Yes and no. I do make sure my FAK are well stocked and current, but I try to keep the numbers of FAK down. Otherwise it's too much to keep track of and too much to keep replace.

I have devide my FAK in to:
- lightweight FAK (for MTB'ing, climbing, hiking, etc)
- Medium FAK for the outdoors
(I think i will be turning them in to a lightweight one + a add on kit)

- Car FAK
- Large home FAK (which is also the one i bring with sport events)

My kits are different from the American style kits. I'm from Europe and trained using more basic medical supplies (I have had basic first aid and wilderness first aid training). Far less medication and heavy trauma things.

I continue to click "load more," going back four years (that's a lot of videos in four years, by the way) and I haven't seen a video on building first aid kits.

Jeanette Isabelle

Here you go. Nutnfancy FAK's on Yahoo https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0dboVSTCkuw The link is to his Level 1, link to Level 2 on the right...

No affiliation, haven't watched any of the video's.

When any of my FAK's is opened the first thing you find is a ziplock bag with an N-95 mask and a couple pair of nitrile gloves -- no digging through the kit looking for mask and gloves. My AMK commercial FAK's have also been supplemented with additional 4x4's and a couple WMI wound packs. I also added an irrigation syringe to the kits which didn't have one.

I get that, but it wouldn't work for me. I have different kits for different places and needs, and it's also easier for me to know that the right kit is already where it belongs, rather than worry about forgetting one. If I limited myself to one first aid kit it would be suboptimal for almost any of my regular uses.



First aid kits come in such a wide variety I'm not sure I know what an American style kit is. I wouldn't be carrying trauma gear if I wasn't trained to use it.

A decent trauma kit for an individual can be gauze, triangular bandages and Ace wraps. I prefer a tourniquet, but I agree that would need some training. Airway maintenance also would require training.

Your best first aid kit is your brain. Knowledge doesn't weigh anything and does not take up space. Get trained. There are many inexpensive or free opportunities to do so. Accidents can happen to anyone.

I noticed American first aid kits have far more heavy trauma items and far more wipes and pills then european ones.

Trauma bandages and tourniquets are pretty rare here. They aren't even on all ambulance's.

I agree on non carrying trauma gear bandages if you are not trained to use them. Wrong gear, combined with a lack of skill can cause more damage.

It's sometimes nice to know which country has which kind of items. First aid training differs and so do the first aid items. So I know in which country to visit the pharmacy to get certain items.

Tjin, you can't hurt someone with compressed gauze. You would have to try very hard to hurt someone with a triangular bandage or an Ace wrap. Everyone can carry these and apply pressure to stop bleeding or splint a break.

I am not sure what you are calling a trauma bandage. Yes there are some remade and designed for military and law enforcement use, primarily for gun shot wounds. I do not think it would hurt for anyone to carry these either.

Tourniquet training is easy, and they are not as dangerous as many people still believe. I would rather someone try to use a tourniquet to save my life than let me bleed out. I have applied them to myself many times in training with no ill effects. I have trained some of my scouts to use them, and they get to put them on me. Yes, if done properly it is painful, but you need to know how tight they need to be.

As for airway management, people need to learn the non-intrusive methods for helping keep the airway clear, at a minimum. A nasal pharyngeal tube is actually easy to use and does not take much training to learn. Yes, these are things generally taught only to EMS, but in military combat specialties it is a necessity, and is now widely taught.

I emphasize trauma kits because they can save your life. Bandaids can't stop even moderate bleeding. A small trauma kit with a tourniquet or 2, some compressed gauze (Quick Clot Gauze is good also, but training is needed), triangular bandages (1 or 2), and a couple of Ace wraps can do a lot. I include a nasal pharyngeal tube in mine, but not those for others.

Get trained, the life you save may be your own or that of someone you love.

Well training and ideas are different in parts of the world. So opinions differ, that’s ok. We have far fewer ex-military personal and far less firearm incidents, so I think that is a reason why we have less emphasis on trauma kits and more focus on everyday injuries.

An example what we are taught and why:
We are taught that overpressure with ace bandage can cause nerve damage and damage to valve in your blood system when applied incorrectly. So there are even different method for professionals (should have enough experience applying correct amount of pressure) and amateurs.

Professionals: Apply Ace bandage directly

Amateurs: Apply roll of synthetic cotton wool first, then apply ace bandage. (to prevent over tightening; the cotton wool spreads the force and makes is more idiot proof)

Edit/note: I only speak of applying ace bandage as i'm trained to, not where it's for. I have first aid training and i'm a trainer, but not a medical/first aid trainer, so I'll not go in to where this actually applies and when you use it,

The NOL's Wilderness First Aid course trains students for trauma injuries. American Red Cross seems more focused on CPR and calling 9-1-1, whereas the WFA course does not assume you are within cell-phone coverage or near a road. Breathing is good, but so is not bleeding out.

We trained using a triangle bandage as a tourniquet, a sweater as a neck brace, and sticks and magazines to fashion a leg brace, among other hands-on exercises using other students as our "dummies". I took the course and highly recommend it for anyone interested in taking a first aid course.