Tom's Current First-Aid Kit

This is the first-aid setup I'm currently using for off-grid living, RV travel, property work, and general adventure.

It isn't a universal checklist.

It's my kit, built around the places I go, the people I travel with, the activities I'm involved in, and how far away we might be from professional medical care.

The kit changes when the adventure changes.

The kit follows the adventure.

Basic Wound Care

These are the everyday things I want available for the stuff that's much more likely to happen than some dramatic wilderness emergency.

• Bandages

• Gauze

• Medical tape

• Nitrile gloves

• Wound-cleaning/irrigation supplies

• Antiseptic supplies

• Antibiotic ointment

• ACE wrap

• Cohesive wrap

Trauma

I carry some equipment specifically because serious bleeding or a significant injury changes the situation quickly.

• Tourniquet

• Hemostatic gauze

• Israeli Bandage

• SAM splint

The SAM splint gives me a way to stabilize an injured limb when moving someone may be necessary. That could be a suspected fracture, but even a serious sprain can make transportation difficult when you're away from immediate medical care.

Medications & Personal Needs

Some medical supplies aren't really "first-aid gear" at all. They're there because of the people I'm traveling with.

This is where the kit becomes personal.

For trips involving specific medical conditions, I may carry additional supplies based on those needs.

For example, the Caribbean expedition required a completely different medical setup because my wife and mom both had diabetes.

That kit included:

• Glucose-monitoring supplies

• Extra diabetes supplies

• Insulin

• Insulin administration equipment

• Insulin cooling equipment

• Ketone testing supplies

• Fast-acting carbohydrates

• Electrolytes

• Oral rehydration supplies

• Copies of prescriptions

• Medical information

That wasn't my permanent everyday kit.

It was the kit that made sense for that adventure and those people.

The Improvisation Factor

I don't expect a bag to contain the perfect piece of equipment for every possible problem.

Sometimes you have to work with what's around you.

A couple of sticks and an Ace bandage can become an improvised way to stabilize an injured limb.

That's one reason training matters.

The equipment gives you options. Knowledge gives you more options. And sometimes the environment gives you even more.

Why This Isn't a Giant Checklist

You'll notice this isn't a massive list of every first-aid product I've ever owned or every piece of equipment somebody might tell you to carry.

That's intentional.

A first-aid kit for a family with children isn't necessarily the same as one for somebody traveling alone.

A kit for a weekend campground near a hospital isn't the same as one for a remote backcountry trip.

A Caribbean expedition isn't an Alaska trip.

An international driving tour isn't a weekend at home.

The people, environment, activities, climate, distance from medical care, and individual medical needs all change the equation.

So I don't want the biggest kit I can carry.

I want the kit that makes sense for where I'm going and who I'm going with.

This Kit Changes

This isn't a permanent inventory.

I'll add things.

I'll remove things.

I'll change things depending on where we're headed.

That's the whole point.

The book Off-Grid and RV First Aid Guide explains how I think about building the system.

This page shows what I'm currently carrying.

When the kit changes, I'll update this page.

The kit follows the adventure.

Affiliate Disclosure

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you purchase through one of them, BTB may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

I only include gear because I believe it has a legitimate place in the resource—not simply because an affiliate program is available.

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