What's good about this is that it is also the most justifiable expenditure of the whole thing. People may look at you funny for having a portable stove and a survival blanket in your pack, but no one ever sees a first aid kit and has paranoid thoughts. (Bone saws are another matter entirely.) Best of all, this is something you will use even if the dead don't rise from their graves and hunger for the flesh of the living. Accidents happen, and now you're prepared for them. It is for this reason, and the aforementioned good impression, that your medical kit be at the very top of your pack.
First we start with the basics. I suggest a prepackaged kit with as many pieces as you can afford. I use the 299-piece All-Purpose First Aid Kit from First Aid Only. $24.99, but I got it on sale for half price (score!) at my local Target. (FYI, this case is about the size of a hardcover book.)
- (75) 3/4"x3" Adhesive plastic bandages
- (20) 3/4"x3" Fabric bandages
- (30) 1"x3" Adhesive plastic bandages
- (10) 1"x3" Fabric bandages
- (4) Knuckle fabric bandages
- (4) Fingertip fabric bandages
- (2) 2"x4" Elbow & knee plastic bandages
- (50) 3/8"x1-1/2" Junior plastic bandages
- (1) 1-1/2"x1-1/2" Patch plastic bandage
- (3) Butterfly wound closures
- (6) 2"x2" Gauze dressing pads
- (4) 3"x3" Gauze dressing pads
- (2) 4"x4" Gauze dressing pads
- (1) 5"x9" Trauma pad
- (1) 2" Conforming gauze roll bandage
- (6) Aspirin tablets
- (6) Ibuprofen tablets
- (6) Extra-strength non-aspirin tablets
- (14) Alcohol cleansing pads
- (15) Antiseptic cleansing wipes (sting free)
- (6) Antibiotic ointment packs
- (2) First aid/burn cream packs
- (3) Insect sting relief pads
- (2) 1/2"x5 yd. First aid tape roll
- (1) 4"x5" Instant cold compress
- (1) Burn relief pack, 3.5 gm.
- (1) Sterile eye pad
- (1) Emergency blanket
- (3) 2"x2" Moleskin squares
- (1) Thermometer, one time use
- (10) 3" Cotton tipped applicators
- (2) 6"x11/16" Finger splint
- (2) Exam quality vinyl gloves
- (1) 4-1/2" Scissors, nickel plated
- (1) 4" Tweezers, plastic
- (1) 40 pg. First aid guide
This is a good start, but it's by no means complete. This is my version of the above kit, as it stands now:
Most of the items shown actually store within zippered case. Bulkier items pack next to it.Starting from top left corner:
- 299 Piece First Aid Kit, open
- Ace bandage with velcro closure
- Elastic thigh strap (from here) to be used as bandage tie or tourniquet
- Plastic case containing two Kotex pads
- Waterproof match container, now re-purposed as a pill box (currently holding Maalox, Advil, and Claritin)
- Water purification tablets (2 piece)
- Prescription Meperidine left over from my last Kidney Stone
- Advil PM (sleeping pills, basically)
- Lamisil foot anti-fungal ointment (aren't you happy to know these intimate details about me?)
- Super Glue with applicator (cannibalized from a sewing kit)
- Insect repellent
- Insect bite/Poison Ivy sting relief
- Blistex
- SPF 70 Sunblock
- Hand Sanitizer
- Needles and thread, from aforementioned sewing kit
- Specialty needles
- New Skin liquid bandage
- Antibiotic ointment with painkiller
- Precision tweezers, slant and point tip
- 10 safety pins
- Trauma Bandage
- Snakebite venom extractor
- Derma-Safe utility knife and saw
- Bandage scissors (the blunt-tipped kind that can cut through a penny)
- Eyeglass repair kit
- Travel toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Dental floss
- Pack of Q-tips
- Fingernail clippers
What's ironic is that, in the course of writing this, I realized that I had forgotten something: powder to keep my feet dry. Wet feet are miserable and can lead to all sorts of fun infections (I speak from personal experience here).
I'm almost certain I've forgotten something just as crucial. If you think of it, please let me know!
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