First Aid Kit?

[Gary Lewis]

I'm looking for a good first aid kit to put in Big Blue for overlanding. And the spot where I want to put it is in the behind-the-seat storage unit and is 6 1/2" high and 5 1/2" front/rear, but can be any width, side-to-side. Given that I think a soft bag rather than a hard case would be best.

So I'm looking for recommendations if any of you are au fait with FAK's.

Here are some I'm looking at, but I've not confirmed that they are the right size: (NB: I can't add a link.)

• Adventure First Aid Family Kit: https://fsastore.com/adventure-first-aid-family-kit/22911.html?utm_source=pepperjam&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=21181&clickId=3641626078

• MyFAK: https://mymedic.com/products/myfak-firstaidkit?variant=19844419059808

• Stormproof Universal First Aid Kit: https://mymedic.com/products/stormproof-universal-first-aid-kit?variant=32760344707168

EDIT: Links worked on Firefox.

[salans7]

I carry one of the off-the-shelf kits from my local Walmart, I believe it was in the camping section. One thing you need to remember is that the ointments inside will expire. Try to find a kit that doesn't expire within a year. I believe I bought my kit in 2017, and it expired by 2020. If you can find one that is five years out, that would probably be better.

The Walmart kit had everything I needed a few years ago when my girlfriend cut her hand on the fence and I had to wrap her up. So no complaints with the kit.

[Gary Lewis]

I carry one of the off-the-shelf kits from my local Walmart, I believe it was in the camping section. One thing you need to remember is that the ointments inside will expire. Try to find a kit that doesn't expire within a year. I believe I bought my kit in 2017, and it expired by 2020. If you can find one that is five years out, that would probably be better.

The Walmart kit had everything I needed a few years ago when my girlfriend cut her hand on the fence and I had to wrap her up. So no complaints with the kit.

Thanks, Shaun. I hadn't looked at Walmart, but it turns out they carry a number of the ones I've already looked at. Or brothers/sisters of them. For instance, they carry the Adventure Medical Kits Sportsman Series 200, which is the big brother of the Adventure First Aid Family Kit I listed above. At 7.50 x 5.50 x 5.50 Inches it'll fit, and at $39.99 and free delivery it might be a good option.

And they carry the My Medic MyFAK, which I listed above, but for $110 instead of $120 as shown in that link, and it has free 2-day delivery. But at 4 in. x 6.75 in. x 7.75 in it is questionable as the 6.75 will have to squish a bit to 6.5".

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion of Walmart awa the idea to find one with stuff that won't expire tomorrow. But I'm not sure how to do that if I'm ordering.

[salans7]

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion of Walmart awa the idea to find one with stuff that won't expire tomorrow. But I'm not sure how to do that if I'm ordering.

Therein lies the problem with ordering online.

I honestly can't remember if my kit has the earliest expiration date printed on it or not.

 

[FuzzFace2]

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion of Walmart awa the idea to find one with stuff that won't expire tomorrow. But I'm not sure how to do that if I'm ordering.

Therein lies the problem with ordering online.

I honestly can't remember if my kit has the earliest expiration date printed on it or not.

I know it would be nice to order everything in 1 shot or in 1 case but it that case it to large why not either pick up each thing local and put it in a case or bag that will fit where you want it?

No one says it has to stay in the case it comes with.

Also going local you may find there are things you feel are not needed and others that are and not in the kit's or you want more of something.

Just thinking out loud

Dave ----

ps I have not looked at the links ... yet

[Rusty_S85]

I'm looking for a good first aid kit to put in Big Blue for overlanding. And the spot where I want to put it is in the behind-the-seat storage unit and is 6 1/2" high and 5 1/2" front/rear, but can be any width, side-to-side. Given that I think a soft bag rather than a hard case would be best.

So I'm looking for recommendations if any of you are au fait with FAK's.

Here are some I'm looking at, but I've not confirmed that they are the right size: (NB: I can't add a link.)

• Adventure First Aid Family Kit: https://fsastore.com/adventure-first-aid-family-kit/22911.html?utm_source=pepperjam&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=21181&clickId=3641626078

• MyFAK: https://mymedic.com/products/myfak-firstaidkit?variant=19844419059808

• Stormproof Universal First Aid Kit: https://mymedic.com/products/stormproof-universal-first-aid-kit?variant=32760344707168

EDIT: Links worked on Firefox.

Have you thought about piecing your own kit together? Some places online sell empty bags that you can then fill with your own supplies to custom tailor it to what you think youll need and you can also make sure they are the freshest supplies with the longest expiration date.

Im looking at doing this myself as I find myself wanting my first aid kit for my truck to have pieces from three different premade kits and decided it would be easier to just piece it together myself.

This is one of the sites I am looking at myself off and on for empty first aid bags to use as a base for my build.

https://gearbags.com/product-category/medical/page/1/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9O6HBhCrARIsADx5qCT4_Z5kMFs1a2pUOWvy0PAizNecjE6iXSCQWO-mFhD6msPKLv-QyQkaAjZtEALw_wcB

[Gary Lewis]

I'm looking for a good first aid kit to put in Big Blue for overlanding. And the spot where I want to put it is in the behind-the-seat storage unit and is 6 1/2" high and 5 1/2" front/rear, but can be any width, side-to-side. Given that I think a soft bag rather than a hard case would be best.

So I'm looking for recommendations if any of you are au fait with FAK's.

Here are some I'm looking at, but I've not confirmed that they are the right size: (NB: I can't add a link.)

• Adventure First Aid Family Kit: https://fsastore.com/adventure-first-aid-family-kit/22911.html?utm_source=pepperjam&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=21181&clickId=3641626078

• MyFAK: https://mymedic.com/products/myfak-firstaidkit?variant=19844419059808

• Stormproof Universal First Aid Kit: https://mymedic.com/products/stormproof-universal-first-aid-kit?variant=32760344707168

EDIT: Links worked on Firefox.

Have you thought about piecing your own kit together? Some places online sell empty bags that you can then fill with your own supplies to custom tailor it to what you think youll need and you can also make sure they are the freshest supplies with the longest expiration date.

Im looking at doing this myself as I find myself wanting my first aid kit for my truck to have pieces from three different premade kits and decided it would be easier to just piece it together myself.

This is one of the sites I am looking at myself off and on for empty first aid bags to use as a base for my build.

https://gearbags.com/product-category/medical/page/1/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9O6HBhCrARIsADx5qCT4_Z5kMFs1a2pUOWvy0PAizNecjE6iXSCQWO-mFhD6msPKLv-QyQkaAjZtEALw_wcB

Dave/Rusty - I have thought about piecing a first aid kit together. But I don't really know what I need in one, so have come to the conclusion that I need to rely on others to tell me what I ought to have.

But it appears there are several levels of what I would call a "first aid kit". Scott/Kramttocs and I attended a seminar on trauma at the overland rally a couple of months ago hosted by an outfit called Switchbacksafety.com. They tout what turns out to be a "trauma" kit for overlanding that goes far beyond anything I was expecting in a first aid kit, and their reasoning is that if you are in the back of beyond your chances of getting medical treatment soon are nil, so you'd better take it with you.

So where do I draw the line? What do I need? I don't know. But it appears to be more than a few Bandaids and aspirin. Maybe I need to do a comparison of some of the ones I'm looking at to see what they are including?

[Rusty_S85]

Dave/Rusty - I have thought about piecing a first aid kit together. But I don't really know what I need in one, so have come to the conclusion that I need to rely on others to tell me what I ought to have.

But it appears there are several levels of what I would call a "first aid kit". Scott/Kramttocs and I attended a seminar on trauma at the overland rally a couple of months ago hosted by an outfit called Switchbacksafety.com. They tout what turns out to be a "trauma" kit for overlanding that goes far beyond anything I was expecting in a first aid kit, and their reasoning is that if you are in the back of beyond your chances of getting medical treatment soon are nil, so you'd better take it with you.

So where do I draw the line? What do I need? I don't know. But it appears to be more than a few Bandaids and aspirin. Maybe I need to do a comparison of some of the ones I'm looking at to see what they are including?

What I did was I did searches for different types there is a shooting first aid kit with supplies for treating gun shot wounds for example. Something like that I would like in my case to keep in the truck but they dont cover the basics just gunshot wounds. Then there are some that I found that treats just minor cuts and wounds. Then there are some marketed as surgical that comes with more gear for slicing to remove foreign objects for example as well as hemostats and supplies for stitches.

For me I was looking at adding a little from the surgical kit such as the supplies for doing stitches, the entire gunshot wound kit I would add, then your basic bandage kit and I am thinking about if I need to throw in some other supplies such as a snake bite kit, tourniquet kit, etc. It is a balancing at in my eyes where you have to think about what will you have a good chance of using. If you dont know how to do surgery well then a surgical first aid kit would be pointless for you. If you arent around guns and not in an area that has a high number of gun ownership well then the gunshot wound first aid kit would be something you wouldnt need either.

[Gary Lewis]

Dave/Rusty - I have thought about piecing a first aid kit together. But I don't really know what I need in one, so have come to the conclusion that I need to rely on others to tell me what I ought to have.

But it appears there are several levels of what I would call a "first aid kit". Scott/Kramttocs and I attended a seminar on trauma at the overland rally a couple of months ago hosted by an outfit called Switchbacksafety.com. They tout what turns out to be a "trauma" kit for overlanding that goes far beyond anything I was expecting in a first aid kit, and their reasoning is that if you are in the back of beyond your chances of getting medical treatment soon are nil, so you'd better take it with you.

So where do I draw the line? What do I need? I don't know. But it appears to be more than a few Bandaids and aspirin. Maybe I need to do a comparison of some of the ones I'm looking at to see what they are including?

What I did was I did searches for different types there is a shooting first aid kit with supplies for treating gun shot wounds for example. Something like that I would like in my case to keep in the truck but they dont cover the basics just gunshot wounds. Then there are some that I found that treats just minor cuts and wounds. Then there are some marketed as surgical that comes with more gear for slicing to remove foreign objects for example as well as hemostats and supplies for stitches.

For me I was looking at adding a little from the surgical kit such as the supplies for doing stitches, the entire gunshot wound kit I would add, then your basic bandage kit and I am thinking about if I need to throw in some other supplies such as a snake bite kit, tourniquet kit, etc. It is a balancing at in my eyes where you have to think about what will you have a good chance of using. If you dont know how to do surgery well then a surgical first aid kit would be pointless for you. If you arent around guns and not in an area that has a high number of gun ownership well then the gunshot wound first aid kit would be something you wouldnt need either.

Rusty - The question of what I'll run into is one I hadn't really thought enough about. For instance, I didn't consider snake bites, but if you are going out in the woods you may well get bitten. And splinters are a given if you are handling wood for a fire so you'd better have good tweezers. Plus, burns are likely if you have a fire.

That suggests I need to pay more attention to what's in the kits. And I may need to customize even a fairly complete kit as I don't remember seeing one with snake-bite provisions. But, with a teeny bit of reading here (HOW TO SURVIVE A SNAKEBITE IN THE WILDERNESS) it looks like it may be more about procedure than equipment. But the information in that article would certainly be helpful in or with the kit.

So, this will take a bit more thought. Maybe research each type of problem a bit and determine what is needed in the FAK for that. And if it is more info that "stuff" print the info and put it in the kit and/or the 3-ring binder that's under the seat.

[Rusty_S85]

Rusty - The question of what I'll run into is one I hadn't really thought enough about. For instance, I didn't consider snake bites, but if you are going out in the woods you may well get bitten. And splinters are a given if you are handling wood for a fire so you'd better have good tweezers. Plus, burns are likely if you have a fire.

That suggests I need to pay more attention to what's in the kits. And I may need to customize even a fairly complete kit as I don't remember seeing one with snake-bite provisions. But, with a teeny bit of reading here (HOW TO SURVIVE A SNAKEBITE IN THE WILDERNESS) it looks like it may be more about procedure than equipment. But the information in that article would certainly be helpful in or with the kit.

So, this will take a bit more thought. Maybe research each type of problem a bit and determine what is needed in the FAK for that. And if it is more info that "stuff" print the info and put it in the kit and/or the 3-ring binder that's under the seat.

Correct, thats what I find with a lot of the generic kits out there that they are a good starter but they lack in some areas that you may need. Like the good tweezers for splinters, another good addition is good nail clippers. If you have a splinter under the skin that you cant get out with tweezers you can use the nail clipper to nip the upper layer of skin to get to the splinter. Ive had to do that before with metal shards before. Then if you are dealing with metal for example a good strong magnet is great as in many instances a magnet will pull metal shards out of the skin as well.

What I like about the gunshot wound first aid kits is that they come with QuikClot which you can buy separate it also comes with clotting sponges which many people Ive heard used tampons in place of clotting sponges for sticking in the wound. Stuff like that actually works great for more serious wounds not just gunshot wounds which is why I cant justify spending $90 for one of those first aid kits when they lack in general first aid areas. You can buy QuikClot as well as clotting sponges separate and add to a generic kit. Only thing is generic kits tend to not have a whole lot of extra room for adding to.

On the link I posted there are two that I am liking, the LXPB15 which is a molle style case which I think would go good on my bug out LBV but it doesnt have a whole lot of room for storage with its 8" x 6.5" x 3". The one that I am looking at for tossing behind the seat of my truck is the LXPB35 which is 9" x 7" x 4.5" or the LXMB10 which is 14" x 9" x 7".

On the snake bite kit it is procedure more than anything but the little suction cups for venom removal is a little more sanitary than going the old way of using your mouth to create the suction. I know many claim they dont matter anyways because the venom is already through your system in the matter of seconds but I feel if that was the case then there would be no reason in producing those kits in the first place and many of them are made by big name companies.