A personal first aid kit.

Now I'm no doctor or paramedic, but over the years I've done quite a few courses for first aid and some have been better than others. I have learnt a lot from them and have had to use those skills in real life. And I'm very thankful to have done those courses and that I have a reasonably good base knowledge in first aid. For new hunters and backcountry hikers you can't beat having good training. So if you haven't done a first aid course then you should. They are well worth while. For my job I have to have a current first aid certificate.

As I keep mentioning, check out other experienced hunters or trampers first aid kits, see what they are carrying. Ask them why they are carrying the items they have. There is a reason they have the items in their kits.

My first aid/survival bag. Pretty much all I carry from a first aid point. 

As for a personal first aid kit,  as you become more experienced in the outdoors and in backcountry travel you will find there are things you need and things you don't. There are certainly alot of stuff in a standard first aid kit that is not needed or you will ever use.

For example you really don't need to carry 10 safety pins, three stretchy bandages, a triangle arm sling bandage, 5 viles of distilled water, twenty sticking plasters of varying sizes, etc. You are carrying things you will probably never use for your entire life of tramping or hunting. So why carry them? You just need items that are useful for you and that's it.

Your first aid kit can be modified to your needs. In mine I have an old film canister with some Panadol, Antihistamine tabs and Advil (pain killers) I have a roll of red insulation tape, some sticking plasters and a couple of military grade wound bandages. Also a pair of good scissors and tweezers. And that's it.

Inside my old film case. They are all small items so this keeps them all together.

Some have a tourniquet they carry, and again it's a case of carrying one that in all fairness you will never use (let's hope you don't) . However In the event of a major bleed, then yes one could be very handy. But knowing how to use one properly is the key and that takes training.

A couple of different types of tourniquet. But it is important to know how to use them correctly.

 I've always said if you can't fix things with a roll of insulation tape then you're in deep shit. If it is that bad then its activate your PLB time!

Make a first aid kit to suit your needs. Don't get sucked in carrying a huge load of stuff you will never use or buying a first aid kit that again has a huge load of items that aren't necessary. Make your own first aid kit up with items that are useful and practical.