First aid kits

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

formernuke

ScubaBoard Supporter
ScubaBoard Supporter
Scuba Instructor
Messages
7,221
Reaction score
8,411
Location
New England
# of dives
I just don't log dives
What have you found to be the best first aid kits in each size?

Something I'm curious about or maybe I'm just to bored stuck at home.
 
I buy one that has a case I like, donate most the contents to the goodwill then refill with what I think we need. Example, tums and Aleve have been life changers diving with two ladies.

Have to go through once a year and check expiration dates.

Have a diving, camping, and a general travel one. medium, smallest, biggest.

Homerdoc
 
As a paramedic, i put together my own kits. The one in my car is fairly large and inclusive while the one that comes with me to the dive site is small with some assorted gauze, tape, Neosporin, ibuprofen and aspirin. My best advice is that you need a kit that isn’t to big to want to bring along and that has contents that you know how and when to use. I see a lot of people buy a bulky kit online but it’s useless to them because they aren’t trained to use half the stuff in it.
 
What have you found to be the best first aid kits in each size?

Something I'm curious about or maybe I'm just to bored stuck at home.
I really like the wide variety of the Adventure Medical Kits. I was an early adopter many years ago, I found the kit robust, and the packaging to be robust as well. I ordered empty cases to keep my ATLS and oxygen provider materials in. What I really liked about them is that you could subscribe to their service and they would refresh your kit every year (just before Coast Guard inspection).
 
For shore diving in the St. Lawrence, most of us probably have a small but practical first aid kid with an assortment of items, mostly to deal with minor cuts and the like.

Coincidentally, I had bought a large kit a number of years ago when we were taking road trips. Ultimately, it never got used and I had to pitch out quite a bit of stuff that had expired. In any case, @Bowers has sound advice.
 
I have a small DAN one but I'll be looking to expand on it soon.
 
As a paramedic...<snip>
I see a lot of people buy a bulky kit online but it’s useless to them because they aren’t trained to use half the stuff in it.

@Bowers is a better authority, but in addition to not knowing how to use items inside another big issue I see in Scouts is people that don't even know what is in the kit, or where to find what they might need inside the kit.

Get something sized appropriately for the activity. Open it, learn it. Label the pockets/content with big letters using a sharpie in case others need to help provide assistance.
 
I might have to build one myself. I keep running into the small ones don't have everything I want, the big ones have too much of things. For example one has 50 of one size bandages. Why would I need 50 of the things a few is fine.
 
West Marine sells a lifeboat first aid kit. Very reasonably priced and has the stuff you need without too much stuff. The big one is $52.99. The little one is $13


upload_2020-12-27_17-56-34.jpeg
upload_2020-12-27_17-55-17.jpeg
 
I normally keep just a small kit with a few Band-Aids, some gauze, and tape. We also cary, but not part of a kit, a tourniquet, Aspirin, Tylenol, and rubbing alcohol/peroxide for Vibrio prevention. This is just normal diving/fishing inland or near shore areas where access to help is relatively close by. Bigger kits with more supplies are needed for longer range trips and out of the way places.

Tourniquet will stop most life threatening bleeding and I have them in cars, travel luggage, boat bag, range bag, ect, ect, ect.
Aspirin is for more than pain. Chew one if there is a possibility of heart attack.
Any cut or scrape that happens near warm salt or brackish water in florida gets alcohol and or peroxide. Vibrio is a real thing, and real bad, but if you head it off early you can usually stop it.

Other than that, just rub some dirt on it.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom