Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Packable First Aid Kits

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What does everybody carry in their packs for a First Aid Kit? I am thinking I need more than my small roll of duct tape that I carry. There seems to be alot of choices out there. Looking for a good "do it all kit" that is of course packable, and under $100.

I've got a real small Adventure Medical 'Cuts and Bolts' kit. Very small, with the minimum first aid stuff as well as essential items to fix gear. They make good stuff.

However, I think the best medical kit is the one you make yourself and custom tailor it to YOUR specific needs and desires.

Agree....Make your own. As for containers: old metal Band-Aid boxes, or the two-piece sliding plastic cigarette cases work well.

I carry a fairly complete one and it's a component of my "go-bag" that I take even on short hikes. I also keep a fully outfitted kit in my truck including sterile surgery instruments, drugs, and fluids.

I've used everything in it at least once -- and used it last week as a matter of fact during what was to be a 20 min hike to take a pic of an arch. I slipped, catching myself on a log, thereby jamming a piece of wood through the muscle at the base of my thumb.
It was about 2" long and lodged in too well to pull out with fingers -- took a leatherman pliers and leverage against my palm.
I was able to flush and bandage, take and antibiotic, and trek back to the truck (an hour shortest route) for proper irrigation, etc.

here's a pic (it's right above the camelback bottles in the clear bag)


in it:
water purification
tent/air mattress repair
stove repair/parts
spare compass
spare lighter/matches/ magnesium steel
firestarter (petroleum cotton)
para cord
signal mirror
mole skin + blister bandage
athletic tape
various bandages
pain meds/anitbiotics
lip balm
wire saw/fishing line/hooks/etc
snare wire
electrical tape/duct tape length
space blanket

probably a few more

it weighs about a pound

Foxtrot:

As I get older, my pack gets smaller and weighs less. I carry only the essentials in my first aid kit. It includes the following:
Ace bandage and a Kotex pad, for major wounds.
Some Bandaids and Neosporin ointment, for minor cuts.
Moleskin for blisters.
A sewing needle to remove ticks.
Tetraglycene Hyperiodide (Potable Aqua) tablets to pruify water.
A squeeze tube of biodegradable liquid soap and a packet of Kleenex.
Included also are Chap Stick, insect repellent, Tums, Ibuprofen and sun block.
Sometimes I carry a snake bite kit, but that depends on the country I plan to travel. I don't bother with it in the mountains.

KC

FT,
I tend to go with what I need to save a life and minor care that will keep me hunting. An altitude induced headache will end a hunt as easy as a sprained ankle. A less than inclusive list is:

Blood clotting agent, traumadex or cylox
(2) gauze rolls
(2) bloodstopper trauma bandages
misc bandaids for knuckles
burn gel
Aleeve, rolaids, and a couple percocet,
tweezers, nail clippers
sterile scalpel
Chemical handwarmers

All of that will fit in my left cargo pocket and I also add a whistle, swedish steel for fire, trioxamine bar, about 50 feet of 550 para cord ande of pouches of honey or powerbar gel packs.

One of the best one stop shops is http://www.redflarekits.com/mm5/merchant.mvc, they have everything you need, are easy to deal with and have a nice little excel document so you can put a kit together without forgetting anything.

Sierra trading post has some in various sizes.

I take the simple basics like big band aides, some simple drugs like heat tabs, asprin, etc, some butterfly bandages and an ACE bandage for use with a splint.
Tear open chemical hand warmers, a poncho, or a waterproof shell, and a foam pad to sit, or lie on are musts as well. E

I bought a watertight, submersible, clear Lexan box for $5.99 from Wal-Mart, 4x5x3 deep. It will hold a digital camera, cell phone and sunglasses, all at once.

I use it for a first aid kit.
It is cheaper to buy a first aid kit at Target or Wal-Mart or CVS than to buy the components. I bought a big one for $20.00, then looted it for a little of each to fill up my waterproof kit.

My super small hiking kit is a metal cigar tube, with bandaids, swab, needle and thread.

Every small kit should have Steri-strips.

What type/brand of burn gel are you guys packing? I can't find any in small packets.

Here you go. There is an ACE bandage that is not pictured as well as some athletic tape. The pill bottles are penicilln and Darvocet. Other items include a quick clot sponge, neosporin packets, alcohol wipes, Imodium, over the counter pain/fever pills, and a Benadryl pen. I keep everything in a zip lock.

Temporary tooth filling putty. Without it, when you need it, one of your bullets might start looking tasty.
SD

Thanks for the link, but when it's pasted in the browser window, leave off the last comma.

Instead of regular ace bandage, I prefer the self-stick type like Vet-Wrap. It does not need clips, tape or knots to hold and is reuseable. Most stores have the generic version with the traditional ace bandage.

A commercial option that is pretty good is the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight .5 kit. It runs about $17 and consists of a nylon zipper pouch and a waterproof inner pouch, the package is about 4x7 inches. I add a syringe for washing out wounds, a Quick-clot sponge and a couple of more gauze sponges for if I really gash myself while field dressing, and a NOLS "wound pack", which NOLS sells from their site. The latter is a little 2x3 package of butterfly bandages, gauze, tincture of benzoin, and antibiotic cream. A little expensive for the amount of supplies at $3 each, but a really compact package of just the stuff to deal with a cut hand or finger. With the additions, you're still left with a small light package that can handle most smaller problems you're likely to encounter on a day's hunt. I'm sure some of the homemade kits are better equipped, especially for the money, but this is easy. I keep a bigger kit in the truck.
I took a NOLS "Wilderness First Aid" course a couple of years ago and I was really impressed with the information they packed into two days.

The burn gel is nothing fancy, just water with a thickening agent but it works very well to relieve heat from a burn when you dont have an ample supply of cold water.

I guess my philosophy is to carry the ability to treat minor wounds and stabilize major stuff. If something needs stitches I will stop the bleeding and get out before I try to stitch it up myself. I received a half dozen stitches over the eye without an pain killers several years ago, not quite as easy to sit still as they show in the movies.

I usually don't carry it with me, but for burns I use Water-Jel. You can get it in squirt bottle form or pad / blanket. It contains Lidocaine, so it's nice to put on scraped knees and stuff for the kids too.

In my kit I usually carry:
Turniquet, Celox, Bloodstoppers, Vet wrap, Advil, and a band-aid or two, I also usually pack an NPA, but wouldn't cause a fuss if someone didn't. A few Benadryl tablets are nice to have also.

I carry all of that in a mil-surp molle pouch on my belt. It also holds my license, extra knife, little flashlight, ammo, and a few zip ties. And I can CRAM my GPS in, if I bring it.

With that little bag and my rifle I can just walk out the door and hunt.