Med Kit Assistance...

[alamo5000]

I recently purchased a Vertx Tourist Sling for an EDC bag. The main reason this exists is because at work they don't want me to carry (on my body) for a variety of reasons (clients etc). That said I don't like leaving my gun in the car so while I am at work I have everything in a bag now and no one knows any different. I put the gun and holster (all in one) into the back pocket of the Vertx bag so as soon as I am ready to leave I can put my gun on if I need to.

When I am out and about I carry normally but the idea of the bag does help in numerous situations.

I have some extra space though and I have been thinking about incorporating some kind of small medical kit. Before jumping to conclusions I have something rather specific in mind.

I am not really interested in carrying stuff to treat gunshot wounds or anything serious like that. I am somewhat more interested in being able to help myself (or others) should some situation arise with day to day stuff. Most of the situations I have ever found myself in were not related at all to guns.

I've been out cutting trees when someone grabbed a limb of a downed tree, but the problem is that limb was connected to something someone was still cutting on with a chainsaw. The result was a pretty severe laceration. That kind of thing would be on the extreme end of the spectrum.

That said not long ago at all someone was cutting something with a hand held electric saw but the part wasn't secured enough. The result was a cut that required stitches.

People have stepped on broken glass while swimming at the lake. I've been around when someone got a fish hook jammed into their toe or finger. Another time a guy was in the water on the side of a small boat. Somehow the boat lurched over sideways and he got a decent knick from the prop. Nothing ever was life threatening but you get the idea.

I would say easily the most common thing is cuts or some variation there of. That said simply 'uncomfortable' things like a kid stepping on a thorn bush or a bee sting or getting something in an eye happens. Just little random things like that.

My sister was a long time trauma center nurse so anything I might need to know how to use I can ask her to give me some lessons. I have several resources (aka actual medical professionals) that can teach me how to do things (if I am specific about asking them).

I was thinking about some steri strips, gauze, maybe some forceps, a really sharp thing like a scalpel with a point on the end, maybe a needle or two (the sewing kind not the injection kind), and possibly some over the counter medication. I already carry stuff like Benadryl and Excedrin because my allergies are terrible. I also have eye drops. All the medication I have now is based around my own allergies to things like certain types of grass or pollen or whatnot. I also carry a bottle of stuff for acid reflux again which is for me.

Right now I am just thinking it through, but the idea would be to cram whatever into a small bag or a food saver bag where you can suck the air out and seal it up... I just don't want some huge thing to lug around or to have crap falling all over the place. A small little kit would be enough. I definitely won't be performing surgery on people.

I would like to get further input on this idea (in the context of what I am talking about). Again, I am not at all talking about being able to treat a gunshot wound, but rather day to day random accidents that periodically come up, or even when I am out and about and someone needs something for a headache is fine.

[Former11B]

Things like a tourniquet, quick clot, and a pressure dressing are great for life threatening wound care of all types, not just GSWs

If things like backpacking, tree felling, general outdoors etc are on the menu then a wide range of things could be prudent

From an assortment of moleskin, bandaids and butterflies, iso prep pads,& ointments etc for ouchies, to the things mentioned above and in between...gauze, medical tape, elastic bandage with clasps or safety pins, tweezers, eye wash and eye shield, instant ice pack, splints (finger or foldable kind for arm/leg), shears, Epi pen if you can get one, sharpie marker, burn ointment, pain/fever reducer...


Basically immediate intervention for a little bit of everything. And if you don’t know how to use it, either learn or have a reference card at bare minimum. Hard to remember it all so some reference material isn’t a bad thing. It might even provide some tinder for a fire if you’re stranded

[Joelski]

A boo-boo/snivel kit is what you are most likely after. That said, cover your bases; take a Stop The Bleed course. You'll learn how to recognize and deal with life threatening hemorrhage. Like 11B said, those injuries aren't just limited to shootings and stabbings. You named two of the primary causes of non-battlefield hemorrhage: chainsaws/inexperience and broken glass. So yes, a tourniquet, quick clot (or just plainass gauze for packing wounds; Z-fold gauze packs are like 2 bucks so stock up) and a pressure dressing like a 6" Israeli bandage are must haves for any FAK.

After that, forget the idea hemostats, or forceps for controlling bleeding. Those things wreck blood vessels and delicate skin structures like lips, noses, etc.. Pressure or packing works far better.

Gauze of all sizes and COBAN to secure it. Tape sucks, except for taping an eye shield.
Bandaids of all shapes and sizes.
Sureprep or some other topical aseptic solution
Bactine for sunburns
Caladryl for poison ivy if you want to get fancy
Afterbite for stings (Cue the murder hornets)
Tylenol and ibuprofen, only for yourself and people you trust to know what they're allergic to.
Imodium, and Benadryl address the two biggest threats to comfort in the wilderness, camping, etc..
Ice packs, a 4" ACE bandage and a SAM Splint for sprains, strains and fractures
Body heat preservation is the most-neglected phase of initial trauma care. Mylar blankets are cheap and take virtually no space - get some.
Baby wipes for removing contamination from wounded extremities
GLOVES for yourself don't get any on ya! The rule is "If it's wet, and it's not yours, put on gloves!"

[BoilerUp]

Joelski's comment is kind of a mic drop response as he is way more knowledgeable than I am and everything he said resonates.

I have subscribed to the philosophy that if your EDC includes tools to make holes, it should also include the tools to plug holes. Add a trauma kit and hope you wasted your money.

My problem is I need training. I'd bleed out trying to figure out what to do with my trauma kit.

[alamo5000]

Joelski's comment is kind of a mic drop response as he is way more knowledgeable than I am and everything he said resonates.

Absolutely. Agree 100%. Definitely a lot of knowledge and wisdom here.



My problem is I need training. I'd bleed out trying to figure out what to do with my trauma kit.

Same here. Hence one reason to keep things relatively simple at first. Knowing what to do is in my opinion worth more than just tools. Applies to a lot of things.

[alamo5000]

A boo-boo/snivel kit is what you are most likely after. That said, cover your bases; take a Stop The Bleed course. You'll learn how to recognize and deal with life threatening hemorrhage. Like 11B said, those injuries aren't just limited to shootings and stabbings. You named two of the primary causes of non-battlefield hemorrhage: chainsaws/inexperience and broken glass. So yes, a tourniquet, quick clot (or just plainass gauze for packing wounds; Z-fold gauze packs are like 2 bucks so stock up) and a pressure dressing like a 6" Israeli bandage are must haves for any FAK.

After that, forget the idea hemostats, or forceps for controlling bleeding. Those things wreck blood vessels and delicate skin structures like lips, noses, etc.. Pressure or packing works far better.

Gauze of all sizes and COBAN to secure it. Tape sucks, except for taping an eye shield.
Bandaids of all shapes and sizes.
Sureprep or some other topical aseptic solution
Bactine for sunburns
Caladryl for poison ivy if you want to get fancy
Afterbite for stings (Cue the murder hornets)
Tylenol and ibuprofen, only for yourself and people you trust to know what they're allergic to.
Imodium, and Benadryl address the two biggest threats to comfort in the wilderness, camping, etc..
Ice packs, a 4" ACE bandage and a SAM Splint for sprains, strains and fractures
Body heat preservation is the most-neglected phase of initial trauma care. Mylar blankets are cheap and take virtually no space - get some.
Baby wipes for removing contamination from wounded extremities
GLOVES for yourself don't get any on ya! The rule is "If it's wet, and it's not yours, put on gloves!"

Dude. That is a complete gold mine right there. Genuinely, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

I probably won't go out and get everything at once so over time I might hit you up for advice on some of the things to include or not. I haven't taken any class but I definitely see value in that. I have a ton of people that I can ask in person but a class could be extremely valuable.

[alamo5000]

A boo-boo/snivel kit is what you are most likely after. That said, cover your bases; take a Stop The Bleed course. You'll learn how to recognize and deal with life threatening hemorrhage. Like 11B said, those injuries aren't just limited to shootings and stabbings. You named two of the primary causes of non-battlefield hemorrhage: chainsaws/inexperience and broken glass. So yes, a tourniquet, quick clot (or just plainass gauze for packing wounds; Z-fold gauze packs are like 2 bucks so stock up) and a pressure dressing like a 6" Israeli bandage are must haves for any FAK.

After that, forget the idea hemostats, or forceps for controlling bleeding. Those things wreck blood vessels and delicate skin structures like lips, noses, etc.. Pressure or packing works far better.

Gauze of all sizes and COBAN to secure it. Tape sucks, except for taping an eye shield.
Bandaids of all shapes and sizes.
Sureprep or some other topical aseptic solution
Bactine for sunburns
Caladryl for poison ivy if you want to get fancy
Afterbite for stings (Cue the murder hornets)
Tylenol and ibuprofen, only for yourself and people you trust to know what they're allergic to.
Imodium, and Benadryl address the two biggest threats to comfort in the wilderness, camping, etc..
Ice packs, a 4" ACE bandage and a SAM Splint for sprains, strains and fractures
Body heat preservation is the most-neglected phase of initial trauma care. Mylar blankets are cheap and take virtually no space - get some.
Baby wipes for removing contamination from wounded extremities
GLOVES for yourself don't get any on ya! The rule is "If it's wet, and it's not yours, put on gloves!"

Dude. That is a complete gold mine right there. Genuinely, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

I probably won't go out and get everything at once so over time I might hit you up for advice on some of the things to include or not. I haven't taken any class but I definitely see value in that. I have a ton of people that I can ask in person but a class could be extremely valuable.

[alamo5000]

Things like a tourniquet, quick clot, and a pressure dressing are great for life threatening wound care of all types, not just GSWs

If things like backpacking, tree felling, general outdoors etc are on the menu then a wide range of things could be prudent

From an assortment of moleskin, bandaids and butterflies, iso prep pads,& ointments etc for ouchies, to the things mentioned above and in between...gauze, medical tape, elastic bandage with clasps or safety pins, tweezers, eye wash and eye shield, instant ice pack, splints (finger or foldable kind for arm/leg), shears, Epi pen if you can get one, sharpie marker, burn ointment, pain/fever reducer...


Basically immediate intervention for a little bit of everything. And if you don’t know how to use it, either learn or have a reference card at bare minimum. Hard to remember it all so some reference material isn’t a bad thing. It might even provide some tinder for a fire if you’re stranded

In normal times I find myself outside quite a lot. Most of it is just normal life because I live so far away from a town. As far as the 'kit' is concerned I just wanted to make it clear that I wanted to make a basic kit suitable for a novice.

I am going to think it over and see if there are some pre-made kits or not, but in a way I think (at least now) making my own will work a little better because I can pick whatever I want. I can also figure out the dimensions of it, which is actually quite important.

I like the idea of a reference card... I am not sure what a sharpie marker would be used for though.

[Former11B]

A sharpie is used to make notes that can’t be easily washed off, whether on skin or otherwise. Like bitten by a snake to make reference points for swelling/edema and discoloration of the skin, or to mark time of applying TQ or other pressure bandage to casualty. Lots of stuff

[alamo5000]

A sharpie is used to make notes that can’t be easily washed off, whether on skin or otherwise. Like bitten by a snake to make reference points for swelling/edema and discoloration of the skin, or to mark time of applying TQ or other pressure bandage to casualty. Lots of stuff

Very interesting. Never thought of that before. Definitely learning a bunch. Thank you for the explanation.

[tact]

This day and age there are numerous well thought out low profile kits that take up very little space/room.

[alamo5000]

This day and age there are numerous well thought out low profile kits that take up very little space/room.

I am sure that is the case. I haven't shopped around at all yet though. I wanted to get further input before I start spending money on stuff though.

That all said, coming from the position I am in (zero experience) I kind of think that if I take the time to piece together a kit that part in and of itself will help me learn a whole lot more. IE I will have to think about what it is, how it will fit in to the plan, and most importantly how to use those various pieces and parts.

In a way this is equally about having a kit as well as learning how to use said kit. If I upgrade later on, so be it.

[Joelski]

Dude. That is a complete gold mine right there. Genuinely, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

I probably won't go out and get everything at once so over time I might hit you up for advice on some of the things to include or not. I haven't taken any class but I definitely see value in that. I have a ton of people that I can ask in person but a class could be extremely valuable.No worries, happy to help. Most of that stuff is cheap, and can be sourced at any drug store, or even on Amazon.

One last thing is a couple of Aloksacks to store your items and prevent them from drawing moisture. 11b nailed it again with the Sharpie for marking envenomation/progression of any inflammatory process. We've had a lot of snakebites this year!

[alamo5000]

No worries, happy to help. Most of that stuff is cheap, and can be sourced at any drug store, or even on Amazon.

One last thing is a couple of Aloksacks to store your items and prevent them from drawing moisture. 11b nailed it again with the Sharpie for marking envenomation/progression of any inflammatory process. We've had a lot of snakebites this year!

Again thanks for helping in my learning process. It won't be fast (because I have other priorities) but as I go along I will probably keep on asking questions.

It's great to have solid resources regardless of what field it is in.

I will have to Google Aloksack. I don't know what that is.

[Joelski]

It's a heavy duty zip lock bag

[tact]

Don’t buy tourniquets off Amazon and above all get the training. Having a good med kit is great, but worthless if you don’t have the knowledge on how to use it.

[Eric]

Don’t buy tourniquets off Amazon and above all get the training.
Yes, and no, on tourniquets from Amazon. The problem is that many folks don't have a clue what they are buying. They see something that looks like a CAT tourniquet, but costs $7 instead of $29, and they buy it. There's also shady vendors that use CAT in the description to trip the keyword search. There are some legit vendors that sell authentic product on Amazon, but know the source. I get a lot of my stuff from Rescue Essentials, who also sells on Amazon now. When in doubt, buy direct from a known vendor.
Fake CAT warnings...
https://www.rescue-essentials.com/rescue-essentials-blog/beware-fake-cat-tqs/
https://medicalgearoutfitters.com/blogs/news/knockoff-cat-tourniquets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHbRW42-PB0


Having a good med kit is great, but worthless if you don’t have the knowledge on how to use it.
100%. Like having a jack in the car, but no idea how it works.

[Joelski]

The CAT 7 tourniquet is a marvelously simple device, applied over 30,000 times in military point of injury scenarios alone (20k of that is the CRASH 2 study alone). Through 7 generations, much of the development has focused on helping the windlass rod stand up to a hyped-up, 19 year-old, 200 lb. Military athlete who is trying to save his friend's life. That development is exactly what the 5 for $25 Amazon tourniquets do not have, and when the time comes, that stick will snap like a twig, resulting in uncontrolled catastrophic hemorrhage when the un-prepared, would-be rescuer has a "WTF?!?" moment with their broken, ineffective, fake tourniquet. Sounds like a hell of a sales hook, but don't let that be you!

The following are approved by the US Military, and therefore are the best tourniquets for everyday life threatening hemorrhage as well:

TMT Tourniquet Combat Medical. ...
CAT Tourniquet Gen 7 by North American Rescue. ...
TX2 and TX3 RevMedX. ...
XT Tourniquet SAM Medical. ...
SOF Tourniquet Gen 4 Tactical Medical Solutions.

Note the absence of the RATS tourniquet. The military does not endorse it's use. Partially because it can potentially cause neuro-vascular injury, and partly because it can be fail-prone. Friends don't let friends...

[UWone77]

I think I've purchased all of my CAT6/7's from DSG Arms. I once bought off Amazon, but the font, packaging were all off. I promptly returned it.

[Stone]

Any feedback on the ratcheting tourniquet?
http://https://www.rescue-essentials.com/m2-ratcheting-medical-tourniquet/ (https://www.rescue-essentials.com/m2-ratcheting-medical-tourniquet/)

[Eric]

Any feedback on the ratcheting tourniquet?
http://https://www.rescue-essentials.com/m2-ratcheting-medical-tourniquet/ (https://www.rescue-essentials.com/m2-ratcheting-medical-tourniquet/)While the RMT is a TCCC recommended device, it doesn't have the exposure of the CAT or SOF-T. I've only seen training reviews, field deployments seem rare. I've been goofing around with the SAM XT, but no field deployments with it.

ToCCC recommended list. https://learning-media.allogy.com/api/v1/pdf/fa9d9bea-407a-4579-93e7-f68a7f4bcce5/contents

[Former11B]

Not trying to shill for them and I don’t get any $ nor am I affiliated in any way but North American rescue has been a medical equipment go-to for me:

https://www.narescue.com/

[Eric]

Not trying to shill for them and I don’t get any $ nor am I affiliated in any way but North American rescue has been a medical equipment go-to for me:

https://www.narescue.com/

Good call. NAR is absolutely recognized as an industry leader for proven emergency medical gear.

[Joelski]

NAR and Chinook Medical are my go-to's.

[BoilerUp]

I'll make another small plug for Dark Angel. Small company, veteran owned. Looks like they are running a 25% off sale.

https://darkangelmedical.com/tourniquets/

Not a full spectrum supplier like NAR and the focus more on trauma to include training. Wish they were coming back to WA soon.

No affiliation, just have been pleased with them and their products. I keep a HEDR kit in my truck: https://darkangelmedical.com/headrest-trauma-kit/

[Joelski]

One tip: please take the plastic wrapper off of the tourniquet before adding it to your kit. The last thing you want as your vision turns gray is to be fiddlefking with that wrapper with bloody hands.

[gatordev]

Another word of caution...the CAT tourniquet is not puppy proof. Apparently the ratchet is a great chew toy.

[Eric]

One tip: please take the plastic wrapper off of the tourniquet before adding it to your kit. The last thing you want as your vision turns gray is to be fiddlefking with that wrapper with bloody hands.Absolutely. I had this discussion last year with our FD and it was a light bulb moment. Diminished fine motor skills and hands covered in a slippery fluid make things interesting. Add in poor lighting, movement, noise, unknown threats...yup.