May 10, 2017

Are you always getting little cuts and scrapes? Do your hands seem to be cut magnets?  Did you ever have the perfect sized bandage for that little booboo? The answer is usually a resounding, “Uh, no.” In this article, I will give you all the information you need to build a quality first aid kit. I will also show you how to have the perfect sized bandage PLUS a whole lot more for $20 dollars or less.

The Need for a Quality Kit

When it comes to first aid, you never know when you are going to need the equipment. After honest reflection, most of us would say a good first aid kit is a reasonably cheap insurance policy for the minor bumps and bruises of life. We live in a world where no one knows what or who is right around the corner and what their injuries might be.

For example, someone may have collapsed and needs CPR or they fell off their bike and have a road rash on their arm or they got scratched by the cat. You need materials in your arsenal that will do the job effectively and efficiently. AND…at a price you can afford. The dollar is buying less and less these days, so the question is, how do you maintain
the quality and quantity in your first aid kit?

Think Outside the Box!

We are so used to having specific items in a kit that we forget that there is something better out there than a poorly fitting Band-Aid. When was the last time you had the perfect sized bandage on hand? Never. A poorly fitting Band-Aid is no longer an issue using these techniques.

The Ingredients

5 Maxipads – (The plain cotton ones, not the new kind with the jell pellets)

5 Daily Panty Liners – (Again, the plain cotton type)

1 roll of Johnson and Johnson athletic tape

A roll of horse/vet wrap – These are  available at your local farm supply

1 pair of quality EMT scissors/shears with big finger loops

1 used double or queen flat sheets, (Using a new sheet? check this out, This will put you over $20)

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Directions on How to Use the Ingredients

Maxipads

Maxipads are used for severe bleeding just as you would use gauze for any bleeding situation. To use them, remove the outer wrapper and the inner plastic liner. The outer wrapper can be used as a face mask for CPR by poking a hole in the middle after removing pad.

Daily Panty Liners

Daily panty liners are used to create the perfect size bandage. Start by removing the outer wrapper and the inner liner. Then cut or tear to the size needed for the booboo you are treating. Use a piece of athletic tape or horse wrap to secure it to the wound.

Athletic Tape

Athletic tape should be considered an investment. When purchasing athletic tape do not scrimp on price so you won’t have to pay a price when you use it. In my experience, this type of tape works the best when the chips are down and you need the best. Spend the money.

Flexible Bandage

Horse wrap, Vetrap, Co-Flex, flexible coadhesive bandages by whatever name are used to secure any of the “gauze” in place. In extreme situations, it can be used as an elastic wrap like an Ace bandage or a tourniquet.

EMT (Trauma) Shears

EMT (Trauma) shears will cut virtually anything. These shears are ideal for use with the feminine products listed above. Trauma shears can be used to cut seat belts and #10 steel cans. I’ve made rocket stoves with these shears, using them like tin snips.

Trauma shears are another item in the $20 first aid kit that you get what you pay for so I encourage you to spend the money and get, at least, one really good set! Cheaper variations will have very small finger loops and it is difficult to cut much of anything using the strength in tips of your fingers. The more expensive shears, ranging in cost up to $10, will have larger finger loops. These larger finger loops allow you to get your hand fully involved in the cutting action. This is what gives you the strength to cut those #10 cans.

Flat Sheet

The flat sheet is sitting in the back of your linen closet at a cost of $0. This is that old sheet that has a stain or other blemish and hasn’t been used in months or years.

Sheets have a large yield of supplies, because of their size. A Queen size sheet will yield 4 triangular bandages, a large pile of 3 x 3 gauze, and a piece of fabric that can be used for strips of cloth as roller gauze or can be left whole and be used as circumstances dictate in the field. (You can even make a tourniquet).

Final Thoughts

This first aid kit does not have everything you could possibly want in a kit, but with a little ingenuity it covers a lot of ground. The gloves needed for giving first aid are the bags you received for free when you purchased these items. Are these ideal? No, but any plastic or foil covering will work. Equipment needed to do CPR and apply a tourniquet or a “Band-aid” are all in this kit. Use some imagination and be creative. Think outside the box!

For more information, check out my other post: 10 other items to carry in your first aid kit

I’d love to hear about your other uses for these items. Just submit a comment below. Thank you!