[Prepadoodle]

I just finished updating a first aid kit that I think of as "the medium med kit." This one usually rides around with us in the car, and we take it camping (which can involve up to 8 people) and to the range. It fits into the 8" X 8" X 3" pouch that came with my tarp, and it probably weighs 2.5 pounds.

The idea was to create a "ready for almost anything" kit that would cover a wide range of applications, and do so in as small a package as possible. I thought it might be semi-interesting(ish), informative, or amusing to list the contents in some detail. Maybe it will give new preppers some ideas for kits tailored to their own needs.

I keep it all organized more or less by task, so that's the way I'll list it...

12 - Expectorant - 400 mg guaifeneasin
12 - Antihistamine - 25 mg diphenhydramine
24 - Anti-diarrheal - 2 mg loperamide
24 - Antacid - 500 mg calcium carbonate
24 - Aspirin - 325 mg aspirin
24 - Ibuprofen - 200 mg ibuprofen
24 - Acetaminophen PM - 500 mg + 25 mg diphenhydramine

sm tube - Muscle rub
sm tube - Triple antibiotic w/ painkiller
sm tube - Oral gel, 20% benzocaine
1 bottle - Eye drops
8 packets - Burn gel, 2% lidocaine + aloe

4 - Alcohol prep pads
2 - Disposable scalpels
4 - Splinter-outs
4 - Lancettes

4 - Alcohol prep pads
sm tube - SuperNumb, 5% Lidocaine topical
4 - Sutures, 4-0 silk
1 - 5" hemostats
1 - 5" forceps/tweezers
20 - Cotton swabs

4 - Antiseptic towelettes
sm tube - Superglue
4 packs - 1/4x3 Steri-strips
15 - Lg Butterfly closures
30 - Assorted self-adhesive bandages

6 - Antiseptic hand cleaner
2 pair - Exam gloves

8 packets - WoundSeal powder
2 - 5x9 ABD pads
4 - 3x4 No-stick pads
4 - 3x3 Gauze sponges
6 - 2x2 Gauze pads
4 - 1x1 Hemostatic gauze

2 - 3" Gauze rolls
2 - 2" Gauze rolls
2 - 1/2" Waterproof tape
1 - 1" Surgical tape
1 - Scissors (NOTE: Never run with these!)

2 - Triangular bandages
1 - Instant cold pack
1 - 4" ACE bandage
1 - 3" Self-adherent wrap
1 - 1" Self-adherent wrap

sm box - Waterproof matches
2 - Tea-light candles
1 - Sharpie + ballpoint pen
1 - Small notebook
1 - Mylar blanket

And yes, this all fits into that small bag... barely. I'll probably add an 18" SAM Splint, but that won't fit into this bag. Anyway, as always, I invite your comments and criticism. Well, not the snarky big goofball kinda criticism, which I seek to avoid, but any reasonably constructive criticism is definitely invited.. BYOB.

 

[Inor]

What do you carry for medical tools - hemostats, scalpels etc. The first aid kits Mrs Inor carry in our trucks are not too dissimilar from what you have listed. But we have run into a bind trying to figure our which tools we need as neither of us are medical guys. (But we still want the tools in case run into a situation and find a professional without the tools - car accident etc.)

 

[ApexPredator]

Id throw out the guaifenesin and get some pseudoephedrine 120mg tabs you could also switch out the dephenhydramine for some loratadine or fexofenadine if you prefer a 24hr non drowsy antihistamine but some you could want that at times if you add the sam splint add three more cravats so you can effectively splint the arm or lower leg also a bottle of new skin is a great idea it has an antiseptic quality as well as a wound protectant altogether not a bad day bag. Id also throw in some epinephrine and hydrocortizone(my arch nemesis). Could you tell me about this wound seal powder never heard of it before?

 

[Prepadoodle]

Inor, All I have in this one is a pair of straight 5" hemos, a pair of general "surgical" type scissors, and a couple of one-use disposable scalpels These are good for cutting lots of things and just handy to have sometimes.

Apex, The woundSeal powder stops bleeding fast. You just rip open a package and dump it right into the wound and it pretty much stops unless you have a major artery pumping or something. It's micro-sponges treated with a clotting agent, and you can just bandage over it and leave it in there.

edited to add: Oh, and a pair of forceps or tweezers are in there too.

 

[Rigged for Quiet]

PD, are you talking about QR Blood Stopper or something like Celox?

 

[Prepadoodle]

Rigged, I think it used to go by the name QR.

Amazon: WoundSeal Powder, 4 ea

 

[Rigged for Quiet]

Prep, I think that is probably fine for cuts and some puncture woulds, but since you said you also take this kit to the range you might want to consider popping the bucks on a more heavey duty Haemostatic agent like Celox or Quik Clot. I prefer the treated gauze and sponge pads myself, but that's a personal preference.

I can't for the life of me understand why people go to the range without a Trauma kit, so good onya. I'd add a couple of Israeli badnages or cravats. Might be worth picking up a CAT tourniquet as well, although your triangular bandages can be use for an improvised tourney. The CAT is much much faster and easier to apply to yourself if need be though.

EDIT: A few feet of duct tape is a good thing to have as well. One other thing I didn't see is something to treat/seal/vent a sucking chest wound, which is something any GSW kit should have.

 

[Prepadoodle]

Rigged, I have some Celox, which has to be removed from the wound. The WoundSeal forms an instant scab that falls off when the wound heals. Either one will work. The QuikClot is good too. I have some in with our main first aid supplies. I picked the WoundSeal for this kit because the packets are small and I only had so much room.

I always have some paracord around. I keep a sleeping bag in the car and the compression straps would make good tourniquets too. I'm not that worried about a tourniquet. I do have 4" and 6" Israeli bandages, but no room for them. I can more or less do the same thing with gauze pads and tape or self-adherent wraps.

I always have some duct tape around too, but it's not part of the medical kit. Same goes for a flashlight. Both are good to have on hand.

As far as the sucking chest wound... in a pinch, I would use the inside (sterile) part of a dressing wrapper to seal it and tape it in place with the surgical tape. After that, it's either a race to an actual doctor or a sad, "I'll miss you buddy" speech. I have no idea how to really treat one beyond that. I'll have to learn how, thanks for the heads up!

 

[PalmettoTree]

Excellent list but I'm no expert.

As peppers I'm not sure we keep to much antibiotic cream or gel.

I think in a extended SHTF most of us will die of infections and bad water.

 

[retired guard]

I've been increasing my stock of antibiotic creams I've started study to renew my EMT certification. Paranoia believing the one area you didn't prep for will get you. Oblivion believing the one area you didn't prep for won't get you.

 

[MrsInor]

Only two pair of Exam gloves?

 

[sparkyprep]

I wouldn't need any exam gloves, as I would only be treating family members, not strangers with unknown pathogens.

 

[retired guard]

The exam gloves also protect them your introduction of anything into the wound or cross contamination if treating more than one person.

 

[Rigged for Quiet]

Rigged, I have some Celox, which has to be removed from the wound. The WoundSeal forms an instant scab that falls off when the wound heals. Either one will work. The QuikClot is good too. I have some in with our main first aid supplies. I picked the WoundSeal for this kit because the packets are small and I only had so much room.

I always have some paracord around. I keep a sleeping bag in the car and the compression straps would make good tourniquets too. I'm not that worried about a tourniquet. I do have 4" and 6" Israeli bandages, but no room for them. I can more or less do the same thing with gauze pads and tape or self-adherent wraps.

I always have some duct tape around too, but it's not part of the medical kit. Same goes for a flashlight. Both are good to have on hand.

As far as the sucking chest wound... in a pinch, I would use the inside (sterile) part of a dressing wrapper to seal it and tape it in place with the surgical tape. After that, it's either a race to an actual doctor or a sad, "I'll miss you buddy" speech. I have no idea how to really treat one beyond that. I'll have to learn how, thanks for the heads up!

I sort of obsess on the chest wound thing. It's an easy enough wound/injury to stabilize, but it's intimidating. It's also extremely common considering where a trained shooter aims....

I would strongly urge you to get a Combat Action Tourniquet. You can even expand them and put them around the outside of your kit if room is that critical. The latest generation has a very handy cam device and they are sooo much quicker to apply and have success.

From a responder point of view the Boston Marathon bombings should, if anything, bring to an end much of the negative perception of their use. Not to mention it's very common for patrols to preposition them on arms and legs before heading out side the wire in the 'Stan.

 

[ApexPredator]

First I looked into wound seal it doesn't sound like a heavy duty hemostatic agent the reviews I seen were all about nicks and cuts but you got gauze and ace wrap so that's about all you need anyways. Second I seen the comment about paracord and just want to post that a tourniquet needs to be about two inches in width otherwise you increase the force needed to actually stop flow there is a relationship between how wide a tourniquet is and how much pressure it must be applied with to be effective but that's some DLS(Doctorate level shit) and I don't know it although at some point it actually starts to cut instead of apply pressure but you got other materials to make a tourniquet so just wanted to throw that out there.

THIRD and this becoming a pet peeve of mine so if someone has the legit reason why let me know PLEASE what is up with antibiotic cream I never use the stuff and Ive never had an infection because I didn't use it and Ive worked in some DIRTY environments for the love of Pete get some doxycycline that will actually help out with all kinds of infections if you don't believe me get a Sanford's guide to antimicrobial therapy and you see doxy in almost every treatment never the primary treatment but almost always 2nd or 3rd and sometimes in conjunction with said primary. Sorry for having a tangent on your thread if you would like me to remove it I will.

 

[Rigged for Quiet]

Apex, while I agree with you for the most part about the antibiotic cream, you are only looking at it from a trauma/field perspective. Many of our bags also pull double duty as a family med kit and often the injury isn't that serious.

A simple dab of antibiotic cream to a child's scrape, cut, or boo boo can have a huge psychological or even placebo effect. It also doesn't hurt if out for a hike to take a small preventative measure rather than embarking on a full regiment.

Hardest thing I have ever had to relearn is not all situations have a tactical solution, nor do they need one, lol.

 

[Prepadoodle]

MsInor, yes, that's all that fits. This kit is really meant to be replenished when needed. If I ever needed to use gloves to like pop out a spleen or whatever, I guess I could only do 2 a day, come back tomorrow.

Now the main reason I carry a small tube of triple antibiotic is that it also contains a topical analgesic. I know, pain is weakness leaving the body, and wouldn't think of using it myself, but some of the softer folk might appreciate it.

If this kit was for a bug out bag, I would have less stuff. How much less depends on the situation.

If, on the other hand, it was for an INCH bag, I would take more stuff and shift the focus a little more towards longer term sustainability. This is where the antibiotics are worth adding, along with multivitamins, B Complex, Vitamin C, Probiotics, and whatever serious stuff you may have laying around.

So OK, let's just call this a "group bag" and assume everyone in the group will also be carrying an individual kit geared more towards the tactical side. Since this individual kit doesn't exist yet, we'll have to create it.

DESIGN CHALLENGE !!!
What would you carry as an individual if you needed it to fit into a double mag pouch and weigh about a pound? Should everyone else just carry a tourniquet and an Israeli bandage and be done with it, or what? What do you think?

 

[ApexPredator]

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!
1 SOFT Tourniquet V3(it has a wider belt) rubber banded to the outside for ease of single handed access
2 3inch roll of gauze (kerlex)
2 3inch roll of ace wrap (elastic bandage)
2 Halo Chest seals
2 Large bore IV catheter 14 gauge 2 1/2 inches
1 Roll of 1 inch tape

I tried it on one of the molle elastic 2 mag pouches it looks pretty distended but it fits Kerlex and ace wrap jammed into the bottom half side by side halo folded in half and rolled catheters down the middle and tape jammed in the side

 

[Prepadoodle]

Not bad Apex, but it seems a little light in the "other gunshot wounds" area.

Let's forget the idea that it has to fit in a mag pouch, that's a goofy shape for a kit like this. It should be roughly that volume and weight about a pound. As long as everyone has the same pouch it doesn't matter.

Is there any way to lighten the load enough to include some sort of battle dressing and a clotting powder or couple of QuikClot sponges?

 

[ApexPredator]

humm much harder challenge
its pretty darn hard to increase the range of treatments for a kit this size. So I guess you gotta ask is this gonna be the only medical supplies I have or is this just the field version and do I have a "base" to go back too and also do I want to treat minor cuts scrapes burns and allergic reactions in the field. So I would stick to the basic ABC's for a kit this size for an in an a emergency kit. With a squad medic style bag but plus it up for extended operations.Ive just recently finished inventorying my extended field medical gear and with all the stuff I packed I still wouldnt be able to manage a broken bone long term at the moment. I need to learn how to make plaster better IV fluids and buy some reusable IV tubing needles and storage for IV fluids. I am at the point where I am kinda hoping I can find supplies that would be meaningless to other people such as casting material and odd surgical supplies.