Small First Aid Kit For Day Trips?

[Bravo30]

Looking for recommendations for a small first aid kit suitable for day trips. We often go out exploring abandoned buildings or hikes with our dogs so not looking for a large kit just something in the event somebody gets cut really bad, something in your eye, metal or a bad burn etc etc

also, what’s the current go to hemostatic agent?

Would this be something better put together one piece at a time or purchased?





Abandoned Pa turnpike (Sideling hill tunnel)
Flashlight : Fenix TK35ue

 

[billiebob]

a bottle of water will do the eye wash thing.... and keep you hydrated.
bandaids, I only carry the bulk strip Elastoplast kind, cut to length... and a pair of first aid scissors.. love them. I also have a tiny roll of surgical tape. The stuff is like magic thin as Scotch tape, it tears easy yet has incredible tensil strength. AND it lets blood flow thru. The stuff is incredible.

anything bigger look at yer clothing. maybe carry a sterile gauze but if the bleeding is profuse just the flow will be cleansing. In 67 years I have never needed a "first aid kit" altho I have paid for a few.

On the splint thing... find something you use daily. 20years ago a newspaper or magazine were ideal.... not sure what works today. Look at yer RV.... I'm still trying to think of what might work today..... anything flexible you can wrap would be cool but I cannot think what might work on my RV....

if someone has alergies and needs an epi pen..... they should carry one.

My first aid kit is smaller than a pack cigarettes. I suppliment that kit with things like duct tape or gorilla tape. Rarely does a first aod kit have the best option.

When you add pain relief as in burns,,,,, you'll need a full kit plus paramedic training. Most serious injuries are only about preventing infection.... the ER will be happy you never added anything like a silly cream. Cover it, keep it clean..... watch for shock,,,, give the person water,

Know where the hospital is !!!!

If you have the full on paramedic backpack first ait kit.... you need training on how to use it..... on any accident scene if you roll out the all inclusive kit you are stating you are the expert and you better know how to use it. I used to mountaineer, every ounce we carried was a handicap. As a team, always at least two, often four, we split the first aid kit and we knew what to do.... if we needed it there was no one else.

You can spend a grand on first aid stuff or a grand on training.... IF you spend the grand on training and you will not be asking the question here.

 

[aknightinak]

For driving or walking? Likewise, I've had the wallet-sized ones to book-sized ones, and they end up getting used for all the band-aids and an ibuprofen packet, then kept around until the wipes dry out and the rest of the meds expire. At the moment, I have one of the Kroger brand first aid aisle things under my seat, mostly because I had no band-aids and decided all the wipes were dried out and meds expired in the last one I bought. All the department stores are on end of season, so it also should be easy to score as little or much of a bag of stuff as one wants at a discount from their outdoor sections right now.

My walking around for the day kit is usually just the duct tape around my lighter and cleanest article of clothing I'm wearing. On the rarest of occasions, I remember to pocket a couple of band-aids.

Benadryl did a friend's dog right when it got into a fish carcass full of wasps, but that was the last made-for-hiking first aid kit I had. The dog was uninvited from fishing trips after that, and I have an even stricter "your dog-your problem" policy now.

My go-to hemostatic agents are just pressure and elevation. I sealed up a cut too well with skin glue once, without it being as clean as I thought I had gotten it and ended up with a nasty infection as a result.

I don't mean to be flip or rude. Simply, whenever I've really needed a first aid kit, there wasn't one to be had, or it didn't have what I really needed, so I've used towels and duct tape to pressure pack an avulsed piece of meat on someone's leg, splinted a compound-fractured arm with the rolled-up, cardboard bottoms of reusable shopping bags and and a torn up t-shirt. Each time the victims found me to report the doctors were most blown away that a random stranger knew what to do well enough that the first aid had made a difference in treatment and healing rather than having been kind but ineffective or even making things worse.

Most recently I whacked a finger really well staying in a bunkhouse with two wilderness first responders. Insisting they were trained to take care of me, they foisted matching outdoorsy medical kits at me with a "stand back from yourself!" attitude as I was wrapping the cut in paper towel and the tape off my lighter. Neither had anything I could use, and I rocked black tape until it stayed closed on its own. Even they only kept these things on hand for the half inch by three inch band aids and emergency Midol, and they'd used them all up.

Point being maybe, more than having a good kit, just know how to apply first aid.

 

[jmmaxus]

I carry an ultralight/waterproof small kit from adventure medical kits:

Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight Watertight .5 Medical First Aid Kit https://a.co/bIymqRp

For trauma they a trauma pak (quickclot) that you could buy separately that I also have. I carried quickclot paks deployed in the Army.

I also have their Mountain Series pack for camping that is larger.

Burns, works really good, my wife is prone to burning herself cooking so used multiple times:

Alocane Emergency Burn Gel, 4% Lidocaine Maximum Strength Fast Pain and Itch Relief for Minor Burns, Sunburn, Kitchen, Radiation, Chemical, First Degree Burns, First Aid Treatment Burn Care 2.5 Fl Oz https://a.co/hLTJHOh

Bug bite relief, the Afterbite cream and wipes that you buy separate and also that come in Adventure Medical Kits.


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[Bravo30]

-I also have a tiny roll of surgical tape. The stuff is like magic thin as Scotch tape, it tears easy yet has incredible tensil strength. AND it lets blood flow thru. The stuff is incredible.

-If you have the full on paramedic backpack first ait kit.... you need training on how to use it..... on any accident scene if you roll out the all inclusive kit you are stating you are the expert and you better know how to use it.


-In 67 years I have never needed a "first aid kit" altho I have paid for a few.



-Rarely does a first akit have the best option.

-the ER will be happy you never added anything like a silly cream. Cover it, keep it clean..... watch for shock,,,, give the person water,

-Know where the hospital is !!!!



-You can spend a grand on first aid stuff or a grand on training.... IF you spend the grand on training and you will not be asking the question here.

Thank you sir!

For the better part of my life I’ve been the “duct tape and paper towel” guy for every thing but as I got older I felt irresponsible for not having something more “professional” but as your post and the others that followed pointed out that was my emotions speaking for me. I’m going to do as you say and work on training first and continue to carry the basics like I’ve been doing for years.

I quoted the parts that freed Me from the emotional grip of my subconscious lol (this is why no question is a stupid question and another great reason to have these forums available to talk things out)

 

[Bravo30]

For driving or walking? Likewise, I've had the wallet-sized ones to book-sized ones, and they end up getting used for all the band-aids and an ibuprofen packet, then kept around until the wipes dry out and the rest of the meds expire.

My walking around for the day kit is usually just the duct tape around my lighter and cleanest article of clothing I'm wearing. On the rarest of occasions, I remember to pocket a couple of band-aids.

-Benadryl did a friend's dog right when it got into a fish carcass full of wasps

-My go-to hemostatic agents are just pressure and elevation. I sealed up a cut too well with skin glue once, without it being as clean as I thought I had gotten it and ended up with a nasty infection as a result.

-I don't mean to be flip or rude (all good ?) Simply, whenever I've really needed a first aid kit, there wasn't one to be had, or it didn't have what I really needed, so I've used towels and duct tape to pressure pack an avulsed piece of meat on someone's leg, splinted a compound-fractured arm with the rolled-up, cardboard bottoms of reusable shopping bags and and a torn up t-shirt.

-Even they only kept these things on hand for the half inch by three inch band aids and emergency Midol, and they'd used them all up.

-Point being maybe, more than having a good kit, just know how to apply first aid.

Good call on the Benadryl. We have that in the van but not our day packs. Looks like I’ll be skipping the hemostatic agents but what about some type of antiseptic? I always just use duct tape an the wife makes me add some cream etc

 

[BritKLR]

Training.

The best supplies and kits in the world mean nothing if you don't have the knowledge.

Just last week at Overland Expo Mountain West a gentleman collapsed in the middle of the isle. Myself and a former Marine jumped out of our vendor booths to render aid. We're both EMT's and then a Paramedic arrived. The Para called out she lost the pulse and to start CPR, we rolled him over to start CPR when his breathing/pulse returned and he started to come around. Eventually the event Para's and Ambulance showed and he got a ride to the ER due to falling BP......Moral of the story? Over 250 Vendors, hundreds selling First Aid kits from simple to complex and not a single one responded or provided equipment. Know what your doing so you can still do it with or without gear.

Be safe.

 

[aknightinak]

Good call on the Benadryl. We have that in the van but not our day packs. Looks like I’ll be skipping the hemostatic agents but what about some type of antiseptic? I always just use duct tape an the wife makes me add some cream etc

Yeah, I've learned dogs can take a number of otc remedies at half to the same dose as a human depending on their weight. Two took the swelling out of the pup's face within 15 minutes or so.

Antiseptics? I'll use the individual alcohol or betadyne wipes from the current under-the-seat kit until they're gone or dry, but most of the time I just spare some drinking water. Neosporin used to market a small box of a few band aids and a tube of their stuff that was a handy size. Mostly, I just use that or burn cream if I'm going to be able to leave it covered and not lose whatever dressing multiple times throughout the day. And like Billiebob alluded---if it's that bad that it needs professional attention, I wouldn't put anything on it. It occurs to me also, if you're spelunking a lot of industrial sites, keeping up on your tetanus boosters would make sense.

 

[Alloy]

Training.

The best supplies and kits in the world mean nothing if you don't have the knowledge.

Just last week at Overland Expo Mountain West a gentleman collapsed in the middle of the isle. Myself and a former Marine jumped out of our vendor booths to render aid. We're both EMT's and then a Paramedic arrived. The Para called out she lost the pulse and to start CPR, we rolled him over to start CPR when his breathing/pulse returned and he started to come around. Eventually the event Para's and Ambulance showed and he got a ride to the ER due to falling BP......Moral of the story? Over 250 Vendors, hundreds selling First Aid kits from simple to complex and not a single one responded or provided equipment. Know what your doing so you can still do it with or without gear.

Be safe.

With that many people I hope there was an AED.

 

[BritKLR]

With that many people I hope there was an AED.

One on the Paramedic golf cart. None from the crowd.

 

[mep1811]

This is a nice compact boo-boo kit with bag. I also have a tourniquet, EMT shears, small roll of 100mph tape and a field dressing.
It is easy to get carried away with building a kit with too much stuff.

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[WVI]

My number one bandage material, for working around the house or on a vehicle has been electrical tape...

 

[jmmaxus]

I posted on here a few days ago recommending Adventure Medical Kits Trauma pack/quick clot bandages. Well a car accident happened right in front of my house today and a lady was bleeding profusely from her head and I used the quick clot bandage on her head and it seemed to work pretty good.


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[TwinStick]

IMHO, you are far better off making your own. Yes, there are some great kits out there. But buying a good rubber maid container or water proof case & making your own absolutely rocks. Because you can buy your own high quality stuff to put in it. I have always done this since being in the US Army. You end up with high quality stuff that works great and have no fluff.

High quality scissors, tweezers, locking clamps/forceps, scalpel, multi tools, stretchable waterproof tape, waterproof bandages and bandaid, extra doses of your medication, eye flush cup, poison ivy/oak treatment and wash, triple antibiotic ointment, rubbing alcohol, wipes, etc, etc is worth their weight in gold when you need them.

 

[hemifoot]

i keep a level 2 kit in my truck.anything else i need can be covered with a big sling from the pack and my multi tool.strips for bandaids,sling,sticks for a splint and tied ,you name it.anything that requires more than that you should be heading back for your first aid kit anyway..