What should you have in your first aid kit

I've got:

*A Couple pairs of Latex gloves
*Sterile dressings
*Soap (Liquid)
*Antibiotic ointment
*Band Aids (Spawn pictured)
*Thermometer
* Some prescription medications
* An old sling that probably from WWI
* Rubbing Alcohol
*Tweezers
* petroleum jelly

Any body think of anything else. Keeping in mind I'm planning for the possiblity of a Calamity.

small vial of concentrated tea tree oil..it's anti bacterial/inflammatory/fungal
although man-boobs as a side effect would be the last thing to worry about (according to a thread here on ATS)
small vial of concentrated clove oil...anti septic and also an invaluable dental aneasthetic...toothache and stranded in the middle of nowhere would drive anyone to madness

[edit on 2-2-2007 by citizen smith]

There are a few items I carry in my first aid kits.
1: sam splints an x-ray transparent multi purpose splinting item
2: betadine iodine soap
3: hydrogen peroxide
4: benzalkonium chloride towelette
5: self adhesive roller bandage
6: a good pair of emt shears miltex or similar
7: next care water proof band aids
8: a led pen light
9:cling wrap roller bandage
10: blood stopper large bandage
11: trauma pads
12: nitrile gloves
13: petroleum gauze
14: medical tape various types
15: cold and hot packs
16: eye wash
17: small bottle of saline solution
18: n95 respiratory mask
19: pro type cpr mask
20: paws antiseptic towelettes
21: good pair of tweezers
22: several miltex no. 11 disposable scalpels
The liquid items such as hydrogen peroxide I carry in large recycled eye drop bottles.
There are an endless number of items you can put in an aid kit but space and weight and your level of training will limit what can be carried. I am a medical responder for wilderness search and rescue and with the required 24 hour pack it’s hard to decide what to take and what to leave, you can never have enough bandaging materials.

Just want to put in a plug for Neosporin. Anti fungal, anti bacterial and every cut should get a dab of this before being bandaged. Promotes faster healing. I have used it in areas from tropical jungles to the arctic circle. As a certified EMT I always have some near by whenever I travel.

what about just plain old motrin, acetometiphen, and maybe some asprin?

Could be a life saver.

I have an assortment of bandages, a splint, 2 1liter bags of saline, shears, a Tourniquet (never know), purification tabs, imodium ad. Sunblock and 2 pair of pantyhose

I would also suggest OTC meds such as allergy & cold along with some packets of Squincher...like gatoraide but you can get it in koolaide size packets.

I have a small kit inside my bag that also has sunblock wipes insect repellent wipes a beesting kit and medicine to treat poison ivy/oak/sumac.

Most of the things in my kit are pretty commonsense other than maybe the IV bags...

oops forgot the flinstone vitamins...I figure if I have to use the kit why not have something in there that I like.

[edit on 3-2-2007 by kaferwerks]

Tac-Pack
I assume this kind of a pre packed trauma kit would be a useful addition to any surival kit. Does anyone have more info or experience on these pocket wonders?

well as to pocket trauma kits and emergency medical kit in general i really like galls they now own dynamed so they have a wide variety of medical supplies , every thing from your basic car type kits to large suitcase trauma kits they also sell tactical kits for swat type activities. here is one link to the pocket kit but you can see all the others from there: www.galls.com...
this is the company that supplies all of our emergency kits, they also sell a wide range of equipment that would be very useful in many types of situations.

IMHO - for what is in them " pre packed " kits are fookin expensive .

expecially if like most people - you want a pocket pouch , an every day pack for your daysack / rucksac , a kit to sit in your car , and another for big trips , camping , BoB

once you look at it - buying bulk packs of dressings etc and splitting them down - also stuff like good quality tweezers / shears / saline pouches etc come in packs of 10 - wholesale - and can be bought on ebay etc

get the kits divided up - and cram them into a pouch of the correct size - and viola - you know exactly what you have - its ecactly what you need

I have a military issued emergency surgery and suture kit. The pack is quite small, but contains as assortment of scapel blades and scapel, quality tweezers, a variety of suture packs containing suture material and needles, various hemostats, and a pair of badage shears. It only weight a pound or two, and is worth the weight, especially in situations where this type of equipment may be non-existant.

Dental floss - two packs of Crest Glide - good for teeth, traps, fishing, sewing busted teddy bears, clothes and packs, as well as many other uses.

All good stuff mentioned so far. wcssar kit is pretty good in fact. Its only missing a few things like the neosporin and anti fungal creams etc.

As noted you have to balance cost with weight and practicality. While I have IV fluids and catheters and the like I am trained to use them. So packing stuff MAY help if you run into someone who knows how to use them, they are dead weight otherwise.

I would add some Imodium or Peptobismol for GI Issues, Tylenol, Advil, and Asprin for pain. Sudaphed or other cold medication. Cough Syrup etc. Also if anybody in your house / potential party takes prescription medication, try to have a few weeks supply on hand at all time stored in a child safe manner of cource.

I always add a few extra items to my first aid kit when planning an overnight backpacking trip. Neosporin is definitely one of them along with some ibuprofen. Good for aches, minor pain and joint inflammation.
A finger-size SAM splint and a burn gel dressing round out the additions to my kit.


The first aid kit I use is this one www.firstaidkitproducts.com...
from First aid Kit Products.

The Search function.

Thats always a good thing to have.