First off – if you do not go out in the woods with a first aid kit, or “FAK” as I commonly refer to it as… my first question is “WHY?!!!?” – No seriously, tell me why in the comments below?
I think it is nuts personally, if you do not go out into the woods unprepared. If you can make it through the movie due to a few “rough” parts (you can always skip over them!), there is a great lessoned to learned in 127 Hours… It’s selfish not to do whatever you can to take care of yourself.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand… first aid kits… right!
Today we’ll take a look at what is in my FAK that I bring along with me anywhere. Backpacking trips, day hikes, short walks with the kids, trips, carnivals, festivals, and just about everywhere where I have a bag I can keep it in.
Started out with an EMS-branded “Scout First Aid Kit” from Adventure Medical Kits.
I do not recall the original contents, but, this is what is in there now. I continually add and remove things as I find a need for, and less of a need for items over the years.
The AMK bag is a 55 cubic inch bright yellow bag, which makes it easy to find, while still being somewhat small. Inside of the bag are two ALOKSAK waterproof, airtight, and clear bags, to see the contents. I also keep this inside another gallon zip-lock bag as another layer of protection.
Contents – Bag 1
- Ace bandage
- Length of 2″ gauze
- Cloth tape*
- Tweezers/forceps
- 2 Large safety pins in waterproof case
- Length of steel wire
- Sterile gloves in Ziploc bag
- Scissors**
- Sometimes a knife doesn’t cut it. Pun intended!
Contents – Bag 2
- Small amount of toothpaste
- 4 Q-tips
- Medicine bottle with
- 3 x Alcohol cleansing pads
- 1 x Antiseptic wipe
- Compound benzoin tincture vial
- 3 x small butterfly bandages
- 6 x regular sized Band-Aids
- 2 x Imodium tablets
- 2 x Diphen tablets
- 3 x Hand sanitizer wipes
- 1 halls lozenge
- Tick Key tick remover
- First aid guide + long needle
- 3 x antibiotic packets
- 1 sterile eye pad
- 3 x anesthetic lozenges
- 1 x benzalkonium chloride antiseptic towelette
- 2 x REALLY STRONG PAINKILLER tablets
- Do not want to injure something like an ankle and be stranded by pain.
- This recently helped a buddy of mine get through the trail with a broken tail bone.
- 4 x Tums
- 4 x Sting relief medicated pads
Outside of Bags
- Banana Boat Sport 50 .55oz sunscreen stick
- Chapstik Lipshield 365 SPF 50 lip balm
What’s in your FAK? Did you buy it off the shelf? Did you build your own? Did you do a bit of both like I did? Leave a comment and share!
*In an effort of constant improvement, I just dropped this from my FAK, because I have ~100″ of duct tape or more on me at all times.
**Removed and replaced with scissors that are on my multi-tool.
Just Your Average Hiker 