My 2023 First Aid and Trauma Kit

This could save a life. Most First Aid kits are not equipped to manage serious trauma where you can make the difference between life and death, this First Aid and Trauma Kit does.

This channel is here to give you ideas and inspiration when it comes to finding great Everyday Carry, Travel Gear and Gadgets, on the back of solid and detailed reviews alongside years of experience, which I hope will make life and travel just a little bit more frictionless and fun.

Here are links to the products featured. This can consist of Amazon affiliate links and supplier affiliate links and website links. See below for more on affiliate links.

Mere have kindly offered JonGadget viewers 5% discount on orders.
Just use code - mrjongadget - at the checkout

Mere were my supplier for the CAT and SWAT-T tourniquets, the Trauma Shears, Compressed Gauze, Israeli Bandage, Burn Dressing, and Tape.

Mini First Aid Kit (Amazon) for pouch and some contents

Compressed Mini Towel

Tweezers and Tick Remover (Amazon)

My name is Jonathan, I have a passion for all things gadget, travel and EDC (Everyday Carry), which has filled both my personal and work life for many years.

I welcome any feedback on my videos or the channel in general in the comments. See below for more on this.

Contents of this video to help you navigate:

00:00 - Intro to First Aid and Trauma Kit
00:14 - First Aid Kit Limitations
01:14 - Basic First Aid Kit + Trauma Kit
02:09 - The Trauma First Aid Kit
03:05 - Combat Application Tourniquet -CAT
05:46 - SWAT-T Tourniquet
07:59 - Gauze for Wound Packing
09:56 - Israeli Pressure Bandage
12:10 - Additions to the Trauma Kit
13:59 - Trauma Kit Pouch
14:45 - Light Duty First Aid Kit
19:25 - Basic First Aid + Trauma Kit Summary

Product Sourcing:

When it comes to sourcing a product for review, I will usually either  purchase and item personally or reach out to a supplier requesting a sample for review.  Many suppliers are supportive if they are confident in their product, appreciating the value of greater exposure.

I am sometimes sent a product by a supplier which I may include if the product fits planned content and I believe will be of interest to you, my audience. The product needs to be worthy of a review and I always make it clear to the supplier that they cannot influence or be involved in the content in any way. It is not in my interest to review inferior or poor quality products and therefore as you might expect many product offers are politely declined.

Any sponsored videos (paid for reviews) are clearly stated as such so there can be no misunderstanding.

Sometimes a supplier will provide a link to the product or the supplier which I am happy to include in the description.  Sometimes I will be provided with an affiliate link so I can earn a commission on sales and this helps to support channel costs but never at the expense of an honest review. There is no cost to you and in some cases discounts can be obtained via the link or via an included code.

If a product I have reviewed is available from Amazon I will often include an Amazon link in the description.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.

Replying to Comments:

I really appreciate the feedback in the comments - I find it a source of knowledge and inspiration - so thank you to all of you who take the time to contribute. This is not just for me as the creator, it is a valuable source of information for all readers of the comments. I have recently found that if I continue to respond to all the comments as the number of videos builds, it takes significant time away from being able to produce new content which would be very counter productive! So my aim is to read everything I can and reply when I can, after each video goes live for the first few hours at least, and beyond that when possible. I'll see how that works out 😊

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Thank you for supporting the channel.

JonGadget

[southtube]

Use North American Rescue as a resource for this equipment in the US. Please consider the CAT tourniquet over other options. Actual, sterile and useful equipment that can...and has saved lives is not cheap. Please refrain from giving or taking meds without having a good grasp of what's happening, pertinent medical history, and know the actions, contraindications and benefits/drawbacks. Last but not TRAINING TRAINING. You are protected to the extent you are trained. Do not go above your training level. Do not carry equipment you have not been trained on or are VERY familiar with. Awesome presentation as usual. US Army veteran / Firefighter Paramedic for 30 years.

[KansaSCaymanS]

As an EM physician, I applaud your first aid and trauma kits contents which very closely mimic my own kits. I would just add that you should check the expiration dates on your meds periodically since you might not use them for years. Also replacing band-aids periodically as well since in my experience, the adhesive tends to weaken over time. 👍😎

[GearedTowardGear]

I’ve been a licensed paramedic in the US for almost 15 years and I love seeing people talk about carrying medical gear; it’s so important. I have to say, your trauma kit is pretty well thought out. If you ask 10 paramedics what should be included in a kit you’ll get 10 different answers, but you’ve covered most of your bases.

The only addition I’d recommend as being critical would be a set of Hyfin Compact Chest Seals. Although normally associated with gunshot and stab wounds, I’ve experienced penetrating chest trauma in a patient who was mountain biking on a remote trail, had a bad wreck, and landed on an exposed piece of tree root which impaled through his chest wall creating a pneumothorax. They’re inexpensive and very compact for storage.

[kellimshaver]

Those are both great kits. I have just a few suggestions:

- A large triangle bandage is super versatile, can be a tourniquet, a sling, a wrap to support a sprained ankle, a large bandage for bigger wounds, etc.
- Glucose tablets can be a life-saver if someone is having a diabetic emergency.
- A plastic eye shield is lightweight and can protect an injured eye that you may not want to apply pressure to.

[mendyviola]

Never forget a mirror (two is better for back-sides), pen light, and a magnifying device. When you are treating yourself, you have to be able to see what you are treating.

[marceymanning]

You always have the best practical kits that include price and weight. Everyone else seems to carry medical professional stuff when the majority of people dont need everything. Please keep your videos coming.

[gjhoward]

If you can, I would recommend attending a Stop The Bleed class to learn about proper applications of TQs, packing, compression, and assessment. Not sure if this is in the US only, but to your American viewers, it's definitely worth the training.

[jordanlee]

The mylar blanket should be included in the trauma kit as your blood stops clotting at 95°

[murmansk]

I trained as a nurse many years ago and have been a first aider at work in more recent years. It's only in the last few years that tourniquets have featured in the First Aid at Work courses, but only for use on "catastrophic injuries".

I think the reasoning behind this is that a less-than fully-effective tourniquet can make blood loss greater as it compresses the veins (which are nearer the surface) and may not compress the arteries (which are deeper).

For very serious injuries, such as a limb being blown off by a bomb blast, the person probably won't survive untreated so an ineffective tourniquet won't make things any worse but may not help.

Pressure on the wound is recommended for less than catastrophic, but still serious, bleeding.

[metanivk]

Going to the beach could be dangerous too...one time I saw this kid cut his foot with a piece of broken glass in the sand... I would carry this kind of kit ANYWHERE...thanks for your videos Jon.. we love you!

[jayhutson]

I've just started to get back into hiking and wild camping after about a 20 year break and stumbled upon your channel, which is by far the best I have found in regard to equipment relevance and suitability for UK environments! It's refreshing to watch someone that lives in the real world, while many others are reviewing or promoting gear that is simply not needed nor suitable for the UK.
It's appreciated, thank you.

[gazfm]

Mum was a nurse in 80’s 90’s and 00’s - she had an amazing edc/1st aid kit in her handbag which she carry to work and back - think it was the done thing 👍

[pathalls]

Excellent Kit Jon! I enjoyed how you showed the trauma kit in action. Some useful additions for the booboo kit would be some moleskin or blister plaster, and a small insect poison extractor, which can also be used to extract splinters. Also a little tube of antibacterial ointment to help reduce infection. For the trauma kit it makes sense to include whistle and a face shield mask for CPR.

[runninblue]

Some good advice and gear 👍. A permanent marker attached to the kit works for writing T(for tourniquet) and time on the casualty forehead as you can't always be when help arrives. Paramedics will always check airways so will see the tourniquet warning (or M for morphine). Airway management is usually the key to survival, even without an aid, ie passive management. Good stuff thanks 👍

[OzMan]

Bear in mind, that those thick, sealed plastic packages are going to be hard to open when covered with slippery, slick blood while your panicking. Stage your stuff. Get it as close to ready and easy assessable as you possible can.

[Rijktakesahike]

If you need to write the time on the tourniquet I would recommend to include a sharpie in the trauma kit

[runeofferdal]

I love this. Your kits always seem to be very well planned and executed, and although I rely a lot on standard packed first aid kits, I will use this to supplement them to handle more situations.

I also happen to love your "EDC micro urban essentials kit" because it is a kit that is small enough to ALWAYS be with you. I wonder: What would be included if you would put together an "EDC micro first aid kit" with about the same size restrictions as the "EDC micro urban essentials kit", or rather a kit small enough to always be with you.

The best kit is after all the one you have at hand.

[richardwysocki]

I always find your videos enjoyable and informative, with just the right amount of detail about the given subject. Thank you, Sir.

[the_once-and-future_king.]

Jon, given the prevalence of knife crime here in the UK, you should definitely have a chest seal. Plus you need to consider if a member of your party falls on a downed branch while out in the woods etc.

To save buying one, pack a couple of plastic sandwich bags. These can be cut down the sides (the inside of the bags will be cleanest), placed over a sucking chest wound and secured with the tape on THREE sides to form a vented seal. Then position the casualty with the affected side down-most so the uninjured lung isn't impeded by the weight of the injured side.

[beyondthebarrow]

Depending on your experience, an arterial splint is a good addition to an ifac. It can be used in conjunction with a tourniquet and is very useful for deep wounds in the groin or armpit.