Medical Bags / First Aid Supplies / Trauma Kits

Are you a medical professional looking for the perfect medical bag for the medical supplies you need on the go? Perhaps you’re a caregiver or homeowner searching for a med kit or trauma kit that will fill your emergency preparation needs. Either way, we’re glad you’re here because we’ve put together some of the best options online for you to choose from!

AvaCare Medical offers first aid kits that provide you with an extensive amount of items to help you prevent or deal with minor injuries, in addition to other emergency response items including trauma kits, ring cutters and more. Finally, this category includes multiple medical bags including nurse bags, rolling medical bags, and more.

First Aid Kit Guide

Do You Have a First Aid Kit Handy?

Ideally, you should always have a 1st aid kit close at hand; keep one at home, one in the car, one at the pool, and another dedicated as your travel first aid kit for any long distance trips.

You may wonder why having first aid kits on hand is so important. After all, to paraphrase a famous saying, “if a problem is fixable then there is no need to worry; if it's not fixable then there is no help in worrying.” But what you can do is prepare. In fact, by preparing for emergencies, you are making potential problems more fixable!

While some people prefer to build their own first aid kits to save on cost, a ready-made first aid kit is a convenience many individuals and facilities are willing to pay for. In addition, many first aid kits for sale these days are highly affordable and save a lot of time and effort. Whichever way you choose to go, it’s important to know what you should include in yours. So before you buy or build your first aid kit, use the following first aid kit list to figure out which emergency medical products you’d like to (or ought to) include.

What’s In a First Aid Kit?

According to ANSI, the following basic first aid supplies should be in every first aid kit:

• Medical scissors
  
• Tweezers for foreign object removal
  
• Space blanket
  
• Resuscitation equipment (resuscitation bag, airway, or pocket mask)
  
• Latex gloves
  
• Wound-cleaning agent such as sealed moistened towelettes
  
• Adhesive tape
  
• Gauze pads (at least 4 x 4 inches)
  
• 2 large gauze pads (at least 8 x 10 inches)
  
• 1 pk adhesive bandages (band-aids)
  
• 1 pk gauze roller bandage (at least 2 inches wide)
  
• 2 triangular bandages
  
• 2 elastic wraps
  
• Splint
  
• Directions for requesting emergency assistance
  

In addition to the mandated items above, Red Cross recommends several other first aid kit supplies for your emergency medical bag:

• Thermometer
  
• Instant cold compress
  
• Aspirin (81 mg. each)
  
• Antibiotic ointment packets
  
• Hydrocortisone ointment packets
  
• First aid manual
  

Other things you may want to consider putting in your first aid kit:

• Other pain killers, such as Ibuprofen
  
• Anti-nausea liquid
  
• Insect sting relief
  
• Butterfly wound closures
  
• Sterile eye pad
  
• Eye wash
  
• Trauma pad
  
• Latex-free gloves
  
• Cotton-tipped applicators
  
• Finger ring cutter
  
• Safety pins
  
• List of emergency phone numbers
  

Where to Buy First Aid Kits

Once you’ve decided which items you’d like to have in your kit, you’re ready to shop! But where should you shop?

While this decision is going to be largely based on preference (and pricing of course), the real decision is whether you’d like to buy a kit in a local shop or online.

If you want to find the best first aid kit for your needs, we highly recommend shopping online to avoid limiting your options and also to increase your ability to inspect the contents of each kit you consider. In a physical store, they probably won’t allow you to open the kits, but online listings will usually provide clear details and images of everything that is included in each set.

However, if you need a first aid kit immediately, such as shortly before a trip, buying any available kit in a nearby store would be better than waiting for online purchase shipments, even if their shipping is relatively quick.

How To Make a First Aid Kit

If you prefer to build your own homemade first aid kit, it’s relatively simple to do so.

1. Make sure to have all required supplies. To begin, simply purchase whichever first aid kit items you need/want that you don’t have yet. You may choose to shop at your local pharmacy for these items or order them hassle-free online. If you are a medical professional, you likely have many of the items mentioned above, but either way, you should be able to get everything easily, as these items are all available to the average consumer.
2. Organized packaging. To help organize your first aid kit, consider buying an assorted collection of various sized plastic baggies from your local crafts store to individually store each item. Make sure to purchase clear bags so you can quickly find and use whatever items you need. When you’re ready to put everything together, keep in mind that in an emergency, the more organized you were in advance, the better. Make an organized first aid kit by choosing a strong bag, box or other container that is large enough to fit everything you need but is also easily portable. Ideally, your container should have multiple compartments to help organize things.
3. Know how to use the supplies. To maximize the use you get out of your emergency first aid kit, consider enrolling in a first aid course to bring your medical knowledge up to par. In this way, you will actually be able to use all of the first aid kit supplies to provide ideal care until a professional arrives on the scene.

First Aid Kit vs. Trauma Kit

In addition to our med kit options are the more advanced trauma kits for severe emergency circumstances. First aid kits and trauma packs are the same in that they are both important to have within accessible reach whenever possible, but they have one important difference: first aid bags are equipped with “boo-boo” fixes, while trauma bags contain supplies for providing life-saving care in emergencies. Let’s take a deeper dive to see how this distinction makes the two types of emergency medical kits differ.

First Aid Kit

A first aid box contains a comprehensive collection of items that can treat anything from sudden injury to minor scrapes and bruises. It’s the thing to have on hand in case of headaches, nausea, and non-life-threatening injuries. There are some items contained in a first aid bag which will be of utmost assistance during a severe emergency; however, since a first aid kit can contain many items, it can be hard to find a specific item immediately, and in such situations, often, every second is crucial.

Trauma Kit

A trauma kit, also known as a tactical medical kit, contains high-quality basic medical essentials and can be utilized in situations ranging from minor to severely critical, as in life-threatening. Items in it are often used to keep someone alive until the patient reaches a location where complicated medical procedures can be performed by experienced medical specialists.

Trauma kit supplies are arranged in the most simple manner, allowing for necessary items to be spotted instantly when time is of essence. Items in a trauma kit are sometimes costly, and many require a basic level of training to use.

A properly constructed trauma kit will contain both basic first-aid products as well as trauma supplies. So while there may be some overlaps, a first aid kit won’t include anything to help a patient whose life is in immediate danger, while a trauma kit may not include supplies to assist individuals with common everyday injuries such as insect bites.

Because of this, a trauma first aid kit is generally more costly than a basic first aid kit. Appropriately constructed trauma kits can range between $75 and $400.

What is in a Trauma Kit?

The following chart can help you build or choose your own trauma kit:

Special Purpose First Aid Kits

Certain situations are known for increasing the chances of specific injuries; therefore, there are first aid kits specially designed for different circumstances. The Grizzly Medical Kit is an adventure medical kit that includes supplies to treat common recreational injuries. For the athlete, there is an Ultralight/Watertight .9 Kit, which is quite light-weight, and features basic first aid supplies, as well as items to assist in the recovery for sprains and other sport-related injuries.

No matter your profession or preferences, whether you’re looking for a first aid kit for your car or advanced emergency medical products, AvaCare Medical’s expansive selection of medical bags and med kits will ensure that you always find exactly what you need, when you need it. And if you don’t, you know who to call: 1-877-813-7799.