This topic is regarding FAK's,(First Aid Kit's) Do you folks prefer to make your own? Or buy one premade? opinions.

I carry a pre-packed back pack kit with me in which I keep extras like personal meds/inhalers etc. I keep a much larger (home-made) kit back at camp.

While elk hunting one year, hubby and BIL came across a group of hunters who need help getting a buddy out of the woods. The guy had knifed his thigh while trying to skin and elk. I took that pretty serious and always sent or brought along a big kit as well as a pre-made back pack kit with a few extras.

Ditto what Redwolf says. I have a "big" kit in the truck at all times, and a small kit in my pack. They are both 'store-bought' with add-ons as I saw fit. I also have some wilderness first aid training, for when help is at least an hour out.

I just spent several weeks making up a kit for work overseas. The kit is composed of four sub-kits: trauma kit, foot kit, meds and cremes kit and eye kit. Each is in a 4x5 inch waterproof envelope and the total kit fits in a 6x10 inch vinyl envelope and it stuffs in any recess of my rucksack. We will see how long it lasts.

I am attaching a document that I used in developing my kits. It is simply a copy and paste from other first aid suggestions. I don't necessarily endorse all the items on the list. I was simply looking for ideas from other kits. For that reason there is duplication among the different kits.

A general rule about first aid kits is to not include anything that the user has not been trained to use.

Excellent layout HMB, just about everything is there. Believe it or not a few heavy duty maxi pads come in handy to help stop bleeding. This I know from a injury a friend of mine sustained. I placed the MP on the wound and taped it up. It worked so well by the time we got to the hospital, the nurses and doctor said that was a very good idea. So to aid in slowing or stoping blood loss from a larger wound they come in really handy and inexpensive.

Nice lists... thanks for sharing...

Hey... it might be nice to toss in a couple of these: Quik Clot

good idea RB

Good list HMB

I spend a lot of time in the woods usually with groups of people and I love the Adventure Medical Kits. They have a great lay out and you can quickly identify where everything is. You should become very familiar with your kit and how it is packed. You can't waste time looking for something that you know you "stuffed in there somewhere" in a real emergency.

I follow the pattern of prepared kits and add a few essentials. One backpack and one vehicle kit. I add an Acme Thunderer #660 whistle to my signal mirror lanyard. The #660 is designed for low volume--loud output for small sized childrens lungs, and older lungs. Additional signaling is from a pocket sized horn by Falcon Signal Horns. The unit that I have is similar to the 'Push Button Jr'. Overall height is 5-1/2" and fits in my belt pouch. I duct tape two canisters together. One unbreakable plastic trumpet is attached. The first canister is designated "Alert". The second canister is designated "Locate". 3 oz. canister size limits duration. In a forest setting, range is a guess at 1/2 mile. The horn is in the driver side door pocket of my vehicle when not in my pack.
I have Space brand emergency blankets, made by MPI Outdoors. The original space blanket. MPI has a heavier emergency blanket called the 'All Weather Blanket'. Construction is 4 ply, available in 'blanket' or 'hooded style'. Colors are blue and red. Red looks better from the air.
I like Maglites. I prefer a flashlight like the AA size for the little light with the first aid kit. Flash lights that have a push button switch, especially in the end cap, end up dead in your pack.
I use various products of Grabber Mycoal. Heat Treat body, hand, sleeping bag warmers. The body warmers have an adhesive to keep the warmer fixed in place between layers of clothing.
The extra tapes are a quality duct tape, and Scotch brand 'Super 33 / Super 88' electrical tape.
I never leave home without Bag Balm -- the universal ointment.
I have a prescription item for irrigation of wounds, especially punctures. 500ml bottle of saline solution, 0.9% sodium chloride. Used with sterile packaged irrigation syringes, 10cc---20cc.

Domestic first aid kits are a start. They are not designed with items for exposure, signaling. The above items are basic add-ons. I operate in a 4 season area --- not to hot, not too cold.

Excellent Cat, im going to make a homemade kit with an emphasis placed on hotter, rainy weather, since I live in florida. heat and rain"staying dry", I dont like the bulky ponchos where visibilty and range of motion are limited. I dont know to much about the water filtration kits. I would like to make a Survival/FAK essentially. Dual purpose, just in case theres an issue I got all the bases covered, e.g. water,food,trauma,first aid,insects,venomous creatures, heat exhastion, weather, signaling,communication,shelter and navigation.However I dont want this pack to weigh 200lbs.

It's good to see that someone is suggesting that Quikclot be part of first aid kits. I have used it to stop uncontrollable bleeding with a person who uses coumadin blood thinner. They took a minor fall and opened a small cut on their knee. But, with blood thinner, it is very difficult to get their blood to clot. Quikclot handled it. It is amazing how fast the product works and it saved us from having to lifeflight the person out of the mountains. Anyone who goes outdoors should have it in their personal kit. They offer it in a number of configurations and it is available at Z-medica.com or Quikclot.com.

I also got one of those Adventure First Aid kits for my day pack and supplemented it with several items I felt might be useful - a cold pack, medications, asthma inhaler, etc. I also have a survival bag made up to carry in my day pack as well to include many of the items mentioned in the other posts - firesteel, waterproof matches, space blanket, whistle, signal mirror, flashlight, compass, lightsticks, pocket saw, and many other items. The survival gear ends up being a 6"x9"x3" bag.

An additional site to check is; Wilderness Survival Institute

www.wisesurvival.com

Great call. I just ordered some large and small versions; a little cheaper through here.

trin

I would also include a good size SAM splint also. We were actually out doing research on someones property and someone with us tripped on vines and shattered her ankle. Luckily we were very close to road access but after that I decided a SAM Splint would be good to carry.

Also watch in CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens because sometimes they put "special" kits 50% off if they are not selling. I got a couple burn kits which included Ice Paks, burn cream, burn cover, and guaze for little of nothing. Buy the kits and break them apart for different kits where needed.

I have a major kit that I am always adding to that goes in my "Field Investigation Kit" and a smaller one I carry on my belt.

MDBigfoot

Just saw something in the news about a skier who broke a leg in a remote area and had duct tape, he made a splint with that and his ski poles and got out!

A SAM splint is pretty common in most backcountry kits. Once you have one, you won't need another, so it's kind of nice to buy upfront. Not like meds that expire.

Go see your doctor; tell him you are going to a remote area & get stuff from him for your kit.

My friend L. is an ER doc & also a hunter/fisherman. He takes a kit that's about the same size as the lure box...I do know that he could perform emergency surgery if he had to, and also that he takes common heart medications along (which are no good to you unless you know how to use them!), and an epi-pen, because anybody can have an emergency allergic reaction at any time.

Just think of the "Big Bads": Cardiac events, Respiratory problems, Uncontrolled bleeding, Allergic reactions, Physical accidents/Drowning, Snakebite
and
the "Little Bads": Bumps, Scrapes, Blisters, Cuts, Bug bites/stings, Headaches, Diarrhea/Vomiting

When I kayak I bring my cell phone...nothing beats being able to get help.

I bought an EMS bag and made my own kit...Thats my big kit for all out emergencies for everything from cuts to sutures..To Traches anything I would need for trauma.Then in the Jeep I carry a pre pack kit, well by now the only thing left is the bag itself everything has been replaced..

BTW: Everyone, while we are thinking about it....CHECK YOUR KITS for expired items!!
You'd be surprised how many out of date items there are in it!

Peel apart at least one band aid, see if they are still sticky, some of mine weren't, I didn't know that!! Until my son needed one!

Especially check the ones you keep in your vehicles for this very reason the heat and cold affects some items..

Just a word of advice.....


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You do carry your cell in a plastic baggie? RIGHT? But, what if where you go has NO service? I have that all the time, especially out in the Cascades and N Ca.

Adventure Medical kits are usually very well stocked for backwoods. In my state you cannot administer epinephirine without being medically trained. A doctor visit will train you. Then, carry an epi pen and an Adventure Medical Kit. You're all set. WMI (Wilderness Medicine Institute) offers a weekend or week long course that will more than train you for a weekend in the bush.

I take my wife she is and EMT!

I need to get one of those, a wife/EMT package Just messin with ya Forestrkr. Kidding aside, I keep a general pack I made to take care of my usual ailments. It genrally consisits of Ibuprofen, neosporin, pepto tablets, cold medicine, gauze, medical tape, and daffy duck band aids Arklatex

I use a hybrid of purchased and home made. Whenever I leave the pavement I carry a PSK (Personal Survival Kit) and I have 3 levels of PSK. A basic one for a short hike of 1- 3 hours a larger one for an all day hike and an uber one for hikes greater than a day or if I am leading a group of hikers.

In each case I start with a very good commercial kit that includes scalpel and sewing stuff and add things like: epipen, benedryl, anti- diarrheal pills, water purification tablets, pain meds etc.. For leading a group I always throw in extra bandages and paracord, gerry

RB's suggestion of quick clot is a 'must have' but if you don't have it handy powdered mashed potatoes works just as good, if not better, and is commonly found in a camping situation.