(Individual) First Aid Kit, what and where

[Skara]

Hey guys,

I am rebuilding my first aid kit, I want to make it "universal", so I can carry it not only when I play airsoft, but also when I'm hiking/camping and a possible EDC..

 

What do you carry? And where do you store it? Do you have a specific pouch or do you use something else?

Any image would be appreciated!

[Tommikka]

14 minutes ago, Skara said:

Hey guys,

I am rebuilding my first aid kit, I want to make it "universal", so I can carry it not only when I play airsoft, but also when I'm hiking/camping and a possible EDC..

 

What do you carry? And where do you store it? Do you have a specific pouch or do you use something else?

Any image would be appreciated!

A couple of different uses there

 

I have a ‘combination’ car first aid kit, basically a standard car kit plus left overs from previous ones and odd random I’ve added

 

I don’t tend to carry when playing, each of my gear bags has some form of mini kit - mostly consisting of painkillers, anti histamine, plasters and non specific electrical tape plus maybe a sewing kit!

[Hangtight]

Small pack of general purpose wipes and a pack of antiseptic. Couple of non stick dressings. Hyperfix tape . Selection of useful plasters. Anti hystamine. Small bottle of saline. Small scissors. Couple of #11scalpel blades. Super glue.

[Tommikka]

I do have this, but it’s a bit overkill and beyond my skill set 

 

 

 

[Gepard]

I use one of the Osprey medical pouches. I have pretty much exactly what @Hangtight listed, although I keep some painkillers in there too. 

 

Never once needed it (which is good).

[Tommikka]

Not to forget bug spray!!!!

 

Depending in season or site this can be an essential

 

Avoid overly powerful spray, a team mate used some major agent orange level bug spray which dissolved plastic and gave him a aura around him

Great for him, but the mossies could be seen giving him a wide berth then heading for the nearest warm body 

[Skara]

So, I started the topic without sharing what I currently carry :')

 

at the moment I have a small case (about the same size as a 7.62 magazine) in which I carry a few things like band aids, a pair of scissors, gauzes, tape, vinyl gloves, a small mask for CPR, tweezers, a couple of sewing needles + some sewing line, a rubber strip that acts as a tourniquet and a few packs of steri-strips (they're adhesive stitches, used for closing small wounds like cuts)..

 

I want to add some more specific items like some serious shears, compression bandages, a real CAT tourniquet, because our field has all kinds of sticks poking out of the ground and one can seriously impale himself if tripping in some areas..

Also I'm looking for a more "tactical" way to store and carry all this stuff with me, this pouch is nice and fits in my pocket but it does have some limitations on capacity..

[Countryman]

I  teach first aid in the cadets so I might be a bit jaundiced on this. The first thing I would say is training is a wonderful thing as it weighs nothing. With knowledge you can improvise better.

 

I have a load of kits. If I'm in charge of first aid I have a wipe clean back pack with a bunch of stuff I'm only qualified to use as a Wilderness Medic well away from medical support. If someone rocks up to hospital having been literally stitched or stapled by me then questions will be asked!

 

My car kit is based on a Life Venture Mountain Leaders kit and I think this is great. I've added to this some Chitosan to that and some saline eyewash as when I am deep in the green out come the axes and knives and the campfire and its ash. Painkillers are useful as is immodium. https://www.lifesystems.co.uk/products/first-aid-kits/mountain-leader

 

My Bimble Bag kit is mainly plasters, blister pads, Steristrips and a dressing or two, anti-histamines and pain killers so I can still walk out.

 

My shooting bag (non airsoft) contains Israeli dressings, big Chitosan and a CAT (Combat Application Tourniquet) I pray I never have to use this stuff.) The CAT and the shears are normally carried in a pouch on the vest. You can get the on ebay for a couple of quid.

 

Id encourage you to consider what you are comfortable treating and the kind of injury you might come across in the are you are in. A bloke could easily bleed out while you fit a CAT if you aren't confident. Better to apply pressure whilst screaming for help. The reality of an spurting arterial bleed is extremely stressful.

[Fat-jd]

2 hours ago, Tommikka said:

Not to forget bug spray!!!!

 

Depending in season or site this can be an essential

 

Avoid overly powerful spray, a team mate used some major agent orange level bug spray which dissolved plastic and gave him a aura around him

Great for him, but the mossies could be seen giving him a wide berth then heading for the nearest warm body 

best bug replant is Avon skin so soft used loads of other brands and makes and it by far the best 

[Shaun Haynes]

Best bit of advice I've been given if you don't how to use it don't put in the kit. 

 A Tourniet are worth having there and dead simple  to use in case you do something majorly bad up a mountain  and space blanket 

[Skara]

I have some basic training on first aid, I will attend a few courses as soon as I have enough time, I also have a few friends who work in the Red Cross so they can also teach me how to use stuff..

A space blanket is a good addition, we have a small stream passing through our field, we don't usually play around there but you never know, someone may fall in there and in summer it may be refreshing, but now that we play at around 2 to 5 degrees (Celsius cuz metric system Stronk) falling into cold water may not be a pleasant experience xD

 

Other than that, what about pouches? Where do you keep yours?

I'm trying to figure out a place and a pouch which is stupid easy to find and access for everyone 

[Gepard]

30 minutes ago, Skara said:

Other than that, what about pouches? Where do you keep yours?

 

 

I have a JPC. I have the built in kangaroo pouch up front. On my left I have one stanag retention and one velcro magazine pouch and the first aid pouch towards the rear. On my right I have two retention magazine pouches and a blank space for better pistol draw. On the rear I have two horizontal utility pouches. 

 

I'll switch stuff around and add or remove pouches as the situation requires and now and then just take it all off and run it stock but typically that's how I set my PC up.

[Sako]

I usually carry a sticking plaster and half a packet of tic tacs (purely for emergency use)

[Tiercel]

 

Ziploc bag contains IV cannulas, syringes, some sterile dressings and other stuff Ive got tightly packed in there and CBA to unpack.

 

I mean... thats probably a bit overkill for what you want, but theres my Airsoft first aid kit   The pouch is just a generic large molle pouch, I think its from KombatGear or someone like that, picked it up at my local store.

 

Generally I'd say for airsoft you dont really need an immense first aid kit, if any at all, because all sites SHOULD have first aid kits and first aid qualified staff. The reason I carry the stuff I do is that I'm a paramedic, I'm qualified to give a much higher level of care than your average first-aider, and my kit is built in mind with "if we're playing in a woodland site in the middle of nowhere, and for example someone trips over a log and breaks their leg, and the nearest ambulance is 2 hours away trying to find us in the middle of some woods off the beaten track, at least I can do something whilst we're waiting."

 

For your bog-standard multi-use first aid pack, a small pouch, a few adhesive plasters, some larger bandage type dressings, a few pairs of gloves, some saline pods for eyewash. Oh and a foil blanket takes up no space and has a tonne of uses. Thats probably all youll need really. 

 

 

 

[Skara]

While I'm no paramedic we do play in the middle of nowhere, an ambulance takes 30 to 40 minutes to come from the nearest place, and I'm not gonna wait until the guy who impaled himself on a stick bleeds out or aggravates his leg fracture..

 

I'll still get some qualified training in the near future as a paramedic though..

[Druid799]

To all the guys saying about carrying tourniquets for first aid ‘just in case’ don’t , firstly the chances of you coming across a wound that would need one are astronomically stacked against it happening , I was an army medic and am now an A&E nurse and in 30+ yrs I’ve only ever need to apply one once and that was too an Iraqi who’d stood on a land mine and taken his leg off .

if your not PROPERLY trained to use it your putting any casualties at greater risk than they already are as an incorrectly placed tourniquet can increase bleeding not stop it .

Even if someone impales them selves on something it very very unlikely there going to need one. 

Rule No1 of any penatrating wound DO NOT REMOVE THE OBJECT .

RULE No 2 if it has been removed apply direct pressure to the wound and keep the pressure on until qualified help arrives .

The CAT tourniquets were designed to deal with traumatic amputations not penatrating wounds .

[Gepard]

58 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

To all the guys saying about carrying tourniquets for first aid ‘just in case’ don’t , firstly the chances of you coming across a wound that would need one are astronomically stacked against it happening , I was an army medic and am now an A&E nurse and in 30+ yrs I’ve only ever need to apply one once and that was too an Iraqi who’d stood on a land mine and taken his leg off .

if your not PROPERLY trained to use it your putting any casualties at greater risk than they already are as an incorrectly placed tourniquet can increase bleeding not stop it .

Even if someone impales them selves on something it very very unlikely there going to need one. 

Rule No1 of any penatrating wound DO NOT REMOVE THE OBJECT .

RULE No 2 if it has been removed apply direct pressure to the wound and keep the pressure on until qualified help arrives .

The CAT tourniquets were designed to deal with traumatic amputations not penatrating wounds .

 

To be honest I doubt many people buy into that type of stuff with the intention of ever using it. Just something extra they can add onto their gear set to increase 'muh immersion'. Part of Airsoft is dressing up as soldiers and using the stuff they'd use in a combat scenario and that's one of the many unnecessary pieces of kit you can bring with you. 

 

I'm sure there's many people out there with the 'just in case' mentality but whilst I do carry a first aid pouch with me I don't have any qualifications beyond basic first aid and I would never attempt to use it by myself whilst on the field. A site should have trained staff who can deal with it anyway, and it's certainly not needed for your average player. 

 

Doesn't stop people from bringing it with them though. 

 

 

 

[Guest scalawag]

Personally I carry a first aid kit for my own use in case I need to treat myself.  I like it to look military, so I use an osprey pouch filled with the typical stuff the UK armed forces have in theirs but most of it will never be used.  The main elements are plasters and paracetamol.

As already said any legitimate site should have its own trained and designated first aider and equipment to deal with emergencies.  

Secondary to this even if I was trained in first aid (which I have been in the past) I would be reluctant to do anything beyond basic aid to save life due to the ambulance chaser culture we live in.  I'm not saying I would not help, but you must be mindful of what you are doing, and do nothing more than what is necessary.  Acting with the best of intentions can still land you in court these days so if the site designates someone to deal with it leave it to them.

 

As far as CATs go they are a no no, I can't ever see a need to apply one at an airsoft event.  I worked with several veterans during my working life, and remember being told that if things are at the point that a CAT needs to be applied the Medics are probably more concerned with saving the life than they are saving the limb.  It only needs to be used in cases of extreme trauma.  Forget what you see about how they are used on TV or the movies, usually direct pressure to the wound is the best solution.

[Druid799]

Not having a pop at anyone Gepard , I’m all for loading your self up with as much useless crap as you want (I know I do lol !) and I think your acting in a responsible way carrying your own first aid kit and not just relying on the site to look after you as a lot do . My concern is players carrying specific bits of first aid equipment that they ‘think’ they know how to use and what context to use it in because they did St Johns in cub scouts , army cadets or what ever ! Get my drift matey ? Like the old saying goes “a little bit of knowledge can be VERY. Dangerous!” 

[Sako]

54 minutes ago, Druid799 said:

Not having a pop at anyone Gepard , I’m all for loading your self up with as much useless crap as you want (I know I do lol !) and I think your acting in a responsible way carrying your own first aid kit and not just relying on the site to look after you as a lot do . My concern is players carrying specific bits of first aid equipment that they ‘think’ they know how to use and what context to use it in because they did St Johns in cub scouts , army cadets or what ever ! Get my drift matey ? Like the old saying goes “a little bit of knowledge can be VERY. Dangerous!” 

***removes bonesaw from first aid bag***

[Fat-jd]

I've got to carry a personal bleed kit due to my job don't think I've ever opened the pouch it's in I no a few of my colleagues have had to use them an there the stien personal bleed kit which can be picked up to about £30 never thought about getting 1 for airsoft tho 

[AshOnSnow]

Hm this is a good thread. I keep a first aid kit in the car, but don't take one airsofting. If I was going on a milsim I may take a simple personal kit, but the sites I play at all the marshalls are first aid trained and each carry first aid kits on their person all the time, so you're never more than 20 seconds from someone with the proper training and equipment to treat you before the ambo arrives. The first aid kit we keep in the car is fairly complete, and I have some extras in as well such as inflatable splints and the like. Found out the hard way that there's no suitable bandage in it to make a sling which was a bit crap I was out with my folks and my mum fell and snapped her arm in three places. Used to have Oramorph too but it expired last year so it was thrown out, and while my last doctor who'd been our family GP for 6 years or so was on board with "just in case" prescriptions from when we used to go on 2 and 3 day offroading and camping trips, since we moved, the new doctor is miserable as sin and won't touch anything like that with a barge pole. Anaesthetic in the first aid kit is limited to OTC lidocaine.

[Druid799]

On 28/01/2018 at 6:41 PM, AshOnSnow said:

 Used to have Oramorph too but it expired last year so it was thrown out, and while my last doctor who'd been our family GP for 6 years or so was on board with "just in case" prescriptions from when we used to go on 2 and 3 day offroading and camping trips, since we moved, the new doctor is miserable as sin and won't touch anything like that with a barge pole. 

Think you’ll find the reason the new Doc won’t give you ‘just incase’ prescriptions is he could get struck off for doing it ! Giving out a script without an actual complaint to treat is one of the biggest no no’s in the NHS , so even though he’d been your gp for years the other one was really risking his job doing so .   

[Equium Duo]

We probably should all have some eye wash! I know I’ve needed it a few times and if you buy the small saline bottles from Tesco’s it’s pretty cheap!

 

plus plasters, or that gauze tape. But that’s mainly for chaffing/blisters. Maybe some roll on for those rubbing chubby bits haha

[AshOnSnow]

10 hours ago, Druid799 said:

Think you’ll find the reason the new Doc won’t give you ‘just incase’ prescriptions is he could get struck off for doing it ! Giving out a script without an actual complaint to treat is one of the biggest no no’s in the NHS , so even though he’d been your gp for years the other one was really risking his job doing so .   

The last one wasn’t NHS, and would prescribe to keep our first aid kit well stocked when we were going places we’d be unable to get to a hospital for a couple of days if there was an accident. Obviously if you just sauntered in and asked for a barrel of tramadol she’d send you back the way you came in, like any good doctor would. But if you’re offroading and hiking in the mountains where there’s no cell signal, and nowhere near a hospital anyway, she’d make sure we had the medicine and gear to deal with any accidents.

 

This new doctor is an NHS GP who is just terrible - even had to go to A&E after he injured me doing an exam really rushed and roughly handled for a complaint I didn’t have in the first place. He doesn’t listen to anything anyone has to say, and just says “take paracetamol and go to hospital if it gets worse” for every complaint ever. Dad went to him worried about a lipoma, he didn’t listen to a word he said and just gave him a script for paracetamol and told him to go to hospital if it gets worse. You could go in with any complex medical issue to discuss, and you’ll leave within 90 seconds and a script for paracetamol, every time. Wish we could change but now we’re in a little English village and he’s the only one if you don’t want to drive 10 miles.