What First Aid kit to get?

[Andrew Prince]

I'd like to pick the brains of the 1st aiders in our club. I want to get a reasonable first aid kit to leave in my LC. I am not a trained 1st aider and I'm a bit squeamish around blood, especially my own! So I realise I have limitations, so full trauma sets, administering drips etc is not for me.

I would envisage needing a kit to deal with cuts, scrapes, maybe a broken limb, burns, maybe scratched eye and I guess I would attempt stitching/suturing if I had to (but would use steri-strips if I could). I would anticipate most of the usage would be for child accidents - so I'd want to prepare mostly for those sorts of injuries. As the kit will be in my truck, you can add any typical injuries on camping/overland/greenlaning to the mix.
Also a couple of big bandages, swabs etc if I had to assist at a car accident. Obviously another aspect of a first aid kit is having the items available for a trained first aider to use.

Thinking of something like this as a starting point and then adding to it as necessary:
http://www.firstaidwarehouse.co.uk/xpp-travellers_complete_first_aid_kit_with_green_pouch.html or
http://www.spservices.co.uk/item/Brand_BS-8599ApprovedEvolutionFirstAidKit-Medium_25_0_3773_0.html
There are loads of similar kits for sale - if anyone has a recommendation, please point it out!

I've seen the Burnshield kits, so would add one of these and pop it into the kit.

In terms of a tourniquet for a major injury, I guess I could add a C.A.T (Yes, I know these are controversial but if my child was bleeding out in front of me, I'd take my chances using one.)

Any suggestions or ideas? I am not looking to create a complicated set from scratch (as per Gary's list), but to buy something sensible and add a couple of important bits. Yes, I could go to the extreme and buy some all-inclusive kit for many 100s of £ but never take it because it's too bulky or whatever. The idea here is compactness and cover age of most likely needs.

 

[Paul]

I always use the ones from these guys.

http://www.lifesystems.co.uk/psec/first ... d_kits.htm

You can get them cheap in Go Outddors, good selection and you can buy smaller special kits to compliment the main one if you have different requirements. (needle kits, dental kits etc.)

 

[Ecoman]

I have the Life Systems Mountain Leader Pro. It just about fits in the cubby box on the right hand side of the boot of the 80. I added a pack of dissolvable asprins too and a couple of emergency foil blankets and a couple of festival rain ponchos. There is no need for such a comprehensive kit but as my missus is a GP and a First Responder and also trained in trauma so its mainly for her. I bought it when I was a PADI rescue diver as I had to carry enough kit to deal with the first aid of most diving emergencies.

The thing to remember is whatever kit you get you not only need to know how to use it properly but make sure you keep the contents topped up and within their "use by" date.

Hell when we travel the missus also carries her doctors bag, so we almost carry as much kit as a paramedic!!

 

[sae70]

I'm also a Community First Responder and have a very comprehensive personal First Aid kit that I've only very recently replaced and personalised with items such as an SpO2 monitor, a stethoscope, air-ways, pen touch, burn gel etc and a small selection of creams and drugs. Having only recently updated and evaluated my own kit I spent a lot of time researching what was available and although I did not buy it myself I did keep coming back to this little kit here http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Europlast-2-1 ... 1980wt_942 . In terms of what's in the kit and it's price I'm confident that you'd have to look pretty hard to find anything close, even now I still believe this to be a good starter kit that would need very little tweaking. If I were to tweak this kit I'd add some Sterile Saline Eyewash http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-x-Sterile-S ... _500wt_689 also good for cleaning wounds and moistening Island dressings and bandages, some burn gel http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125ml-Burnshi ... _500wt_689 , some extra gloves a small pack of tissues and a selection of off the shelf drugs and creams. This list could go on forever and ever dependant upon what you want to be capable of dealing with but the best thing to have in your First Aid kit is some training and knowledge. Our local St Johns Ambulance provide good First Aid training for a donation of just £5!!!

Good luck

 

[SimonD]

I'd pack this book too http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handbook-Expedition-Wilderness-Medicine-Handbooks/dp/0199296618. Tiny and comprehensive.

 

[Andrew Prince]

Thanks for the feedback, guys Funnily enough, I'd already ordered some of the Burnshield goodies, Steven
All good tips and I have some useful starters there! Hopefully this proves useful for any other clueless folk like me

 

[Sam]

Helping me - was about to buy one and noticed the thread.. having a re-ponder... thanks all

 

[SpinDrift]

Hi Andrew,

re the touniquet, I have a couple fo these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002AH5YDE/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00

They come in two sizes. I have one of each.

And this is how they can be used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMRklQkfDLE

They are an Isreali army product and are designed to deal with major trauma in extreme conditions but you might want to remove the label if you are heading to certain countries.

The use of tourniquets is controversial but I am with you in that in the event of a major bleed out, especally if you are far from help, the first prioirty is to stem the flow. But, hey, this is my view and not expert advice.

 

[Andrew Prince]

Thanks, Reinhard - yes, I have a couple of the Israeli FFDs on their way
I think some of these bandages are now made in the UK and other countries under licence now?
They can be used as a pressure bandage or as a tourniquet in extremis.

A bit of research suggested that these will be almost as good as the CAT, especially in the hands of an inexperienced user. So I am not getting a CAT but will rely on these instead. The big plus of these is that they can be used all over the body, whereas a CAT can only be used for limbs.

Cheers,