There are so many, most of them are very alike, and basically it boils down to having just the right stuff but not too much of the things you likely won't need. If you get a kit that has a bag with extra space, you can easily customize your loadout. In a trauma situation, you want to access the essentialls immediately, not sifting through band-aids to find compression gauze.
A quick note on this acronmyn. It means "individual first aid kit", but seems to come up more frequently around trauma kits and military supply. Don't let someone peddle you a standard first aid kit: you don't want that.
This is a good place to start since it's a no-frills setup. But that ankle-holster medkit for EDC is pretty great. My jeans just wouldn't allow it.
Here’s what you definitely want in a trauma kit. Whether it be in your car, home, or range bag, you’ll just have to decide the quantity of items. This is NOT a first aid kit. There are no splints, triangular bandages (pseudo-sling), or band-aids in these kits. If you’re hiking you might want some of those extras (and more).
Warrior Poet Society has a great portable kit, and it includes the essentials. This is that kit without any case to carry it in: https://warriorpoetsupplyco.com/wps-medical-components-pack/
Here’s that same kit in a see through bag/case: https://warriorpoetsupplyco.com/copy-of-packy-sack-empty/
Here’s that same kit in an ankle holster for EDC: https://warriorpoetsupplyco.com/edc-ankle-medical-kit-medical-components-pack/
And here’s a product they released just this week (weird timing, I know) for wearing on a range belt: https://warriorpoetsupplyco.com/wps-ifak-belt-mounted-med-kit-medical-components/
Note: Full disclosure, I bought none of those but I do want that range belt option.
Here’s what you’ll find differing between these various kits:
- nasopharyngeal airway tube with lube
- vented chest seal
- Israeli bandage
They all have tourniquets, shears, gloves, gauze, etc. But not all have vented chest seals (especially helpful with gunshot wounds), or Israeli bandages (which just seem so fucking great overall).
What you'll find on Amazon is that there are many knockoff brands, but RHINO comes up again and again for trauma kits hitting that quality/value ratio that's pretty good. There are a lot of options on Amazon and some for way less in a way that I don’t trust it. I already have this kit (below) and it’s not packed to the gills so I can add/tweak stuff as I see fit, but it does have an easy way to extract all its contents almost instantly.
What I bought: https://a.co/d/d4Ib0Wg
Now that I know the space I can work with, I intend to get another chest seal or two because that can easily fit in the bag. That can stay in my car and go in my range bag on those days. For hiking, I will build an entirely different kit that’s more about broken bones and blisters than it is sucking chest wounds.
- Open the package for the Israeli bandage. It's double wrapped so it'll still be sealed: put it back in your kit.
- Watch a video on how to use an Israeli bandage. I like this one, it's short (3:46).
- Unpack and use the tourniquet (properly) once on yourself before you need it in an emergency.
- Use your tourniquet at least once