10 items that might be missing from your first aid kit....

If you have stumbled across our website, you are probably already a prepper and first-aid kits are usually among the first things people put together when they have realized that S will HTF  sooner rather than later...
Bandaids... Check! Alcohol wipes? Check! Neosporin? Check! Ammonia inhalants? Uh.. what?

So let's talk about some things that your first-aid kit might be missing. We will be publishing a complete check-off list for your medical needs later on this week!

1) Ammonia inhalants... better known as smelling salts.

You don't want to have somebody in your group incapacitated when it is extremely important for them to very much be with it... This is were smelling salts come in. These ammonia salts give your brain a quick jumpstart by providing an increased supply of oxygen to your brain.

2) Antihistamine medications

Most people will have included basic pain killers ( ibuprofen, acetaminophen or even aspirin - well get to that latter one in a future post) in their kits but don't include much else as far as pill forms of medications go.
A big one to not over look is any type of allergic reaction that you might ( will) encounter if you are crawling around in the woods.

a) Benadryl : can help alleviate symptoms of allergic reactions in cases of bee stings, mosquito bites, poison ivy or poison oak encounters. As a little bonus it works great as a sleep aid , especially if you need to keep children quiet in a certain situation.

b) Claritin: for your typical "seasonal allergy" symptoms ( watery eyes, itchy, runny nose, sneezing, itchy throat etc). Perfect for every-day use as they are a non-drowsy formula.

c) topical antihistamines : 1% hydrocortizone cream is your best friend for any skin-related itchiness! Keep in mind - with long-term use hydrocortisone can dry out your skin and also make your skin's layers thinner so try to always pair it with a high-fat content cream on top to combat these effects!

3) Analog thermometer ( mercury free)

Because these have no batteries, they will always be ready! Knowing somebody's core temperature can be a key factor in treating hyper- or hypothermia, shock etc.


Make sure to have disinfectants readily available, even better would be disposable sheats if you have several patients :

In case of an epidemic , having disposable thermometers that you can hand out to people are excellent

4) Dental first aid kit:

Don't forget dental hygiene! This small kit should contain everything from every-day hygiene items ( tooth brush and tooth paste - the dollar store is a great source for these) as well as actual first-aid items such as the small dental kits you can buy at most stores nowadays.

( Dental Medic)


Additionally I would recommend Amoxicillin ( great for abscesses and other dental infections) as well as clove oil ( great antiseptic that also helps numb the pain).

5) Blister first-aid kit

In an ideal world all your shoes that you are wearing on a daily basis or in a  bug-out situation have already been worn multiple times and that you have the right footwear and sock-combination to not get blisters. But it's better to be prepared, because if you remember the last time you had a blister on your feet especially - these things are a bitch and will slow your down unnecessarily as well as create a possible source of infection.

Adventure medic again has a great kit for these situations :



But as with many things in medicine prevention is key. Make sure to have a spare pair of socks in your bag and test out your boots thoroughly to make sure nothing rubs. If it does, the Glacier Gel is going to provide instant relief.

Now let's talk actual trauma:

6) Compression bandages 

You might think that Ace-bandage that came with your store-bought first aid kit will be sufficient - and while it's definitely good to have these handy for sprains and strains, you will need an actual sertile compression bandage to stop bleeding.
We have found these to work the best and their compact size makes them easy to throw into any of your bags.



Above all - you have to have the right training to deal with situations such as these! For anything beyond your basic first aid of applying a bandaid and giving some pain killers - go get the appropriate training! Whether you pay for one of our courses or go and volunteer for your local fire department or EMS services. Get the training you need!

7) Trauma sheers

No your knife does not replace the set of sheers that you need to have in your medical kit. If nothing else, go to your local drugstore and buy a regular pair of trauma scissors such as these


But we would recommend this kind, especially if you are serious about getting trained :



They are lightweight and are ultra-compact. In fact one of our medic-friends carries this particular pair with him at all times.

8) Charcoal tablets

They are a prepper's first anti-poison method. Activated charcoal has a very large surface area, which allows it to have very high absorption properties, meaning it keeps poisenous substances from being absorbed by our body.

An inexpensive but high quality version of this can be found in the Nature's Way brand

9) Wound closure

a) super glue - this can be extremely useful for smaller wounds, particularly in the face where bleeding is an issue

b) safety pins - they are better than nothing ( have either a form of fire or another means to quickly sterilize them before using them for wound closure), and are incredibly effective and easy to use.

c) with a little bit of training an actual suture kit can be extremely powerful! In our Medical Geek 202 class we go over basic suture methods to get you comfortable and prepared for anything!

10) saline nosespay

Regular saline nosespray provides you with a sterile NaCl solution that has several applications. Aside from the obvious nasal application, it allows you to clean and irrigate wounds , just make sure to keep the nozzle sterile ( meaning don't use it as nosespray).





Next up: your medical kit check-list!