I have several first aid kits, but this is my most practical kit. It’s small, portable, and has enough essential items to help with even the most minor inconveniences that pop up. I can typically help 75% of people that come to me for help with it! Okay, well, 75% of people’s first aid and general needs, anyway.
The first aid kit fits nicely into a backpack and works great for short outings and to keep around on trips.
Why make your own first aid kit?
First aid kits often contain the same standard 10 to 20 items. They’ll give you 50 bandages and 20 alcohol pads, so you are getting a lot of first aid “items” in your kit but not always the items you’ll need. A first aid kit is, after all, only as good as the items you put in it.
If you’re willing to put in a little extra time, you can end up with a lot more functionality than a generic kit.
How to build a practical first aid kit
Start at the dollar store. The medications are in travel or single dose packages, and they’re often much cheaper. Buying in bulk may save money per item, but chances are you won’t use these items very often. You can pick up a lot of other supplies for a pretty good price there as well.
Don’t be afraid to buy generic medications. If the medication lists the same active ingredients as the name brand, it should do the same thing. You just don’t have to pay the markup.
Use a craft organizer or bait box to keep your supplies in.
If you’re opting for supplementing a pre-built kit, make sure you get one that has enough extra room to add some things.
It’ll cost about $35-50 to fill up your kit. Most of these items are probably already lying around your house.
First aid Checklist
Medications to add to a first aid kit
- Aleve
- Allergy Relief/Sudafed
- Anti-Diarrheal
- Benadryl
- Dramamine
- Glucose tablets
- Headache relief (with caffeine)
- Ibuprofen
- Lip balm (sealed)
- Mucinex
- Night-time/Daytime Severe colds and coughs
- Orajel
- Peppermints
- Peroxide
- Triple antibiotic ointment
- Tums/Pepto -Bismol
A few notes on the meds:
Individually packaged meds will work well. You won’t have to carry around bottles.
You can also repackage the medications yourself into smaller baggies. However, it looks a little sketchy and doesn’t work as well. You will also end up with crushed and broken meds. Be sure to mark what the medications are and when they expire.
Caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches. While you can’t pull a coffee out of your backpack, you can at least treat a headache. Look for a headache relief pill with caffeine listed as an ingredient.
Peppermints help calm an upset stomach and can help with coughs. Make sure they are sealed to keep the ants out.
I’ve tried to keep cough drops in my kit, but they always end up melting all over everything else.
You can store peroxide in a small tightly sealing spray bottle and keep it in your kit. It’s an easy way to clean up a minor wound with limited supplies. Rubbing alcohol should work too.
Wounds & Bleeding
- Alcohol swabs
- Bandaids
- Gauze
- Non-stick pads
- Steri-strips
- Sutures
- Tampons & Pads
You’ll be able to patch up most minor scrapes and injuries with these items. Upgrading to a bigger pack with a tourniquet and more bleeding management may be something you want to consider, though.
You could use a tampon for a nosebleed or wounds, but it’s honestly a good idea to take a Stop the Bleed course and first aid/EMT class to learn real bleeding control techniques.
I keep tampons and pads primarily to ease the awkward conversation when I ask a girl if she needs anything. She usually looks at me (a guy) and says, “You won’t have it”. Try me 🙂
Sutures come in small packages. You’ll want to know how to use them or be around someone that does if you plan on carrying them.
Tools
- Eyeglass repair kit
- Tweezers
- Fingernail clippers
I’ve performed surgery on someone’s glasses way more than you would expect with my cheap little eyeglass repair kit.
Make sure you have a set of good tweezers. The ones I have are almost as sharp as a scalpel on the tip.
Miscellaneous
- Cotton balls
- Duct tape
- Ear plugs
- Gloves
- Hair bands
- Medical Tape
- Paper Towel
- Q-Tips
- Super Glue
- Skin pad
- Tongue depressor
Paper towels can help clean up messes or be an extra item to help with wound management. They’ll pack into small holes or you can simply lay them inside the box before closing it.
A tongue depressor and medical tape can splint a finger.
Get a small piece of cardboard and wrap it with duct tape. You can efficiently carry several feet of it this way.
Download the full resolution checklist as a jpg or pdf.
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