Travel Gear Review: Do I Need To Pack A DIY Travel First Aid Kit?

Updated for 2021!

​If you're about to hit the road, it's time to prepare a DIY travel first aid kit. I'm never without my tiny medical kit and neither should you.

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If you're about to hit the road, whether it's for your first trip or your four hundredth, you should have a DIY travel first aid kit in your pack. Thankfully, putting together a tiny medical kit is inexpensive, easy, and won't take much time at all. 

Good news: Chances are, your DIY travel first aid kit will NOT need all of this stuff! Photo courtesy wikihow.

Here's the secret to my perfect DIY travel first aid kit - I cheat. I personally bought two different tiny kits designed for backpackers at my local camping store. I sorted through the contents to make up one deluxe yet tiny first aid mini-pack. However, you could use as easily use a sturdy Ziploc bag or a tiny packing cube and stock it with items from around the house. 

My tiny medical kit now contains:

• Tiny scissors (they fold up just like these guys do!)
• Tweezers (good for pulling out splinters)
• Basic tiny sewing kit (compliments of a few different hotel packages that I mixed and matched - just a few safety pins, a sewing needle, some basic thread, a button or two)
• Band-aids and blister treatments (pay for quality here. Foot blisters are a traveller's worst nightmare. Cheap band-aids that fall off are useless)
• A few individually wrapped packages of gauze (good to clean a cut, apply pressure to a wound)
• Alcohol disinfectant wipes 
• Anti-bacterial ointment like Polysporin.
• Individual use sachets of After Bite and burn ointment. 
• A thermometer (this one is less than $10. Get it. Don't agonize over whether or not you're sick or SICK-sick.)
• Capsules to treat everything from motion sickness (yep, it's the WORST), headaches, muscle pain, seasonal allergies, allergic reactions, and stomach upset (no, that's the WORST. I take a lot of these Pepto Bismal capsules when I travel.) Unless it's something I use a lot, I cut strips of two capsules from their foil package sheets. That's enough to help me out for 12 hours or so on the road and it is a big enough strip of packaging to identify the products while still being tiny for my kit.

And more. A lot more. There’s nothing that would really save a life – just make life more bearable. And it all fits in a tiny pack that’s about 4x4x2 inches.

So where do you get all of these odds and ends if you can't find travel sized versions of them? You can ask your doctor or pharmacist. They often get promos and samples they are more than happy to give away. You can make your own DIY medical kit holders using nothing more than plastic drinking straws and a lighter (seriously - here's a video about it! You can also order them through this handy website.

The exact kits I used have changed a bit but you could combine this kit (a 66 piece first aid travel kit) and this kit (a wilderness inspired one - the bright yellow packaging is nearly identical to what I use.) Here's what they look like - click on the images to get more info.

How much of this gear is in your first aid kit? Photo courtesy wikipedia.org.

I have always taken the approach that the purpose of such a first aid kit isn’t likely to save lives. While it’s a nice thought, the reality is that virtually all major maladies and injuries must be taken care of at a clinic or hospital. Instead, I think of the first aid kit as a device to save “day or ten dollars”. If you’re taking a bumpy ferry ride as part of your trip, save yourself the $10 (or more!) at the drug store and just bring two motion sickness capsules in your DIY travel first aid kit. Get a nasty cut on your knee that will need cleaning and wrapping? Well, you’ve bought yourself a day by having basic supplies on hand and you can safely take some extra time to think of your next first aid step. If it’s 3am on a Sunday, you will be glad to have some Polysporin and gauze on hand and buy an extra 24 hours before you need to get to civilization.

All this first aid stuff is pretty basic, but recently I’ve read a few article suggesting a few more creative and unusual items for a first aid kit. So crafty! And they make so much sense – why didn’t I think of this before? Like taking a package of Jello with you – easy comfort food for a sick stomach. Easy to digest, adds hydration and sugar, bound to be wildly popular. You can usually find a bowl and boiling water in most parts of the world.

​Another great idea was a package of instant chicken broth. Comfort in a cup, perfect for a recovering digestive track. Perfect for flavoring plain rice when you are so, so sick of it. I also read about plain instant oatmeal – great for breakfast, even better if you have a rash that JUST. WON’T. QUIT. Oatmeal is so soothing to strained skin. And, tiniest of all, a package or two of fast food salt. Makes instant saline solution to clean out a cut or scrape. It’s not perfect, but if you have a bad abrasion, you can clean it as best you can, then take a warm, slightly salinic bath. Clean the wound well with soap, and gently pat dry. Great substitution for first aid ointment if you are in a pinch.

Unless you are doing extreme work in an extreme location, don’t let your DIY travel first aid kit take up too much space or money in your travel life. Cover your basics to buy yourself an extra day before seeking assistance. Pack light, but make sure you’re safe and comfortable on the road. And don’t forget to raid the kitchen cupboards for some inspiration!

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