Budget Bleed Kit

Outdoor Life Survival | Prep | Gear
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Wasn’t sure what category to put this in, didn’t see anything for EDC or first aid. Had an opportunity to buy some Celox gauze packages at a reasonable price so I decided to put together some kits for serious bleed events. I have been giving these to co-workers and family as I put them together. I have about $10-$11 in each kit, cheap compared to what many on the market go for. The Celox is over half the expense. The RAT tourniquets are chinese made versions but I figured including a cheap version was better than not including one at all. I also wanted them to be compact enough that I could actually get people to carry them in there computer bags, book bags, or just keep one in their glove box. I try to give a quick rundown on how to use the stuff when I hand one out, more often than not they look at me like I’m a nut and maybe I am.

Contents are 2 ea. 4x4 Celox gauze pads, RAT tourniquet, 2 ea. large surgical gauze pads, surgical gloves, emergency blanket, and 7-8 foot of duct tape. I have a couple dozen cheap medical shears coming, if they work I will include them. Any ideas for something I should add would be great, trying to stay inside the quart size ziplock bag.

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Great idea!

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Can never have too much medical :call_me_hand:

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For your purpose I would say more gauze, still keeping your pack light and thin. Just my .02

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FD/EMT approved.
Good package!

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I know the people “look at me like I’m a nut” thing for carrying serious med kit, but personally I think those who don’t carry anything are the real nuts. :wink:

I like the idea of putting a minimalist kit together for family and friends. The more people that carry them, the better prepared we are as society to respond to any incident. There are some out there that you can buy, but it is easier to tailor kits if you make them yourself.

Four things that I would suggest you consider, without adding too much weight/bulk, are:

(i) A small marker pen of some type (if you use a TQ, you should indicate when it was applied, also to note any other info that may be important about the wounds, patient’s condition etc.);

(ii) Some means of illumination (e.g. small lightstick, penlight etc.), as sod’s law guarantees that if they don’t have it, they will need to use the kit in the dark.

(iii) As you are using a ziploc bag, then add a couple of iodine swabs - see this Full30 video from Ryan at LifeLine for how to use it, and they have other uses too.

(iv) Consider adding a sheet of paper with info on how to use the contents, as even if you have shown them how to use the contents, under pressure and panicking it is easy to forget; so an aide-mémoire, clearly written, with concise bullet points and possibly some illustrations, would be useful (maybe you could also suggest improvised, alternative uses for the contents, e.g. using the duct tape to seal wounds, or improvising a chest seal from the ziploc bag and the duct tape). It could maybe also double as a casualty tag.

I think that what you are doing is a great idea, and one that more of us should copy.

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Great post. As a former FF/EMT I approve this message.
To prep and not have basic First Aid equipment and knowledge is a major fail.

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