How to Build Your Own First-Aid Kit

A first-aid kit well stocked with the basic essentials is indispensable. Choose one sturdy and lightweight, yet large enough to hold the contents so that they are readily visible and so that any one item may be taken out without unpacking the whole kit. Keep a list of contents readily available for refilling. Keep the kit in a convenient location. Make one person responsible for keeping the kit filled and available when needed. Quantities of suggested items for your first-aid kit depend on the size of your group and local conditions.

Suggested First Aid Kit Items

Absorbent cotton
Adhesive strips
Antibiotic ointment
Assorted gauze pads
Bar of soap
Box of latex-free adhesive bandages
(assorted sizes)
Calamine lotion
Clinical oral thermometer
3 cravat (triangular) bandages
Foot powder
Goggles
Hand sanitizer
Instant ice packs
Latex-free, disposable gloves
Lip salve
Mouth barrier device

Needles
Paper cups
4 roller bandages
(a pair of the 1-inch size, and a pair of the 2-inch)
2 rolls of latex-free adhesive tape
(one 1-inch size and one 2-inch)
Safety pins
Scissors
Small flashlight
(with extra batteries and bulb)
Sterile pads
(3×3-inch and 4×4-inch sizes)
Sunscreen lotion
Thin board splints
(1 pair, 17-inch)
Tweezers
Water purification tablets (iodine)

Because of the possibility of exposure to communicable diseases, first-aid kits should include latex or vinyl gloves, plastic goggles or other eye protection, and antiseptic to be used when giving first aid to bleeding victims, as protection against possible exposure. Mouth barrier devices should be available for use during CPR.

If creating the first-aid kit for the car, consider adding a white handkerchief or towel to use to attract attention, a blanket, a large red and white sign that reads “Send help!” that you can place in the front or rear window in an emergency, and several bottles of water.