California First Aid Kit

Since attending a recent first aid training at the local Red Cross, I’ve become increasingly interested in first aid and preparedness in general. I wouldn’t call myself a “prepper,” but I do like to have a robust first aid kit on hand for what ever life throws my way.

Philosophy of Use (POU):

Versatility is the key idea guiding the composition of this kit. I found myself needing supplies for different applications: basic first aid, range medic, mini-disaster preparedness, street medic, west coast festival culture, etc. Any given day I could end up dealing with a small cut or burn, a gun shot wound, an earthquake, a riot, or a drug overdose. The items included are the result of careful personal consideration as well as conversations with friends and paramedical colleagues. It is designed for 2 people as opposed to an individual IFAK-type configuration.

The kit is not a professional medical or long term care kit. Like most first responders, I assume that the person I am aiding will receive some sort of professional medical care within hours. I also assume that I will eventually have access to my back up supplies to restock after busting the kit out. I only packed what I reasonably know how to use, although an upcoming Wilderness First Responder class should allow me to enhance and utilize my kit more fully.

I store everything in a Condor Ripaway EMT Pouch, which has incredible storage capacity (check out a product description for more). I chose it primarily to be able to access items with one hand, which I learned the importance of after having to patch up a gashed finger. I chose Multicam pattern simply because it’s pretty. On the velcro panel is a patch indicating my blood type (B+pos) and a red cross to indicate to people that it is indeed a first aid kit. This is especially important if the unlucky event occurs that someone has to use your kit on you. Small items are grouped and stored in ziploc bags. I also keep a list of items in the pouch and try to keep in mind which items are banned by TSA (medication, knife) so I can potentially remove them for travel.

Item List in 4 Categories:

Tools:
benchmade triage folding knife with seatbelt-cutter and carbide glass-breaker.
LED light w/ lanyard and mini-carabiner
glow stick
red tape
sharpie
tweezers
4 safety pins
waterproof notebook and pencil
up to 15 ft of 550 paracord (fob on velcro pull tab and LED lanyard)

Dressing:
SWAT tourniquet
Israeli bandage
adhesive bandage “booboo kit” with bandaids of various sizes, neosporin and skin glue
2 unscented tampons
large gauze dressing
small gauze dressing
gauze pad kit with various sizes from 2×2” to 5×9”
medical tape roll (tied into pouch with gutted paracord)

Protection:
ear plugs
CPR faceshield
2 pairs of nitrile gloves
alcohol wipes/prep pads kit
neosporin mini-spray device
benadryl mini-spray device (for skin irritation)
2 field towels
2 face masks
space blanket
6 ziploc bags

Medication module:
standard aspirin and non-aspirin pain/fever reducers
imodium for diarrhea
charcoal pills
sinus rinse

If anyone has any insights into first aid supplies or first responder medicine, I am always open to improve–leave a comment.

Be prepared, train often. Here’s to hoping I never have to use any of it.

Fold out clamshell design makes kit easy to access with one hand and seal quickly with a velcro strap. You can see that there is a lot of organizing space in this pouch.