Does anyone know where I can purchase ready First Aid kit to keep in my car? I'm not talking about few bandages, tylenol and some alcohol wipes. I'm talking more in terms of full blown kit with most of the supplies at the finger tips (short of AED and 02 unit). I have a general idea what I would love to have in there but it's too much hassle to go and get everythign seprately. This kit will be used for road emergency treatment, kayaking and boating accidents, capming, hunting and climbing. Yes I know that I would have to get a separate supplies as far as spine injuries go but I'm looking for the most advanced kit I can find.<br><br>Matt

I hope some of the medical professionals will respond to your request, but, for what it is worth, here is the response of a rusty EMT.<br><br>I would argue against your general approach. I have sen "comprehensive" kits advertised, mostly in catalogs catering to SAR units, fire departments, and the like. They are selling to operations with big time budgets, charging prices to match, with the expectation of heavy, constant use.<br><br>For what you are proposing, you will actually need several kits and containers. The kit you take into the backcountry needs to be lightweight, and highly tuned to the likely problems you will encounter. The kayaking kit needs above all to be waterproof. It is simpler to maintaim two separate kits rather than shuffled FA supplies around from trip to trip. I Keep a major kit in the car which is actually bigger than what is in the house. It is heavy on trauma items (thinking car accidents, etc.), and is commensurate with the training and abilities that I possess. I have individual FA kits, including one that I take hiking or biking, about eight ounces of carefuly chosen items. The kit for my ten year old is quite different from the one I carry.<br><br>Far more important than the bandages and meds in the kit is the knowledge and skills in your head, along with your ability to summon medical attention, at least in urban situations. I feel that the kit contents should be consistent with your training and abilities. If this is true, then virtually every kit would be best customized to the person carrying it. Just my opinion.

I know what you are driving at. I'm Certified First Responder with 2 months to go to get my EMT licence. I got enough practice to support my knowledge (Army, Camp work, etc). I keep my head straight and constantly upgrade my skills when it comes to search, recovery and technique. I used to have an industriail first aid kit in my car car that could be separated into two halves. One was design for common emergencies when they other focused more on trauma and burns. It was great because it was small and could have been taking anywhere (remeber what's small for me may be big for you). It was like a PSK in terms of having enough to get you going but not abbundance. Unfortunately when my dad totalled my car that thing disapeared from my trunk and I couldn't replace it any more. After years of kayaking I learned how to keep my things dry so that's not an issue either. And as far as teh money goes. My current job will be more than happy to for over some cash as there is some hope they may benefit from it (just in case).<br><br>MAtt

I will echo what Hikerdon stated. One all-inclusive kit for various activities may not be the best way to go. Look at the contents from a few kits on the web (I can give you web sites if needed) and then make your own kit; it will be much less expensive. Plus you can customize it to your needs. Pete

Various past dicussions have dealt with the importance or lack thereof of medications in a survival FAK. In my personal experience burns have been, by far, the most common injury seen in my outdoor adventures. Would Bacitracin, etc. be a prudent FAK component for more serious burns, second degree or worse ?

Blah Blah Blah...I'm not an EMT, or a Doctor...all those replies and not one answer? Anyway, check out the Adventure Medical Kits line. I have the "Backcountry," and it's great. I paid about $80 for it, has near everything I would ever need, including a nice medical reference book, SAM Splint, burn stuff, and lots of crush proof vials for the very few medicines that aren't included (prescriptions)...all quality products, too. This kit has everything a "civilian" would need, and if it doesn't...there's plenty of room for you to add things. As a matter of fact, I added all the necessary items for survival and made it my PSK. Basically, if you can't sustain someone with the contents of this kit long enough to get to the hospital or wait for the ambulance, they weren't gonna make it anyway. Sorry, it's pretty blunt...but in my experience, it's been the truth. Hope that helps.<br><br>John McIntire

I am glad you are a satisfied customer, but let's just say that not everyone shares your unalloyed affection for this kit as it comes off the shelf.<br><br>My car kit is a bit heavier, with more components, primarily for situations where kit weight in not critical. My climbing, backcountry kit is less than half the weight of the Backcountry, and has served adequately in at least ten significant real world situations, including two fx's.<br><br>I am intrigued by the poster who states that burns are the most common problem he has seen. I have dealt mostly with trauma and fx over the years (50+/- cases). I think this just underscores that personal situations and environments vary, resulting in different hazard profiles. You can take the Adventure Kits as a starting point, but you should adjust the contents to suit your situation. Come to think of it, the container for my hiking kit is an Adventure Kit, but the contents have been completely replaced. At least when I bought mine, the included supplies were only so-so, and definitely overpriced. The container for my car kit is home sewn, based on an NPS Wilderness kit I carried in the 70's, but with a few changes that help it work better in a vertical environment. It is backpackable, but I would carry it only in a SAR situation.

as a doctor, the FAKs I see on sale on the net as 'advanced medical kits' are not really what I would consider advanced as a medical doctor. It is usually more of what a civillian EMT trained or otherwise would be able to use. <br>If you really want a good advanced FAK to suit you, most times you would have to build one yourself. Otherwise most of the 'advanced' kits seem similar to me, some having a few more bandages / medications here and there.<br><br>Take your pick.....

John,<br><br>Yes I got the same (or very similar) thing and it came in on Friday from REI. I just expanded the kit with Ciprio med, some Immodium pills, glucose, penlight, charcoal, stethoscope, space blanket and cervical collar. I increased on the bandages, burn med and antiseptics. I think that guys here kind of misunderstood my original post. But above kit even if little bulky is not so heavy that it couldn't travel with me wherever I want. I took it out this weekend for 40 miles kayak trip and got to use supplies for minor burns, cuts, blisters and small wrist sprain. It fits perfectly in my kayak, under car seat, in extra space in my sleeping bag cover. I'm confident enough that this kit will and can keep me alive as well as people that I would treat long enough until I can get them to the hospital or ambulance arrives. I'm not going to be performing brain surgeries outdoors but treat basic trauma and obvious injuries. I would love to have a KED device, oxygen tank and defibrillator but that’s impossible. If you have a cardiac arrest when I'm there or suffer an open fracture, your chances of survival with my expanded kit and skills are better that if anyone wasn't there. There is no substitute for skills but supplies will make your life easier. A lot of times things go untreated because first aid kit is not there. People call 911 for non breathing people but when ambulance gets there it's too late. All it took was basic Rescue Breathing or CPR to keep the oxygen flowing but it wasn't done because safety barrier wasn’t there. Nobody in the world could be forced to help a fellow person even if you know the skills. Most of the people who know the skill will not perform it because body substance insulation equipment (BSI) (face mask, gloves) is not there. I personally wouldn't do it either when BSI equipment is absent. Good EMT will always have stuff in his car and he is ready to help all the time. But regular Joe won't. Since I got my CPR card I always have a set of gloves and mask on me. Hopefully I will join the EMT ranks very very soon. But until that time and regardless what will happen in the future I will always have something on me (besides basic stuff) that would help people on my way to my destination. Most of the time they will be my friends or friends of the friends during our outings, sometimes it may be a random person but at the end as long as I’m prepared I have a piece of mind that I’m covered just in case. Plus I’m always reevaluating and upgrading my skills.<br><br>Matt<br>

You are doing right by keeping your "stuff" handy. I went for a bike ride yesterday and encountered a rider who had an unfortunate encounter with a car - banged up and dirty, but otherwise OK. A passing EMT had already stopped and was doing a very effective assessment by the time I arrived. <br><br>In most of the emergency scenes I have encountered, there has almost always been at least one additional medical professional on scene, usually a nurse or doctor. But you rarely have too much expertise, or equipment.