Ifak, Boo Boo Kit Or First Aid Kit
Ifak, boo Boo kit, or first aid kit, don’t leave home without it
I am NOT a medical professional, I know basic first aid, and I know how to use the medical gear I carry in my Ifak, boo-boo kit, and first aid kit (I do carry them all, and yes, they are very different).
But before we start discussing the benefits of Ifaks, first aid kits, and boo-boo kits. Let us discuss the generally accepted definitions.
Difference Between a Trauma Kit and First Aid Kit.
A trauma kit is designed to treat life-threatening trauma quickly and temporarily until the patient can be taken to a professional.
A first aid kit (or boo-boo kit) on the other hand is full of items to treat minor cuts, scrapes, and bumps. Common items in a first aid kit are various sizes of band-aids, a cold pack for minor burns, a pair of nitrile gloves, some gauze, and often a roll of adhesive medical tape.
IFAK Meaning
Ifak stands for Individual First Aid Kit, this is a single-person trauma kit.
Do NOT be confused by the name, it is NOT a first aid kit as its name implies. It is a mini trauma kit, or at least it should be.
Usually meant to be used on yourself. Many people carry 2 of these, one for personal use and one to be used on a buddy or someone else who might need it. IFAK kits are meant to contain items for hemorrhage control and trauma. To get a basic idea of what common trauma kits contain have a peek at what Dark Angel Medical sell in their prepackaged IFAKS.
IFAK Contents
No two IFAKS are the same, mine has a:
Tourniquet
Quickclot powder
Israeli bandage
Triangular bandage
Trauma shears
Space blanket
2 pairs of sterile nitrile gloves
Sterile gauze
Trauma Kit Contents
A Trauma Kit is a multi-person kit that is meant to deal with trauma (serious life-threatening injuries). Essentially Trauma Kits are like multiple IFAKS in one bag with more bulky trauma equipment added. Such as SAM Splints. People are often surprised when they look inside a trauma kit and can’t find many of the items they usually see in a first aid kit, for a list of trauma kit contents click on CPR-Savers.Com.
First Aid Kit or Boo Boo Kit
First Aid Kit is the standard commercial first aid kit that usually comes with a ridiculous number of band-aids for every occasion, meant to deal with minor cuts, scrapes, blisters, burns, splinters, etc. Often found in car boots, hung in staff rooms, etc.
First Aid kits are cheap. Pre-packaged first aid kits are marketed as containing hundreds of first aid items in them.
In the outdoors, infection is a serious concern, so there is definitely a place for one of these kits. Keeping all wounds clean is essential. But they will need a little bit of tweaking to personalize them.
Keep Your IFAK and First Aid Kit Separate
I keep my IFAK and First aid kit separate, the reasoning behind that is that people tend to borrow your first aid kit, they will rummage through it to get some band-aids, painkillers, antiseptic creams, moleskin, etc. While looking for those items people tend to take everything out and rearrange the whole kit to get to what they are looking for.
IFAK kits must be meticulously organized. Minutes count when a serious trauma injury needs to be treated. Once used the IFAK must be, restocked and items arranged, so you know where everything is at a second’s notice. If you have the space, carry 2 sets of IFAKs and 1 First Aid Kit in your Bugout Bag.
First Aid, Survival Kit
There is a trend of packing Survival items into a first aid kit… Do NOT do this, packing everything into one little pouch is a bad idea, keep your survival kit separate from your first aid. Organization is everything.
Get First Aid Training
Having life-saving medical gear with you is a great idea, having no idea what to do with it is just plain foolhardy.
If you are in any way serious about prepping, survival, or even bushcraft. Make an effort to get some first-aid training.
I am not going to list down what Ifak or First aid items I carry with me, I have no idea what level of training you have had, and a misused medical item could be extremely dangerous.
So my first piece of advice is to GET FIRST AID TRAINING
Carry Essential Medications YOU need in your First Aid Kit.
People with medical conditions, need to plan ahead. Diabetics need insulin, and people suffering from Hypertension take pills daily.. pack the amount of medicine that you think you will need.. all done? Now double it.
Key Items for First Aid Kits
Prescription Medication
Antihistamines
Painkillers
Triple antibiotic cream
Vaseline
Iodine
Wet Wipes (unscented)
Chapstick
Tick remover
Moleskin
Anti-diarrhea medication
Electrolytes
Mylar Blanket
Nitrile Gloves
Band-aids & Dressings
Surgical Glue
Sterile Gauze
Tape
Sterile Eye Dressing
You can always add other medications that you know how to use, and might need to remove certain items that you have no idea how to use.
When it comes to medication, please do NOT guess. Take the time to learn.
Learn First Aid From Credible Institutions
I remember my first time learning basic first aid, it was as basic as you can imagine. How to clean a cut, wrap a bandage, perform the Heimlich maneuver, and CPR.
TBH. The course was terrible. One of those mandatory ones required for certain lines of work. Hence I strongly recommend learning from an established reliable institution. Which is what I did ASAP
After learning some practical first aid, I found that it was possible to enhance my knowledge with a few good Books on First Aid. Here are some Books on Survival, including a good book on First Aid.
