Thread: Whats in your medkit??

Agree with JoelA. A Stop The Bleed kit of some form should be non negotiable. Many different sources of supply, many say they are the first or best, but most contain packing gauze, trauma bandage, tourniquet, tape, shears and sharpie. Again, practice how it all works before you need it. You’d be surprised how many panic or fall to pieces in a simulation exercise let alone for real.

A good reminder to check your med kit - needed to update my pharmaceuticals and some other stuff after doing this. The most important tool which I occasionally forget to pack is my brain. Golden rule, "if it's dangerous, go back the way you came". Had two incidents, both bush hunting. Both involved slipping in the wet. Biggest risk I face is falls. And yes, I've practiced with the Israeli bandage and attended St Johns medical courses.

Made up my med kit, Israeli bandage, 2xCelox, and a snack ziploc bag with some plasters (Electoplast works well), Leucko tape strips on wax paper cut to size (the best), water purification, panadol, antihestimine, ibuprofen, sanistier, burn gel. Have electrical and duct tape on trekking poles. Antihestimine saved the dog and I when we walked through a wasps nests a few years back. Weighs 190g. I carry a Garmin with inreach.

basic but two large bandages- roll of insulation tape - glad wrap folded up about 5 feet of it - a good anti fungal for rash fucidin is good - small quantity pain killers codeine if I have it - survival sheet thats it

steri-strips and superglue. Amazing how decent of a hole can be fixed with those two

Medi glue is superhandy to carry aswel

This should be compulsory viewing.
https://youtu.be/wQjTjGuZono

Ibuprofen has ok anti inflammatory properties and can be taken before sleep to refresh sore aging muscles overnight but incase I really do myself a mischief to knees etc and need to be able to keep going I have voltarine tablets tucked away. Need to take with food or they will do something nasty to your gut - before I get to take one the first question the medical professional I’m married to asks is have you eaten?

This is what I carry on a bumbag day hunt.

- Aquatabs
- Paracetamol
- Ibuprofen
- Codeine
- Aspirin
- Elastoplast
- Surgical glue
- Foil blanket

Aspirin is for suspected heart attack. Anyone over 50 should consider carrying aspirin. It's just one tablet. I don't know why this idea isn't pushed more.

Someone said I was carrying too much stuff once. It's the little plastic bag in the red circle.

Medkit has changed over the years for me.

When I was In my young years (12-17) - Paracetomol and Insulation Tape , Real high spec sort of stuff.

I did a CLS Course with Defense and my kit changed a little to include a TQ , Chest Seal , Packing Gauze , 2 x Israeli Bandages, Paracetomol and Insulation Tape.

I Then Married a Medic and Now it's a PLB , DiaStop , Prednisone , Ibuprofen , Medical Shears , a TQ , a Chest Seal , Packing Gauze , 2 x Israeli Bandages , Paracetomol and Insulation Tape.

Don't worry , It all still fits in the same size pouch.

I was at the AA last week and saw this on the shelf: https://shop.aa.co.nz/collections/aa...-first-aid-kit

I think I'll go back and get it. Super light weight, with space to put a few painkillers and an israeli in it. And about a third of the price of all the 'tacticool' medical kits.

My current kit has a lot of the basics, but I've used up some of the larger bandages with hunting party injuries in the past.

Trauma kit should be mandatory. It is no good if it is in your pack.

If you are bleeding out (or your dog is) you need it straight away, not digging to the bottom of your pack to find it.

The reasons for needing it? Gunshot wound, deep slicing wound, deep puncture wound. If the things in your Trauma kit do not directly address these things, they have no place being in there.

Make sure to carry and emergency blanket as well. Risk of hypothermia with blood loss is a real danger.

Don't buy cheap, potentially it could save yours or someone else's life.

Learn how to use the shit you have. Practice with it.

Originally Posted by Average-Lad

I was at the AA last week and saw this on the shelf: https://shop.aa.co.nz/collections/aa...-first-aid-kit

I think I'll go back and get it. Super light weight, with space to put a few painkillers and an israeli in it. And about a third of the price of all the 'tacticool' medical kits.

My current kit has a lot of the basics, but I've used up some of the larger bandages with hunting party injuries in the past.

While I appreciate the basics , It's very hard to come at potentially life saving equipment with cost in mind.

Did I pay for my IFAK? Yes.

Have i regretted it? No.

A lot of the bandages included with those car kits aren't exactly helpful for real trauma. I'd call them BooBoo kits more than anything else.

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

This should be compulsory viewing.
https://youtu.be/wQjTjGuZono

Agree with most of this video. Would make me nervous though with individuals carrying needles, if they were readily available, without the proper training. Same goes for any of the gear he mentions when if comes to training. If you haven’t practiced with equipment you are likely to be a liability. When in a real life situation you need to know what to do in a timely and efficient manner. Like everything practice/training helps when the shit hits the fan. Like he says, patient can bleed out in less than three minutes and those three minutes can disappear quickly in a stressful situation. The one time when time seems to drag is when performing CPR, it is physically draining and a lot of individuals find performing it for five minutes is beyond them in a trading environment. If you’re serious about life threatening first aid. Practice, practice and more practice.

The usual stuff as above and I also have a couple of tampons. They dont take up any room and can be used as swabs or to plug a wound and they are sterile. Can be used for fire lighting as well

Originally Posted by blip

The usual stuff as above and I also have a couple of tampons. They dont take up any room and can be used as swabs or to plug a wound and they are sterile. Can be used for fire lighting as well

Tampons are not packaged as sterile and are not recommended for use in traumatic bleed incidents. Most any first aid course will tell you this. They may work, may not too. If you’re going to carry some such, carry a proper sterile pressure bandage or packing bandage of some sort.