I have a kit that I carry in my car and in my pack when I am out in bush. I keep a number of items that are important to me in the event that something catastrophic happens. A survival blanket, fire building supplies, rope, knife, water and MRE's are some of them.

One item that should be in every kit is Quikclot. It is a type of gauze pad that is impregnated with a clay-like substance that causes the blood to clot quickly. I have a heart condition that requires me to use blood thinner. If I get cut or scratched, the bleeding can be uncontrollable. The only thing I have found that can get it stopped is Quikclot. The U.S. military has used various versions of Quikclot for several years. The initial product was granular and had to be poured onto a wound. It did stop the bleeding, but there was an exothermic reaction that could cause a burning. They quit making that a couple of years ago. The new stuff is a gauze. It has no exothermic problems and works great.

I have carried it in my first aid kit for a couple of years now and have had to use it a few times. By pressing the gauze pad onto the cut and putting pressure on it for a couple of minutes, I can get the cut to stop bleeding. I now keep Quikclot in my medicine cabinet at home, in my car and in my first aid kit in my pack. Anyone who spends much time in the field is going to have occasions to get cut or deeply scratched. It is really important to have the ability to stop the bleeding and get the wound covered. One item that helps with that is Quikclot. I order mine at Quikclot.com, but it is now available at a bunch of stores and on-line merchants.