I'm a fan of first aid kits, but tend to see the same mistakes again and again -

1. Too big. I have one thats fatter than a hardcover book - and its for backpacking! Think small.

2. No universal precautions. At a minimum, gloves.

3. Lack of some very basic tools. Tiny flashlight, mirror, tweezers, scissors, pencil

4. Disorganized. If a stranger flips open your FAK, can she immediately find what she needs? Collect like items together and label.

5. Not clear from the container what it is.I like red containers with a cross on them.

6. Not packaged in plastic. Most should be dustproof, if not waterproof.

7. No instructions. With relevant phone numbers.

Teacher

To get the best bang for the buck, you may have to go big. For a small kit, you have to pay a lot or buy one that is cheap in quality or is lacking.

As for tools, you are buying a first aid kit, not a survival kit.

Jeanette Isabelle

No flashlights in FAKs is a personal pet peeve of mine, and it never ceases to amaze me that I'm forever advised to remove them whenever I share the contents of my FAKs. A headlamp is best, IMO, but an LED at minimum is in all of mine. Doing first aid in poor light is terrible to impossible, not to mention that it can be helpful in assessing head injuries, and drug-induced reactions.

I think that a FAK should be able to stand alone , apart from a PSK or other gear, not for survival, but for casualty assessment and care. A little light, water, blanket... all essentials to a good kit, IMO, unless it's just a boo boo kit.

It's hard to get those essentials in a pocket sized kit, and frankly, I'd rather go with something more comprehensive when I'm looking at being in a self reliant situation for any amount of time.

I am interested in your thoughts as it applies to the first aid kits I build; it would be best to address that in the thread I started. Thank you.

Jeanette Isabelle

You got it, Jeanette Isabelle!

I mostly just read your thread on wilderness FAKs because we've got so many more experienced people here. I'm learning a tonne from y'all. Thanks!

Is there a good source for one page of First Aid instructions?

can you post a link?

I heartily agree with you that a flashlight, preferably a headlamp, is a very important article when treating a victim,but I don't usually stash one in my kits;I routinely have one as EDC nearly all the time. I prefer to think of a "FAK" as the sum total of the knowledge, skills and items that a responder or bystander will bring to bear on the situation.

For starters, I always carry four or five band aids in my wallet and a reasonably clean red bandanna in my left hip pocket. On my key ring in my right front pocket is a good dependable light (Fenix LD01). When I need to go beyond the band aid, I do have a formal FAK with Ace bandages, gauze pads, etc - about 8"x3"x5, weighing about 10 oz. And then there are ancillary items that can be used in a FA context - the aluminum stays in my backpack with predrilled holes that can serve as splints, for example, or the samll headlamp that I usually carry. This would include the stove and cook set I would typically be packing. Most importantly, I try and keep current in my training - I recertified in CPR for the umpteenth time a couple of months ago Fortunately I have a fair amount of treatment experience as a result of SAR activities - that is worth a whole lot of equipment.

More often than not when you are faced with a serious situation, you will be forced to improvise or adapt. Nurture that ability.

I don't understand FAKs without some basic tools like tweezers, light, cutting implement, and a magnifier of some sort.

Most of the FAKs I see have a lot of things of dubious value in them like a bunch of small adhesive bandages so they can increase the item count. 50 1/2 inch wide bandages really is not worth much in the real world. better to have five bigger ones that can do the job of the smaller ones. The smaller ones can't do the job of the bigger ones.

I am not a huge fan of things like triple antibiotic ointment either. way too many people are allergic to it and it really does not serve much purpose. a small tube of vasoline serves more purposes, costs a lot less, and has no risk of allergic reaction.

a lot of people include things like pencils in their FAKs but nothing suitable to write on. I am not completely convinced that you need writing material in your FAK, but if you do, some water proof paper is probably a good idea.

the problem is that you can end up with a lot of stuff in a FAK this way, and that encourages one to start skimping. maybe best to rely on having the needed stuff available, but not all in the FAK pouch. I have gravitated that way over the years.

I don't worry about big bandages anymore. I do carry at least one clean hanky in my pack and a microfiber towel that will make adequate bandages if necessary, and can also serve other purposes. and take up a lot less room.

I think most are too big - often the size ( and weight) of a hardcover book. I want something carry able and packable...unless some specific situation calls for it, pocket sized

A good way to keep the size of a FAK manageable is to limit the FAK itself to a few critical items that cannot be readily itemized - large sterile dressings, elastic ACE bandages, and meds, for instance. Think through those items you will more likely improvise or substitute - I have tweezers on my multitool, and always at least one flashlight in my backpack. On a long hike or backpack, you simply can't afford needless redundancy. Fortunately, knowledge and skills are extremely lightweight.

Why include a mirror?

Jeanette Isabelle

If you're treating some part of yourself that's hard to see, a mirror can be very useful.

Yes, object in eye, ( or just a contact problem) tick finding, signal

In a thread a long time ago, someone mentioned having an inspection mirror. You can probably find a short-handled telescoping one; possibly a lighted one. As mentioned in that previous thread - good for checking the "nether regions".

One drawback to lighted mirrors is that the lights can sometimes obscure the vision because of their orientation.

Allergy to components of triple antibx ointment is an issue if you are spreading it on a hundred strangers daily, as er's do: so most of them use bacitracin. If you are using tao on members of your inner circle who have used it without reaction before, the allergy profile is less meaningful. I prefer to think of such ointments as multipurpose assets that do all things petrolatum/Vaseline does-tinder, skin care, hair care, ear wax removal, small machine lubrication, waterproofing leather, sandwich spread-as well as killing microbes.

Tinder: check
Skin care: check
Hair care: huh? I don't put gel in my hair, is that what you mean?
Ear wax removal: here you have me flummoxed, please explain
Small machine lubrication: check
Waterproofing leather: check
Sandwich spread: yuck

With regard to the labeled function, I've never knowingly met someone who was allergic to antibiotic ointment. Before ETS I would never have thought it could be an issue. How common is it?

It depends in part on how large an area it is applied to (exposure dose) and tends to run in families.

I used to use it all the time as an initial application on cuts and packed ingrown toenails with it. The last time I used it was when the dermatologist told me to use Vaseline where he had removed a mole. Applied it to an area about the size of a pencil eraser & put a band-aid over it. The next day, it had raised an itchy red/purple welt bigger than a quarter. Looking back, I had been showing more minor reactions to it for several years. Both my paternal grandfather and mother are allergic to it.

edit to add PS
P.S.
It's becoming more frequent to the point that the dermatologist told me when I saw him to find out what the reaction was that they had changed they're recommendation to Vaseline because of it.

Back to the original post: critique of a general first aid kit. Not every kit is good for every activity.

I like to think about the mission the kit is going to be part of: is it a home based kit for SHTF? Is it a backpacking kit? Is it a travel kit to distant, and not well supported lands for a scuba diving trip? Is it a vehicle based kit? What wounds, injuries, etc are likely to occur in those various scenarios? How far away is professional support (EMS/Fire Department/Search and Rescue/Hospital)? In a regional disaster they're going to be swamped and delayed.

In each scenario I have basic supplies which I view as personal protective items (gloves, mask, cleaning wipes/iodine solution), trauma (roller gauze, gauze pads, triangular bandages, tape), tools (shears, tweezers, magnifying glass). Then I customize per the mission.

I've taken a dive trip to a very remote island that only gets one flight a week and doesn't have a decent clinic. In that case I carried extra supplies for injuries common with scuba diving and included 2 suture kits (not for me to use but for the clinic to ensure what they're using on me is sanitary). I also included anti-diarrheal medications etc useful for foreign travel. This was a very significant and large kit but NOT good for backpacking. It was designed to support 2 people for 1 week on a trip. When I left I gave it to the dive operator as a gift as it wasn't needed for the remainder of my journey.

Backpacking kit is the smallest kit I have. It only has the very basic supplies.

Car kit is larger and has more trauma dressings & more roller gauze, an Ace wrap, etc.

Home kit is a large plastic tub filled with supplies. I use it for home, disasters prep, and to restock the other kits.

New for my kits: Duct tape.
(Small roll or on a card)