• While you never intend to need a first aid kit, you’ll always be glad you planned ahead and kept some high-quality medical supplies on hand.
  • The best first aid kits have everything from bandages and wraps to antibiotic ointment and pain relievers stored conveniently in a box or bag for easy access.
  • Even if you already own a first aid kit, it’s smart to routinely check if anything in the kit is expired, low on stock, or needs updating due to any new health requirements of yourself or anyone else who might use it.
  • Our top pick, the First Aid Only All-Purpose First Aid Kit, is compact for easy transport, carefully curated with first aid essentials like wound cleaning supplies and bandages, and is less than $25.

I very much like being prepared – especially when it comes to my own health and well-being. Because of this, I keep a stocked first aid kit in my car, in my home, and packed and ready to go with my hiking gear. I also have a few bandages tucked into my wallet.

As a frequent camper and hiker, I know that having a first aid kit isn’t only a good idea, it’s a necessity. When you’re a three-day hike from the nearest hospital, you’d better be able to count on your own supplies in the event of injury or illness.

When I first started heading out into the mountains, I carried a homemade first aid kit tucked into an old Altoids tin. It had all the basics like bandages, antiseptic wipes, medical tape, anti-itch, and burn relief gels, and so forth. But there were a few problems: The ointments and gels would almost invariably dry out over time, the tape and bandages would grow brittle and lose their adhesion, and because it was so small, I needed to re-stock it often.

So, I decided to splurge on a pre-curated kit that wasn’t just bigger than my DIY version but had everything I needed. I needed to spend a few more dollars but when I finally switched to a professionally assembled kit, I got plenty more peace of mind.

How to shop for a first aid kit

A reliable first aid kit isn’t exactly a mobile trauma center but it does provide the basic supplies you need to mitigate the ill effects of an accident, injury, or sudden illness. Remember, it’s first aid, not final, comprehensive aid.

When choosing a first aid kit, you need to think about who might depend on it (in terms of the sheer number of people and the age and disposition of the user), where it will be stored and/or carried, and in what situations the likely users might endure an injury or illness.

Any first aid kit worth considering should have supplies capable of treating minor cuts, punctures, burns, and other such common injuries. Beyond that, the suitability of a given kit depends on careful consideration of factors ranging from weight to packaging to redundancy of the supplies included.

Choose the first aid kit that best suits the people and the situations in which they'll be, and then hope you never have to use it. With those tips in mind, read on to see which of our top picks is best-suited for your needs.

Here are the best first aid kits:

Updated on 8/28/2020 by Rick Stella: Updated the section on how to shop for a first aid kit, checked the availability of each recommended kit, and updated the prices and links where necessary.

The best first aid kit overall

The First Aid Only All-Purpose First Aid Kit comes with all the basic medical supplies you need for quick diagnostics and the treatments of many ailments.

The First Aid Only All-Purpose First Aid Kit packs 299 doctor-recommended supplies into a soft-sided case measuring just 9.25 by 7.5 inches on its sides and about three inches deep. It's about the size of a hardcover book but within this kit, you will find the tools needed to assess and treat everything from a scraped finger and heavily bleeding gash to a mild headache or high fever.

This kit comes with comprehensive wound cleaning and closure supplies, including multiple butterfly strips, gauze rolls and pads, and several types of bandages, not to mention the various alcohol, antiseptic, and antibiotic wipes and ointments. It's the perfect triage kit for a variety of common injuries.

The kit also comes with an array of supplies invaluable to the person administering first aid, such as sterile vinyl gloves, a single-use thermometer, tweezers, and nickel-plated scissors. For all that, it still costs less than a nice meal - and certainly less than a trip to the ER.

The plastic partition pockets keep everything well-sorted and easy to find in a snap, so you won't be fumbling for the right gear when time is of the essence, either.

WebMD suggests you should replace your first aid kit once a year and replace any missing or expired items. At its affordable cost, you could replace the entire kit once a year without breaking the bank, maintaining a nice peace of mind in your home or workplace.

Pros: Compact but comprehensive, great low price, well organized

Cons: Limited shelf life, included tape is not as adhesive as it could be

The best first aid kit for the office

Foto: Source: Be Smart Get Prepared

The Be Smart Get Prepared 250 Piece First Aid Kit is OSHA and ANSI compliant and covers the first aid needs of up to 50 people, making it perfect for the office.

The Be Smart Get Prepared Kit is a large, comprehensive first aid kit designed to meet the needs of several dozen people. It's a great choice for businesses, retail locations, schools, churches, and even for the home, though it's not a good choice for travel due to its bulky hard case.

The case helps keep the components organized and protected but it's not watertight or resistant to moisture or temperature fluctuations which can affect some of the components. Because of this, it should be stored in a temperate indoor environment.

The Be Smart Get Prepared 250 Piece First Aid Kit has all the wound care components you would expect, from alcohol prep pads and antiseptic towelettes to multiple bandages in varied sizes.

What sets this kit apart from the others in terms of suitability for use in the office or at a school are the medicines it comes with. You'd likely already have access to many of these medicines at home - like pain and anti-inflammatory tablets and antacids - but it's not always a given at work, school, or at other such locations.

It also includes cold packs, another handy feature for use when ice might not be nearby.

Pros: Great choice for the workplace, comes with a selection of medicines, hard plastic shell protects components

Cons: Case is bulky and not water-resistant, latch is prone to failure

The best first aid kit for disaster preparedness

Foto: Source: Amazon

If you're cut off from emergency services following a natural disaster or in times of civil unrest, you'll be glad you have the Lightning X First Responder First Aid Kit.

If you foresee a time where there won't be anyone on the other end of a 9-1-1 call, or you just like to be prepared for anything, the Lightning X First Responder First Aid Kit is the way to go. This kit certainly borders on overkill for most households but it's likely the last kit you'd ever need to buy (not counting the items that merit periodic replacement, like alcohol wipes).

Anyone in need of first aid or preparing to administer it will appreciate the many bandages, the rolls and pads of gauze, the antiseptic wipes, the ointments, the tapes, and more. Anyone with actual medical training will also like the included stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, airway kit, and other more advanced medical tools. In the right hands, this kit is essentially a mobile trauma center while also having all your basic and intermediate first aid needs covered.

This comprehensive first aid kit comes loaded in a lightweight, ergonomic backpack with padded straps and reflective stripes, allowing it to be easily taken on the go - it's even comfortable to carry and highly visible. While it's a great choice for the well-prepared home, this kit was designed for emergency response professionals to use in the field.

Pros: Comprehensive supplies, features advanced medical gear, comes with backpack

Cons: Pricier than other options, many components not needed for basic first aid

The best first aid kit on a budget

Foto: Source: Coleman/Business Insider

The Coleman All Purpose Mini First Aid Kit costs less than a fancy cup of coffee but it helps treat all sorts of minor scrapes, scratches, bug bites, and more.

If you need to treat a compound fracture, you're probably going to need a more advanced medical kit than this option from Coleman. More often than not, the damage we endure is often along the lines of minor cuts and scrapes, burns and bites, and the occasional puncture wound. For those everyday injuries, the Coleman All Purpose Mini First Aid Kit is the ideal choice.

It costs so little that there's really no excuse not to buy one, and given the diminutive size of this kit, you can (and should) bring one along whenever your travels might lead you away from ready access to medical treatment.

Into a charming little tin, Coleman packed several antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, sting relief wipes, and a total of sixteen bandages in five different size and shape varieties. There's also a razor blade for cutting away clothing or trimming medical tape, as well as a pair of safety pins.

Pros: Very affordable, lightweight and compact, perfect for travel

Cons: Not at all comprehensive

Check out our guide to the best emergency kits

Foto: Source: Shutterstock

The best emergency kits you can buy

An emergency kit is something you should have around, in case an unexpected dangerous event happens. You can make your own, or purchase a pre-assembled kit that has everything you may need. We've rounded up the best emergency kits you can find pre-assembled.