Gear List

This is a list that you can use to help put together a good first aid kit for the streets. No one carries all of this - pick and choose those items that make sense to you, and match your skill level.

Note: you can download this list as plain text here

We've organized this list into 2 rough sections- things we believe most people will want to have in a complete kit in the first section and extras in the second section. We like the extras, and various ones of us carry more or less from the second list depending on the specific action (ie is it raining or snowing, is it 100 degrees outside), how much room we have in our pack, and finally what we both have experience using and have access to. Things like epi-pen and several of the herbs in the second section will only be useful if you can not only get them but also use them responsibly.

Finally give some thought to your pack- both the pack itself (most of us use shoulder bags as they afford quicker and easier access on the fly) and how it's packed. What do you want on the outside for easy access? what needs to be kept dry? what things do you often or always use together so should be kept together? We all change our packs and how they're packed around a lot before we find the combination that works for us.

The Basics:

  • Water- preferably in a sport- top bottle
  • Non-latex gloves
  • Gauze - sterile and non-sterile 4x4's - have some of each
  • Maalox mixed 1:1 with water in a squrt-top bottle
  • Band-Aids (S, M, L, knockle, etc.)
  • Antiseptic wash (like witch hazel or iodine)
  • Paper tape
  • Arnica (homeopathic)
  • Rescue remedy
  • Pen and paper
  • Watch
  • Emergen-C powder or other re-hydration drink mix
  • Paper bag (for hyperventilation)
  • Sun screen (alcohol based)
  • Mineral (or other) oil and alcohol (only if you fully understand how to use them!)
  • Energy bars
  • Bandana (in a ziplock, soaked in apple cider vinegar)
  • Safety pin or 2

The extras

(remember no one carries all of this so pick and choose- they're not listed in the order of importance)
  • Sam splint
  • Ace bandage
  • Cake icing tube (diabetic emergencies)
  • Benadryl
  • Calendula/st. john's wort/arnica topical salve
  • Apis (homeopathic for bee stings & allergy)
  • Skull cap/lavender tincture 1:1
  • Asthma inhaler
  • Epi-pen (epinephrine, for anaphylaxis)
  • Tampons (good for nose bleeds too)
  • Topical antibiotic ointment
  • Space blanket
  • Clean t-shirt sealed in a bag
  • Extra plastic bags
  • Bandage scissors
  • EMT shears
  • Chinese burn salve
  • Tongue depressors (for splinting fingers)
  • Flash light/pen light
  • Mole skin
  • Matches
  • Goggles
  • Ice pack(s)/heat pack(s)
  • CPR face shield
  • Cloth sling
  • Eriogonum cinnamon tincture (to help stop bleeding)
  • Yunnan Pai Yao (Chinese remedy for serious bleeding)
  • Charcoal tablets (for GI upset & topically for inflammation, stings)


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