We buy all the products we test — no freebies from companies. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps support our testing.
Need a first aid kit for your home, car, or next outdoor adventure? First aid professionals, ski patrollers, and wilderness first responders took 16 kits with them for two months.
Our experts agree the Surviveware Small is the best kit for most applications. It is relatively small and affordable but still has the essentials most people need. The Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose is the best value for home use. It comes packed with bandages but is a fraction of the cost of most kits.
Read on for more recommendations on the most complete kits we tested and the lightest ones for easy travel.
Editor's Note: We updated our first aid kit review on December 6, 2024, to offer more specific advice on our award choices and suggest alternative products.
The Surviveware Small is a Kit that includes a well-chosen assortment of high-quality medical supplies in a highly durable, water-resistant case with sealed zippers. Compact yet complete, it is essential for managing minor and serious injuries, and our tester notes that “it holds its own as a group-sized kit for a short backpacking trip”. While not as comprehensive as the MyMedic MyFAK, items like hospital-grade forceps, trauma shears, and Ace bandages add value, while gloves and a CPR mask are thoughtful inclusions for emergency readiness and provide a solid base. Everything included in the kit is well-organized, and we were able to find each item quickly. At 16 oz, it is not the lightest, but we feel it is a reasonable weight for what it provides. You can go lighter with a single-person kit like the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .7.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions
3.1" x 6.2" x 6.7"
Measured Weight
16 oz
First Aid Book
Yes
CPR Mask/ Face Shield
Yes
Medications
No
This kit doesn't come with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen, so you may want to add your own. We also supplemented ours with extra gloves and tape, and we appreciate that there's room for these additions, allowing you to tailor the contents to fit your needs. As mentioned above, this kit has one of the most rugged cases we have encountered, which helps provide some durability in the backcountry. However, it is more difficult to operate the zippers, and it may be overkill for domestic use. If you don't need something quite as durable or compact, the Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose is a more affordable kit to keep around the house or in the car. However, the Surviveware is still our top choice in terms of versatility for home, car, or backcountry use.
The Small Surviveware kit is compact and easy to carry. It includes high-quality items like trauma shears, forceps, gloves, and a CPR mask, but leaves it up to the user to add in over-the-counter meds.
The Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose is what we go to for a reliable at-home kit. It has an ample supply of the basics we most commonly need: Band-Aids of all sizes, Neosporin, medical tape, Tylenol, and Benadryl anti-itch cream. The contents are all of good quality, and we especially appreciate the variety of bandage sizes. It is a great setup for families with children or anyone needing a quick adhesive bandage to fix them up quickly. It can also be a solid main stock to pull from when you need to refill smaller travel kits like the Homestock+ Professional. With a decent coverage of the basics, this kit would also be a worthy option to keep in the office.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions
10" x 7" x 3.5"
Measured Weight
22 oz
First Aid Book
Yes
CPR Mask/ Face Shield
No
Medications
Yes - acetaminophen
One of our main issues is that the case and packaging are flimsy. The carrying case feels cheap, and the two plastic latches seem likely to fail faster than we'd prefer. Additionally, the plastic insert holding many supplies is utterly disposable. We also noted that the bandages are a paler shade and that the kit does not include any OurTone bandages. With a weight of 22 oz, it is on the heavier side, and combined with the flimsy case, we don't recommend traveling with this kit. If you're seeking a nicer case, the Surviveware Small offers a more durable travel case with quality components. Issues with the case aside, the quality of the first-aid items is top-notch, and we plan to keep this kit on hand for at-home use.
If you're looking for a one-stop-shop for all the things you might need on a daily basis, the Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose is a fantastic choice. It's a great starter kit to use at home or keep at the office.
Those seeking a solid value should check out the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker. About as wide as a postcard, this kit includes essentials like full-size trauma sheers, tick tweezers, and over-the-counter medications like aspirin and acetaminophen. It is essentially a pared-down version of its big brother, the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Backpacker, and our testing team said that “this case especially stands out for its superb organization.” Thanks to its trim size, you shouldn't have any trouble tucking it into even your tiniest daypack. It weighs only 10 ounces, and if you feel you've got your first aid practice dialed, you can lighten it even more by removing the guidebook. Because of its scant weight, we love taking this kit along on mountain bike rides, day hikes, and multi-pitch rock climbs. It's our favorite compact option for short trips and offers an impressive assortment of supplies for the price.
While we highly recommend this compact kit for its overall value, don't expect it to offer the same components as larger kits. It skimps on extra personal protection equipment — with only one pair of nitrile gloves and no CPR mask, it's less adaptable to certain medical emergencies. The quantities in this kit are intentionally minimal to keep it lightweight, so it's best suited for just one or two people instead of a larger group, and you'll have to restock from a bigger kit like the Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose after each use. You'll be hard-pressed to find a more adaptable, compactable first aid kit for the size, weight, and price, but the HART Health Weekend is a decent alternative with a slightly lower price. However, we think the extra few bucks are worth the improved selection in the Mountain Series Hiker, and we recommend it to those looking for a compact kit for day use.
The Hiker kit from Adventure Medical Kits has everything you need to keep yourself moving on short day trips. It's not designed for helping strangers or addressing major trauma, but it's a great, lightweight, and affordable kit to have on you whenever you head out for a day in nature.
The MyMedic MyFAK has been updated since our test cycle. It now employs a folding page design, with updates to the organization of the components and more space. There is also a Molle panel for attaching accessories or other tools on the case.
The MyMedic MyFAK is the burliest first aid kit we've tested, in part thanks to the ballistics-grade nylon package it comes in but also in terms of the selection of tools it includes. It looks and feels super durable and features the heavy-duty medical gear many other kits lack. Pressure bandages, saline irrigation tubes, medical-grade thermometers, and trauma shears are just a few of the high-quality pieces of equipment included. Of course, standard items like bandage tape, Moleskin, Liquid Skin, and an emergency blanket are also found in the pack, and everything is organized in a way that makes it intuitive and easy to find the tools you need in the moment. This kit also includes a small tear-away pouch and our testers say, “It's perfect for short trips away from camp when you don't want to carry the entire case.”
It is somewhat inevitable that with all this gear, the MyFAK comes in a bulky and heavy package. It is one of the heaviest options we tested at 31 ounces and, therefore, is an unlikely candidate for shorter hikes. For that, we prefer something like the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker. However, more than other kits, the MyFAK will be appreciated by trained medical professionals. It is best for situations that require more serious medical attention in remote areas when preparedness trumps the weight of the first aid kit. If you want something more lightweight to tote into the backcountry, check out the AMK Mountain Series Backpacker Medical Kit. The MyFAK is ideal for car camping, job sites, off-road driving, or other activities where you can establish a well-stocked home base and you aren't as concerned with shedding ounces off your pack weight.
The hefty MyFAK is packed with emergency equipment for when things go seriously sideways. With items most other kits won't give you - like pressure bandages, medical thermometers, and irrigation syringes - this beefy pack will be appreciated by those with professional medical training.
The Homestock+ Professional is our favorite first aid kit for taking out on a road trip. It comes in a durable soft case designed to attach to the back of a headrest. We love that this kit is super well-organized. Every item has a labeled slot that also provides the intended use for that item (e.g., sterile gauze pad for wound cleaning). It includes a solid supply of a wide variety of basic items, which are robust enough for extended road trips or just simply keeping your car well-stocked in case of everyday emergencies.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions
7.9'' x 5.9'' x 3.6''
Measured Weight
21 oz
First Aid Book
Yes
CPR Mask/ Face Shield
Yes
Medications
No
We think this kit could be improved in a couple of ways. The individual compartments are tight and inflexible, making it difficult for people with larger hands to pull out some of the supplies. It also doesn't come with any medications, so you'll want to supplement it with over-the-counter basics. While all basic first aid kits can be dialed in for specific uses, if you're seeking a kit to keep in your car, the Homestock+ is our top choice for the long road ahead. The Protect Life 250pc Kit is a decent alternative for keeping in a vehicle.
The organization and helpful labeling of the Homestock+ makes it easy to find what you're looking for. With an impressive array of items, this kit is a great choice for keeping closeby on any road trip.
The Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .7 is so small and lightweight that it is the perfect option to throw in your bag and forget about until needed. The small kit covers the basics, with options that are high quality. The case is watertight, so should you be headed out on an adventure with water crossings or if your water bottle leaks in your pack? This kit is great for quick adventures outdoors but also makes a decent car or work bag companion.
The small kit doesn't include many items, so we recommend another option for bigger road trips or general home use, like the Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose. With the limited options, you'll need to restock from a larger supply more often. The small watertight case makes this an excellent second kit to keep in a bag, but you'll still need a primary kit for the home or office. Still, we think this is an excellent option to keep on hand or in a bag, just in case.
The double layer of protection on the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .7 keeps the contents safe.
The Adventure Medical Kits Smart Travel stands out as an ideal offering for world travelers. This kit could be brought along on a hiking trip, but we found it best suited for someone going on a vacation or a trip abroad. The included materials and medications are more applicable, such as an easy-to-use visual guide to support people with a language barrier at foreign clinics. The well-stocked Smart Travel Kit has everything you need for basic care abroad, including several common over-the-counter travel medications. This kit is designed to be used on the go and can be hung from the back of a door. It's made of durable material that should resist wear and tear.
This kit's main drawback is its layout and organizational structure, which was underwhelming compared to other products. We still feel like this first aid kit has a lot to offer to those traveling, especially in foreign countries, and it's small enough that people living out of their luggage should be able to bring it along without exceeding the weight limit. If you're heading into the backcountry, we also like the AMK Mountain Series Hiker kit.
AMK's Smart Travel kit features components that come in handy for travels abroad, like oral rehydration salts and antidiarrheals.
Credit: Ryan Huetter
Compare Products
The value of a first aid kit is directly related to its purpose. The many different kits available vary in size based on assortment of supplies. It is important to consider what types of items you need based on your trip plans.
Credit: Jacqueline Kearney
How We Test First Aid Kits
Testing these kits is a combination of real-world use, expert observations, and simulated medical environments like Wilderness First Responder (WFR) courses. During WFR training, we handed these kits off to novices and re-certifying professionals. We took everything apart and evaluated the quality of the contents. We weighed the kits digitally and compared our measurements against the manufacturer's specifications. We tested the practicality of these standard kits during trauma simulations included in WFR training. The diversity of injuries encountered in this simulated environment was an effective approach to gaining hands-on data related to kit versatility and utility. For more information on our testing process, see our how we test article.
We rated first aid kits across five rating metrics:
Quality (25% of overall score weight)
Assortment (25%)
Versatility (25%)
Durability (15%)
Weight (10%)
Why Trust GearLab
For review author and mountain guide Ryan Huetter, first aid is serious. As a mountain professional, injury prevention is his primary risk management tool. But he always carries a quality, well-stocked first aid kit for personal and professional trips. Ryan holds a bachelor's degree in Outdoor Adventure Management from Western Washington University, and he is a fully-certified IFMGA guide and works around the world guiding rock, ski, and alpine climbing trips.
Jackie is a ski patroller and EMT who has worked at Kirkwood Mountain in California and works at Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado. She spends her winters treating everything from minor cuts and scrapes to life-threatening injuries in remote environments. In her spare time, she ski tours, enjoys long runs in the remote San Juan Mountains, and has completed expedition-style ski trips around North America.
Ben started as a guide and wilderness first responder in the outdoor industry while leading backpacking, cycling, and canoeing trips throughout northern New England. He has since completed several of America's most iconic long trails, including the Pacific Crest Trail.
A cold compress usually is just extra weight in the backcountry but it does have a place in a home kit.
Lots of items fit into the small case of the crowd-favorite Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker, and the back has a handy inventory checklist.
Though it's not completely waterproof, the nylon case on the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker is more than up to the task of a trailside deployment.
How to Pick the Best First Aid Kit
We have provided some key components, including kit type, size, and supplies, to help you choose the correct first-aid kit. This summarizes our full First Aid Kit Buying Advice article.
What Type of Kit Do You Need?
First aid kits are offered in various sizes and for different purposes, including day use, overnight, expedition, car, or home use. Choosing the correct kit for the type of activities and places you plan on being in will determine what supplies and items will be necessary. While the name of each of these kits will guide you in the right step, consider looking at the contents of each kit and determining if you need basic supplies to treat minor injuries while on a day trip or if you need something like an expedition kit with enough supplies to treat the needs of a larger group while in hard to reach, remote areas.
Are Specific Items Needed?
It's a good idea to consider personal needs for yourself and your typical group size to have a first aid kit with the right supplies. Examples such as a snake bite kit in highly snake-populated areas or specific medications for allergies and sensitivities are good to remember. More common but necessary items such as CPR masks and extra gloves may be provided in some kits but absent in others. It's ideal to consider your environment and your family/group sizes and prioritize what supplies you deem most important.
Specific items such as digital thermometers and pupil lights can be especially beneficial when medical situations arise.
Credit: Ryan Huetter
How Much Storage and Space Do You Have?
Striking the balance between having the necessary equipment and having enough storage is a worthy consideration. While some folks may already have certain items in case of emergency, others may be starting from scratch. Consider first where you plan on storing your kit, whether in the car, in a backpack, or your medicine cabinet. Then, it's important to prioritize items such as epi-pens and splints and consider how much room these items will take up. Once you have a general idea of where you plan to store your kit, along with the necessary equipment, you can narrow down your choices based on weight, dimensions, and shape.
How Important is a Manual?
Depending on the kit you choose, it may come equipped with a first aid manual to help guide you in emergencies and respond to various medical situations. For those with less training and medical background, it is critical to consider choosing a first aid kit equipped with a detailed manual. This will help direct and instruct users, especially during high-stress scenarios. While it does not replace valuable training and medical knowledge, a thorough manual can help cover a wide range of scenarios necessary for effective medical response.
A Detailed manual goes a long way in applying proper medical care.
Credit: Ryan Huetter
Analysis and Test Results
Our testing process begins with extensive market research to narrow down a selection of the most popular first aid kits on the market. We purchase all the products – just like you – to ensure that our reviews are comprehensive and independent. Once we have these kits in hand, we first assess all of the items (including the case) for quality. We then put the first aid kits through their paces in simulated medical emergencies and real-world, everyday use. We identified several metrics based on the most important performance aspects users will likely demand from a high-quality first aid kit. We compare these kits side-by-side and rank them relative to one another to help you find the best options for home use, international travel, backcountry adventure, and road trips.
What's the Best Value?
You can purchase a small watertight bag and make your custom kit. However, this is a time-consuming process, and the costs can quickly add up. You'd likely end up with plenty of supplies to restock your kit, but you'd have to spend much more than the price of a pre-built model. Retail first aid kits offer excellent value for those wanting to forego this slow and expensive venture.
The quality of the scissors in small first aid kits tends to vary wildly. We strongly prefer kits with hospital grade trauma shears, as displayed here. Scissors are used frequently and are important tools in first aid, so if they don't cut it, it's hard to overlook.
Credit: Jacqueline Kearney
Tradeoffs in this gear category are typically the quality and quantity of the contents. A kit full of items of dubious utility doesn't provide the same value as a kit built out with selective, higher-quality components. The Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose is an affordable kit that offers a variety of high-quality bandages for everyday bumps and scrapes. The compact Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker doesn't have the same assortment as larger kits, but the selective utility of its contents is practical for the backcountry. Both first aid kits provide great value for their given uses.
The Homestock+ Professional has a quality soft case that will keep supplies protected and intact, and is purposefully built for keeping in your car.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
Quality
Quality is a crucial factor when considering a first aid kit. To test the quality of each particular kit, we carefully examined the tools, medical supplies, medications, and storage case or pouch. We put manufacturer quality control to the test by making sure that the list of contents matched the included supplies and double-checking that any medication was at least one year before its expiration date from when we purchased the kits.
There is a significant variation in the quality of the components of the different kits we tested. For example, some come with solid trauma shears, similar to those a paramedic uses in an ambulance. In contrast, other kits have small scissors made from cheap plastic that bent the first time we attempted to cut something with them. Unreliable tools in your kit exponentially decrease utility, especially in time-sensitive situations. And for backcountry use in particular, it is important to have a container and supplies that can stand up to the elements.
Other items that exhibited a wide range of quality were the rolls of medical tape, triangle bandages, tweezers, and CPR masks. Overall, the Adventure Medical Kits models, including the UltraLight / Watertight .7, Mountain Series Hiker, Mountain Series Backpacker, and Mountain Series Explorer impressed us with their high-quality components. The Surviveware Small and MyMedic MyFAK also include high-quality components ready for the rigors of the backcountry. Although the Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose is definitely not backcountry-ready, it is a high-quality kit that includes J&J brand-name products like BandAid, Neosporin, Bengay, and Tylenol, and it is a great option for at-home or office use.
There can be a wide variety in implement quality. Pictured here (from left to right) are our favorite compact fine point foreceps, scaling up to large, clunky plastic tweezers.
Credit: Ross Robinson
Another factor related to quality is a kit's internal organization. When responding to medical incidents, having your first aid contents clearly labeled and easy to find is reassuring. The Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer and the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker are a few of our favorites for their intentionally designed and intuitive organizational features. We also love the Homestock+ Professional; not only are the items clearly labeled, but the kit also indicates their intended use. We also appreciate fold-out organizer pockets and removable mini kits, like the to-go pocket kit included with the MyMedic MyFAK. Less organized kits forced us to dig excessively or remove everything to find our desired item. After several uses, they became hopelessly cluttered, negatively impacting the entire kit's overall useability.
We test the adhesive properties of bandages by wearing them throughout the day and assessing how well they stay put.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
Assortment
Given the potential scenarios we might encounter on a trail or at home, we want to be confident that the medical supplies on hand are right for the situation. We score kits based on both the variety and context-relevant quantity of supplies. For example, the Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose is quite Band-Aid heavy, but its assortment is appropriate given its at-home or in-office use. Similarly, you don't need to carry a duffel-sized first aid kit into the backcountry to have the right assortment of supplies for wilderness first response. The Surviveware Small is full of practical items – like hospital-grade trauma shears and fine point tweezers for splinters and ticks – and not many items that serve little purpose on the trail.
The MyMedic MyFAK is heavy, but relative to other options of its size, it's perhaps the best equipped to handle large wounds in the backcountry. Kits that are heavy on bulky dressings and wound closure strips but lack over-the-counter medications or blister kits do not rate as highly as those with a more balanced range of supplies. The Homestock+ Professional has a nice variety of supplies – from basic adhesive bandages and gauze to an Ace wrap and a CPR mask – and is well balanced in terms of quantities.
Irrigation syringes are useful for cleaning wounds in the field. Viren Perumal cleans a large avulsion on Julie's hand during trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon.
Credit: Chris Ginzton
The Adventure Medical Kits Smart Travel model is incredibly useful for its designated application. As the name implies, it is designed to be tucked in a carry on during domestic or international trips. This kit includes items like antidiarrheals, rehydration salts, and a visual aid for communication across languages, and it receives a high score in this metric based on its utility for travel in particular. However, it lacks some essentials for effective wilderness use.
The AMK Smart Travel kit comes with a card that can help you bypass language barriers by pointing to photos referencing specific illnesses or injuries.
Credit: Ryan Huetter
A few markedly heavy items are included in some backcountry kits that seem less than useful. For example, the Swiss Safe 120-Piece included a cold compress that did not fully activate, wasting valuable space in the kit. Similarly, some bulkier backcountry kits – like the Protect Life First Aid Kit 250pc – include glow sticks, which could be useful for a roadside emergency, but are likely not as useful in a backcountry context.
It may be more useful to have a better equipped kit for activities like ski mountaineering, where a fall or accident can be more consequential and evacuation to even a nearby trailhead is often more complicated.
Credit: Jacqueline Kearney
The key consideration is how many people you plan to serve with your kit. A small, lightweight kit like the Adventure Medical Kits UltraLight / Watertight .7 is incredibly useful for a day trip for a one or two-person group. But it pales compared to the usefulness of a deeper kit like the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer, designed to serve a group of three or four over many days. It is important to consider the quantity and assortment of supplies based on your group size, travel time, and intended activities. Supplementing these kits with frequently used items like extra gloves, bandages, tape, and medications is not uncommon. If you choose a smaller kit like the Watertight .7, it's a good idea to restock from a larger kit or supply.
Versatility
This metric considers how well a kit can serve different group sizes and a kit's usefulness over a range of activities in both the front- and backcountry. The most versatile models are those that can sufficiently fulfill first-aid needs in multiple contexts, from remote adventures to car camping to home and office use.
The Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer and MyMedic MyFAK are our favorites for use on longer trips with bigger groups. Both kits offer superior storage for a wider range of supplies, making them the most versatile on extended trips. The MyFAK is particularly suited for base camp setups and is also our favorite for dealing with more significant trauma. The Homestock+ Professional is a standout that proved itself on the trail, on a multi-day road trip, and as our everyday, keep-in-your-car kit. The Protect Life First Aid Kit 250pc is similarly useful for road trips but not nearly as versatile for backcountry use.
Several kits like the Homestock+ Professional have manuals with instructions for basic first aid.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
The Swiss Safe 120-Piece kit comes with a small pocket knife, but we found it to be practically useless by itself and would prefer to use one of our favorite pocket knives instead. The I Go Ultralight and Uncharted Supply Co. Core first aid kits displayed little versatility among the small kits. We continually swapped out tape, tools, and medications from more quality kits such as the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker or Surviveware Small to feel more confident in our abilities to provide effective treatment. Although we appreciated the usefulness of the Adventure Medical Kits Smart Travel kit for traveling, it was far from being an all-around champ.
Some kits thrive in the front country more than on trail. You might consider keeping one in your car for emergencies.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
If You Can't Buy It, Build It
If your kit isn't as versatile out of the box as you'd like it to be, don't let that stop you from replacing consumable items with the supplies you actually need. After reviewing each kit, we began mixing the contents to build the ultimate kits for short and long trips.
For example, by combining the Surviveware Small and the AMK Ultralight/Watertight .7, we were able to build a robust kit perfect for a large group on an extended trip. We compensated for each kit's deficiencies while also gaining a customized, pocket-sized kit perfect for day hikes.
The bigger your group, the bigger your kit should be. A first aid kit should be considered group gear, and should be able to handle the needs of the group: from common injuries to the worst-of-the-worst.
Credit: Ryan Huetter
You might consider carrying multiple kits if your backcountry group size is large enough. Groups split up, itineraries change, and the injured or ill may require evacuation while other group members stay in the field. Having the option to split up resources is a good idea. Even for short hikes away from camp, taking a small kit with you while the large base kit stays in camp can be a nice option.
Pockets labeled by injury make the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Backpacker a well-organized, highly versatile option.
Credit: Jacqueline Kearney
Durability
Two components that will likely stay with you for the kit's lifetime are the bag itself and the included tools, so it is particularly important to consider the durability of these items. Inevitably, you will need to replace individual components like medications, but that doesn't mean you should have to preemptively, like if their sterile packaging breaks down. Generally speaking, first aid incidents don't happen on every outing, so kits may bide their time unused at the bottom of a backpack for extended periods. Periodic inspections are recommended for the sake of safety and reliability, but we also expect the quality of our emergency equipment to last between these checks.
The Surviveware Small has a super durable carrying case with the most substantial watertight zippers we have ever seen. Many of these kits include an inventory list that is helpful for restocking. But the Surviveware Small and the entire Adventure Medical Kit line also offer a reordering service to help you easily restock depleted medical supplies with similar quality ones.
We were quite impressed with the Surviveware's watertight and durable zipper.
We also like the double-layer protection of the Adventure Medical Kits UltraLight / Watertight .7. The resealable bag is made of durable, weather-resistant nylon with a reversed watertight zipper and taped seams to protect the kit's components. Other products like the Be Smart Get Prepared 326 Piece kit use a hard-plastic case that can be wall-mounted for easy access in a workplace setting.
While not recommended as the only line of defense against water, the Adventure Medical Kits UltraLight / Watertight .7 kept its contents dry after full dips in a Keene Valley stream.
Credit: Jacqueline Kearney
While you can certainly take extra precautions to protect the contents of your kit, all the included items need to be durable, reliable, and capable of withstanding some abuse. The majority of the kits we tested lacked waterproof or even water-resistant cases. While individual resealable packages can help, you may have to purchase an additional dry bag to ensure your supplies won't spoil.
The durable Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker case makes it a great choice for climbing and hiking.
Credit: Ryan Huetter
Weight
We measured the weight of all the kits in our review and ranked them accordingly. We recognize that not all kits are created equally, so we also considered what supplies they included. Nearly all the kits designed for backcountry use are a reasonable size and weight to carry along in a daypack.
Some kits like the I Go First Ultralight and the Uncharted Supply Co. Core are quite light but are filled with unnecessary or bulky supplies that undermine their utility. The Surviveware Small kit scores decently in this metric because of its very reasonable utility-to-weight ratio – that is, it's incredibly useful for a reasonably sized first aid kit. We love the lightweight and practical Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker for activities like alpine climbing and ultralight backpacking when every ounce and cubic inch matter. Even though it is a couple of ounces heavier than the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .7, its assortment makes it our top choice for most day trips. The HART Health Weekend earns an honorable mention here for its packability and 10-ounce weight.
The lightest of the bunch is the Uncharted Supply Co. Core. But beware, some light kits may need extra additions in order to be sufficiently stocked. This is the unfortunate case with this model.
Credit: Ross Robinson
Weight is only a consideration if you plan on carrying one of these in a backpack. If you're looking for a home- or office-specific first aid kit, options worth noting are the Be Smart Get Prepared kits, both the larger 326-Piece kit as well as the smaller 110-piece kit. Though less likely to come with us on a hiking trip due to its weight, our favorite kit to stash at any base camp is the MyMedic MyFAK. Car and home-based kits can afford greater quantities of common supplies and heavier and bulkier components like Ace wrap bandages and cold compresses since space and weight are not an issue. The Red Cross has a great list of items that should be considered for a home kit.
Adventure Medical Kits include a useful instruction book to help correctly address medical issues common in the backcountry. We like this inclusion, while also acknowledging that it does not replace medical training.
Credit: Jacqueline Kearney
The Adventure Medical Kits Smart Travel model also lands on the heavier side of the spectrum, yet it's appropriate for its intended usage. Several extra ounces in a suitcase is less of a concern than it is in a backpack. Furthermore, if you are skilled and confident enough to embark without needing the first aid manual in the Smart Travel model, you can save weight and space by leaving it at home.
Two different ends of the weight spectrum, these award-winning kits are both incredibly useful but appropriate for much different applications.
Credit: Ryan Huetter
Most of the overnight models we looked at were of similar size because you can only go so small without compromising on the contents you bring with you. The day-tripping models that garnered such high scores in this metric were indeed featherweight – there is no comparing the Surviveware to the slim Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .7 – though be careful how light you go before you lose the usefulness you desire.
The Be Smart Get Prepared 100 is relatively lightweight and has a carrying handle if you need a kit on the go for work travel.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
Two of the heaviest models we would consider carrying for river trips or car camping are the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Explorer and the MyMedic MyFAK. With their extensive tool sets, both of these kits are much better suited for big groups, long trips, or the potential for heavy trauma. Each fills a slightly different role: the Explorer manages to keep weight and bulk relatively low while still offering the ability to care for multiple people over multiple days; we recognize the MyFAK's value as a burly, high-quality first aid kit that is best used at base camp.
Having a good first aid kit on hand just makes sense.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
Conclusion
Everyone needs a quality first aid kit. Whether you never leave the house or you go out for multi-day treks deep into the mountains, you should be prepared for everything from typical cuts and scrapes to unforeseen medical emergencies. Choosing the best first aid kit allows front-country and backcountry users alike to better care for themselves and those around them. We hope you never need to use them, but if you can't prevent an accident, it's better to be prepared for one. Stay safe out there doing all of the things that you love to do!
We take safety in the backcountry seriously, and being prepared for your outdoor adventures also helps make them more fun. While you're planning your next excursion, check out our reviews of the best backpacking tents and our favorite backpacking sleeping bags to help you rest easy. Our backcountry experts have also tested the top-ranked backpacking water filters so you can safely pull water from that pristine – but potentially unclean – alpine stream.
