Originally posted 2017-03-31 21:19:02.

We’ve all been there – you’re out hiking, biking, or just doing your thing and suddenly  you’ve fallen, or scraped your knee, or twisted an ankle.  There is absolutely nothing worse than injuring yourself, especially if you’re out in the sticks or anywhere far away from readily available medical facilities.  That’s why it is vitally important to have at least some kind of basic first aid kits available.   There’s a huge range of first aid kids on the market, with some being small enough to fit in a tiny backpack, to much larger versions meant for a corporate office or your extended family.  Let’s take a quick look at some of the variety of first aid kits available.

Personal and Bug Out Bag Size First Aid Kits

 

 

 

Any hiking backpack or bugout bag worth its salt should contain a basic first aid kit.  For the purposes of backpacking, hiking or camping you’ll want something that’s pretty light, but yet has enough essentials to be able to help you out in a pinch.   I was actually lucky enough to pick up several mini first aid kits through a friend’s job, these are branded under the name Adventure Medical Kits .  It’s a great little soft pouch that is about 6 inches tall by 4 inches wide.  It unzips to reveal 2 pouch areas containing all of your supplies.  Here’s a breakdown of what my kit has:

Medical information:

Easy care first and and survival instructions

Survival tools:

• 1 rescue whistle
• 1 compass
• 1 emergency reflective blanket

Wound Care

• 10 antiseptic wound wipes
• 12 bandages 1×3″
• 2 adhesive knuckle bandages
• 1 xl adhesive bandage
• 3 butterfly closure bandages
• 2 sterile  non adherent dressings
• 4 sterile gauze dressings, 3×3″
• 4 sterile gauze dressings, 2×2″
• 1 roll of sports / medical tape, 10 yards
• 1 pair exam gloves

Sprain care

• 1 elastic bandage, 2″

Blister care

• 1 Moleskin blister reliever

Medical instruments

• 1 splinter picker (or tick remover)
• 1 CPR barrier mask

Medications

• 2 antibiotic ointments
• 2 sting and itch wipes
• 4 Ibuprofen (200 mg)
• 4 acetaminophen (325 mg)
• 2 Aspirin (325 mg)

I love this little kit, and I in fact keep one in my “get home” bag that I keep in my truck, as well as a separate kit that stays in the truck console itself.  It’s lightweight and has a lot of components for such a small pack.

At your home

No home should be without at least a small first aid kit, which you can find at any big box store.  I keep a couple of the Johnson & Johnson Red Cross All Purpose First Aid Kit by Johnson & Johnson Red Cross around the house, and they are more than adequate for the occasional cut or bruise.   You of course can get much bigger and more complicated kits for more drastic situations, and for that I would probably look for something labeled “trauma” kit rather than just a first aid kit.

In the car

I purchased one of these awesome automobile first aid kits for my mom’s car, because she was lacking a lot of basics.  These are a little lighter on the ‘first aid’ side, but are excellent if you get stranded with your car because they include jumper cables, a flashlight, signaling equipment and some basic tools that can help you out in the case of a flat tire or other automobile problems.

Kits for large disasters

These are designed for offices, or even large families and are pretty comprehensive in their contents – some even include supplies of bare essentials like drinking water and food.   An excellent option for anyone that lives in an area that could be subject to a major earthquake or natural disaster that could leave them stranded for multiple days.

I hope this list gives you some good ideas about the variety of first aid kits that are available, and with this information you can make an informed decision about which kit would work best for your own personal situation.

Happy camping!