Surplus first aid kit?

Preparation, Preparedness & Prevention Emergency First-Aid
1

I found a surplus place carrying surplus first aid kits at a cost of $30 for five of these (just using this place as an example of the kit in question) http://wardenssupplyco.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=630 .

I was thinking about picking them up and keeping them handy in my vehicles and machinery as a general first aid kit and possibly for some trauma incidents. I figure if needed I could augment them with some better bandages if needed. However I am a bit concerned that the kits will need significant updating. So, are these kits worth buying or are they pretty useless?

2

The dressings that come with them will be fine. It is the stuff like the lip balm, and water purification tablets that should be tossed out.

3

so where did you find 5 for $30?

4

the water pur tablets come in a bottle that has been sealed with some kind of wax. do you think these will be bad is it simply time or is it air exposure that degrades them?

5

Those tablets have two ways of deteriorating: One is exposure to moisture in the air (which causes them to change color from gunmetal gray to rust colored); the other is they just get old and don’t dissolve any more.

Either way, they’re no good. BTW, opening the bottle (to check the color) will expose them to moisture, and they will go bad in a month or so. Want to see the color change? Take a single tablet and wet it with some water or spit.

Get yourself a bottle of Polar-Pure http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Pure-Disinfectant-Iodine-Crystals/dp/B00068M3HY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1278076387&sr=8-1

instead. Lasts nearly forever, doesn’t deteriorate.

The lip balm in the kit is probably OK (nothing much to go bad in it), the eye dressing kit has some ointment that should be tossed. The povidone-iodine (Betadyne) is probably out of date but I’d still use it.

6

gunnys surplus
http://www.gunnyssurplus.com/first-aid-kit-and-pouch.html

Thanks for the advice everyone. Throwing out junk like the water tabs isn’t a big deal since I certainly wasn’t buying the kit for that.

7

I got five of them today and here is a short report on what I got.

Out of the five, four had water tablets with varying dates(some might still be good).

Three had two traumedic trauma bandages. One had the older style trauma bandages with cuts in the plastic wrapper, so I’m guessing I’ll have to toss those. The final one came with an Israeli bandage with an expiration date of 2010. Is the Israeli bandage still good if the packaging is intact? Otherwise the contents consisted of some bandaids, muslin bandage, gauze, chap stick, and some short instructions.

I guess this was an ok buy since I got them for $30 plus shipping provided the bandages are still good.

8
9

better a sealed bandage than a dirty sock or teashirt, I’ve got "old " field dressings still caring them. IMHO