Talked to a SAR guy at REI who said my first aid kit is basically useless

Was grabbing some fuel canisters last Saturday and got chatting with this guy who does search and rescue in the Smokies. He looked at my prepacked trauma kit and just laughed. Said 90% of what's in those pre-made kits is just band aids and blister pads that won't help with real backcountry accidents. He told me to ditch it and build my own with a tourniquet, hemostatic gauze, and a chest seal - stuff that actually stops bleeding. Made me realize I've been carrying around a false sense of security for like 3 years of trips. Anyone else ever had a pro call out your gear like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jesse_smith101d ago

That REI guy gave solid advice. Ditch the band-aids, pack real trauma gear.

the_riley1d ago

Did that SAR guy give you a list of what to swap in?

kimr911d ago

Oh man, yeah that's a wakeup call for sure. I'd ditch the pre-made kit too and just pack a small pouch with a tourniquet, hemostatic gauze, and some quick clot. Maybe add a couple of those big trauma pads too, they're cheap and take up no space.

-1