What If Survival, $112

https://www.whatifsurvival.com

What If Survival’s Premium First Aid Response Kit was designed by an EMT to conveniently organize and present what he/she deemed essential (and some non-essential) equipment to handle road side emergencies when traveling remotely.  Here’s an overview of what the kit contains, and how it stacks up to addressing the ABC’s (airway, breathing, and circulation) of a medical emergency.

Airway

Nasopharyngeal airway (NPA)- An NPA is a flexible, finger-sized tube which is slipped in through the nose and reaches to the back of the oropharynx, providing a conduit for air to pass from nose to throat, bypassing swollen lips (in a life threatening allergic reaction) or an unconscious person’s floppy tongue. Often neglected by other, cheaper kits, this device can be a real life saver. Good choice! Be sure to take a Wilderness First Aid course to learn how and when to use it.

Breathing

CPR Pocket Mask- If you’ve ever performed CPR, you know the victim can vomit. Gross! This kit contains a CPR mask to protect the rescuer from saliva, vomit, blood, etc, in the event that he/she must perform CPR. However, “hands-only-CPR” (chest compressions without giving rescue breaths) is an acceptable alternative to blowing air into someone’s mouth, because you are actually moving some air while you’re pumping on the chest. If someone actually needs CPR, they also need to be intubated, shocked, receive life saving medication through an intravenous line, and have further care in an ICU. A pocket mask for the first few minutes of this situation is not very helpful. If an ambulance will be there shortly, just pump on the chest. If an ambulance is hours or days away, you’re going to need more than a pocket mask. This is wasted space.

Chest Seal- A chest seal is a flexible patch of fabric or rubber, with an incorporated flutter valve, which is used to cover the hole made by a penetrating chest injury, like that from a gun shot or stab wound. Penetrating chest wounds are statistically unlikely during routine outdoor expedition and camping type activities, even during big game hunting. If you’re on the battlefield, by all means carry one. By the way, if you’re going to include a chest seal, you may as well include a needle for decompression of a tension pneumothorax, which is caused by the same mechanism, but the kit doesn’t include one. Ditch it.

Circulation

Life threatening hemorrhage from penetrating limb injury (like a gun shot wound) is the number one killer on the battlefield, and this kit includes the minimum necessary equipment for those who recreate irresponsibly with firearms: a military grade tourniquet, trauma bandage, and hemostatic gauze. For the rest of us who don’t plan on being shot

The kit contains a reasonable assortment of bandages, tape, skin glue, etc. Improve this kit by adding a liquid adhesive agent like benzoin (to help bandages adhere to sweaty skin) and a SAM splint to stabilize orthopedic injuries. The trauma shears is high-quality but unnecessarily large, and the thermometer is fragile but does add diagnostic capability. The multi-use paracord bracelet and adds bug-out utility, but I don’t feel the window smasher/seatbelt cutter is worth the weight/bulk/expense.

Overland travelers and expedition participants are statistically most likely to suffer from common ailments like heart burn, allergies, pain, etc, and those who do will find a dose or two’s relief from the well thought-out-assortment of included remedies. The 600 denier nylon case provides multiple mounting options for the back of a vehicle’s headrest or roll-bar, and while not water proof, it will keep the contents secure, accessible, and free of dust.