of the light can be a factor in this context..

Standard practice among cavers is to carry three independent sources of light with you at all times when in a cave. I generally follow this practice on any hike of any significant length.

These days my go to light is a Zebralight 600, powered by an 18650 li-ion battery - variable light levels (up to 1000 lumens), sturdy,light, bright, and dependable. There are other similar models on the market as well. They are all so much better than the junk available years ago....

Hikermor - that Fenix HL-23 arrived the other day and it’s a good light. I found it while looking at your HL-10. The controls are easy and there aren’t any “special modes”; one button long press turns on/off, short press switches from Medium > Low > High — that’s it. Because it only uses one AA battery, changing one in the dark is also easy — no tools required, positive end goes in first. Simple is good.