Ditch one-size-fits-all first aid kits and build one tailored to meet your needs in every environment.

By Brian Smyth | Published Mar 23, 2022 12:08 PM

First aid kits save lives, but what are the chances you have an adequate first aid kit nearby at any given time? No, those big-box store kits don’t count, especially since most of them are simplistic “boo-boo kits” designed to handle cut fingers, scraped knees, and maybe a first-degree burn or two. Few pre-made first aid kits pack the necessary supplies to deal with a truly life-threatening emergency, and those that do often suffer from significant shortcomings, such as high price tags, limited supplies, or both. In such cases, your best bet is to build your own first aid kit to create a much more capable tool than virtually anything you can snag off the shelf.

Most high-end factory-built first aid kits provide plenty of supplies capable of handling a vast array of medical emergencies, yet the chances of finding one that matches your particular needs and unique skill sets are worse than a second lieutenant actually shooting an azimuth in under five minutes. On the flip side, a custom-built first aid kit will provide you with everything you need and nothing you don’t. In shaving away excess supplies, you will find yourself saving weight and saving cash while maximizing your ability to provide efficient, effective emergency care.

You may never be Doc Roe or Renee Lemaire, but keeping a first aid kit handy could be one of the best decisions of your life. Here is how to properly build a first aid kit of your own.

Time You’re Going to Need: About half an hour to lay the groundwork and another half hour to pack and stage the kit

If you don’t know what a first aid kit is, then you’ve been living under a rock since before the dinosaurs went extinct. It’s time to get with the program and catch up with the rest of humanity (or at least up until 1888). All joking aside, there seems to be some actual confusion today as to what constitutes an actual first aid kit.

For starters, a first aid kit is NOT a boo-boo kit (i.e., a box of Band-Aids accompanied by a little gauze, some tape, a few alcohol wipes, and some antibiotic cream thrown in like add-ons to a value meal). As the name implies, a first aid kit provides everything an on-site first responder might need to provide emergency medical care until more advanced care providers arrive. A proper first aid kit is tailored to treat specific injuries and illnesses commonly found in certain environments, meaning that proper first aid kits will vary from place to place. This explains why a military IFAK can be so dramatically different from an OSHA-compliant kit found in businesses across America.

Everyone has different gear in their kit. Make sure you have the best tools of the trade on hand for this specific task. Don’t worry, we’ve made a list.

Before you sit down or head off into the field, it’s best if you organize your workspace or bag ahead of time. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, or so the saying goes, and we’re big believers of that mantra. Set everything up and then proceed, you’ll save yourself a headache of rummaging around your tools or having to hike all the way back out of the woods just because you forgot your knife.

Gear up, corpsman! Here’s how to build a proper first aid kit.

Before you even consider building a first aid kit of your own, get some training. Sure, you could build a first aid kit without any training, but the advantages over a premade kit from a big box store are very limited. Sure, you might eliminate a few extra Band-Aids, saving you fractions of an ounce in the process, but any extra supplies or equipment you buy will do little more than add weight to your kit.

If you have not already done so, get (at least) a basic first aid certification, then come back.

Before building a first aid kit, take some time to figure out just how many kits you need. For most people, two kits will be the bare minimum: one at home and one in the car. If you have a home, two cars, an EDC backpack, and a cabin in the woods, you will need four or five kits rather than two. Every individual’s needs will vary, so determine your own needs before you start this project. If you only need one kit, don’t sweat it. If you need 10 first aid kits, then more power to you. Of course, we recommend building one kit first and then building the rest once you know what you’re doing.

Once you’ve determined just how many first aid kits you want to build and which one you plan to build first, take some time to roughly sketch out your kit’s loadout. Take some time to think through emergency and logistical factors that will affect what you carry in your kit. Consider the following:

In light of your newfound knowledge about yourself, your environment, and your storage constraints, you have all you need to develop a rough idea of what your first aid kit will contain. Using everything you’ve learned, write a list of first aid supplies, broken down into two sections: “Critical” and “Nice to Have.” For example, supplies such as an epinephrine autoinjector (i.e., an EpiPen) or CPR mask may be non-negotiables in certain instances, while a reusable splint and extra Band-Aids may not be valuable enough to keep if storage space is limited.

If you need a list of first aid supplies to get your started, take a look at our buying guide for pre-stocked first aid kits.

This is where the fun begins (if you like spending money, that is). Using your newly-created supply list, order everything on your “Critical” list and nothing else. You can fill in extra space with supplies on the “Nice to Have” list later.

If you need specific supplies or equipment but have limited space, DO NOT compromise on quality. When it comes to buying lifesaving equipment that relies on strength or durability to do its duty, such as tourniquets, avoid buying cheap knockoffs or counterfeit goods. Historically, e-commerce sites like Amazon and eBay have had a spotty record vetting vendors selling medical supplies. Instead, you should consider buying from a dedicated first-aid supplier or first-responder store. While you might save a few bucks on the front end, you or someone else could end up losing their life due to equipment failure. Instead, track down the product’s manufacturer or a reputable third-party retailer and purchase it from them.

Here’s a list of first aid supplies to help get you started. While not comprehensive, this list (pulled from our first aid kits buying guide) should get you well on your way to where you need to be.

Custom-built first aid kits are highly specialized equipment that will conform to the specific needs of a given individual. As such, selecting a proper storage solution will vary from person to person. That said, certain principles apply to every good first aid kit.

Before making your purchase, don’t forget to determine how much space your first aid supplies will eat up. For many people, a six- by eight- by three-inch nylon pouch should be enough. These water-resistant pouches usually have good organization, include hook-and-loop tearaway panels, and are durable, lightweight, and user-friendly, like this rip-away Condor pouch. For others, a hard case does the job better. Containers like the IP67-rated Nanuk 903 can take quite a licking, are virtually impervious to water and the elements, and allow easy access to critical supplies.

NOTE: Do NOT remove any tags from your new storage solution until you can confirm that all of your essential supplies will fit inside.

Once you’ve gathered all your essential supplies (and literally no extras), it’s time to start assembling your kit. As you pack your kit’s storage container, carefully consider how to pack it just as you would a backpack for an extended excursion. By taking your time on the front end, you will save yourself pain (or worse) on the back end.

When backpacking, wisdom dictates positioning camp gear and other items that require infrequent access farther away from your pack’s access points. This, in turn, makes critical gear easier and quicker to access, saving you time on the trail. Packing your first aid kit effectively requires a similar mindset. Some first aid supplies, like tweezers and ibuprofen, rarely need speedy access, and as such, these supplies can be positioned in locations that may require a little more effort to access. Consequently, this frees up space in the quick-to-access locations for time-sensitive supplies and equipment, such as gloves, a CPR mask, or a chest seal.

Once you’ve packed your kit into an appropriate storage container, now is the time to stop and take stock. Ask yourself if all of your essential supplies fit inside. If not, then consider returning and replacing your storage solution with something larger or supplementing it with secondary solutions, such as this Eleven 10 tourniquet pouch. (If you plan to attach two identical kits together simply to increase your Band-Aid count, don’t. To avoid complicating your first-aid efforts, secondary storage should only be used for specialty equipment that requires extremely fast access and, even then, limits your add-ons to one item, two at the most.)

If your kit’s container is perfectly sized, then congratulations, you’re good to go. However, if your kit’s storage solution has extra room inside once fully stocked with the essentials, consider one of the following options:

If your kit’s container has tons of extra space, then we strongly recommend Option #1. If there is only a small amount of extra storage space, then we’d recommend sticking to Option #2. Only select Option #3 if you can do so without overstuffing your pouch or container.

Congrats, you’ve just built your own first aid kit! Now, where the heck are you going to keep the darn thing? Hopefully, you did your due diligence earlier and have a place picked out, but even if not, all is not lost.

When selecting a first aid kit storage location, make sure to find a place that allows quick and easy access to your kit. At the same time, choose a location that provides plenty of protection from the elements, impacts, chemical spills, and other potential threats to the kit’s medical integrity.

If you’re building your own first aid kit, there’s a good chance you’re a born Boy Scout with a tendency to over-prepare — for everything. This means that there’s a high likelihood that you’ll end up cramming more stuff into your kit. We get that there’s some amazing equipment and supplies out there, but one of the major advantages of building your own first aid kit is shaving weight by eliminating nice but unnecessary supplies. As soon as you add a cool new item into your kit, such as a can of Dermoplast, you may find yourself with a much heavier kit than you ever planned or imagined. In some cases, such as with a home or car first aid kit, the extra weight may not be an issue, but if you want something a bit more mobile, then be on guard against letting handy yet nonessential items make it onto your “Critical” list.

Also, learn to identify which products to purchase and which to avoid. Adhesive bandages are a dime a dozen, and while some brands do perform better than others, don’t lose sleep over whether to buy Band-Aid or Curad bandages so long as you select something sterile. In most cases, this is the best approach. However, for more critical supplies, such as tourniquets and burn dressings, it’s best to do some research on both the product and the retailer before leaving your cash at the register. Too often, people have purchased a so-called “CAT tourniquet” only to discover later that the deal they scored only got them a cheap Chinese knockoff that will fail them when they need it most.

More questions? Here’s Task & Purpose’s additional brief.

A. Determining the cost to build a first aid kit is like determining the cost to build a bridge, as the amount of variation can be staggering in light of the variety of possible first aid kits (and bridges). That said, building a general-purpose CONUS first aid kit should run you somewhere between $50 and $125, depending on your specific needs. That said, it is possible to build a budget trauma kit for under $25.

A. First aid kits do not expire. However, replacing supplies from time to time is a wise strategy. Over time, medications slowly lose their potency, and alcohol wipes, gel packets, and similar items eventually will dry out. Depending on the kit’s storage environment, bandages sheaths, dressing wrappers, and similar equipment packaging may break down, causing those supplies to lose their sterile integrity.

A. Gloves provide a barrier between you and the victim you are treating. Bodily fluids have a nasty habit of carrying potentially dangerous pathogens, and the last thing you need is to contract HIV, hepatitis, or some other life-altering disease just because you were a Good Samaritan. Gloves also have the advantage of preventing any dirt or pathogens on your own hands from entering the body of the individual you are treating.

A. If you or someone likely to use your first aid kit are CPR-certified, then yes. Otherwise, take some time to learn hands-only CPR, a lifesaving technique that does not require any formal training or certification.

A. Yes. Arm yourself with the knowledge you’ll need to save lives. Hit up the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, American Safety & Health Institute, or your local YMCA to schedule a first aid and/or CPR class right now.

We’re here to be expert operators in everything How-To related. Use us, compliment us, tell us we’ve gone full FUBAR. Comment below and let’s talk! You can also shout at us on Twitter or Instagram.

Nanuk 903 Waterproof First Aid Case

Rite in the Rain Weatherproof EMS Notebook

First Aid Only 106-Piece Refill Pack

Johnson & Johnson Band-Aid Family Variety Pack

First Aid Only SmartCompliance Refill Burn Cream

Ever Ready First Aid Sterile Conforming Stretch Gauze

Madison Supply Fluoride-Coated Trauma Shears

Rescue Essentials Medications Unit Dose Pack

WNL Products CPR Rescue Mask

North American Rescue Compressed Gauze

Dukal Sterile Combine Abdominal Pads (5”x9”)

North American Rescue Polycarbonate Eye Shield

North American Rescue Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T), Gen 7

North American Rescue Hyfin Vent Chest Seal

For over 25 years, Brian Smyth has been neighbors with the Air Force Academy and the U.S. Army’s Ivy Division. He loves the challenge of crafting words and has written for The Drive, Car Bibles, and other publications. Nothing gets him going quite like the roar of dual Pratt & Whitneys overhead, the smell of cordite, and the stories of the Greatest Generation.

Task & Purpose and its partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Learn more about our product review process.

When everything will go wrong, it’s best to be ready ahead of time

If you’re going to have a survival kit, you’d better make sure it’s set up to succeed.

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