Building a field med-kit

>>932736
Don't put anything in your FAK you don't know how to use safely.
This goes for things (tourniquets, quik-clot, etc) and medications.

So get some training first, know how to properly stabilize and treat common injuries.

My riding FAK is pretty basic - couple different sizes of bandages, gauze, vetwrap, athletic tape, ibuprofen, aleve, bendaryl, alcohol wipes... trauma shears... nitrile gloves...

I've improvised a sling out of a motorcycle tire tube. Put your camelbak on the ground, a little pressure from your knee can easily flush out a wound.

I carry a sugary snack - fruit snacks or jello work well. If you're with a diabetic, that can come in handy.

Add in some common sense beforehand too. Don't do anything dumb that'd require the use of your FAK, but know accidents do happen.

>>932736
That's like saying you're buying your first vehicle and don't know what to get. You'll just get a lot of really strong opinions from people who have no idea what your personal and individual needs will be.

I personally go much lighter than most people are willing to. I carry a red handkerchief, ethanol, some painkillers and some anti-diarrhetics. Anything that won't kill me on the spot anyway can at least be mitigated long enough to get me to a hospital with just those four items, if not taken care of completely.

And now, the flood of "trained field medics" that will tell you you'll die if you don't carry a SAM splint and ten packs of Quick-Clot, and of course you need the training to use everything properly, so don't leave the house yet!

>>932761
>>932759
lol. Had I not reread that before hitting 'send', the timing would have been perfect.

Also, yeah... Benadryl isn't a bad idea; reduces everything from serious allergens to mosquito bites, I thought I was missing something.

You don't need as much as you would think on long hikes. I section hiked the PCT for 1 month and only ever need 1 bandaid and some tape to wrap around a blister. It's not survivor man out there, you're just hiking.

>>932761
>And now, the flood of "trained field medics" that will tell you you'll die if you don't carry...
actual medic here. i carry
>ace bandage
>1" fabric tape
>ibuprofen
>a few band aids
so i'm right about on spot with you. though i don't mind the splints and quick clot so much (they're just extra weight in the hands of the untrained), it's the retards who insist you need a pharmacy of narcotics, epi, nitro, etc. where you can actually fucking kill somebody that piss me off.

Gloves and handsanitiser are often overlooked, but are very important. Good items are have are: bandaids, an assortment of gauze pads, tape, povidone-iodine, alcohol wipes, some saline steritubes, shears, triangular bandage and a roller bandage. A pen and notepad can be helpful, too. That's a pretty small kit but will likely cover 99% of injuries you come across.

Other "nice to have" items are bulky dressings, burn dressings or cling wrap, emergency blankets, a torch (if you'll be out at night), steristips. All have their uses and if you've got the room they can be worth carrying. Consider your activities. You probably won't need burn dressings if you're just going out for the day.

As for drugs, ibuprofen and paracetmal/acetaminophen are enough for pain relief. Use both, or ibuprofen and coffee, more better relief. Loperamide for diarrhea. Antihistamines for allergies. Any other prescription meds you or friends you're out with need.

As others have already said:
>Don't take anything you don't know how to use
>Take a first aid course
>Serious injuries are rare
Honestly bandaids will be the most frequently used item, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Just remember you're not going to war. Approach things with common sense and stay within your training.

>>932736
>What types of bandages, swabs, first-aid-types of things should realistically go into the kit?
few sterile gloves, a very light and cheap safety scissors, lot's of 4x4 and 5x5 gauze pads, and lot's of gauze tapes, and povidone-iodine. that's the core of any decent fak, the rest is really just sperging and autism unless you are a trained medic.

>>932813
>actual medic here. i carry
that's not a fak that's bullshit for tiny boo boos that don't actually require attention at all.

the band aids can be nice tho to keep debris out of a cut and all, i'm not saying you shouldn't carry one, but calling it first aid is ridiculous.