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Dad Kit Check

Free bleeding kit checklist

I'm Ryan. Most first aid kits are made for small stuff. Scraped knees. Splinters. Little cuts. A bleeding control kit is for big bleeding, the kind that's spurting or pouring out, or pooling on the ground, and won't stop with pressure.

I'll tell you what goes in one, where I keep mine, and which kind I'd tell a friend to buy.

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What goes in one

Most bleeding control kits have a tourniquet, something to pack and wrap a wound, gloves, and shears. The bag and the layout are a little different.

  • A tourniquet. That's a strap for an arm or a leg, for bleeding that's very bad.
  • A pressure bandage. That wraps tight over a wound.
  • Gauze. That's used to pack a deep wound and press on it.
  • Gloves, to protect your hands.
  • Shears, to cut away clothes so you can see the wound.
  • Often a marker and a short card with steps on it.

Where it lives

A kit only helps if you can reach it.

  • One in the car.
  • One in the house, where everyone knows where it is.
  • And a small one in the sports bag, if your kids play.
  • Tell your family where it is. Walk them to it.

Which one to buy

My rule is simple.

  • Buy a kit with a genuine tourniquet in it. A real one, on the CoTCCC list.
  • Buy the kit from the company that makes it, or from an authorized dealer.
  • If it has a C-A-T in it, that tourniquet should come from North American Rescue or an authorized dealer.
  • Cheap kits online can have fake tourniquets inside.

A C-A-T is not sized for an infant.

Take a class

The kit is only half of it. The other half is you.

  • Take a Stop the Bleed class. You'll learn to use these with your own hands, with a trainer right there.
  • You can find a class on the Stop the Bleed website.
  • If someone is bleeding badly, call 911. Then use your kit until help gets there.

Call 911 in an emergency.

This is education, not medical advice.

Medical disclaimer

Related on this site

Two kits I like are the North American Rescue public access bleeding control kit and the MyMedic bleeding control kit. Pick the one that fits where you'll keep it, and make sure it has a genuine tourniquet.

More videos: youtube.com/@ryanfieldsspack

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