First aid kits

Features of first aid kits

A first aid kit is a bag or pouch with dressings, band-aids and scissors in it, ready to use. You buy it filled and top it up yourself afterwards.

The pouches are made of nylon, some waterproof, and some have MOLLE loops so the kit is fixed to a backpack or in a car instead of lying loose inside.

How do you choose the best first aid kit?

First choose where it will be kept, because that determines the size. A mini kit in your pocket or hip pack has band-aids, gauze and a small pair of scissors, enough for a cut or a blister. A basic kit for your backpack has more dressings and a pouch that survives a rain shower. For the car or home, there is a complete kit or family kit, with material for larger wounds.

All kits here are filled. Separate band-aids, blister plasters, burn dressings and finger dressings are listed alongside them, to top up what you have used.

• MOLLE loops let you attach the kit to a pouch or backpack instead of letting it sink loose into a compartment.
• Waterproof is only needed if the kit hangs outside your backpack or sits in a boat.

Tasmanian Tiger supplies the MOLLE pouches, First Aid Only and Care Plus the filled sets and the separate refills.

Check the expiry date of band-aids and ointment once a year. A kit that sat unopened in a glove box for three years is not a working kit.