First Aid Kits for Preppers

Whether you are a Prepper or not, having a basic first aid kit assembled and within reach is a good idea. A Preppers First Aid Kit can run the gamut from the extreme to just the basics. You will need one in your Every Day Carry Bag and for your IFAK, Individual First Aid Kit. Our first aid kit at home looks more like a mobile trauma hospital.

A well stocked first aid kit for preppers is a critical part of any survival or preparedness setup. How large your first aid kit needs to be is largely dependent on your individual situation, and whether the kit will be carried, tucked away in a vehicle, or in a closet at home.

We keep a first aid kit in my car, in my bug-out bag, and a full trauma kit at home. That’s three different kits in various sizes with different contents. The home based first aid kit is obviously the largest. For new Preppers when assembling a first aid kit, it’s useful to begin with one that is pre-made. Pre-manufactured kits usually come with their own bag or case, which is handy. We have several that we suggest that are a top-of-the-line first aid setup with virtually everything you need to handle trauma at home or in the field. Depending on the circumstances some are big, while others fit in a backpack that can be quickly grabbed for transport if necessary.

For your car, I started out with an all-purpose first aid kit. It’s not as big as the mobile hospital we have at home and doesn’t take up much room in the trunk, but it’s still a good well rounded kit. Here is our choice:

A more robust alternative, especially for the hunter or in the event you have to bug-out on foot might be the Tactical Trauma Backpack.

If you need something a bit cheaper, the Tactical Trauma Kit is a good place to start. The Tactical Trauma Kit is small enough to fit in your bug out bag or attach to your MOLLE web gear. Here is a good one:

Anytime you leave the house, you should always carry a first aid kit. In my Everyday Carry Bag is an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) that is supplemented with the items I list below for trauma treatment. This makes the perfect blow-out kit for a possible gunshot injury. Many of us hunt, or train at the range. Nobody ever goes out hunting, or to the range, (or the movie theater for that matter) expecting to get hurt but every year hundreds of accidents happen. If you’re going to be around guns, it’s a good idea to have a first aid bag with a blow-out kit. Hopefully you’ll never need it to treat an actual gunshot, but it’s nice to have for minor accidents too.

Trauma Kits are an essential. Here is our choice:

After TEOTWAWKI, doctors and hospitals will be in short supply. First Aid Kits are available to purchase, or you can build your own. Here is a free pdf download of a basic first aid kit:

basic preppers first aid kid free pdf download

Naturally, I added some extra items to all of my kits, customizing them to their anticipated roles. Our home based kit is the most heavily augmented first aid kit. Along with the enormous inventory of the First Aid Kit listed in our free pdf download, I added the following items:

• Activated Charcoal (in case of poisoning)
• Quikclot Clotting Sponge
• Combat Application Tourniquet, CAT
• SAM Splint
• Israeli Bandage
• HALO Chest Seal
• Steri Strip Skin Closures
• Ammonia Inhalants
• Oral Airway Kit
• Blood Pressure Monitor
• Mylar Thermal Blankets
• N95 Respirator with Valve
• Medical Bandage Scissors
• Dental Medic Kit

The all purpose First Aid Kit I keep in the car is pretty well outfitted just as it comes, but I went ahead and added the above items to it along with some sunscreen, insect repellent, a flashlight, permanent marker, Para-Cord, duct tape, super glue, respirator, tampons, and an assortment of OTC drugs including a antihistamines and ibuprofen.

While most of these kits are heavily outfitted with gauze and bandages, I always add more. Gauze is one thing it seems that you can never have enough of. It is used to treat almost every type of bleeding wound, and so runs out quickly.

Other items you may want to add to any first aid kit include an extra set of shears and a tourniquet (if the kit does not already have one). For some time, the use of a tourniquet was discouraged as it could lead to the loss of a limb. Modern emergency medical practice however has recognized the value of a tourniquet in reducing blood loss, despite the chance of losing the affected limb from over-tightening.

US Army Staff Surgeon Maj. Alec C. Beekley commented on his experience with the use of tourniquets saying, “It was my experience that if they came in with an extremity wound and they had a tourniquet on, they had a fighting chance. If they didn’t have a tourniquet, or they had a tourniquet that wasn’t effective, they died. I don’t know what other injuries they might have had, so I can’t say whether a good tourniquet would have made the difference. But soldiers who came in with tourniquets on, even if they were hard to resuscitate, they generally were able to survive.” As with many other items in your first aid kit, seek out specific training when it comes to the proper use of a tourniquet.

Having a well stocked first aid kit is just the beginning. You should seek out training from the Red Cross or other organization and learn proper first aid procedures. Even if you have been trained in the past, it’s a good idea to seek out continuing education and refresher courses. Medical technology changes rapidly, and enrolling in a refresher course keeps you up to date on current modern practices.

Even if you have extensive training with your first aid kit, put a book on basic first aid in your kit.

Here is our suggestion:

Also download the following free pdf’s from FreedomPreppers.com:

where there is no doctor

field triage of injured patients

You never know who may be using it in an emergency, and you may be the one who is hurt. Depending on the injury, you may be unconscious or unable to communicate, making it impossible for you to instruct someone helping you. Go over the use of your kit with your family and members of your household. If you are out hunting, let the other members of your prepper group know where your emergency kit is and how to use it. After all, the whole purpose of having one is to be prepared when emergencies happen, and you never know when the person who needs to be saved will be yourself.

~ by Bobby Akart

Because you never know when the day before … is the day before. Prepare for tomorrow.

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