Not medical advice. A kit is only as good as the training behind it: take a first-aid class (the Red Cross offers them) and, for severe bleeding, a Stop the Bleed course. In an emergency, call 911.
What it's for
A first-aid kit handles the small stuff and buys time for the big stuff. The Red Cross recommends keeping one at home and in your car, knowing where one is at work, and checking it regularly. The Sawbones keeps it organized, stocked, and in date, and makes sure everyone knows where it lives.
Before you need it (practice)
- Take a class. The Red Cross offers first aid, CPR, and AED classes online, blended, and in person, and a First Aid for Severe Trauma (Stop the Bleed) course for bleeding control.
- Get the free Red Cross First Aid app for step-by-step help (Red Cross).
- Unpack your kit on the table and check it against the list below. Note what's missing.
- Show the household where the kit is and how it's laid out.
Step by step
1. Check it against the Red Cross list
The Red Cross recommends that a kit for a family of four include:
- 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 in)
- 25 adhesive bandages, assorted sizes
- 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yd x 1 in)
- 5 antibiotic ointment packets
- 5 antiseptic wipe packets
- 1 emergency blanket
- 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
- 1 instant cold compress
- 2 pairs of non-latex gloves (large)
- 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets
- 1 gauze roller bandage (3 in) and 1 roller bandage (4 in)
- 5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 in) and 5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 in)
- An oral thermometer (non-mercury, non-glass)
- 2 triangular bandages
- Tweezers
- Emergency first-aid instructions
The Red Cross list also includes a couple of over-the-counter medicine packets; see Organizing the OTC Shelf. The Red Cross also says to add personal items: any medications, emergency phone numbers, and anything your health-care provider suggests.
2. Lay it out so anyone can find things
Our layout (a suggestion, not a medical standard): sort the kit into labeled zip-top bags or pouches, in the order you'd reach for them.
- Protect yourself: nitrile gloves and the breathing barrier on top. The Red Cross's first step is to check the scene and put on protective equipment.
- Clean: antiseptic wipes, sterile eye wash.
- Small cuts and scrapes: adhesive bandages, antibiotic ointment packets, tape.
- Bigger wounds and bleeding: gauze pads, roller gauze, compress dressings, pressure bandage. Keep these where you can grab them in one move.
- Sprains and bumps: cold packs, elastic wrap, triangular bandages.
- Feet: moleskin.
- Tools: tweezers, trauma shears, thermometer.
- Warmth and info: emergency blanket, the field guide, and a card with emergency numbers and each person's allergies and medications.
3. Restock after every use
The Red Cross says replace any used contents. Keep a pencil and a "used" list in the lid; restock from it the same week.
4. Rotate on a schedule
The Red Cross says check expiration dates and replace anything out of date. Check at each kit rotation (we pair it with the water check, twice a year).
Common mistakes
- One kit, in the hall closet. The Red Cross says home and car.
- Buying a kit and never opening it. Learn what's in it before you need it.
- Not restocking after the last skinned knee.
- No training. Supplies don't replace a class.
- Expired items. Check dates at every rotation.
Care & storage
- Keep it dry, closed, and somewhere everyone can reach in a hurry. Keep any medicines in it up and away from young children (see the OTC guide).
- Store the car kit where heat and cold won't wreck it, per each item's label.
- Put the kit's contents list inside the lid.
Related gear
- Kits: First aid kit · Family first aid kit · Compact first aid kit
- Add-ons: Nitrile gloves · Antiseptic wipes · Gauze pads · Pressure bandage · Elastic wrap · Cold packs
- Tweezers · Trauma shears · Eye wash · Moleskin · Field guide
- See also: Basic Wound Care · When to Call 911
- Category: First Aid · Role: Sawbones
Sources
- American Red Cross, "Make a First Aid Kit" (contents for a family of four, home and car, check and replace): https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/anatomy-of-a-first-aid-kit.html
- American Red Cross, "First Aid Steps" (check, call, care; PPE): https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/performing-first-aid/first-aid-steps
- American Red Cross, First Aid training: https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid
- American Red Cross, First Aid for Severe Trauma (Stop the Bleed): https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/first-aid-training/first-aid-classes/fast-training
Lessons link to the shelves on our Gear pages. Saddlebag Supplies may earn a commission if you buy through shop links elsewhere on the site. This doesn't change your price.
← All Bunkhouse lessons · Browse by Category · 72-Hour Kit Shelf