Whether you have already undergone EMT training and are an active first responder, or you are in training right now, having a well-equipped trauma bag or jump bag of your own could help you be better prepared for accidents and sudden emergencies.
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You may want to build or buy your own trauma bag in case you work as a freelancer or private contractor to provide emergency medical care.
Also, you may simply want to have your own tactical first aid kit in the trunk of your car, at home, or at work just in case. It is a better option than even the best IFAK pack that we usually have in our vehicles or home.
Having such a complete trauma first aid kit handy can be especially useful if you like going camping, hunting, fishing, or spending time outdoors, and in survival situations where emergency medical help is usually far away. It is a better option than the more compact first aid survival kits or an IFAK medical kit.
First aid kits, in contrast to trauma kits, are intended for less severe injuries. The trauma kit, on the other hand, is meant to contain items that will aid the responder in stabilizing a patient with a more serious injury or medical emergency until the arrival of an ambulance or the emergency hospital.
Anything you might need to treat an injury or other medical emergency that needs immediate attention and could be fatal if not treated right away should be included in a comprehensive trauma kit. An automobile accident or an active shooter situation are two common causes of such tragic events and tragedies.
In order to have peace of mind that as a paramedic or EMT, you are prepared to handle a medical emergency, you should make sure that you have all the necessary basic medical items and tools in your tactical medkit.
But keep in mind that the items in the first-rate trauma kits are usually meant for saving lives, rather than for alleviating less serious injuries and conditions like those in the personal IFAK kits.
Here are the life-saving materials and tools which the top tactical medical kit should include:
- A trauma kit bag with enough organizers, compartments, and additional pouches, and an opening providing momentary access to the life-saving items inside
- An oropharyngeal airway (OPA) helps keep unconscious patients breathing by preventing the tongue from slipping down into the airway
- A nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) is slipped into the nose of an unconscious or conscious patient for emergency airway management
- A tourniquet to stop hemorrhaging or bleeding out from a wound of an artery or another heavily bleeding wound on a limb
- A permanent marker – because you need to write down the exact time when the tourniquet has been placed on a limb for the surgeons to know. You can write the time on the tourniquet itself or near it on the limb of the patient
- An active clotting agent and clotting gauze – to apply to wounds with heavy bleeding which are on the torso, head, or neck where a tourniquet cannot be used
- Chest seal– to close up chest wounds and punctured lungs from knife or bullet injuries, and also to help the injured person breathe, which is an especially vital item in the medic kit of law enforcement and combat medics
- Compression bandage – to stop heavy bleeding from wounds on the torso, neck, head, or other parts of the body
- Trauma shears – to cut a car seat belt or the clothing of an injured person to get to the injured spot. Some trauma shears can also cut through rings and other metals, but no trauma shears will cut the skin of the patient
- Forceps (Hemostats) – good locking forceps are much more precise than tweezers, and can be life-saving in emergency situations, especially when you need to get to small fragments
- A penlight – to check for a reaction of the pupils of an injured person, to see whether or not they react to the light, which could be an indication of a brain injury or other
- A barrier mask – this is a compact yet essential piece of equipment for performing CPR rescue breathing with minimal contact with the bodily fluids of the person in need of CPR
- A big valve mask – this is an improved version of the barrier mask and will allow you to administer oxygen manually, and is also much less tiring and without direct contact with the patient than mouth to mouth rescue breathing requires
- Cohesive bandage – for taping up injuries, fixing splints to fractured limbs, and for other emergency medical needs
- Surgical shears for tending to wounds, cutting bandages, and others
- SAM splint – for fixing a fractured limb and body parts in place, or for use as a neck immobilizer collar
- Hemostatic gauze pads – or combat gauze to use with the clotting agent or without it when tending to heavily bleeding wounds
- Nitrile gloves – to keep yourself and the patient safe from contamination
A properly assembled trauma kit can save lives, so if you are not sure that you can prep your trauma kit yourself, you can resort to one of the leading commercially available trauma kits on the market instead.
The best first aid kits you can buy in 2023
Lightning X Premium Stocked Tactical EMS/EMT
If you prefer the convenience of carrying a backpack or are a tactical EMS or medic who is always on the move with a tactical team, then this trauma kit backpack by Lightning X products could be the best solution for you.
The trauma kit not only contains everything you will need to provide emergency medical help for an injury or another dire medical condition, but the backpack also has a hydration bladder compartment and port.
The fact that the backpack allows for easier and more compact carrying makes the Lightning X Premium Stocked Tactical Trauma First Aid Responder backpack an excellent option for medics who work in crowded spaces, where movement is difficult, like at sports events or concerts.
There are two large-sized and two small grab-n-go pouches included in the bag, as well as six dividers and padded foam organizers, which can be removed or customized in the roomy main compartment.
It also has MOLLE webbing so you can add even more pouches, items, and gear.
The trauma kit backpack contains:
- A hydration bladder system
- Trauma shears
- Bandage shears
- Penlight
- BVM bag
- Digital automatic blood pressure cuff
- Suture set
- Digital thermometer and 2 sheaths
- Fingertip pulse oximeter
- Nasal airway kit
- Tweezers
- Kelly hemostats
- Emergency blanket
- Premium cardiology stethoscope
- Folding pocket knife
- 2 x Tongue depressors
- Buckle tourniquet
- Adjustable C-Collar
- Quick Stop Hemostatic blood stop spray
- QuickClot 4″ x4″ bandage
- 2 x CPR masks
- 2 x 4″ roll gauze
- 4 x Instant cold packs
- 6 x Berman airway kits
- 2 x 2″ Self-adherent bandage
- 2 x Eye pads
- 6 x 10″ x 30″ Trauma dressing
- 2 x 2″ Elastic Ace bandage
- 2 x Triangle bandages
- 2 x NC Tubing
- ½-oz Triple antibiotic ointment
- 2 x 5×7 inch ABD Pads
- Eyewash
- 2 x NRB masks
- 2 x 8×10 inch ABD pads
- 4 x Exam Gloves
- 10 x Ammonia Ampules
- 1″ Roll Cloth Tape
- Universal SAM finger splint
- 4 1/4″ x 36″ roll splint
- 100 x Band-Aids
- 2″ Roll cloth medical tape
- Glucose
- 4″ x 4″ Occl Seal
- 50 x 4×4 inch gauze pads
- 10 x Iodine wipes
- 10 x Sting pads
- 2 x 2″ Roll Gauze
- 10 x Isopropyl alcohol wipes
- 2-oz Burn spray
- 2 x 3″ Roll gauze
- 2-oz First aid spray
- 10 x Iodine wipes
- 2 x Petroleum Burn Dressing 3×9 inches
- Israeli Bandage 4″
- First Aid Guide
Lightning X Small First Responder EMT EMS
If the Jumbo trauma bag by Lightning X Products is overkill for you and for your needs, then you may want to opt for this smaller-sized option.
It is still an excellent and fully stocked trauma bag which is suitable for volunteer or private contractors and first responders.
It is also an excellent trauma kit to keep at home or in your car for emergencies.
The bag is sized 17 x 9 x 11 inches and has reflective strips and a wide and comfortable shoulder strap.
One of the top-rated trauma bags features multiple compartments and organizing features so that you keep your medical tools and materials well-organized and within easy and quick reach.
You can purchase the trauma bag in 7 different color options at a very reasonable price.
The bag contains:
- Trauma shears
- Kelly hemostats
- Bandage shears
- Tweezers
- Penlight
- Sprague stethoscope
- Adult blood pressure cuff with a case
- 6 x Oropharyngeal airway kits
- CPR mask
- 10 x Ammonia ampules
- 100 x Band-Aids
- 50 x 4×4 inch gauze pads
- 2 x 2-inch roll gauze
- 2 x 3-inch roll gauze
- 2 x 4-inch roll gauze
- 2 x 2-inch self-adherent bandages
- 2 x 2-inch elastic ace bandages
- 2 x 5×7-inch ABD Pads
- 2 x 8×10-inch ABD Pads
- 1″ roll cloth tape
- 10 x Iodine wipes
- 10 x Isopropyl alcohol wipes
- ½-oz Triple antibiotic ointment
- 2 x Instant cold packs
- 2 x Eye pads
- 2 x Triangle bandages
- Eyewash irrigation solution
- 4 Exam gloves
- A universal SAM Finger Splint
- Oral glucose gel
- Petroleum gauze.
- 10 x Iodine wipes
- 10 x Sting & bite relief swabs
- First aid guide
Other worthy mentions:
Lightning X Deluxe Stocked Large EMT First Aid
This is a superb mid-sized trauma bag that is stocked with everything you need to save the life of and stabilize a victim of an accident, a shooting, or another incident or medical problem.
It is the perfect combination of an IFAK and a trauma kit that you can keep in your home or car.
The bag is sturdy with customizable foam-padded compartment dividers. A padded shoulder strap, and reflective tape, and includes a cervical collar, chest seals, cat tourniquet, and other rescue essentials and trauma supplies.
Lightning X Gunshot Trauma/Hemorrhage Control Kit
This compact and yet complete gunshot first aid kit and trauma kit can help you save the lives of people in a shooting.
It has a wide variety of bleed control tools and devices, including an occlusive chest seal, pressure bandages, quick clotting agents and gauges, and many more trauma kit contents.
The compact trauma kit pouch can be carried on a belt or chest harness or attached to other bags or gear via the MOLLE webbing. It is designed to stay open at a 90-degree angle, making it easy to access, which is critical in gunshot injuries, stabbings, and other similar emergencies.
Lightning X Jumbo Oxygen Medic First Responder
The Lighting X Jumbo Oxygen Medic First Responder EMT bag is among the first-rate complete trauma kits for first responders on the market.
One of the best trauma bags contains all the medical supplies you will need to respond to an accident, a shooting, or another incident, trauma, or medical emergency, and as the manufacturer advertises it, it is like “carrying an ambulance on your shoulder.”
The professional range trauma bag has similar content to the pro jump bags in ambulances, even an O2 Oxygen cylinder for administering oxygen.
It is a superb choice for freelance or volunteer EMTs, as well as for sport or commercial independent contractor medics.
The bag itself is made of sturdy, abrasion-resistant, and water-resistant PVC nylon with a reinforced bottom and 360 reflective strips. Its size is 28 x 13 x 12 inches.
It has a wide shoulder strap for comfortable and easy carrying to the scene.
The trauma kit itself includes:
- Kelly hemostats
- Tweezers
- Trauma shears
- Bandage shears
- 2 x NC tubing
- 2 x NRB masks
- BVM bag
- Medline Aluminum O2 D tank
- Medline O2 reg 0-15 lpm
- Penlight
- An adjustable C-collar
- A blood pressure kit
- A buckle tourniquet
- An emergency rescue blanket
- Quick stop hemostatic blood clot spray
- Ammonia ampules
- 2-oz burn spray
- 2-oz first aid spray
- 2 x instant cold packs
- An OPA kit
- 2 x 4″ Rolled gauze
- 2 x 2″ self-adherent bandages
- 2 x 2″ elastic ace bandages
- 50 x 4×4 gauze pads
- 2 x 2-inch roll gauze
- 2 x 3-inch roll gauze
- 10 iodine wipes
- 10 sting pads
- 10 isopropyl alcohol wipes
- ½ oz. triple antibiotic ointment
- 2 x 5×7 inch ABD pads
- 2 x 8×10 inch ABD pads
- 1 inch Roll of cloth tape
- 2-inch roll cloth tape
- 2 x triangular bandages
- 6 x 10×30 inch trauma dressings
- 4×4 inch occl. Seal
- 4 ¼ x 36-inch roll splint
- SAM finger splint
- 100 x Band-Aids
- Eyewash
- 4 x exam gloves
- A barrier mask
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