I am looking for some ideas on what to use for a container for the pills in my FAK. I would prefer to have something that allows me to separate different types of medication instead of putting everything in a small bottle together (current method)
What does everyone use to keep their stuff separated, water tight, and labeled?
-John

I still use one pharmacy pill container and seperate different types of medication with layers of cotton. Like you I have not come up with an alternative that is as small and secure as I would like.
For non-prescription medication I purchase small blister packs and put them in my FAK.

I once took one of those seven day pill things that you see by the checkout at the pharmacy, filled it with my meds, then stuck the whole thing in a vacuum seal bag and sealed it. Not easy to use that way of course, but a weeks worth of meds stuck away for emergency use...

Blister packs, just trim them down and paperclip a tiny type print out with all the usage, dosage and reaction stuff, along with a description.

Some things I repack in 2x2 or 2x3 zipper bags and label with a lumocolor pen. Others I repack in small vials that were origionally designed to carry toothpicks (actually, I think they might have first been centrifuge tubes) and tape a label on.

I am using old pill bottles. I wash them out and use the size that best accommodates a 30 day supply of each medcation or vitamin supplement. I use computor labels to notate the contents in each bottle with scotch tape on top of the labels.

Talk to your local, friendly Pharmacist and you should be able to get the proper size new bottles needed for each med.

This is what I found. Looks like some sort of otterbox:

http://www.specialmedics.com/armadillomedicationstoragecase.html

At the checkout counter of most grocery/drug stores there are usually small travel size bottles of tylenol/aleve/motrin etc. These are cylinders (I've seen two sizes, 11/16" diameter and 7/8" diameter) with waterproof and childproof caps. I buy whatever is on sale then empty the bottle, peel off the label, wrap three feet of gaffer tape around it (makes a good spindle for storing duck tape) and fill it with one type of pill. Depending on the size bottle and size of pills I can store 5-50 pills in each.

A handful of these bottles store all my FAK meds. They are in separate waterproof and crush resistant containers that also have duck tape storage. Try it. It works for me.

I use small (2x3) ziploc bags. I got a case of 1000 a few years ago, and have been using them for nearly everything, including FAK contents, ever since. I got them from Uline (http://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-7006).

The biggest problem is they are not crushproof, like other containers might be. For me, this is offset by some of the following advantages:

- flat - takes up less space
- organized - you can write on them with a sharpie, and either put different meds in different bags. Or, for a more compact kit, I will put different kinds of meds relating to the same purpose all in one bag (e.g., claratin and benadryl in an "allergies" bag)
- visible - although you can write on them, you don't need to in order to quickly recognize some contents (advil and benadryl are pretty easy to spot, for example)
- kids - I've carried kids medications for my daughter, and I just cut the dosage instructions from the box and slip them right into the bag, so you can read them without even removing them.

I change and restructure and reorganize my kits way too often, but this is one of the few aspects that I've settled on and it has served me well over time.

Hope that helps.

Rod Satterwhite

I have been experimenting with a few solutions.

OBG's idea of using the multi-chambered containers with the days of the week on each compartment(which can be relabeled) was one.

Another is the small key chain with a metal capsule bottle with a screw on lid with a rubber gasket. They come in various sizes. Check your large Pharmacies, Wal-marts, K-marts, & Auto parts stores(where they sell key chains.) Online, EDC Depot carries small containers that are similar.

Hope this helps you,

Tim Bauer

I started using quarter tubes they are sized to hold $10.00 worth of quarters and have a screw on lid that is water and airtight. It holds about a weeks worth of my vitamins (disguised as horse pills). They are readily available at any coin shop. They can take quite a bit of shock but the down side is the plastic is sharp when it does break which would be bad I your pack or when reaching for it in the dark.