Micro First Aid Kit

In photography there’s a saying: the best camera is the one you have with you. The same can be said of first aid.

On a recent hike I cut my hand. I had a full first aid kit in my pack, but it was buried, and a bit of a burden to get to right then and there. I decided to wait until my next stop to deal with it. By then I’d forgotten. Overnight, that tiny cut turned into an annoying recovery in the coming week. Lesson learned: a kit is only useful if it’s quick enough to dispense.

The Pocket Cross is my solution — a first aid kit small enough to always carry. Desk, woods, even through TSA security at the airport. If I have pockets, I can have this kit.

Design Philosophy

Pocket Cross is built around three ideas:

• Small – 3x2 inches, ~23 grams (disappears in a pocket)
• Multi-use – almost every piece serves more than one purpose
• Modular – three inner bags can ride together or separately

The black cross on the pouch makes it instantly recognizable to others as first aid if needed.

Contents

Bag 1 – Bandage & Wound Care

• 3 small bandages
• 3 medium bandages
• 4 alcohol prep pads (70% isopropyl alcohol)
• 5 small cotton balls

Uses:

• Clean and cover cuts
• Disinfect skin
• Pad blisters
• Cotton + petroleum jelly = fire starter
• Cotton as improvised water filter

Bag 2 – Pharmacy

• 5 zinc tablets (plain white)
• 5 aspirin (white, coated, labeled)
• 5 diphenhydramine (pink, Benadryl)
• 3 ibuprofen (maroon)

Uses:

• Pain relief (aspirin, ibuprofen)
• Anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen)
• Antihistamine (diphenhydramine)
• Immune support (zinc)
• Diphenhydramine also works as a mild sleep aid
• Aspirin doubles as an emergency blood thinner for heart attack symptoms

Bag 3 – Petroleum Jelly

• ~10cc petroleum jelly in a mini ziplock

Uses:

• Locks in moisture, helps keep wounds clean
• Lip balm, blister guard, chafing protection
• Fire starter (with cotton balls)
• Improvised gear lubricant

Firestarting (bonus)

If it's a clear sunny day and you can source a bit of water (the clearer the better), you have everything you need to start a fire!

1. Simply empty the wound care bag of its contents, and add water.
2. Fluff one of the cotton balls to generate more surface area and add some vaseline (this will help kickstart a spark in a bit).
3. Position the bag of water between the cotton ball and the sun, directing a focused beam of light at loose cotton strands until it starts to smoke a bit; blow a little to increase the heat. It shouldn't take long for the cotton strands to ember up and the rest to catch a flame. The vaseline gives you an extra minute or two of burn time to give enough flame to a tinder source.