Need a new first aid kit.

[C-130 Dude]

I've always done DIY because every kit I ever used held stuff that was useless and never enough of what I needed. I used to carry a 4oz bottle of betadine in my kit but stopped doing so because of its bulk. Could have used it a few weeks ago when i cut myself on some brush in the coastal range. Didn't clean it well enough and it turned into cellulitis. The doc put me on 1000mg of abx for 10 days.
Guess what's back in my kit!

Can you say ahh crap? If hindsight was forsight. Hope you mend - 100%.

 

[dfanonymous]

Nothing outside of mountain medicine and very basic first aid. Meds, ointment, gauze, and maybe a few other things like a skin stapler. Not king LTs or other airway stuff, not a surgical kit, not a bag valve, no decompression needles, no granulated quickclot or **** like that.

You said you don't go out much, and it's not a war zone. You don't need a actual IFAK. I mean that as in, you won't use it. It's extra weight and bulk. Chances are most of the people here who are about to "just in case" me probably don't have a fire extinguisher in their car…just in case.

To supplement my position, you're not going to put a chest seal on yourself. You're not going to pack yourself with impregnated gauze. If knowledgeable in things like a SOF-TW, then you probably already know how to turn a belt into a tourniquet.
Most people are carrying a trauma kit guised as a IFAK, to feed a hero complex, in case someone else needs it.

If my statement is true, then you have a responsibility to learn how to use the **** you plan on carrying around. That said, if you want the military doctrine of it, then the IFAK is actually so others can treat you. That's even worst, because now someone else needs to have the responsibility to know how to use your gear in question.

Frankly, I don't trust a single one of you to treat something like a gsw to the chest. I don't think people here know what to look out for, after using a seal for a sucking chest wound, and surely I don't trust anyone here to do a chest tube in the field let alone a needle thoracentesis.

Call 911.
Use a inreach. If you're far in the backcountry, this will probably be your own way out anyways, especially if immobile. There are risk we take in life.

 

[Trm82]

It's been years since I updated my first aid kit. There have been lots of FAK improvements in the past few years. Now I don't go hunting often anymore, but I still need one for the occasional (rare) hunting foray and for range use. With shooting steel more common these days, target splashback can, and will, cause serious injuries. I saw one recently and prompted this thread.

What do you guys feel is required in any FAK for shooting/hunting? Budget is commensurate with usefulness. I am particularly looking at complete store bought kits, not DIY. STOMP kits need not apply.

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

It's been years since I updated my first aid kit. There have been lots of FAK improvements in the past few years. Now I don't go hunting often anymore, but I still need one for the occasional (rare) hunting foray and for range use. With shooting steel more common these days, target splashback can, and will, cause serious injuries. I saw one recently and prompted this thread.

What do you guys feel is required in any FAK for shooting/hunting? Budget is commensurate with usefulness. I am particularly looking at complete store bought kits, not DIY. STOMP kits need not apply.

It's been years since I updated my first aid kit. There have been lots of FAK improvements in the past few years. Now I don't go hunting often anymore, but I still need one for the occasional (rare) hunting foray and for range use. With shooting steel more common these days, target splashback can, and will, cause serious injuries. I saw one recently and prompted this thread.

What do you guys feel is required in any FAK for shooting/hunting? Budget is commensurate with usefulness. I am particularly looking at complete store bought kits, not DIY. STOMP kits need not apply.

newtype military tourniquet,Israeil major wound with blood stop bandages,blood stop powder, blood stop gauze for wound backing, band aids. carry one when hunting and a bigger kit in car for 3 person and one in the 4 wheeler at home a major med trauma kit but then we live and hunt and play in Alaska and when doing extended 20 + day hunts back in a much larger med kit and K/9 med kit also,home med kits

 

[Muddyboots]

Camofire at times has med kits of varying degree severity at discount pricing. They have one there today. Might be worth watching to see when they pop up. Its a daily discount site.
Www.Camofire.com

 

[Moondoggie]

Refuge Medical !!!

(1) Made in America....every single piece!
(2) Support online
(3) plenty of videos on how to use different components on YouTube
(4) several different sizes of kits taylored to your needs
(5) 100% replacement guarantee
(6) free replacement if you save a life
(7) see #1 - no Chinese knockoff fake wannabe crap

 

[FLShooter293]

Instead of the Israeli bandage look at the Tac Med Solutions Olaes bandage. Your compression bandage needs to be rolled in order to get proper compression. The Olaes has Velcro imbedded along the length of it so if you drop it it won't unravel or if you let go while applying it stays tight. Also, can be opened and the padding can be removed and used as Z fold gauze for wound packing. There is a plastic film in it that can be used as an occlusive dressing and the compression cup can be place over an eye injury. More bang for your buck. Last point make sure you buy from a reputable company such as Tac Med Solutions or North American Rescue. There are a lot of Chinese knock off companies that sell exact replicas that are inferior.

 

[DoneNOut]

The last med training I got for SWAT TCCC self aid was to use your bullets as the best band aids to eliminate the threat, tourniquet, and get to the next higher echelon of care. Rule out the first part for hunting purposes of course! (Unless your hunting partner the one that shot you)

The tac med surgeon said tourniquet is the KISS way to stop bleeding of severed limbs, but on a GSW an Isreali bandage could really be the better option. Even blood stopper gauze and duct tape/electrical tape. Tampon comes to mind. Quickclot can be applied on the ride to the hospital, if needed, while keeping an eye on the blood loss/clotting, but the Doc wasn't all about Quick clot as a first thing to do. I still have the handout for all this. I'll get it posted.

@dfanonymous - is spitting at ya'll with straight up troofs! Keeping the kit simple is key.

 

[QuietTexan]

Call 911.

Only hours away when minutes matter

I hope you feel better getting that little tantrum off your chest, you need to chill out a little. Some of us aren't as stupid as you're projecting that we are.

One real world case happened at a range I used to shoot at south of Dallas a little over ten years ago now, and was my impetus for obtaining a real trauma kit and seeking out training. An instructor shot his assistant at a private "high speed cool guy wannabe" class. A member of the class happened to be former medic and current doctor and was able to stabilize until the helo could get there They were about an hour away from any hospital by vehicle at the time, much less waiting on an ambulance to get there in the first place. Having even one IFAK on hand, either in a range bag or from the range itself, in that case makes all the difference. I don't try to do cool-guy stuff, but the ranges I shoot at are either 1) public, 2) have steel, or 3) have multiple bays where people are left unsupervised. There's absolutely no reason to NOT do minimum preparations for a very possible eventuality when there are a lot of people and guns in the same place.

Statement from the Range Owner Regarding the Recent Accidental Shooting | Soldier Systems Daily

Since a lot of readers have been inquiring about it, I am publishing this statement by range owner Len Baxley in its entirety as it provides a great deal of ...

soldiersystems.net

My range bag IFAK has all the GSW stuff, but my backcounty kit has very few of those things.

Tampon comes to mind.

Work with what you have. When I broke my elbow all up the guy driving me the ~1.5 hours to hospital had his GFs bottle of Midol in the truck.... it's basically just Tylenol and caffeine

 

[DoneNOut]

FYI, the latest tourniquet has a feature that allows it to be clip/unclip for application for leg application. Trying to put a shot up leg through a loop like a standard CAT tourn is gonna be a bear if not impossible.

 

[JustMe2]

I just like to have a tourniquet and supplies to treat a gsw and puncture. I always have a kit in the truck and throw it in the ruck when I go out.

Tourniquet
Hemostatic gauz
H bandage
Chest seal
Duct tape

Think that will have you covered for major events.

This is all you need. If hurt badly, you're not going to stay in the field and need needles, thread, scissors, etc. Maybe add a Bic lighter, a few bandaids and a antibiotic cream. Once hurt badly, you're going to stop hunting and head to a hospital. If it's not bad enough for a hospital visit, it can wait until you get home. Why carry a lot of extra weight and take up limited space?

 

[FLShooter293]

I would add a space blanket. Hypothermia will speed up shock.

 

[436]

It's been years since I updated my first aid kit. There have been lots of FAK improvements in the past few years. Now I don't go hunting often anymore, but I still need one for the occasional (rare) hunting foray and for range use. With shooting steel more common these days, target splashback can, and will, cause serious injuries. I saw one recently and prompted this thread.

What do you guys feel is required in any FAK for shooting/hunting? Budget is commensurate with usefulness. I am particularly looking at complete store bought kits, not DIY. STOMP kits need not apply.

I agree, there are a lot of good kits out there, too many to name all of them pretty good, if War has shown us anything it's what works and what doesn't work.
However, one of the "must add kits" in my book for field, travel, and the house is the LifeVac... brother it's a must to add to your FAK build, a proven lifesaver. Hey guys! if the rest of you guys don't have one in your kit or house, especially for the children and the elderly check into it. As a former LEO, soldier, and firefighter... I'm telling you it works. Good luck with your kit hunt... Cheers.

 

[NW NM hunter]

A couple things I didn't see listed that I have or plan on putting in. My kit is more built for trauma to my dog for bird hunting while I get them to a vet but has been used on humans. Abd gauze pads, vet wrap (these are great for keeping things inplace and can be cut down to smaller strips, also works for a temporary muzzle while performing first aid on a dog) small container of betadine, some single use regular super glue (not the medical stuff), a stretch tourniquet, and liquid benadryl (for shock situations in addition to allergies), and a couple bags of quick clot.