So, there you were, cruising down the highway at 75 mph. The windows down, the radio up. You are thinking about the giant tomahawk steak you just picked up from the local butcher when things turn ugly in front of you. Brakes lock up, white smoke, crushed metal and busted glass. That steak is going have to wait. Right now, you have an emergency situation.
Life is full of situations. The key to getting through them is to respond, not react. Preparation is the foundation for being able to calmly respond rather than emotionally or erratically react. This list of med kits will get you started finding a kit that will work for you and your family.
The characteristics of a good med kit are simple. You can’t prepare for everything, but you can cover quite a few possibilities. You want to have plenty of trauma dressings, band aids, rubber gloves to protect yourself from bloodborne illnesses, and at least one tourniquet. My kit is in a simple nylon bag that zips and has quite a few extra things like scissors, a timecard to track the injuries and their symptoms, zip ties, and more items like cortisone and a first aid manual. The kits below will get you ready to respond:
My Medic’s “MYFAK” First Aid Kit is a great first option for this list. Not only does it have a wide variety of the items I mentioned above, but it also has extras such as burn kits, a space blanket, a medication pouch, sting kit, and more! With 115 lifesaving items, this kit is packaged in a folding page designed, molle ready pouch with room to add a few of your own personal favorites. I put a few pieces of hard candy in there. You never know when you might need a little sugar, or a piece of candy to make a little kid who just went through something tough smile. Another great feature about My Medic is they sell refill kits if you need them, and this kit comes with an online first aid class valued at $125 so there is no excuse to not have basic training!
US Elite is a company that covers apparel and gear for military and law enforcement around the world. Their selection includes items such as footwear, plate carriers, knee pads, and medical kits. Their TT MKII Assault Pack combines high quality fabrics and design with medical knowledge from some of gnarliest battlefields on the planet. This backpack is modular, meaning you can remove the inner pockets and change the configuration of the back to match your needs. Each pouch has Velcro straps that make them easy to swap in and out. While this pack will take up a little more real estate, if you need to grab it and go, you can do just that.
Adventure Medical has put together a nice kit that rivals the first option from My Medic. Packaged in a slightly less obvious khaki pouch, the Trauma Kit 2.0 has the basics plus a few extra items that caught my attention while searching. I hadn’t considered needing an eye patch or wilderness guide, but Adventure Medical was way ahead of me. Another great thing is this pouch is small enough that you could throw it in a pack and hit the trails with the basics. With Molle straps, the places you can mount this are endless.
Why in the world would I recommend an empty kit? Simple, maybe you know your needs better than me. If that’s the case, you want to build your own kit with your specific requirements. Maybe you have a specialized condition that would need specialized supplies, or you just want to fill it with Twinkies and hide it in your trunk. I don’t recommend that, at least without an additional real med kit for backup. The Apollo measures 8” x 5” x 3” and uses molle so it can also be added to any other pack. With a big spot for Velcro in the front, you can mark your Twinkie bag with your favorite patch… or not.
Medic Box is a service that sends you a box of great medical supplies every month. With two different cost plans, Medic Box delivers top of the line supplies like tourniquets, scissors, medical guides and more! While this may not be for everyone, I know there are EMTs and other medics that would love to see a box from Medic Box on their porch every month. For that extra bit of assurance, Medic Box is First Responder owned and operated, so they know just what you need. Give Medic Box a shot!
-Nick
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