Once in a while it's a good idea to review the first aid kit to both check for expired items and to adjust it to suit current needs. Here's my review of my kit, which you shouldn't copy. My hope is that by reading about my kit, it'll help you think through your own kit.
My First Aid Kit is very small. While it's meant to be for including into my survival kit, it has become an every day carry (EDC) item too. I am venturing out further and for longer.
Here is my current kit: gauze, a large bandaid, enerlyte rehydration mix, 2g Celox hemostatic crystal sachet, 3 x Omeprazole, 2 x 500mg Paracetamol, 1 x 25mg Sodium Diclofenac, 4 x water purification tablets, a sewing kit, medium safety pin, and 3 sachets of sugar.
The Celox and Enerlyte had expired. The Sodium Diclofenac had broken foil. And one Omeprazole capsule was damaged. So, I replaced the Celox and Enerlyte sachets. My health has improved lately so I don't need to carry 3 Omeprazole capsules so I'll stick with 2 just in case.
Sodium Diclofenac is harder to obtain at higher doses - I can only get 12.5mg. My mother was on 75mg for arthritis and I once bought 100mg tablets over the counter in Vietnam. Anyway, I decided to go with 2 x 200mg Ibuprofen which is also much easier on the stomach. Carrying an NSAID, such as Ibuprofen or Sodium Diclofenac, is great for both pain management and inflammation reduction.
I'm also adding 2 x 100mg Caffeine pills. Caffeine can enhance painkillers, remove a coffee withdrawal headache, improve alertness and, more usefully on a trail, improve energy conversion. Easy addition to the kit.
And here's the kit repacked. I like a Ziploc because it's easy to see the contents.
And that's it. A small kit carried is better than a huge kit left behind. Here's enough for pain, energy, dehydration, minor bleeds, scraps and digestive trouble. In addition to other items on my person I can stabilise most likely small medical events until I'm back to a more substantial kit or help has arrived.
Until next time.
