After doing lots of reading and lots of looking, I decided my best bet for putting together a good car FAK was to buy and supplement a commercial FAK. (I thought I already had one . . . until I came here. )

I purchased this one because it seems to be a pretty good kit just by itself:

1 Softpack bag
1 96 pg. AMA First Aid Guide

1 1/2" x 5 yd. First aid tape roll
1 Tweezers
1 Scissors
2 Medium safety pins
4 Exam quality vinyl gloves

1 2" x 4.1 yd. Conforming gauze roll bandages
1 4" x 5" Instant cold compress
1 6" x 3/4" Finger splints*
10 Cotton tipped applicators

50 3/4" x 3" Adhesive plastic bandages
20 3/8"x1-1/2" Junior adhesive plastic bandages
3 2" x 4" Elbow & knee plastic bandages
2 2"x3" Non-stick pads
3 Knuckle fabric bandages
3 Fingertip fabric bandages
5 Butterfly wound closures

14 Alcohol cleansing wipes
12 Antiseptic cleansing wipes
3 Insect sting relief pads
3 Castile soap towelettes
5 Antibiotic ointment packs
2 First aid/burn cream packs
1 Burn relief packs

6 2" x 2" Gauze dressing pads
2 3" x 3" Gauze dressing pads
2 4"x4" Gauze dressing pads
1 Triangular sling bandage
2 Sterile eye pad
2 5" x 9" Trauma pad
2 2" x 2" Premium grade moleskin

2 Thermometers, one time use
4 Ibuprofen tablets
6 Aspirin tablets
6 Extra-strength non-aspirin tablets


*It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why there was a tongue depressor in the kit.

I checked expiration dates, and everything's good through Nov. 2010 or later.


The scissors and tweezers are both cheap, so I'll replace them. I put in a notepad and pen, and I'm going to add fabrics strips, and a flashlight/headlight.

Anything else anyone would suggest for a civilian with good 1st Aid knowledge, but no CPR training (yet)?

Edit: This is an Urban FAK.

For the tweezers check out the Sliver Gripper.

Do you have a link to the specific kit you're modifying?

Kerlix, more AB pads and 4x4's, tape, more kerlix, and oh yeah...

MORE KERLIX (Preferably vac packed)

This one: Link

As far as I can tell, it's actually a pretty nice kit. I paid more for the one currently in my car and it's not as complete.


Kerlix = regular gauze or cling gauze? Or are they actually the same thing?

AB Pad = Trauma pad?

+1 on this. You will be shocked at how quick you will run out of this stuff in a real emergency or just dealing with one bad wound.

Craig.

I love mine! They are great EDC on my keychain.

Kerlix, Israeli bandages.
REDFLARE

Did I mention Kerlix???

Maybe some vet wrap tape also.

Hmmm...

Kerlix, Kerlix, and Kerlix
More trauma pads
An Israeli bandage

And I've thought of:

Elastic Bandages
Eyewash


I'm gonna need a bigger bag.

Buy a vacuum sealer and make little sub-packs with 4x4's, Kerlix, Gloves, etc in them. They take less space (there is a reason its called bulk bandage material).

I won't even get into some of the MVA's I have happened up on.

Wander thru this thread to see what last Thanksgiving was like for my family and me.

Did I mention Kerlix and 4x4's????

Throw in several more of the triangular bandages. They don't take up much weight or space and I know I need a lot of them for splinting or slings. They can be cut from old sheets if you can't find them easily.

Add a watch even if you are usually wearing one.
It does not even need a band, really, just store it with the notepad and pen. It could even be stuck to the note book. A sweep second hand is preferred. Timex is more than good enough.
You will use it for taking pulse and counting breathing.
It is good to note down the time when you do stuff too.

If the kit is in the car you could put an old blanket or two with the kit. Wool blankets are great, synthetics are OK.
Injured people get cold fast, especially when on the ground. Whatever helps keep them warm.

Add a CPR mask. It will give you piece of mind when doing CPR or any other rescue breathing.

People have different opinions about what they want to have with them. I would likely never bother to use the tension (elastic) bandages in a first aid kit.

I do tend to use up a lot of cloth for padding though, so +1 on extra gauze and 4x4pads. I would likely add a couple more abdominal pads too.

A bottle of sterile water or standard saline solution comes in handy for flushing dirt, oil or other chemicals out of wounds if they are contaminated.

If the water bottles have an eye cup with them there is your eye washer. You can even get eyecups that screw onto the bottle.

Add some sugar, sugar syrup, or other sweets. This is for diabetic emergencies.

Add any special items for any medical conditions you or people you are near might have. (heart pills, EpiPens, etc)

If you happen upon somebody with a sucking chest wound you will want something to make a flap valve for them.
If your bandages are in plastic baggies you have good material for that. If not you might want to add a plastic baggy or two.
Baggies are good for putting anything personal the injured need to have with them when they are transported too.

Take the first aid courses. The life you save might be your own.