Rate my Family EDC FAK

I'll add more if/when I think of anything.

But how about more kid-friendly medication? Those are awfully high dosages should something happen to your kids.

If its for you wife too, how about sanitary napkins/tampons, PMS med's.

Personally I would add a small headlamp, like a Zebralight or Spark, preferably with lithium cells (for longtime storage)

Different size SAM Splints maybe.
If you or your family are prone to sporting accidents you may want to add them.

Came in handy for me a number of times but YMMV.

I would also add a pair of Lister scissors and a cutting tool for clothes (Gerber Strapcutter for example).
Iodine-based disinfectant (less stinging than alcohol swabs), a pair of pointed tweezers, blister pads & mole skin can also save your day or that of someone else.

I also carry a box of foam ear plugs in my FAK (and have already helped people out with some)

Add a light of some sort. These are fantastic FAK lights. They fit well into MOLLE or PALS webbing and you can hold them in your mouth easy enough. I always opt for a flashlight over a headlamp, they take up less room and they're more precise.
Since you have young kids, I would say lower dose meds would be important, a thermometer (I think I see one in your picture but I don't see it listed) and stuff to treat scraped knees and elbows.

Other than that it looks like a pretty good kit.

I like steri-strips in addition to the many things Keeper already mentioned.

not sure if you can fit them in the condor, but in mine i put in at least one cylume stick and a thermal blanket
finger splints are often suggested but you can get by with a few tongue depressors and add on tape and gauze
i like the headlamp idea.

there are a few threads out on the net about the many ALTERNATE uses for tampons
http://artofmanliness.com/2012/06/05/survival-tampon/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...feminine-products-wild-camping_n_1581922.html

Don't use a tampon for anything but normal usage.

I can confirm from my own experience that tampons are extremely effective against nosebleed.

It looks quite stupid, though.

Speaking if which - you have your vitals covered as well when hemorrhaging from the nose: as long as the little blue ribbon moves you're good.

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are you speaking from experience?



I think i see scissors in the image, but i can't tell what they are.
I recommend bandage scissors and hemostat/forceps..
if you are trying to sew a small wound even with the nytrile gloves things get slippery.

Tincture of benzoin makes steri strips very effective if you don't plan on suturing.

As a layman with only the Red Cross First Aid/CPR class and the first aid training from my scouting years, I think this looks pretty good.

I have to agree that you should probably add some painkillers and other medication in more child friendly dosages. Other than that, I have only one simple suggestion: How many pairs of gloves are there in your kit? Since it's a family kit, I think you should have at least two pairs, one for you and one for your wife. An extra pair wouldn't hurt either.

It's hard to make recommendations without knowing more. My kit might change depending on where I was (climate, location urban/rural) and any particular medical problems you might have.

Personally, I don't carry a fak as every day carry. EDC to me is in my pocket. I'd look pretty strange carrying a pack around everywhere. Or two if this is just one of your EDC.

I don't carry bandaids or anything smaller than 4x4s. Big bandages can be cut to make a small bandaid (with some tape) but little bandaids aren't worth anything for large wounds. Triangular bandages (or clean bandanas) are quite useful.

I don't close (steritrips sutures etc) anything in the field and you shouldn't either unless you've received real training (medical school or military--- not youtube or Rambo) on how to do it. There's a reason that the medics and even the ER docs often won't close a wound.

I do sometimes carry tampons. They are great for their normal useage: stopping bleeding. We used them for nosebleeds in the hospital. The military uses them for gunshots.

I prefer iodine as an antiseptic. It can also purify water. I like dual use.

When I splint a finger, I splint it to the next finger usually with tape.

Remember that your antibiotic is primarily petroleum jelly and your tampons or bandages make great fire kit.

I like to have levels and a modular system.

First It's hard to have too many gloves. I try to have several pair in my kits. They protect me from your blood but they also protect you from anything that I have on my hands, as I might not have time to wash them prior to treating you.

When I think of levels, I have a boo boo kit, mid level and a trauma kit.

Do an assessment of your personal needs. What are your most common injuries and illnesses? In your case, because of the kids and level of training, I would expect you to commonly treat the dreaded trauma of knee and elbow scrapes. A Batman or Barbie band-aid can kill pain faster than morphine.

My general FAK looks like yours for the most part with the exception that I carry a Quickclot pack. It works better than anything else I've tried to stop bleeding. I don't use it for the minor stuff but recently used it for someone who was under a car bleeding profusely from their head. And I carry medical superglue to be used in place of stitches when needed. I used it to patch up a buddy needing stitches who was lacking health insurance. It healed without major scarring and saved him an E.R. visit.

Are you talking Dermabond or something like that?

Looked into it once and found it too expensive


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