Packing The Perfect First Aid And Survival Kit

Medical emergencies can happen anywhere, but they are made all that much worse if you are hours or even days from professional medical aid. In addition to getting first aid training, the best thing you can do to make sure emergencies in the wilderness are not tragedies is to pack a survival first aid kit, and to make sure you take it with you!

There are plenty of pre-packaged first aid and survival kits available, such as the DECKED X Pathfinder Survival Kit or DECKED X Uncharted D-Bag Emergency Kit, but you can put one together yourself quickly and easily as well.

Let’s start by making a kind of survival first aid kit checklist, then compare that to the contents of some of the best first aid survival kits commercially available today.

Choosing A Pre-Packaged Survival First Aid Kit

Decked X Uncharted D-Bag Emergency Kit

DECKED D-Bag Emergency Kit Contents

If you are looking for the ultimate survival first aid kit, you could do a lot worse than the DECKED X Uncharted D-Bag Emergency Kit. This is an extended wilderness survival kit designed to offer you everything you could need to help you survive comfortably for up to three days (and longer in less comfort) if an emergency occurs anywhere remote, or far from emergency services.

This kit features some of Uncharted Supply Company’s finest and most essential products, such as their Zeus power station and Seventy2 Pro survival kit. This is a combined first aid and survival kit, so in addition to the medical supplies you would expect, you’ll find fire-starting equipment, a knife, a sturdy little shovel, a multitool, 100’ of paracord, a shovel, 2 sets of safety goggles, 2 air filtration masks, 2 glow sticks, an emergency shelter, 2 chemical hand warmers, 2 knit hats, 2 sets of waterproof insulated gloves, a flashlight, a crank radio which also serves as a USB charger, 12 ration bars, a water filter, a soft-sided drinking pouch, and a large stainless steel water bottle.

This all comes pre-packaged in the DECKED D-Bag, a convenient backpack which fits perfectly in the various DECKED tool and gear storage systems when not being worn.

Monoki First Aid Survival Kit

The Monoki First Aid Survival Kit includes more than 300 pieces of medical supplies and survival gear, all in a single 600-denier nylon pouch. The pouch comes with attachment straps, allowing it to be worn as a backpack, and features multiple interior spaces and pockets. Alternatively, it can be attached to another backpack, belt, or combat webbing.

Contents include a paracord survival bracelet, an LED flashlight, a folding knife, a multitool, a compass, a fire starter, an emergency blanket, and a wire saw. The first aid kit offers 275 pieces of gear designed for natural disasters, wilderness survival scenarios, and just about anything else that might occur.

Surviveware Survival First Aid Kit

The Surviveware Survival First Aid Kit comes in a compact nylon pouch with clearly labeled compartments. Red sections contain first aid supplies, black sections contain survival gear, and the green and blue sections contain hygiene supplies. It also features Velcro patches to make it Molle compatible.

Survival gear includes a knife, handsaw, signal mirror, poncho, multitool, and biodegradable wet wipes. The first aid section contains burn dressing, fever strips, a light, shears, tweezers, bandages, cotton swabs, safety pins, cotton balls, nitrile gloves, and more.

The Decked X Pathfinder Survival Kit

The DECKED X Pathfinder Survival Kit comes in a waterproof, ultra-portable DECKED Crossbox, which is important if you have a tool organization system like the DECKED Tool Box or the DECKED Drawer System.

DECKED Pathfinder Emergency Kit Contents

Pathfinder has decades of experience producing vehicle and personal survival/first aid kits, and they have put all of that expertise to use to give you the best chance possible in a real emergency. Inside, you’ll find a Pathfinder Reinforced Nylon Tarp, 100 feet of high-strength paracord, water flask, emergency medical kit, a 4-inch blade Mora Bushcraft Knife, an HD6 Ferro Rod Firestarter, a 7-inch folding saw, and Mini Inferno Fire Disks.

Black Scout Survival First Aid Kit

Black Scout Survival’s Medical Deployment Pouch (MDP) can be worn as part of a Molle rig, like many of the first aid kit pouches found here. The actual contents can be customized when ordering, and can include a tourniquet, trauma shears, and IFAK insert, decompression needle, and more.

Camillus First Aid 3 Day Survival Kit

This is more than just a first aid. The Camillus First Aid 3 Day Survival kit contains bandages of all kinds, alcohol wipes, burn cream, sting relief wipes, gauze, eye pads, medical tape, antibiotic ointment, a few over the counter medications, 6 ration bars, 24 ounces of purified water, a light stick, a flashlight with batteries, hand warmers, medical tweezers, a rain poncho, and more. It all comes packed in a small duffel-style bag with Molle-compatible straps.

Life Gear First Aid Survival Kit

Life Gear’s 130 Piece Dry Bag First Aid And Survival Kit is designed to be light and versatile, containing all the emergency supplies you might need when camping, hunting, or working out in the field. Contents include bandages, disinfection pads, gauze, medical tape, cotton buds, cooling patches, a cold compress, a pressure bandage, safety pins, scissors, a first aid manual, a thermal blanket, a rain poncho, a flashlight, 40 waterproof matches, a candle, and 20 feet of paracord.

Everlit Survival First Aid Kit

Another Molle-compatible nylon first aid and survival kit, Everlit’s offering includes 250 pieces of vital emergency equipment. Ut includes alcohol prep pads, assorted bandages, sterile gauze pads and wound dressings, antiseptic wipes, burn dressings, PVC gloves, medical tape, an emergency blanket, scissors, tweezers, a CPR mask, safety pins, 2 glow sticks, a rain poncho, a folding knife, and a paracord bracelet. The kit contains a flashlight, but you must supply a AA battery for it.

Survival Emergency Solutions First Aid Kit

Survival Emergency Solutions’ Vehicle First Aid Kit is a key piece of gear for any car or truck owner. Every component is clearly labeled, and it contains directions for use in common emergency situations. Their kit bag even includes empty space for you to include your own necessary medications or gear you expect to find useful. Standard contents include sterile adhesive bandages, shears, a fever strip, medical tape, hydro gel, nitrile gloves, plastic bags, a CPR mask, safety pins, saline solution, tweezers, wound closures, and more.

Ultimate Survival Technologies Core First Aid Kit 3.0

The Core First Aid Kit 3.0 from Ultimate Survival Technologies is designed to be carried in a truck, car, boat, or RV. It contains moleskins, oval pads and a variety of adhesive bandages, duct tape, elastic bandage material and stretch gauze, sterile cotton swabs, mini EMT shears, an irrigation syringe, safety pins, nitrile gloves, a first aid guide, wound closures, and a variety of over the counter medications and ointments.

Alternatively, you may want to assemble and pack your own first aid kit survival pack. In that case, you’ll need to know what container to use, and what to put inside.

Evaq8 Winter Car Emergency Survival Kit

This first aid and survival kit comes with all the medical and survival essentials you’d expect, as well as many things smaller kits leave behind. It features long-life food and water supplies, a folding shovel, and of course, a backpack to carry it all in.

What Should Be In A Survival First Aid kit? – Your Survival First Aid Kit List

At a minimum, your survival first aid kit contents should include:

Tweezers
Topical hydrocortisone cream
Sterile eye dressings
Several sizes of sterile gauze dressings
Several sizes of “band aid” style bandages
Several sets of disposable latex gloves (or equivalent)
Sealed, distilled water
Scissors
Safety pins and/or medical tape
Rolled crêpe bandages
Over-the-counter painkillers (aspirin and/or acetaminophen)
Insect bite cream or spray
Cleansing wipes
Antiseptic cream
Antihistamine pills and/or cream
An eye bath and/or eye wash
A first aid manual or instructions
A digital thermometer

Note that most medicines and medical supplies have a clear use-by date. Check your kit at least once a year, and replace any materials at or near their use-by date.

Storing A Wilderness Survival Kit In A Waterproof Tool Box

If no emergency ever occurs, it won’t really matter what you store your emergency supplies in. However, when you really need them, it might be a matter of life or death whether your supplies were packed in a sturdy, waterproof container or not. That is why so many people choose to keep their vital first aid and survival kits in tool boxes, and why DECKED’s options come pre-packed in sturdy, water-resistant, and portable containers.

But what type of tool box should you use? Almost any type of tool box can be made waterproof, and there are a wide variety of general purpose and specialty first aid containers on the market. A small plastic tool box is the first thing most people would turn to, but even a steel tool box can be made with a weatherproof seal.

Plastic Tool Boxes

High-impact plastic is used all over the world to make tool boxes and first aid kits because it is light, durable, and very resistant to shattering. A small plastic tool box will generally be less expensive than one made of steel or aluminum, as well. There are a lot of reasons that small plastic tool boxes are the default container for emergency kits.

The DECKED Crossbox Plastic Tool Box

A small plastic tool box like the DECKED Crossbox is a great way to store many small parts and pieces, but also to keep them organized and separated. It is also completely waterproof when closed and latched. That, and its removable dividers and other organizational features is what makes the DECKED Crossbox a great choice for a first aid survival kit. It even fits inside the DECKED Tool Box and DECKED Drawer System.

The DECKED D-Box Plastic Tool Box

The DECKED D-Box is a great choice for an emergency kit if the DECKED Crossbox becomes too small. It features a waterproof seal that will keep all of your first aid supplies dry and fresh even in the worst conditions. Better still, it also works perfectly inside the DECKED Tool Box and DECKED Drawer System.

Truck-Mounted Metal Tool Boxes

Many people like to pack their first aid survival kit in a small aluminum or steel tool box mounted on the bed of their truck. Aluminum is a relatively strong material but very light. Steel is heavy and expensive, but very strong and resistant to damage. Because of its large size, a truck-mounted steel or aluminum tool box makes a great dedicated container for the ultimate survival first aid kit.

Hand-Portable Metal Tool Boxes

Many handheld aluminum or steel tool boxes are repurposed as first aid survival packs as well. Some of the most popular use a cantilevered design, which is very well suited to emergency kits. The cantilevered arms support an array of small trays, each subdivided into compartments that are perfect for organizing first aid supplies, fire starters, and other small pieces. Some come with custom trays or tray inserts designed to keep and organize socket sets, drill bits, and such, which come in handy for larger pieces of emergency gear.

Storing A First Aid Survival Kit In A Soft-Sided Tool Satchel

A tool satchel is in many ways an ideal choice for a very portable survival kit. Most such satchels are light and flexible, and many (such as the DECKED D-Bag) come with shoulder straps of one kind or another. They also tend to have a larger capacity than small plastic or metal tool boxes, but because the straps are generally easier to carry.

We hope you learned a little about first aid survival kit essentials, what to bring with you, and what to pack it all in. Remember, whether you are looking for a sturdy, light first aid kit or a fully equipped wilderness survival kit, what you really need is DECKED.

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