first aid kits
- Thread starter chief916
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danemayer
Well-known member
How sophisticated a first aid kit do you want?
olcoon
Well-known member
From what I've noticed from first aid kits that you buy, they have stuff in there that you'd hardly need, and stuff that you'd use a lot of (band aids) not enough of. I made up my own putting stuff in it that I felt was needed, and probably for less money. The one I keep in the truck I got an army surplus tool bag, and let my son put stuff in it (with my supervision) when he was in Boy Scouts for his First Aid Merit Badge. We've got one in the coach that I put together and it's in a small plastic tool box with a tray in it & we keep it under the sink in the bathroom.
thats the hundred dollar question. Im thinking something with sutures and hemostats and triple A ointment. Or am I in overkill here??
I like that idea.
danemayer
Well-known member
If you're going to places where it might take a while to get medical help, you might want a Costco first aid kit plus some blood clotting agents to stop severe blood loss, and maybe cast tape.
'Lil Guy'
Well-known member
I don't allow anyone to get hurt in my RV. But just in case, we keep the same stuff we have at home in the bathroom. Only stuff we know how to use and over the years we've kind of figured it out. We have the high dollar kits at work with 8 different kinds of pain relievers, antacids, finger splints, different band aids, gauze tape etc. and a lot of stuff that doesn't get used.
Look at what you've needed over the years and make a trip to Wal-mart or Walgreens and save yourself a lot of money.
I would put more stock in a good tool kit than a medicine bag.
Look at what you've needed over the years and make a trip to Wal-mart or Walgreens and save yourself a lot of money.
I would put more stock in a good tool kit than a medicine bag.
ILH
Well-known member
I don't disagree with creating your own first aid kit - potentially saving lots of money. However, I would highly recommend creating a kit that contains all of the first aid items in one place - a pack-and-go kind of kit. On several occasions we've grabbed the Costco kit and knew that everything we needed was inside. Furthermore, in an emergency, if you send someone in to you rig to get the "kit" - you don't want them to have to look around for all the components - wasting valuable time.
The kit we bought at Costco is like a book - with pages that contain various items. Bandages, sutures, antiseptics, etc. Its well put together. If you do it yourself, I might suggest a plastic tote to keep the contents dry.
The kit we bought at Costco is like a book - with pages that contain various items. Bandages, sutures, antiseptics, etc. Its well put together. If you do it yourself, I might suggest a plastic tote to keep the contents dry.
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
I keep the small orange jump bag I had when I was on the Emergency Response Team at the GM facility I worked at. It was given to me by the team supervisor when I retired. Actually used it once to dress a stab wound on a kid that fell off his bike near our site and took the brake lever in the thigh. He got several stitches at the ER.
pegmikef
Well-known member
I bought mine at Sam's, but it was one of those deals where they only get so many in and then never see them again. It is pretty complete and it sounds like it is similar to the one from Costco. I added nitroglycerin and a couple of other meds we use (these I have to monitor for expiration).
szewczyk_john
Well-known member
some call me crazy for this but each first aid kit should carry a few tubes of crazy glue. The glue is heavier than blood so it ceases blood loss and dries quickly forming a scab of sorts. A lot of emergency rooms now carry a "human grade" glue instead of stitches and/or butterflies. A can attest to using suer glue on my own wounds. it does work and after the glue dries you can dress the wound just like it had been stitched.
Shortest Straw
Caught In A Mosh
I put my own together. From experience I knew what I used the most of, and what I thought others could have used while waiting for me to show up. It may in the long run be more expensive to make your own, but you will not have anything you do not need in your kit. I will admit I carry some things not many other people can actually use, but the intent behind that is to be able to assist family members mostly. My advice to the average person with no medical experience is to concentrate on trauma. Puncture wounds, cuts, scrapes, broken bones, and bleeding. Get a back pack and fill it full of items that you think you may need for the events I listed. Don't forget a couple of bottles of sterile water to irrigate any wounds before you bandage them up. Always keep in mind that a person without training has the potential to hurt an injured person more than they already are by doing the wrong thing.
If anyone is interested I can put a list together of what I think, from experience, the average person without any training should have on hand.
If anyone is interested I can put a list together of what I think, from experience, the average person without any training should have on hand.
porthole
Retired
And Costco now has a nice "super glue" kit.
A dozen tubes or so with a small clear box to keep them protected.
If you are going to make up a kit and have pets - don't forget supplies for them.
Some type of clotting agent.
Hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting (or the various other chems)
Cuts on the pups foot pads are painful and can make a mess. So once you get the wound dressed you need a way to protect it. Oversized dog booties work well for that, to a degree. You may not stop Rover from pulling the bandage off, but at least you can keep it relatively clean while walking.
Because of my job, our kit is more of a in depth bag of "stuff" I put together. You just don't need a 8000 piece first aid kit that has 3000 aspirins, 4700 alcohol wipes and 6 band aids.
Rite aid, CVS etc. Get a box of standard 3/4 or 1" band aids, some butterfly's, 2" and 4" band aids as well. Maybe even the waterproof type, since the odds are you are out having fun someplace.
A box of 2", 4" and 6" square gauze pads. Couple rolls of "Cling" bandage wrap.
2-4 6x9 trauma pads are a nice addition
Paramedic shears
First aid ointments.
Silvadene for burns if you can get it (Rx). Or other burn sprays. I got three nasty burns on my fingers last year when I grabbed the wrong part of the grill lid. That really hurt. Got a good burn on my leg as well when I bent over the bike to tie it down - wearing shorts.
And there is plenty more if you want-have the room to carry a decent kit.
The real key is to carry it. My kit was packed away for the winter, safe and sound in our basement while we were at the Hatteras rally and Misty ripped a toenail out. What a bloody mess that was - and no kit. Fortunately, fellow Cycloner's the Beasley's came to our rescue.
A dozen tubes or so with a small clear box to keep them protected.
If you are going to make up a kit and have pets - don't forget supplies for them.
Some type of clotting agent.
Hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting (or the various other chems)
Cuts on the pups foot pads are painful and can make a mess. So once you get the wound dressed you need a way to protect it. Oversized dog booties work well for that, to a degree. You may not stop Rover from pulling the bandage off, but at least you can keep it relatively clean while walking.
Because of my job, our kit is more of a in depth bag of "stuff" I put together. You just don't need a 8000 piece first aid kit that has 3000 aspirins, 4700 alcohol wipes and 6 band aids.
Rite aid, CVS etc. Get a box of standard 3/4 or 1" band aids, some butterfly's, 2" and 4" band aids as well. Maybe even the waterproof type, since the odds are you are out having fun someplace.
A box of 2", 4" and 6" square gauze pads. Couple rolls of "Cling" bandage wrap.
2-4 6x9 trauma pads are a nice addition
Paramedic shears
First aid ointments.
Silvadene for burns if you can get it (Rx). Or other burn sprays. I got three nasty burns on my fingers last year when I grabbed the wrong part of the grill lid. That really hurt. Got a good burn on my leg as well when I bent over the bike to tie it down - wearing shorts.
And there is plenty more if you want-have the room to carry a decent kit.
The real key is to carry it. My kit was packed away for the winter, safe and sound in our basement while we were at the Hatteras rally and Misty ripped a toenail out. What a bloody mess that was - and no kit. Fortunately, fellow Cycloner's the Beasley's came to our rescue.
Shortest Straw
Caught In A Mosh
If you are going to carry glue around I would advise you ONLY use it on yourself. There are two reasons I say this,
- The curing process creates an exothermic reaction (heat) which can cause further tissue damage.
- The process releases cyanoacetate and formaldehyde - both irritants to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs.
You do not want to cause any more harm than what has already been done. There are human grade adhesives that work much better and are safer than super glue. You can even get the horse/equine grade adhesive which is safer than super glue. Never use any kind of wound adhesive on the following:
- wounds on the face
- wounds where the skin flexes or over joints
- wounds with uneven or jagged edges
- deep wounds
- wounds that are bleeding
- infected wounds
- animal bites
- puncture wounds
- dirty wounds
There may be ambulance services out there that carry the likes of Derma Bond, but I have never worked for one. I do not know any service that carries super glue. I think one of the reasons for that is direct pressure will stop the majority of bleeding incidents. For the average person, direct pressure is all they should do.
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
Definitely nitrile, not latex. Nitrile tends to last longer in storage and doesn't produce an allergic reaction like latex can. Maybe you can put Crazy Glue from the hardware store on a minor cut, but a deep wound?? We keep a small vial of "Nu Skin" around for minor cuts of our own. If I'm helping someone else, direct pressure, bandage and elevation of the wound (if possible) will help control most bleeding until the cavalry arrives. While most people may want to help, be careful of how much you try to do as a "Good Samaritan." If you exceed your level of expertise and something goes wrong, you may be in for a lot of grief.
davebennington
Senior Member
We have a well equipped first aid kit the one thing that we added is a couple of eppi-pens. Mainly because we both had a need at one time
The bad news is they cost so much and they have a short shelf life.
dave
The bad news is they cost so much and they have a short shelf life.
dave
olcoon
Well-known member
Some other things you might add for the "worst case scenario" would be sanitary napkins, they are made to absorb blood, when I was a volunteer fireman we carried them on our ambulance for severe bleeding wounds. Also, some type of rescue breathing mask for use when doing CPR. It protects you and the victim from any diseases, and if the victim vomits (which they sometimes do) it will protect you from getting it in your mouth. Trust me, that isn't a pleasant experience! Also you might consider a first aid & CPR class.
