A kit for every purpose

By Joseph Parish

Most people do not realize that one type of first aid kit simply will not fit all situations. To be effective a first aid kit should be custom created according to the situation at hand. I feel that in general there are four basic types of kits that you could create. The actual contents will vary according to the season, your location and your planned use of it. No one can set a standard on any kit except the user themselves.

The first type I would recommend is the hunter’s first aid kit. This kit should be easily carried by someone who may be stalking prey. Its construction should be composed of a heavy duty type canvas pouch with perhaps belt loops and pistol belt adapters attached for easy transport. It should be outfitted with a good selection of bandage gauze, Hand Soap; alcohol wipes antiseptic wipes, iodine wipes; antibiotic ointments, aspirin; sterile pads, a pair of scissors, a current First Aid manual, safety pins and bandages.

If you plan to do any individual exploring during your bug out you may wish to consider a small individual first aid kit. These kits are very similar to those used by our military personnel when in the field. They frequently include bandage gauze, Ammonia inhalants; both alcohol and antiseptic wipes, antiseptic swabs, antibiotic ointment; aspirins, first aid cream, pain reliever; sterile pads and of course a first aid instruction manual.

I have one that I have devised that I like to keep in my camper at all times. It is in a yellow plastic case which hangs safely out of the way. It includes among other things various gauzes of assorted shapes and sizes, a good selection of different types of wipes ranging from microbial to antiseptic, hand soap; a box of waterproof matches, towelettes, Iodine, band-aide assortment, ointments of various kinds; aspirin and pain reliever, gloves; scissors; hydrogen peroxide; ice packs and first aid instructions.

For bugging out I prefer a larger kit with a much greater selection of products as you never know what you will encounter. I use a large case with several compartments. Some of the supplies that I like to maintain in it are Hydrogen peroxide; some calamine lotion; several hand sanitizers; antibiotics; field dressings of various sizes, ice packs; first aid cream; thermometer; tongue holders; ammonia inhalants; pain relievers and aspirins, a syringe; eye pads; medical shears; surgical gloves; alcohol pad; safety pins; tweezers; first aid instructions and other not so common supplies.

In addition to the bug out first aid kit I keep a good supply of medical instruments in my bug out camper. These include hemostats; scissors; scalpels; tweezers; flashlight and surgical blades. E-bay is great for finding those hard to get items such as surgical instruments. I also keep some not so common medical items as well such as an oxygen generator in the bug out camper and in the BOV. You will find a TENS pain unit, a blood pressure monitor and a nebulizer as well. You never know when you would need the services of these items.

Copyright @2009 Joseph Parish

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