I know there are smaller medical kits that you can buy at the store with band aids and minor medication. I want a good first aid kit. I have been looking and those run hundreds of dollars and they have items you will need in an emergency if something bad happens. However, I was wondering if it would be easier or cheaper to make your own. I am having issues finding some of the same items in these kits just by themselves. Have you made your own or did you buy one?
Consider this: if you buy a medical kit worth hundreds of dollars, will you actually know what to do with half of the stuff in it? In general I'd recommend people to buy a pretty basic first aid kit. Then you can add items which you believe are necessary and of course you can choose to add these items when your finances allow it.
I agree, I think a basic kit has all the essentials and then you can buy all the extra's that you need. That way you only buy what you want/need and not all the other stuff.
I have several large first aid kits, but I also keep a large store of band aids and bandages separately, this is what I use most of.
In my experience it is far cheaper to by supplies for a homemade First Aid Kit. Pre-made ones can cost anywhere 25 to 40 dollars, while a quick trip to the dollar store for all of the supplies can save you a lot of money!
I agree with what crimsonghost747 said. It might be tempting to get an amazing kit but, if you do not know how to use it all,cot would be a waste of money. Most likely, if a big e,ercency that requires more expensive equipment arises, it would be best to go to a doctor instead of using a kit at home either way.
My homemade first aid kit: Bandages of all sizes, scissors, medical tape, gauze, tweezers, alcohol wipes, triple antibiotic ointment, and burn cream. If I remember correctly, most of these were around a dollar each at the dollar store. I think that is much better than paying upwards of twenty dollars for a ready made first aid kit.
I believe a home made kit is better as it not only provides with familiar materials, it also provides you with the skills necessary to make one later on in the future when you could possibly be on the run. Plus, believe it or not, it can be quite fun to make and learn about. While I don't think I should of flat out copied, I'll just do it this one time because it seems to be quite a comprehensive list including all the various things one might need. scissors and forceps kit SAS first aid field booklet (not what you want, I know) mini LED flashlight whistle 2 packs Curad blood stop 2 large triangle bandages 2 box Curad butterfly closures 2 pairs latex free gloves 1 pack Quickclot two 2nd skin moist burn pads six betadine swabs little bag of anti-diarrheal pills two 4 inch ACE bandages four 4 inch gauze bandages two Emergency mylar blankets six 4 x 4 gauze compress pad two 4 inch gauze two rolls 1 1/2 inch Transpore tape two 8 x 10 gauze pad two vials of saline two burn gels four benadryl tablets two bug/sting swabs six baby aspirins breathing barrier six Curad Bacitracin packets instant cold pad many, many Band-Aids of various sizes
Maybe I should have specified, I know how to use a number of things in the larger of first aid kits. There are some that I can't, but my husband can. So that is why I was curious on whether I should go with the basic or a more expensive one. Regardless, I really appreciated y'alls answers. @ProNine Thank you for that list and for others specifying what was in their kits. I at least have a better idea where to start now.
In general, if a majority of the extra items in the larger first aid kit would be useful to you and the cost is not prohibitive, I would probably purchase the larger first aid kit to have one available in case of an emergency and keep a second, smaller kit around for everyday use. Anti-diarrheal / anti-nausea medication in something that is usually not found in basic first aid kits, but in a survival situation, you are going to want to have this medication available since these ailments can be debilitating over time.
The anti-diarrhea/nausea medication is a excellent idea. Although my concern would be how well medication holds up in a vehicle that can be subjected to intense heat or cold during the year, it would be worth the space taken in a first aid kit. Diarrhea and vomiting can cause dehydration incredibly quickly.
I agree with some of the posts above. Both options have their uses, but it's all about what you are willing to spend. And you also have to consider family size. If it's just you, you will not need as much as you would for a family-less to carry, easier to mobilize when necessary. But I would say get several kits if you can, add and check on a regular basis. Keep the kits in different places as well. There will always be things that you can add to your kits. Also, there are several supply stores that you can go to, whether it be off-brand, medical or surplus that you will be able to by multiple items in bulk to help with costs. You can never be too prepared and every little bit helps.
The first-aid kit I have in my car is very different from the one I carry in my kayak. The question you want to ask yourself is "what could go wrong where I'm going to be?" In your car, carrying blood clotting agents, bandages and a CPR mouth-piece may not be a bad idea. The rest of those essential little pills, one usually carries with them all the time in the glove box or in their purse or bag, right? Out on the water in my kayak I carry all that, plus a suture kit, especially if I go off the grid for a bit. I have done various first aid courses and I urge everyone to do the same. Having all the expensive gear is one thing, yet not knowing exactly what to do with it is as good as not having the kit with you at all.
In general, I think the pre-packaged kits are a waste of money. No matter what I plan to use them for, they have too many things I don't want and are missing so much that I always have to buy extra to go into them anyway. My suggestion would be to look at first aid kits until you find one that is close to what you need. Make a list based on that kit and then buy the items yourself. I also think it's important to keep your first aid kit accessible and try using the contents (and replacing them) as needed because you don't want to discover in a SHTF scenario that the brand of bandaid you picked doesn't stick well enough. My home kit is based on the Adventure Medical Moutaineer with the addition of IV hydration supplies, my usual home medication stock, and a couple of suture kits with lidocaine. Even with the IV and suture kits, it was cheaper to put together than that one sold by REI. My backpacking/bug out kit is ultra light and does not have near as much in it. I had to balance what I wanted to have against what I can realistically carry. The backpacking kit doesn't have suture supplies. Sutures are nice to have but if I'm alone, I think the chances are high that I either won't be able to reach properly to set them or the cut will be somewhere impossible to stitch on myself like one of my arms. In place of suture supplies, I have wound seal powder and vetbond. The vetbond may seem like an odd choice but I think it works better than liquid bandaid.
I would say make your own because it is a lot cheaper and you can put even more useful items in your own med kit. So I would suggest just making your own because you are able to have a lot more at a lower price.
Yup. It depends what that kit contains assuming that it costs that much. If you know how to use the tools and items that come along with it, and you have the budget, I'd say go for it. Some tools and items may not be available at your house so it's better to be sure.