I do a lot of hiking and camping. And as one can imagine, the inclusion of a good first aid kit among your possibles is an essential. First aid kits are easy to find, and its also easy to settle. That is, just pick up any one that is small enough and portable and figure its good enough. Though it is definitely better to have an inferior first aid kit along on your hike than nothing at all, this Medique kit is one of the very best that I have run into for including a good variety of items usually only found in larger kits. The Medique carries all the usual gauze's, bandages, tension wrap, scissors and such, but in addition also carries some premium items that most this size and price don't bother with. Including finger splints, (that I actually had to use when I twisted a finger badly on one hike), burn ointment, butterfly closures, antiseptic preps, sting relief pads, antibiotic ointment and an instant cold pack. These kind of items are always included in those big metal cased kits you see in the workplace, but hardly in one with just 61 pieces. I have been using this kit for years on my hikes and find it one of the most comprehensive for one that small enough to be called portable, (about 6 by 8, by 2 1/2), but has enough real supplies in it to handle the most common scrapes, stings, burns and other boo boos that one can easily encounter on a hike in the wilderness. In conclusion, you will find a lot of first aid kits available on Amazon. Some just too big for a hike, and other cheaper ones that pretty much all seem the same. Trust me the Medique is the exception at the price, size, quality and variety of its supplies, and I highly recommend it for hikes, traveling, or any other outdoor adventure...
This is a short video that unpackages the first aid kit.
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This was bigger than I expected, heavy plastic case and all the essentials. What a great item for the low price. I would highly recommend!
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I bought this Medique first aid kit to keep in the car, as realistically a kit this small, while better than nothing, really isn't suitable for use in the workplace. Upon receiving it and reviewing its contents, I was mostly disappointed, as this kit is probably adequate for treating only very minor wounds. I should have reviewed the contents more closely, or better yet watched the excellent video review by B. Gerbracht which details the items in the kit.
Like many basic kits, this one is light on medications, and could also stand with a great deal of supplementation. For medications, all you get are 5 packets of burn ointment, 3 packets of antiseptic ointment, and 3 packets of insect sting relief. That's better than nothing, but not by much. Fortunately, there is plenty of spare space in the plastic container for things that are really more useful. I added a bottle of New Skin (great stuff!), aspirin, antihistamine tablets, a tube of antibiotic cream, eye drops, and a big 1" roll of medical tape. The dinky 0.5" roll of tape that is provided is so small and short, that it might not be adequate for even a single use. Medique's cheap approach in a critical area is extremely damning in my eyes. The one item that might that might really come in handy is a small instant cold compress, and the scissors provided, works pretty well.
Most of the 61 items consists of bandages (4), adhesive strips (15), alcohol pads (6), antiseptic wipes (6), cotton tipped swabs (10), and a small roll of gauze. I supplemented this as well, adding a bunch of Band-Aid strips, a bigger roll of gauge, a roll of Ace bandage, more cotton swabs, cotton balls, extra sets of gloves, some paper towels, and a bottle of hand sanitizer. The bandages and paper goods are loose in the box, and can attract moisture, so I put them in a plastic bag. Jamming extra stuff makes for a tight fit, but then Medique left quite a bit of unused space.
In summary, this kit is adequate for a minor cut or abrasion, but that's about it. Anything more serious than that, and you'll be lucky if the roll of tape provided is sufficient to even secure a bandage on the wound. With a bit of supplementation, you can slightly increase the range of treatment possible. With the beefed up kit, I feel a bit more secure leaving it in my vehicle.
It cost three times as much, but Medique Large Vehicle First Aid Kit, Filled #807M1, is a more advanced kit, with more medications, and a gasketed cover.
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For the price paid, this kit has just enough to take care of those common, minor issues that often happen when you don't have the right supplies on hand. Great to leave in the car.
The headline of this listing implies there are 20 pads in a box. However, the product description says there are only 10 pads in a box. The picture of the box clearly shows a qty of 10 as well. And when we ordered the product, there were 10.
