So as I discussed in the last post, my bare minimum medical gear recommendation is gloves, gauze and a tourniquet – today we’re going to talk about additional options, and my approach to layering different kits with different capabilities.
If you’re looking for a minimalist approach, I’d encourage you to carry that bare minimum kit on your person or in a bag that follows you around closely (ie; purse or small backpack).
However, it’s important to realize the limitations of your kit as well as your personal training and skillset. Remember what I said about training? If not, read the last post again. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Did you read it? Good.
Now, if you go with the minimalist approach on your person, the next layer would be either a backpack based kit (my personal choice most of the time) and/or a vehicle kit (yes, I have one of these as well).
If you’re going to just do one, I’d suggest a backpack kit, assuming you regularly have one with you. If not, a vehicle kit is better than nothing, at least if you can make it out to your vehicle… which isn’t always a guarantee.
And to be clear, I’m not just talking about the “active killer” scenario that seems so popular among the crowd that usually advocates this sort of preparation, but the more mundane (and likely) occasion that you’re say, off on a hike and get injured.
The point of this isn’t to convince you to carry an ambulance on your back, but to illustrate the need for what, in some industries, would be called threat/risk assessment and profiling.
This is why I harp on training so hard – you probably have a decent idea of what sort of risks you face in your usual pursuits (ie; a sprained or broken ankle on a hike), but without adequate training you’re going to either end up not having what you need, or carrying the whole ambulance around.
Back to layers though – if you have an idea of your usual risks, you can layer your medical gear accordingly. To prepare for unexpected major emergencies, you can use the kit on your person as I described in the last post; for other specific threats, you can build out your vehicle kit or backpack kit accordingly.
I’ll go over the specifics of what I’d suggest in a backpack or vehicle kit in a couple more posts – there’s enough material for each to have their own post – so keep an eye out for more specific recommendations. I’ll also add a few specific risk profiles like hiking, and what I suggest for them. Keep an eye out!
-T