I need to get a first aid kit to keep in my truck and take with me hunting, shooting or just whatever. I don't have any formal first responder training so I am just looking for the basic stuff that is nice to have. Some of the ones I have looked at have a bunch of crap that I would never use so I was just thinking of putting one together myself. What would you recommend?

Thanks

Walter

Tag.. i need to get one together as well

http://www.outdoorrealm.com/_8/8/9/Camillus-Knives-3-Day-Survival-Kit-27677988.html

Walmart had this

I hate walmart....

Walter

Lol

I'll fiix you up.

The main items I like to have on hand are Quick Clot, iodine, gauze, super glue, and tape. Other items can come in handy, but those are my must have items.

Google "IFAK Kit" and take your pick

Id say some alcohol bandaids gause tape.

Duct tape, turpentine, bailing wire, dirt to rub on it.

If you can find a military vehicle one at a surplus store most of the stuff is still good and what's not you can replace. Mine is waterproof and has everything you could need in it.

Good kit. Where'd you get the bag?

Really depends on your level of training.

I'd keep it simple. A cell phone is probably more important.

All the OTC meds. Bandages gauge. Antibiotic ointment.

Maybe a tournaquet.

I realize I'm a little late to the party, but I thought I might be able to provide some meaningful input. I am a senior at Baylor University and will begin medical school next fall, and am also a certified EMT-B. I have learned a lot from shadowing/working with doctors in the emergency medicine setting as well as the surgical setting.

I was told once by an army combat medic that the most lifesaving piece of equipment carried into the field by medics is the tourniquet. Hunting (usually) involves guns, which means that gunshot wounds are not out of the realm of possibilities. A GSW to an arm or leg could easily open up an artery allowing one to bleed to death in not very many minutes, so a tourniquet (or two, sometimes one won't completely stop bleeding) is always a good thing to have around. If you do choose to carry a tourniquet, please learn how to use it properly. Also, it is highly advisable that you carry a permanent marker along with your tourniquet. The CAT tourniquet pictured above has a space for you to write the time of application: this is VITAL for emergency medical professionals. It is also common practice to write the time of tourniquet application on the forehead of the patient so that ER/Surgical staff can't miss it. This allows for doctors to protect against something called compartment syndrome. After several hours of little or no blood flow to a limb, the tissues of that limb will begin to die. As the cells die, they release some nasty toxins into the surrounding tissues and into the bloodstream. If the tourniquet is removed after this has occurred without administration of meds to counteract these toxins, they will flow to the rest of the body and potentially cause death.

Also, a quick note on hemostatic agents (Quickclot, Celox, etc): I have never used them, but I have been told that many doctors prefer that they be avoided if possible. Apparently they can be a lot of trouble to clean out of a wound and can actually make it so that more tissue must be removed. Obviously if there is life-threatening bleeding that can't be controlled with pressure or a tourniquet, or the nearest hospital is too far to make it to in time, then use by all means. Short of that though, stick with pressure and a tourniquet.

I'll try to post a picture of the trauma kit I carry in the next few days.

Thanks sic'em, interested in what you have.

Thanks sic um. Good thread.

excellent info

Dark angel has great trauma kits in sizes to fit your pocket or IFAK or vehicle size.

If possible, get some training.

Have the Gps coordinates on you for your lease, land, or range to speed a medevac in a life threatening emergency.

A good blowout kit like the dark angel or one from any number of places is essential any time guns are involved. If you can stop the bleeding, you will most likely live to hunt another day.

Edited to add: if you can't get training, remember this- your tourniquet has to be much tighter than you will realize to stop an arterial bleed. Don't be scared to crank it down crazy tight until bleeding stops. Some of the new wider tourniquets cause less trauma to surrounding tissues.

As promised, here are my two med kits. The bottom one (under the white line) is what I carry in my backpack to class everyday. The upper one stays in my truck all the time. When I travel, I have both of them in the truck at all times. It's a bunch of stuff in a small space, so I am happy to answer questions about what stuff is, etc.