There’s a good article at: Tourniquet Use Should Be One of Your Basic First Aid Skills. Just another rationale for keeping a dedicated tourniquet in your FAK.

The HL-10 has the same UI and I agree, it is very simple to actuate and use... But just think how busy your poor little finger will be if you need to send an SOS.

I wonder if there is case on record of where a light sending out an SOS actually was observed, and triggered a rescue ops. I certainly don't know of any....

Sending the SOS might be fairly easy. Just use the shutter technique. Let the light on and put your index finger or the entire hand in front of the lens. Morse with light signals should be on a slow pace anyways.

Back to modifying FAK’s...

I carry a small FAK more often than anything largish. I had been carrying an AMK Ultralight .3, but in their wisdom (and I won’t rationalize why) AMK has made the decision to shift from the small nylon pouch with a waterproof inner bag to a Waterproof DryFlex Bag. The AMK UL.5, ,7 & .9 kits still come with the nylon outer pouch.

IMO the DryFlex bag alone is not adequate. One comment on REI’s page for this kit described a sealed/unopened kit getting wet inside when his kayak capsized. Apparently the DryFlex bag’s integrity failed (pinhole?) which is why you want a tougher outer bag. So rather than buy another AMK UL.3, I’m downsizing an AMK UL.5 to carry the minimal contents of a UL.3. Okay, maybe a little more than the .3.

I also like a small kit that is handy to a larger kit that might not be available. But I keep a big kit in my vehicle, filled with lots of dressings and bandaging material. Probably will add some CAT tourniquets....

Speaking of truck kits... I’m adding a CAT GEN 7 tourniquet to my truck kit. The first one went in the backpack I take when hiking (not just walking), but as you indicate, your vehicle has room for a large FAK as does mine. A quality tourniquet will be a good addition.

One thing to consider as you prepare your kit for medical situations - you will often draw on resources beyond what is carried in your FAK. The headlamps we have discussed are simply one example. In outdoor situations, you will need to consider hyper/hypo thermic conditions (if it ain't one, it's the other), hydration state, impending weather, keeping the scene safe for everybody, and the like.

It is basically a crash course in improvisation....

Improvisation was an aspect of the Wilderness First Aid course I took — splints, neck braces, tourniquets... Every situation is different.

I was going through the contents one of my commercial FAK’s and just out of curiosity decided to look closer at the meds. Look at the tablet labeled “antihistamine” — What is it? Mine was generic “Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride”. What are the side-effects? Do you feel comfortable taking these or giving them to someone else?

I have self-medicated (OTC drugs) in the past and it wasn’t always a good thing. I rarely medicate at all these days; I choose mild pain over pain-relief drugs. Relief from pain is over-rated, mild pain might keep you from doing something stupid. I love that TV commercial where the guy takes pain meds so he can keep playing basketball on a knee that maybe shouldn’t be on the B-ball court.

So I’m making room in what I consider to be a minimal kit and removing the pain meds and I may remove the antihistamine’s too.

Comments? Am I selling the usefulness of these drugs short?

It is one thing to take pain meds for yourself, but an entirely different proposition if considering giving them to someone else. Generally it is not advised, especially if the individual is going to the ER or physician's care.