I ask this because I just finished packing a pocket sized mini first aid kit, using supplies from our full size home kit. I’m sure people will mostly agree with the contents I packed, but does anyone have any other suggestions?
This is the kit I packed today, should I try to add anything else? There’s not much space left, but I can probably stuff a couple other flat packet items in there, so am I like missing anything obvious that might fit?
Despite being flat this might be too big to fit in, but if you can–emergency blanket. I once helped a disoriented senior who had fallen and injured themselves and accidentally left their keys in their apartment. I wish I’d had something to keep them warm while we waited for the FD to get them in.
Oof, I just realized our full size kit that I got most of the items from didn’t even come with a thermal blanket.
this is my general purpose kit, which I carry everywhere. it’s not pocket sized, it’s true, but it’s also not very big and you can cram a kit like this anywhere in you car, like under the passenger seat for easy access.
a tourniquet, but make sure it’s from a reputable medical supply dealer and not a cheap one, those tend to break. a trauma wound dressing (AKA Israeli bandge ), and wrapping gauze for packing wounds. hemostatic is best, but regular will do fine, because it’s more about pressure than anything. a sharpie for writing the time on the tourniquet after application. a pair of gloves to protect you from bloodborne pathogens. this might seem like overkill to some people, but keep in mind that serious accidents can happen just about anywhere, and having these with you at all times can save a life. it takes just a few minutes for a person to bleed to death, but someone with these lifesaving tools needs just seconds to apply them.
also antacids, cough drops, acetaminophen, and an itch relief stick. something to remove ticks if you have them where you live. for going to protests there’s a few other things you would obviously want in order to help deal with chemical irritants, but those don’t need to be carried most of the time.
tourniquet if you live in gaza or israel
also look up how to improvise one with a shirt and a pen
you should have a tourniquet in your first aid kit no matter where you live.
A fresh tube of super glue. Cyanoacrylate glue was initially developed as field sutures. That’s why it’s so easy to glue your fingers together. It’s a great fast and durable way to stop bleeding.
Is it actually safe? Cyano in cyanoacrylate doesn’t fill me with joy and sense of wonder
Just FYI, a lot of chemical names don’t really work like that.
Norco (opiate painkiller) is HYDROcodone and acetaminophen. TONS of medications start with HYDRO but have nothing to do with opiates.
METHylphenidateMethylprednisolone is a common steroid often prescribed to kidsCYANoacrylate is to CYANide as GRAPEfruit is to GRAPE.
Edit: methylphenidate is in fact related to meth. I had my names mixed up. My bad!
I thought methylphenidate is used for ADHD? As in Ritalin
Whoops, good catch. I was thinking of Methylprednisolone. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the pharmacy.
Methylphenidate is in fact related to meth, lol.
Yes, clean the wound as always and use a fresh unopened bottle and it’s perfectly safe.
My personal philosophy with first aid kits is to start from treating life threatening wounds and then build up from there so the three absolutely most crucial pieces would be:
- Tourniquet
- Pressure dressing (e.g. Israeli bandage or OLAES) - for bleeding that doesn’t require a tourniquet.
- Hemostatic gauze (like QuikClot) - helps stop bleeding, especially for junctional wounds (groin, armpits)
I have a leatherman squirt multitool, has a blade and scissors. And yeah, paracetamol, Codeine, loperimide. Bandages, glue. I keep some electrical tape in there as well, not necessary first aid, but so useful.
Diphenhydramine or hydroxyzine is good to have in there as well as ondansetron, lorazepam and some opiate or opioid.
US translation, paracetamol = Tylenol, loperimide = Imodium.
So Tylenol is really the brand name paracetamol goes by in the US, even though it’s not just paracetamol? Oof.
(well done branding, scary)
We use a different generic name in NA too; acetaminophen
Gloves!! A pair or two of nitrile gloves takes almost no space. If you’re patching up someone who isn’t in your immediate circle, you have no idea what’s swimming around in their blood, so always use gloves before handling it.
Similarly, another thing that I like to keep handy - but never actually see in things like commercial 1st aid kits, is a CPR sheet with a 1-way-valve: https://www.redcross.org/store/first-aid-supplies/cpr-keychains
Giving rescue breaths without it risks picking up things like oral herpes.
Interesting, and good advice.
It’s late here, I ain’t about to repack the kit now, but that did cross my mind earlier. Would be nice if gloves are packed into some sort of flat-pack, as I don’t have much space left.
Hope you checked my link to see what all I did manage to pack in the pocket kit…
I actually have some experience with this!
I travel a lot and always have an IFAK and a somewhat extensive “boo boo” kit.
The IFAK covers serious trauma, car crashes, GSWs, whatever. Haven’t had to use this thank fuck. Standard stuff though, take your Stop The Bleed. I carry a tourniquet (I like snake staff systems), compressed gauze, pressure dressing, chest seals, trauma scissors, gloves. You can safely reduce this to the tourniquet and the gauze for 90% of use cases though.
The boo boo kit contains more comfort items, stuff to turn a moderately bad day into a mild inconvenience. It has a bunch of stuff but by FAR the most used items are these in order of frequency:
Ibuprofen - carry many doses
Small bandages - 3M Nexcare are the good ones
Moleskin - helps with shoe blisters, friends use it a lot
Deviant ollam folding scissors - for cutting moleskin, hangnails, whatever. TSA doesn’t care about them.
Pseudoephedrine - the behind the counter stuff, NOT phenylephrine from the aisles. This is the good stuff, helps with allergies, mild colds etc.
I definitely forgot the moleskin in mine. I’ll have to add that in next time I’m home.
Moleskin is also a great way to fix pokey underwire bras
Add crazy glue as an emergency substitute for stitches for mild to moderate cuts.
Triangular bandages, a shit ton of band aids, polysporin, medical tape, n95 masks, finger splints, duct tape, all the usual over the counter meds like pepto bismol and ibuprofen/naproxen sodium, salicylic acid. A laxative, anti diarrheal, some just add water electrolyte beverage solution, aloe vera, aveeno moisturizer, petroleum Jelly and a bottle of gin and a bottle of whiskey. Medicinal, of course.
Crazy glue sounds great too, but not for a pocket size kit that’s gonna get tossed in our glovebox. Check the link I posted to see what all I packed…
Still, all advice is awesome, but also depends on the size of the first aid box…
There are very small crazy glue tubes.
That’s not the point. The point is that this is gonna get stored in our glovebox, which will get hot and dry out in the heat of the sun.
Not saying that heat won’t gradually degrade the other items, that’s entirely possible, but if super glue is in there and decides to leak in even the slightest, it’ll ruin everything else…
I’d still do it. A tiny superglue vial, even one that leaks, won’t ruin anything.
Edit: Also probably won’t leak.
You’ve clearly never worked with superglue then.
Last night I had to use a rasp file to file superglue off of my fingers, because the tube busted on me when trying to open it.
Note that I didn’t say I filed my fingernails, I literally had to file my fingers, using a rasp file meant for wood no less.
I ain’t trying to test and see if everything in an emergency kit might get glued together…
FYI, if that ever happens again and you have nail polish remover handy, it dissolves it with no filing required :)
You’ve clearly never worked with superglue then.
Maybe I have, used for moderate lacerations, and I don’t suck? Maybe.
What scissors? I’m not getting anything particular tied to Deviant Ollam
The smallest size Swiss army knife is also a good option for tiny scissors that TSA doesn’t care about, then you also get the bonus of knife, tweezers, toothpick, etc.
Deviant usually carries some TSA compliant folding scissors in his kits. I know fiskers makes a pair. And their scissors are usually decent quality.
Umm…
Context?
They’re asking what the parent commenter meant by “deviant ollam folding scissors.”
At least a couple bandaids
Good advice 👍
Check the link I posted for the kit I packed, there’s 1 large, 2 medium and 2 small bandages, along with a 2x2 inch sterile absorbent pad and some medical tape.
Amongst other things from our full size home first aid kit.
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- Tiny bottle of artificial tears - great for flushing stuff out of your eyes, offers some relief if hit by tear gas or pepper spray too
- Tweezers
- Scissors, unless you carry some kind of blade anyway
Watered down liquid antacids like milk of magnesia is a great tool for treating exposure to those chemical agents.
Cool cool 👍
Contents?
I have everything there except the pouch… 👍
Probably just a pair of scisors, a roll of bandage, alcohol, and paracetamol (a.k.a. acetaminophen).
Check the link I posted, most of that is already in there, minus the scissors. It’s a mini pocket sized kit, plus I also carry a multi-tool in a different pocket, so if cutting clothes or whatever becomes necessary, I got that covered too…
I’m a sideshow performer, and I bring one to every show. Mine has:
- Bandaids in multiple sizes
- Liquid bandaid
- Alcohol wipes
- Neosporin
- Sometimes aloe or burn gel if I’m doing fire (packets are best but hard to find)
- Tweezers
I keep mine small for portability, but you can always add on (gauze, medical tape, splints, absorbent pads, etc). They also sell first aid kits at most pharmacies of various sizes that can be easily refilled after.
Are liquid bandages fairly common in pharmacies now?
They sound convenient.
Are they much pricier than a box of bandaids?
What is their shelf life/storage conditions like?
I keep it for treating needle and stapler wounds which are rather small, but that’s also an unusual use case. It’s honestly inferior to regular bandaids if a wound is still bleeding. You’d probably be fine without it, I just find it more convenient than sticking bandaids everywhere.
I’ve easily found it in both the US and Canada, it’s usually about $10 a bottle
Thanks, I hadn’t realized it had become so commonplace.
Liquid bandage is basically super glue. Not good to keep in an emergency kit, especially in a hot vehicle glove box, that stuff will either leak out or harden in the tube, if not both, and you only find out the hard way when you need it.
Don’t get me wrong, liquid bandage/super glue is useful in a pinch, I’ve used it myself, but you don’t wanna store volatile chemicals like that in an emergency kit.
Got it, I asked because I travel a lot and suspected the chemicals might not do great in varying climates or drastic elevation changes.
Still cool, are they pretty common in pharmacies these days? and super expensive or not too crazy?
Honestly I don’t know what the prices are on liquid bandage, the only tiny bottle I ever got was given to me. That bottle had a brush on the cap, similar to a nail polish brush.
As far as I’m aware, liquid bandage is more or less super glue with a bit of nail polish remover (acetone?) mixed in to somewhat slow curing time.
I just ended up using straight super glue on one particular wound, which indeed worked, but yeah super glue cures pretty damn fast, especially when it gets wet…
Gotcha thanks.
I went to a dentist once in Utah who was super cool and we talked for a while and when he was finishing up refitting a crown he was like look I’m definitely not supposed to say this, but if you don’t want to pay a hundred bucks to refit a crown or you’re not near a dentist office, you can absolutely use super glue.
And I was like “is that not toxic?”
And he shrugged and was like “I mean a little but not much.”
I’m more interested in trying it out as a topical bandage.
You know that flap of ‘webbing’ skin between your thumb and your index finger? Yeah, I had that ripped down to where I could literally see my tendons working…
Here in the USA, hospital bills are ridiculous! So, after like a half hour of washing and waiting for the bleeding to slow almost to a stop, I used super glue and a piece of paper towel to patch over it.
Since it cured so fast, I had to use some acetone to rub over the top of my wound patch, to smooth out the rough dried glue. Then I went and bought a pair of bicycle gloves. I only needed the right glove, to protect my homemade bandage.
Every 2 or 3 days, I had to maintain my bandage rigup, which basically meant peel that shit off, investigate, and use tweezers to pull super glue out of the wound as it healed. I wasn’t looking to have super glue get grown in under the skin ya know…
It took about a month before it fully healed, no noticeable scar and no stitches. Hand works fine too. 👍
Disclaimer: Not a doctor, I just did what I felt best, and it worked.
Glad to hear it worked out so well for you! Thanks for the testimony, I’ve heard super glue prevents scars but yours is the first personal confirmation, very cool.
You’re like 90℅ of the way there to the mini kit I packed, check the link I posted.
The container I packed is rather limited in size, so I basically only packed flat-pack items. So no tweezers and no liquid bandage (which is basically super glue).
Sadly our full size home first aid kit only has one packet of burn treatment gel, so I decided to leave that in the home kit, as I figure burns are more probable at home in the kitchen, especially given my roommate’s childhood kitchen injury that burned over a quarter of his back.
I highly recommend getting a set of nice tweezers in there if you can. I use mine way too fucking much. It’s necessary for things like splinters and ticks, and overall just very useful for various reasons.
I forgot to add, Benadryl is a good thing to have as well in case of allergic reactions. Also keep some emergency contacts in there.
sideshow performer
???
I’m not personally a sword swallower like the other guy said, but many of my friends are. Personally I use fire, staples, needles, nails, power tools, and knives a lot on stage. It’s a weird artform but we (at least the professionals) take things like hygiene and biohazards seriously.
It used to be called freak show in the past. It still is but the term has died out a little bit.
It’s actually pretty cool to see someone online that does this kind of thing. Thanks for talking about it.
Sword swallower maybe? That’s a common sideshow thing. Also driving nails through various body parts.
Decide what your end goal is. Trauma kit, or just an ouch pouch? For basic injuries I pack adhesive bandages of various sizes, a little bit of gauze to help slow down a decent cut before bandaging, some ibuprofen, gloves, burn ointment, and maybe some antiseptic towelettes. In my camping ouch pouch I add in Neosporin for bug bites, tick tweezers, instant cold packs, and some nausea medicine.
In my portable trauma kit (it’s actually a small pack with both ouch and emergency compartments), I have more gloves, a fair bit of different sized packing gauze (quick clot), a compression bandage, emergency foil blanket, chest seals, a sharpie, and mounted on the outside are trauma shears and a CAT Gen 5 tourniquet in a dedicated holster. As a bonus, I have a moldable splint in an emergency survival bag with the rest of my kit.
If I remember, I can share some pics in a few days.
Cool cool, make sure to check the link I posted.
My kit is basically a pocket kit ‘ouch pouch’ as you call it, so basically only flat-pack items in there, I don’t think I can safely fit any metal items such as tweezers in there without risking puncturing one or more of the packets.
We do have a full size home first aid kit, which is where I got most of the supplies for this mini pocket kit, meant to go in our glove box for road trips.
