FIRST AID KITS 101
If you've ever gone to Target or any other name-brand shop to look at first aid kits, you've probably seen those 1000 piece first aid kits, and thought "Gee, that's a lot of stuff! I think I'll buy it!", only to get home to and open it to find that 900 of the pieces are either Band-Aids or gauze?
Just how useful do you think that kit is going to be out in the woods? If you're running through a field of thistles and thorns, your kit will be more than sufficient. Then again, if anything else were to happen in said field, you'd probably be wishing that you had a better first aid kit.
When you're out and about, enjoying the great outdoors, having a proper first aid kit is essential, but there's a lot more that goes into it than meets the eye. Once you've got your kit built, you have to stay active in its upkeep, or it could let you down when you really need it most.
Over time, gloves will dry-rot, or become brittle and will no longer stretch; instead they will tear and break. Alcohol, iodine, and handy-wipes can dry out. Checking them from time to time is worth the cost of opening one out of the batch to ensure they are still good. Keeping your first aid kit with you even when you aren't in the wilderness promotes being prepared and provides ongoing interaction with your kit.
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A fully stocked first aid kit should be well organized and easily accessible.
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You should go out of your way to ensure that your kit is water tight. Take this from personal experience; or rather, repeated personal experiences. This is important not only to protect the contents from external threats; for example falling into the stream, but also from any internal liquids that could accidentally open up or become punctured. We strongly recommend organizing your kit into small zip-lock bags for this reason (as well as for easy access and to keep things organized).
RESTOCKING YOUR FIRST AID KIT
A simple way to keep track of your kit's contents after using it is to have an inventory sheet stuck in the kit along with your supplies in order to have a list of every item in your kit and a quantity count for restocking purposes. You should also include an expiration date for when certain items such as medications and gloves should be replaced.
It's nice to mark down what you use as you use it, but as we all know, that's not always a possibility. One trick is to take a tally of items used as you pick up the wrappers and clean the scene (Leave No Trace!). Another idea is to mark down on your SOAP note (or patient assessment form) what was used on the patient. Make it a habit to check your first aid kit before and after each outing, even if you didn't use it. It is always possible that someone else used the kit and didn't tell you!
MEDICATIONS & PERISHABLE ITEMS
Anything with an expiration date, as well as items that can easily breakdown or dry out, should be checked often. Keep an inventory sheet of your kit's contents so that medications and other perishables can be replaced in a timely fashion. Expired medications can make people sick or even lead to death. Knowingly using these may also result in legal consequences.
There is no need to bring a 100-count bottle of Aspirin with you in your first aid kit. If you were to do that for all of the medications that we recommend, you wouldn't have any room for any other first aid supplies! Repackaging over-the-counter medications is a common solution to take care of the space issue; however, this only works if done properly.
If repackaging into a Ziploc baggie, don't just write the name and expiration date of the medication on the outside of the bag. Far too often, the writing on the bags (even if done in permanent marker) comes off and you're left with random letters and numbers to decipher.
This method allows the medication to become pulverized and is not very sanitary. A better option would be to purchase individually wrapped (generic) medication packets. This not only saves you money, but also lots of space! Note that prescribed medications should never be repackaged.
