Show me your EDC first aid kit.

[Fireman]

I have had 5 times that I needed stitches. That’s being careful and always around dangerous items. That’s just me and not including those around me or medical calls. I think the average person may be in a situation that calls for more than a band aid about once a year. We all pride ourselves on having cool and or sharp knives but what do you carry for an EDC first aid kit? I’ll add my 2cents later. What do you carry it in? What’s in it? What’s it for if not obvious? Thanks!

[GaTChE]

Duct tape

[prndltech]

Maybe better in the off topic section but…

Super glue

[Fireman]

Duct tape

Great for holding pressure, closing a wound, adhering gauze, an occlusive bandage for a collapsed lung or a makeshift sling.

[Fireman]

Maybe better in the off topic section but…

Super glue

Super glue is a must!
I keep a Spyderco IN my first aid kit.
A knife is a part of first aid. Spyderco makes some great knives for emergencies. Question can be which knife? My old Dyad makes a great first aid kid knife with its two blades and two edges. Serrated knives can be better than a straight edge for cutting clothing or making improvised slings/bandages.

[TCW]

I carry a Micro Trauma Kit plus C.A.T. from Blue Force Gear.
https://www.blueforcegear.com/micro-trauma-kit
The Advanced Kit Includes:
Trauma Gloves (1x Pair)
QuikClot Combat Gauze (1x)
Mini Compression Dressing (1x)
Chest Seal (1x Twin Pack)
Flat Fold Tape (1x)
Nasopharyngeal Airway (1x)
Decompression Needle (1x)
Combat Application Tourniquet (1x)

[Fireman]

I carry a Micro Trauma Kit plus C.A.T. from Blue Force Gear.
https://www.blueforcegear.com/micro-trauma-kit
The Advanced Kit Includes:
Trauma Gloves (1x Pair)
QuikClot Combat Gauze (1x)
Mini Compression Dressing (1x)
Chest Seal (1x Twin Pack)
Flat Fold Tape (1x)
Nasopharyngeal Airway (1x)
Decompression Needle (1x)
Combat Application Tourniquet (1x)

This is excellent! Some of these combat/trauma kits can save a life when you come across a bad traffic accident.

[Fireman]

Does anyone carry paracord for first aid?
Spyderco knives are great at making cordage to desired lengths.

[zuludelta]

A topic relevant to my day-to-day life, and I suppose it's knife-adjacent. I don't normally consider my pocket knife as a specific part of my first aid kit, but I feel under-equipped without one & have definitely used one for utility purposes while responding to medical emergencies. True story: I once used a Karahawk (I forgot my trauma shears & it was the knife I had on me at the time) to cut away clothing & expose a casualty's chest so I could attach AED pads. The curve of the hawkbill actually made this safer than using a more conventional blade shape.

I pull double-duty as the senior industrial-occupational first aid responder at my workplace, so I actually carry a small trauma kit on my tool belt at work. It's not an "EDC", technically, but it's the kit I have on me at least five days a week.

In a nylon tourniquet/shears holder, I have a CAT Gen 7 tourniquet, XShears trauma shears, and a fine-tipped Sharpie (for marking time of application on the tourniquet). In a small rip-away medical pouch, I have a pair of nitrile gloves, a disposable CPR face mask with one-way valve, and a 4-inch OLAES modular bandage.

I used to carry a pair of Leatherman Raptor Response shears (and the older Raptor Rescue shears before that) but switched to the XShears earlier this year. Leatherman's trauma shears are a proven design used by professionals the world over, but they're quite heavy and bulky for what they are, and I don't have much use for the extra bells-and-whistles they come with outside of the ring cutter. Their folding feature is very convenient for carrying in the pocket or in a small pouch, but I always carried them unfolded & ready-for-immediate-use, so I decided to switch to a non-folding pair that wasn't weighed down by a folding/locking mechanism. And the XShears' blades are hard & tough enough that they can cut most rings/necklaces/bands made of gold or silver.

But the main reason I switched to the XShears is corrosion resistance. Blood & sweat can be very potent rust-formers, and despite their 420HC stainless steel blades, I still found myself having to regularly take apart the Leatherman shears every few months to remove rust in and around the main pivot and the pivots in the folding handles (this was worse in the Raptor Rescue than in the satin finish Raptor Response). The XShears have an anti-rust coating that, so far, seems to have done a good job of preventing corrosion.

The OLAES modular bandage replaced the PerSys Emergency Bandage (a.k.a. "Israeli Bandage") and wound-packing compressed gauze I used to carry. The OLAES is a real game-changer for me as far as compressive bandages go. It's more intuitive to use than the Israeli bandage so I can hand it to someone assisting me (even someone with minimal training) & they can help me apply it with just verbal instructions on my part. And it already has wound-packing gauze and even an occlusive layer that can be used as a chest or neck seal in a pinch (though I've fortunately never had to use it in that way, and besides, you need two of them for many penetrating chest/neck injuries, one for the entry wound, another for the exit wound).

For the actual EDC trauma kit that I carry in my backpack when I'm not at work, I carry the same stuff in a small medical pouch (the key difference in my work & EDC kit is that the contents in the former are more readily accessible). I don't really carry a "boo boo kit" most days, but I do have a small tube of superglue gel in the mini-toolkit that lives in my backpack.

[Fireman]

Bravo! Yes, those raptor shears are legit but I too have noticed some corrosion. The serrated thick steel does good on heavy clothing. They are just a pain to clean.

[Naperville]

I just completed 3+ years of being a full time caretaker for my mom and her live in partner. I have $1500+ worth of medical gear, the problem is knowing what to do and when beyond my exposure to these two hands on cases because I am not an EMT or nurse.

I could probably get a CNA very easily and go into the field of home healthcare, but it pays less than what I have my degree in.

[Evil D]

I don't have pics but a while back Target had some pretty decent zipper clamshell first aid kits so I bought one of those for each of our cars and then add better bandaids and steri-strips (there are some really cool "bandaid stitches" that are worth having) and some super glue and bleed stop powder and even some feminine hygiene stuff (both for wounds and their intended use). We keep this plus some Altoids tins full of OTC pain relievers and Sudafed and Zantac, anything you'd wish you had when you need it. They ended up being pretty expensive once I filled them with everything I wanted (around $100 each) but it's the sort of thing every car should have in them.

[DerRock]

My first aid kit. Usually there is another tourniquet.

[tbdoc4kids]

As a pediatric emergency physician and dog owner, I have a pretty extensive collection of stuff. I think the most important things are basic education in first aid, including airway care and controlling hemorrhage, and a calm mind!

A high quality prepackaged kit should handle most things. I like to have super glue and adhesive strips such as steristrips and also carry a skin stapler and suture kit. One thing I think everyone who ventures into the outdoors should have is a SAM splint or equivalent. Dental wax is very helpful for cracked teeth or missing fillings, but candle wax also works. Its amazing what you can do to Macgyver stuff if you think a bit.

If you are really into this sort of thing, get a wilderness medicine book. Most of all, stay calm and do no harm!

Ted

[Scandi Grind]

If you are really into this sort of thing, get a wilderness medicine book.

Any suggestions for a good book?

[Fireman]

I just completed 3+ years of being a full time caretaker for my mom and her live in partner. I have $1500+ worth of medical gear, the problem is knowing what to do and when beyond my exposure to these two hands on cases because I am not an EMT or nurse.

I could probably get a CNA very easily and go into the field of home healthcare, but it pays less than what I have my degree in.

I would have an AED in the home if I had elderly people to take care of but that is not EDC. There are lots of great educational training videos on YouTube and having an EMT class book at home for reference and study is good. You can probably pick up a used one relatively cheap and will probably have all the good info highlighted already.

[Fireman]

Duplicate

[tbdoc4kids]

If you are really into this sort of thing, get a wilderness medicine book.

Any suggestions for a good book?

Auerbach’s Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine is my favorite, but might be overkill for some.

[ladybug93]

i find bandaids to be almost completely unnecessary. when a bandaid is all i need, i don't really need anything. when i need more, they're useless. i do carry butterfly bandages, super glue, a small roll of gauze and medical tape, a couple of tampons, and a few character bandaids to make the kids feel better.

[zenith2]

Do we include car medical kits as the car can be my Every Day Carrier for 14 hours a day?

Here is my breakdown.

4 x Bandage – Conform 100 mm
4 x Bandage – Conform 75 mm
4 x Bandage – Triangular
1 x Cotton Wool – 100g
2 x CPR Mouthpiece – Vinyl Skirt Yellow
4 x F.A.D No.3 75x100x2.25m
4 x F.A.D No.5 150x200x2.25m
1 x Gauze Swabs 75x75x8 100’s – Non-Sterile
2 x Gauze Swabs 75x75x8ply – Sterile – 5’s
2 x Gloves Latex Pair – Medium
2 x Gloves Latex Pair – Large
1 x Paper Tape – 25mm x 3m
1 x Plaster Fabric Roll Stretch – 25mm x 3m
20 x Plaster Strips – Fabric
1 x Safety Pins 12’s
1 x Scissor 1st Aid – 10cm
2 x Splint – Straight 65x270mm
1 x Tweezers
1 x Wound Cleaner – 100ml

BLOOD SPILL KIT:
1 x Absorbent Granules
1 x Bio-hazard Bag
1 x Cardboard Scoop
1 x Disinfectant Liquid
5 x Gloves Latex Pair

Various sizes of burnshield.

On me IFAK

Recently bought a Rhino Medical kit.

1 x Rhino Rescue EDC IFAK Bag (Black)
1 x Rhino Rescue Tactical Tourniquet
1 x Rhino Rescue Vented Chest seal
1 x Rhino Rescue 4″ Emergency Bandage
1 x Rhino Rescue Compressed Gauze
1 x Combat Tape (5cm * 2.5m)
1 x Crepe Bandage (7.5cm * 4.5m)
1 x Trauma Scissors (19cm)
1 x Marker

In addition I have a spare tourniquet and multiple chest seals (laptop bag etc)

Work vehicles have similar first aid kits excluding tourniquets and then we have fire extinguishers on vehicles.