What do people use for First Aid Kits

[sdophoto]

One thing I have never really packed much of is first aid items.
I always think I can buy them if I need them but I feel I need to put together a basic kit.
I have seen some on amazon that are small and have the essentials.

What do people here use? What about the Tom Bihn kit? That just seems a bit large for packing.

[aedifica]

Here are my first aid kits! I posted about them a couple of years ago, and I'm still using the same ones (though I've replaced some of the contents when they expired). https://forums.tombihn.com/photos-vi...zer-pouch.html

[haraya]

What do people use for First Aid Kits

For my EDC, I just carry a small Iberian OP with Band-Aids and a small tube of antibiotic cream. (I also carry some ibuprofen with me, though not in the first-aid OP.) The pouch I use is an all-fabric one, it slides into a full bag more easily.



(When I took the picture I remembered that I sometimes throw in extra contacts, in case I need to replace one. I have some daily disposables left over from before I switched to extended-wear. Not exactly a medical issue, but equally debilitating if one can’t see properly! )

I also have an Iberian 3D Clear Org Cube for road trips and for checked luggage: that one contains a round of antibiotics (that's the pill bottle, you can see the white cap with "CVS.com" on it), Imodium tabs (anti-diarrheal), Claritin Redi-Tabs and Zyrtec (OTC for allergies), Comtrex tabs (decongestant), albuterol inhaler, fabric tape for securing dressings, antibiotic ointment (not cream as it doesn't seem to be as stable over time), anti-itch cream (shown here is prescription clobetasone but could easily sub OTC cortisone cream) and sterile gauze pads. The clear panel on the OC is helpful for checking supplies at a glance before a trip.



Depending on the trip I will augment the kit with a thermometer and/or children's ibuprofen. It's come in handy, such as when kids have scraped themselves up (large surface area, shallow wounds) or if someone in the family has funny tummy. The abx I requested from my doctor because I was going to a country where I didn't speak the language and I wanted at least a preliminary round in case it took a while to get to a doctor. When my kids were smaller we also brought Pedialyte, just in case, though that doesn't technically fit into the kit.

- Basically that's my underlying philosophy for my travel FAK: to tide me over if I, or someone I'm traveling with, gets sick at night, or over the weekend, or if we're somewhere remote and it will take time to get to a doctor. We've taken a couple of trips where someone got sick in the middle of the night and we literally could not get in to see a doctor till the morning (our choices were to sit in a full urgent-care clinic for hours, or go back to the hotel to rest till the first available appointment in the morning). Oh, and there was the trip over Christmas to a beach town, where a blizzard hit just as my 2yo started to spike a fever and throw up repeatedly. So I at least want the option of treating things myself initially.

At home I use a couple of 3D Clear Quarter Packing Cubes as portable medicine cabinets: one for upstairs (Iberian), one for downstairs (Solar). That way it's easy to carry supplies to whomever needs bandaging. Each one has Neosporin (disinfecting spray, non-ouchy), assorted Band-Aids (my faves are the packs of the flexible fabric finger ones shaped like an "H" and like a butterfly), a pair of scissors secured to the 3DCQPC with a long key strap and a double carabiner (otherwise the scissors go walkabout), fabric tape, gauze pads, antibiotic ointment, and ideally a thermometer though that often goes wandering. The downstairs one also has Redi-Tabs.



(One thing that is not in any of the actual kit containers as described, but is always with me, is a small Swiss knife. I use the knife/scissors to cut tape or pads to fit, and tweezers to apply stuff in small, hard-to-reach spots or to remove something like a splinter. I also often travel with a headlamp and have used that once or twice to dress a wound in a dark room. We're talking minor bumps and scratches, but a little comfort goes a long way towards salvaging a mishap and allowing the vacation to proceed smoothly. And, again in the "not in the kit but part of my arsenal" are Ziploc bags and fun stickers, when going on a long flight: the baggies are in case anyone gets airsick, and the stickers are to hand out to little kids who might need a distraction.)

I am planning a trip a few months away and heard that the country is now experiencing outbreaks of measles, dengue fever, and polio. So I'm going to be packing a lot of mosquito repellent, and double-checking my vaccines! Not first aid, but preventive measures!

I have purchased pre-packaged FAKs before but have never found them very useful. The setups above are the items we've found useful over the years as a family.

[Rei]

minimalist:

EDC: band-aids, blister band-aids, washable wipe.

travel: band-aids, blister band-aids, washable wipes, "tiger" balm, some painkiller/transit pills

+ sometimes lips balm when I don't forget it...

I try to figure how to store antiseptic in tiny bottle (like perfum sample bottle)

[sturbridge]

I have my edc first aid in a Mars Red mini ghost whale: ibuprofen, allergy tab, ginger tabs, pair of vinyl gloves, band aids, blister pads, hydrocortisone cream, pepto bismol, benadryl/anti histamine, antibiotic, tiger balm, splinter remover, tweezers, oral pain cream. Most stuff is individually packaged, the tiger balm is put into a tiny cream pot meant for samples. Just enough to keep me overnight until I can get to a pharmacy.

When I travel, I also keep some cold/flu supplies as well as anti-diarrheal after that one time on a work trip when I was sick as a dog as I arrived in a strange area in the evening and couldn't get any sleep and had to function the next day. Unbeknowst to me, there was a pharmacy around the corner but feeling as sick as I was, and in an unknown area I didn't want to venture out in the dark.

[ejvc]

IMHO any brightly coloured bag will do, red by preference -- mine is red and has a big first aid cross on it, got it at the local salvation army fully of mostly useless bits, have replaced with stuff more useful to me. Mine's about the size of a mini q-kit or similar. The mini ghost whale in mars red sounds great, you could even paint a white cross on it for even easier identification. TB's first aid pack is too big for my needs. I take basically what sturbridge takes except I bring nail clippers and a little tick removal thing, and don't bring ginger tabs, pesto, tiger balm or oral pain cream. I also sometimes bring throat lozenges and/or emergency candy.

[ClicketySnap]

I think it depends entirely on what you’re concerned with while travelling.

I have quite a few body piercings, and I am guaranteed to have at least one flare up or get one caught on something and yanked while on a trip. My “first aid” supplies include Precision Tip cotton swabs (easier to use than rounded tips for the tiny nostril piercings and my septum ring), spare ends for most of my jewelry, and spare nostril screws.
I prefer to travel liquids free, so actually bringing saline solution or ointment is out of the question unless (for some strange reason) I’m travelling with a fresh hole in my face.

I don’t typically take painkillers at home, so I’m more likely to bring ginger chews, ginger tea, tea with Valerian root to help me sleep, and a massage roller ball to help ease tension headaches and sore feet.

I’ll bring a small selection of bandaids and blister treatment pads, but again the bandaid selection is geared towards my conch or belly button rings being yanked on and needing some stability. I’ll also bring fingertip and knuckle bandaids, as that seems to be my most common “I wish I had thought to bring that”.

I keep all of the jewelry, bandaids, blister treatments, etc, in a clear pocket in my toiletries bag. The tea I keep in a ziplock bag in the same end pocket of my A30 as anything that might need to come out at TSA. Ginger chews go in my SK to be handy while in transit.


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[Cristina]

What do people use for First Aid Kits

Like @haraya I pack what is most likely to be needed for times when I will want to treat something before I will be able to get to a pharmacy. I often travel as a sole adult with my kids so even getting to a really close pharmacy sometimes seems insurmountable depending on who is sick with what.

A lot of the pre packed FAKs are for serious injuries but most people I have seen on here and other travel forums pack primarily for illness and very minor injuries. Then there are the survival kits but in my daily urban life those aren’t that relevant to me.

I pack paracetamol/Tylenol for me and the kids, a thermometer, finger and knee plasters/Bandaids, super glue for skin, Neosporin spray, Burt’s Bees ointment, sterile wipes and gloves, and two things that are non-medical but great for emergencies: duct tape wrapped around a credit card and £20.

I prefer a Small OP over a Small Ghost Whale even though the GW is less flat, just because the zipper along just one long side keeps all the tiny things from falling out.

[Lami]

I agree on packing whatever you might want urgently, prior to finding a pharmacy. I also pack what I might not be able to get, but might need, in random countries. It's different for each trip, though.

For airline travel, I just pack each medicine in small ziplocks and put those inside a larger ziplock. I also put bandaids, neosporin, hand sanitizer wipes and kleenex in a ziplock. I then put all these into a small fabric organizer pouch.

For my next trip -- I have: NSAIDs, Imodium, allergy meds, possibly cold medicine, antibiotics ...

[gheebuttersnaps]

What do people use for First Aid Kits

I use an Osprey (correction— I originally said EC. It’s Osprey) toiletry kit.
To me, it would be way too small for toiletries but it was PERFECT as a First Aid kit. The little clear pouch at the bottom is detachable and perfect for my personal meds (inhaler, epipen, spare contacts). The upper 2 held everything else I needed for others in our group including a full coband roll, scissors, several pairs of disposable gloves.
Cheers!




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[KmK]

I agree with the “depends on where you are going...” as far as contents and carrier. On a daily basis, on the streets of Halifax, I do well with a small double organizer: Bandaids, polysporin packets, sanitizing wipes, a couple q tips in the front; and a clean bandana in the back part.

[kmw]

I agree with the “depends on where you are going...” as far as contents and carrier. On a daily basis, on the streets of Halifax, I do well with a small double organizer: Bandaids, polysporin packets, sanitizing wipes, a couple q tips in the front; and a clean bandana in the back part.

Similar here. My most minimal is a couple of standard, finger-sized Band-aids and pills/pain relievers inside my wallet (COW); next size up is a Super Mini Ghost Whale as part of minimal EDC bag (a couple sizes of Band-aids, pills/pain relievers, eyeglass repair kit, lip balm, wet wipes); more maximal EDC or tr aveling is Small OP (variety of Band-aid sizes, moleskine, gauze pads, antibiotic ointment, pills/pain relievers, eyeglass repair kit, lip balm, wet wipes, mini Vaseline, sewing kit, bouillon cube (low electrolytes)), tweezers, nail file, q tips. I have menstrual products in separate pouches; otherwise would incorporate some here as well.

[RosemaryOrchard]

I have a few different first aid kids depending on the context. There's my "in my bag all the time" super mini ghost whale, which has two paracetamol tablets, two ibuprofen tablets, and three plasters in different sizes plus an antibacterial wipe (usually used to clean my hands rather than for medical purposes). It also has two hair grips and two hair bands. When I'm going on an overnight trip, I have another one which doubles the medical supplies and adds a headache stick as well as a few throat lozenges (I need to visit the mothership and see if this will fit in a mini, if not I'll get another small!). For travel (anything more than an overnight), I usually have 8 of each tablet, 4 of each plaster size, the headache stick and throat lozenges, plus some hydration drinks sachets (this also helps massively for water which doesn't taste awesome but is fine to drink) and a spare credit card (just in case). The way things are set up is to give me time to replace any of the items without being stressed. And the daily carry one came in handy twice last week alone! I got a papercut that wouldn't stop bleeding, and an awful headache - and my supplies have since been replenished

I'm just about to add some glasses cleaning wipes to my kits - not precisely first aid but not being able to see is bloomin' annoying!

[halstead.nathan]

I don’t carry much, I carry an Altoids tin with a few meds, bandaids, and some travel things I might need.



Inside, I keep a pen, a small multi tool, a micro fiber cloth, a usb cable that works for lightning, usb c, and micro usb



Under that I have 2 small pill containers, a flashlight, scratch paper, a bandaid (I used it), and folded up bill of whatever country I’m in



This set up works for me and allows me to carry a very minimal amount of stuff which I very rarely get in to.

This tin fits easily in to whatever bag I’m carrying. I usually have it in whatever pouch isn’t easily accessible on the bag I’m carrying because this is stuff I RARELY need, and id rather save the space in quick access pockets for things I use daily.


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[LordAnubis]

I just use a stuff sack. Although I wasn’t prepared and didn’t get to order a size 1 when it was available in Iberian before it was discontinued. So I use a half filled Size 2 Iberian.


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