I have noticed more companies putting together pre made First Aid and IFIK like My Medic. Here’s two kits, larger and smaller. I know most tend to add what’s most profitable or fancy sounding vs what’s most likely needed. Thoughts? Still better to roll your own or are some of these kits hitting the mark? I have a officer down GSW kit, and a few random things in the BOB, like bandaid and compression, but no real IFIk. Another brand better for price or selection or waste of $?
The big cost of any kit is the kit itself. If you have the bag or kit it’s usually cheaper to build one yourself. Aside from the pricier items like a hemostatic dressing and tourniquet, everything else is inexpensive.
I was looking at the mymedic stuff. Those bags are loaded, and expensive. If those bags are what you are after, I would get the bag you want and stock it how you want to off their contents list. It would be far cheaper.
For first aid kits (ie booboo stuff), I swear by the Ultralite/Watertight line from Adventure Medical Kits. They are fairly priced for what they are and pack super-easily. No reason why you shouldn’t have one in a bag at all times. The 0.5 is always in my briefcase.
You can’t duplicate Adv Medical kits on your own for the same money. So I start with one of theirs, then supplement as needed and use my own bag for larger ones.
I run Dark Angel Medical kits. I don’t leave the house without one and keep one in my bag on duty. Great stuff and a fantastic company. They don’t throw in any bullshit like band-aids, ointments, 200 alcohol swabs etc. Just life saving essentials to get someone patched up and on the chopper or into the rig. Highly recommended and good people to support.
I have been Adventure Medical Kits using a few of them since the 90s started carrying them on deployments then easier to refill than combat lifesaver bags during clinton years… not the lowest cost but is a quick grab and go. Was easy to ID in rucksack blue bag with red handles. Then combat lifesaver bag stay ready for sticking w IVs. Now as done w Army days now Civ. LEO… I roll my own GSW kits for most part.
They have about the same stuff as boo boo kit Adv Med Kits I see with a tactical bag… not a bad grab and go ready kit.
Depends on what you want out of a kit. I would submit that since people use far more bandaids than tourniquets, they aren’t a bullshit item. There’s a difference between a good general FAK and a blow-out/GSW kit. Most people have something for each contingency. But yeah, Dark Angel is good stuff. Pricey, but good.
True. I should have specified. My thinking was that injuries requiring a bandaid are typically non-life threatening but if one is looking for a full, comprehensive IFAK that covers pretty much everything, then I agree, bandaids and the like are not bullshit. It just depends if one is just looking for strictly a GSW/Trauma kit vs. full, general first aid.
I work on a medical chopper! I carry a Dark Angel Kit on my days off.
There is a difference between a boobo kit and a IFAC. A boobo kit has bandaids and ointments for boobo’s. Conversely an IFAC is made for big bad, you don’t want to think about it, but you need to plan for it contingencies. I find value added in the Dark kit at it is sealed to provided added protection to the vital contents inside against the environment that tries to destroy med gear.
On another note, if all that is available are hemostatic granules, then it’s better than nothing. Using the granules is more of a PITA than the newer hemostatic gauze versions of the same products, as you still need to back the granules with gauze and hope and pray that the granules did not wash out in the interim. if the geanules did wash out you need to again clean out the wound, reapply granules and repack with more gauze… Hence why the hemostatic gauze has been the preferred product for about the last 7-8 years. The gauze is also far easier when it comes to the first dressing change as it is easy to tell when you have removed all of it from the wound.
In short, get hemostatic gauze. Keep IFAC’s and boobo kits separate from each other.
I have used Adventure medical and love some of the other stuff here as well. It all starts out with what your application is. What are you most likely to be using this for, e.g. booboos like poison ivy or cuts and bruises while out hiking or some of this big stuff that bleeds bad, deep cuts, GSW, traumatic injuries like car crash. What I did with my first setup was grab a kit for my needs and built it out. My current kit looks most like the Chinook 1st responder kit with a lot of augmentation. So primarily was for backpacking, hiking camping injuries. So booboo stuff e.g. Advil for altitude sickness headaches, flex splints for broken bones, hemostatic gauze for deep cuts from knives and axes. Then just built the kit out as my training increased and the possible uses changed, e.g. GSW from hunting accidents. Might be a cheaper way to go if you are just getting into this.
I build kits and have found most everyone has some medical suplies already so i built so many I am not sure of exactly how many . I tried to have something for everyone . http://www.deep-survival4.mybigcommerce.com/d-s-kits/
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I have various iterations of Advance Medical Kits in all my vehicles, house, packs. I usually add to them to suit my needs but they are a great start. I bought all mine from sierratradingpost.com for a fraction of retail. Heck, I once picked up several of their pocket size kits for like $3 or $4. You just need to watch their sales as inventory constantly changes.
