My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

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My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:32 pm

Alright, I finally got around to taking pictures of my semi-new FAK. I've had the thing together for about a week or so, and it's slightly a work in progress, but I pulled out my camera this afternoon and finally did it.

Before I start, I figure I'll give my qualifications. I've taken a WAFA (Wilderness Advanced First Aid, a weekend-long course) twice now; I'd have to dig out my card to see if it's SOLO, WMI, or whatever. I've also completed several CPR courses, most recently ARC's version of BLS (CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, IIRC). I'm looking into taking a Wilderness First Responder course this summer, but I don't know how that will turn out.

So, as you could probably have guessed, the kit is going to be more geared towards backcountry mishap than trauma (especially the gunshot type).

Alright, on with the kit:

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Here's the kit all rolled up, complete with a knock-off Sam-type splint attached, with a 6" ETD and a snakebite kit alongside; I normally stow them seperately, but they're nearby. The kit itself is the CountyComm "tool roll" that I've noticed several other members have based their kits around; in fact, that's one of the main reasons I picked it--that, and it's <$20 and really durable.
Additionally, I usually have a small headlight with me whenever I have this kit; it's not pictured because I haven't bothered to unpack from a recent backpacking trip yet.


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Kit's partially unrolled...

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...and the outer pockets are opened.

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Contents of outer pocket 1:
2 x 1" Durapore
1 x Duct Tape Roll
5 x Nitrile Glove Pairs
1 x Blue Glow Stick (I've always heard that blue is the best for medical applications--something about blood reflectiveness. Opinions?)

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Contents of outer pocket 2:
1 x 6" ACE bandage
2 x 2" ACE bandage
3 x 3" ACE bandage

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Alright, here's the inside of the kit.

Some closer in pictures:
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Alright, onto the inner pockets.

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Contents of inner pocket 1:
1 x Poison Ivy/Oak Soap Bar
6 x Unit Dose Triple Antibiotics
6 x Unit Dose Hydrocortisone Cream

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Contents of inner pocket 2:
10 x Ibuprofen
10 x Aspirin
6 x Anti-histamine
6 x Anti-diarrheal
12 x Antacid

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Contents of inner pocket 3:
2 x Triangular Bandage

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Contents of inner pocket 4:
2 x Eye Pad
10 x Alcohol Wipe

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Contents of inner pocket 5:
2 x Abd Pad

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Contents of inner pocket 6:
1 x Moleskin Packet

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Contents of inner pocket 7:
1 x Space Blanket

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Contents of inner pocket 8:
1 x P.A.W.S. Wipe
1 x CPR Shield
1 x Nitrile Glove Pair

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Contents of inner pocket 9:
4 x Benzoin Wipe

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Contents of inner pocket 10:
2 x Petroleum Gauze
4 x 4" Gauze Squares
8 x 2" Gauze Squares

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Contents of inner pocket 11:
1 x 11" Gauze Pad

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Contents of inner pocket 12:
2 x H&H Primed Gauze

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Contents of inner pocket 13:
2 x QuikClot Sport 25g

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Contents of inner pocket 14:
2 x Hot Hands
1 x Hypothermia Prevention Cap

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Contents of inner pocket 15:
6 x Large Band-aids
10 x Medium-Large Band-aids
6 x Medium Band-aids
6 x Round Band-aids
12 x Small Bandaids
6 x Knuckle Bandaids
10 x Wound Closure Strips

Things I know I need to add:
Burn dressings
Non-alcohol wipes
Some sort of irrigation
A tourniquet (maybe--I'm not too comfortable with them, thanks to years of Scouting "tourniquet = amputation, but you live" propaganda)

Alright, I'm open to suggestions! I have extras of almost all the items pictured, so numbers can be changed relatively easily; on top of it, I do have some things not pictured (like an OPA set that I don't know how to use yet, so I didn't add it).
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Ovationman » Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:43 pm

What about replacing that quikclot with CELOX?
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:46 pm

Ovationman wrote:What about replacing that quikclot with CELOX?

Good point, but I'm cheap--especially since I'm not, in theory, a fan of the granular hemostatics... just too likely to fall out, in my opinion. The new, non-granular Celox gets really expensive, really fast.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Tel0004 » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:01 pm

looks like a solid first aid kit.

I'm kind of amazed it can hold so much, I might have to look into that pack.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:07 pm

Tel0004 wrote:looks like a solid first aid kit.

I'm kind of amazed it can hold so much, I might have to look into that pack.

Aye. It can get kind of bulky when you stuff it, and mine's about as stuffed as I'm willing to let it get, but yeah, it holds quite a bit.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Zoltan » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:12 pm

Wow, very nice. Thanks for the very detailed pcitures. I like that bag allot!!
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Ovationman » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:17 pm

VVR41TH wrote:
Ovationman wrote:What about replacing that quikclot with CELOX?

Good point, but I'm cheap--especially since I'm not, in theory, a fan of the granular hemostatics... just too likely to fall out, in my opinion. The new, non-granular Celox gets really expensive, really fast.


What about Celox-A it allows for easier application and only cost around 30$.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:18 pm

Ovationman wrote:
VVR41TH wrote:
Ovationman wrote:What about replacing that quikclot with CELOX?

Good point, but I'm cheap--especially since I'm not, in theory, a fan of the granular hemostatics... just too likely to fall out, in my opinion. The new, non-granular Celox gets really expensive, really fast.


What about Celox-A it allows for easier application and only cost around 30$.

I was under the impression that Celox-A was only for penetrating trauma... and, as I said, I didn't really base the kit around that sort of wound.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Halcyon » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:25 pm

+1 to you :mrgreen:

Looks like you are off to a great start

i didn't see or may have missed

a tourniquet on the exterior for rapid access for ZSW, i mean GSW :lol:

oral rehydration salts, irrigation fluid, Benadryl for anaphylactic shock, cortisone ointment, triple antibiotic cream (you'll get scuffed in the PAW); iboprufen, and diarrhea med (loperamide generic)

For a minikit fo your rack, try this
http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/cat ... ts_id=2417
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some H23er wrote: you can give a man a fish, and feed him for but a day after his unemployment check runs out, but if you give him a handgun, he'll act more like a man, and maybe vote the bastards out next time
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:29 pm

Halcyon wrote:+1 to you :mrgreen:

Looks like you are off to a great start

i didn't see or may have missed

a tourniquet on the exterior for rapid access for ZSW, i mean GSW :lol:

oral rehydration salts, irrigation fluid, Benadryl for anaphylactic shock, cortisone ointment, triple antibiotic cream (you'll get scuffed in the PAW); iboprufen, and diarrhea med (loperamide generic)

For a minikit fo your rack, try this
http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/cat ... ts_id=2417

As I said, the kit's intended for backcountry idiocy, not for use in bugging out (I don't have a BOB yet) or GSW use (if I'm getting shot at, I have more problems to worry at, like the fact that I don't have a CCW yet).
However, the oral rehydration salts were a good suggestion; I had them in my Excel file of stuff to buy, and completely forgot to add them!
The other meds I already have; the only med I'm considering adding, at the moment, is some sudafed--I had a cold all throughout a recent backpacking trip, and it made going to sleep a real pain in the butt.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Halcyon » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:33 pm

rehydration salts
http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/cat ... ts_id=2258

i'm not affiliated with TR, but i like to mix these with 1/2 strength Gatorpiss
Me wrote:
some H23er wrote: you can give a man a fish, and feed him for but a day after his unemployment check runs out, but if you give him a handgun, he'll act more like a man, and maybe vote the bastards out next time
I am Legend? No, more like rumor. First there was Bubba, and then rumors of Bubba. WWBD? Bubba's a III%er
http://tennesseepreppersnetwork.blogspot.com
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby colonelklink » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:43 pm

ditch the sawyer extractor
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Ovationman » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:56 pm

Halcyon wrote:+1 to you :mrgreen:

Looks like you are off to a great start

i didn't see or may have missed

a tourniquet on the exterior for rapid access for ZSW, i mean GSW :lol:

oral rehydration salts, irrigation fluid, Benadryl for anaphylactic shock, cortisone ointment, triple antibiotic cream (you'll get scuffed in the PAW); iboprufen, and diarrhea med (loperamide generic)

For a minikit fo your rack, try this
http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/cat ... ts_id=2417



Would like to point out that Benadryl in oral form is not a treatment for anaphylactic shock. Epinephrine in IV/IM is the accepted first line treatment for anaphylactic shock.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:06 pm

Ovationman wrote:
Halcyon wrote:+1 to you :mrgreen:

Looks like you are off to a great start

i didn't see or may have missed

a tourniquet on the exterior for rapid access for ZSW, i mean GSW :lol:

oral rehydration salts, irrigation fluid, Benadryl for anaphylactic shock, cortisone ointment, triple antibiotic cream (you'll get scuffed in the PAW); iboprufen, and diarrhea med (loperamide generic)

For a minikit fo your rack, try this
http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/cat ... ts_id=2417



Would like to point out that Benadryl in oral form is not a treatment for anaphylactic shock. Epinephrine in IV/IM is the accepted first line treatment for anaphylactic shock.

That being said, you and I both would still probably administer oral Benadryl over cold turkey if push came to shove...

EDIT: Maybe not you, what with EMT medicine policies. That's one reason I doubt I'll ever go EMT.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby colonelklink » Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:10 pm

Ovationman wrote:
Halcyon wrote:+1 to you :mrgreen:

Looks like you are off to a great start

i didn't see or may have missed

a tourniquet on the exterior for rapid access for ZSW, i mean GSW :lol:

oral rehydration salts, irrigation fluid, Benadryl for anaphylactic shock, cortisone ointment, triple antibiotic cream (you'll get scuffed in the PAW); iboprufen, and diarrhea med (loperamide generic)

For a minikit fo your rack, try this
http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/cat ... ts_id=2417



Would like to point out that Benadryl in oral form is not a treatment for anaphylactic shock. Epinephrine in IV/IM is the accepted first line treatment for anaphylactic shock.


Benadryl is an anti-histamine though. Histamine released by mast cells is what causes the swelling, so it can't hurt having a benadryl in a kit especially if you dont have epi.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:17 pm

colonelklink wrote:
Ovationman wrote:
Halcyon wrote:+1 to you :mrgreen:

Looks like you are off to a great start

i didn't see or may have missed

a tourniquet on the exterior for rapid access for ZSW, i mean GSW :lol:

oral rehydration salts, irrigation fluid, Benadryl for anaphylactic shock, cortisone ointment, triple antibiotic cream (you'll get scuffed in the PAW); iboprufen, and diarrhea med (loperamide generic)

For a minikit fo your rack, try this
http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/cat ... ts_id=2417



Would like to point out that Benadryl in oral form is not a treatment for anaphylactic shock. Epinephrine in IV/IM is the accepted first line treatment for anaphylactic shock.


Benadryl is an anti-histamine though. Histamine released by mast cells is what causes the swelling, so it can't hurt having a benadryl in a kit especially if you dont have epi.

That's not to mention that I have family members with severe allergies. My dad, for one, has a dairy allergy that could develop into peanut-level anaphylactic response if he keeps eating cheese. For now, Benadryl handles the occassional mistake, so it's one of the first things to go into any FAK I have.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Ovationman » Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:18 pm

VVR41TH wrote:
colonelklink wrote:
Ovationman wrote:
Halcyon wrote:+1 to you :mrgreen:

Looks like you are off to a great start

i didn't see or may have missed

a tourniquet on the exterior for rapid access for ZSW, i mean GSW :lol:

oral rehydration salts, irrigation fluid, Benadryl for anaphylactic shock, cortisone ointment, triple antibiotic cream (you'll get scuffed in the PAW); iboprufen, and diarrhea med (loperamide generic)

For a minikit fo your rack, try this
http://www.tacticalresponsegear.com/cat ... ts_id=2417



Would like to point out that Benadryl in oral form is not a treatment for anaphylactic shock. Epinephrine in IV/IM is the accepted first line treatment for anaphylactic shock.


Benadryl is an anti-histamine though. Histamine released by mast cells is what causes the swelling, so it can't hurt having a benadryl in a kit especially if you dont have epi.

That's not to mention that I have family members with severe allergies. My dad, for one, has a dairy allergy that could develop into peanut-level anaphylactic response if he keeps eating cheese. For now, Benadryl handles the occassional mistake, so it's one of the first things to go into any FAK I have.


I'm not saying it not a useful med to have around. I was saying when you have airway obstruction and dropping BP you need more than oral meds.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby colonelklink » Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:34 pm

Ovationman wrote:I'm not saying it not a useful med to have around. I was saying when you have airway obstruction and dropping BP you need more than oral meds.


Well i don't know what you want him to do about it, he cant get a prescription for epinephrine just because he wants one. He has benedryl which is as good as he can do with out one. I suppose he could get a primatene MDI.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby Ovationman » Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:37 pm

Or an epipen for that matter. It was more directed not at the OP but rather someone further down the thread anyway.

/derail

Looks really good so far
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:02 pm

Ovationman wrote:Or an epipen for that matter. It was more directed not at the OP but rather someone further down the thread anyway.

/derail

Looks really good so far

Besides upgrading to CELOX, any other suggestions?

colonelklink wrote:ditch the sawyer extractor

I've heard arguments towards that, but I've also seen arguments for their use. To me, it boils down to "it's not worth the weight" v. "it's better than nothing." Sure, some have argued that it actually causes more damage than it can help, and others have argued that they're the end-all, be-all, but that's a more middle ground approach, and in a kit that I don't intend to be lugging about all too much, I'd say that it is worth the weight.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VXMerlinXV » Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:25 pm

VVR41TH wrote:To me, it boils down to "it's not worth the weight" v. "it's better than nothing." Sure, some have argued that it actually causes more damage than it can help, and others have argued that they're the end-all, be-all, but that's a more middle ground approach, and in a kit that I don't intend to be lugging about all too much, I'd say that it is worth the weight.

It's not middle ground. The time you waste using an extractor could be better spent getting the patient to a place where he can get help.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:34 pm

VXMerlinXV wrote:
VVR41TH wrote:To me, it boils down to "it's not worth the weight" v. "it's better than nothing." Sure, some have argued that it actually causes more damage than it can help, and others have argued that they're the end-all, be-all, but that's a more middle ground approach, and in a kit that I don't intend to be lugging about all too much, I'd say that it is worth the weight.

It's not middle ground. The time you waste using an extractor could be better spent getting the patient to a place where he can get help.

When the intended use of the kit involves A) relatively remote areas and B) groups, I can't see the disadvantage. Even basic CPR classes teach "You, go get help!"
In fact, I've even heard that doing anything but that can be detrimental in the case of snake bites--movement causing increased heart rate, etc. which speeds the venom's spread.
Even regardless of that, and the presence (or not) of the extractor, my priority chain is still going to start with "calm down" and "where'd the snake go?" You can't argue against keeping the victim calm and IDing the snake for antivenom administration.
Though, on a side note, I just learned that at least in Florida, in the case of coral snake bites, they run you through a full test because the snake is easily mistaken, and the antivenom is A) expensive, and B) in Miami, so they have to fly it in.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VXMerlinXV » Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:05 pm

I get the idea. I'm just saying with the limited space you have for first aid gear you could probably come up with a better way to "spend" the space.
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Re: My FAK - PICTURE HEAVY

Postby VVR41TH » Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:24 pm

VXMerlinXV wrote:I get the idea. I'm just saying with the limited space you have for first aid gear you could probably come up with a better way to "spend" the space.

Yeah, and I agree. There's a reason that it's outside (yes, part of that reason is expedience, just like the ETD).
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