Hi all, I am a Product Manager for new upstart first aid product line located here in Essex Vermont. I wanted your opinions on what products you would like to see in a outdoor first aid kit. Currently we have a waterproof hardshell case to protect the medical supplies. There are 3 airtight and resealable medical packs in the case that are waterproof. There is also a smaller soft side kit (IFAK or Trailhead kit) in the case you can take on the GO. One of the upgrades we are currently working to procure are hemostatic dressings to stop severe bleeding. Here is a picture of the case with contents list. Please let me know what you think. Are there supplies you want or supplies you would like taken out of the kit?
Comments
[deleted] OP t1_j25ueyi wrote
Thank you the feedback.
kabfighter2 t1_j25brmf wrote
Maybe a Life Straw or some other water purification device? Can't take all those pills without potable water.
[deleted] OP t1_j25duvh wrote
We originally had a life straw but found it was pretty bulky to carry in the soft side kits you would take on hikes or day trips. But maybe it might be an upgrade option for someone to throw in to the Basecamp hard shell case?
Reasonable_Bend_1472 t1_j29f9p8 wrote
Those water treatment tabs could be a good middle ground. Potable Aqua comes to mind. I have a couple of them in my teeniest kit that I bring when I know there is no chance at all I'll run out of water, in case I run out of water.
[deleted] OP t1_j29j7pw wrote
Water Treatment tabs would be an easy and lightweight upgrade. Thanks for the feedback.
Reasonable_Bend_1472 t1_j29wiaa wrote
You reminded me of a study I read in the past couple years: When you solicit feedback like this almost no one will ever suggest removing anything.
It might just be me, but I'd try to avoid tearing open those packs until I needed them.
Everyday things like sunscreen, insect repellant, basic adhesive bandages (I assume bandage 1x3, large bandage and fingertip bandage are basically just bandaids) are of little value to me...
I'd rather you included a note that said "Add your own damn bug-spray, sunscreen and multi-pack of bandaids" even at the same price.
Perhaps add a good simple sugar source - glucose tablets.
Oh! I ran into someone who told me a story about rendering medical aid on an international flight: Did you know things have different names? What if an european was looking for Paracetamol? It's good to have the generic and brand name, but check for regional names that differ.
[deleted] OP t1_j29xqmr wrote
The packs are resealable. You'd be surprised on the feedback I've gotten to remove certain supplies. The generic names are listed but you can't use brand names without copyright infringement.
Reasonable_Bend_1472 t1_j2a34ee wrote
Cool :) Very cool product btw too.
Two thoughts on the name thing:
First, the paracetamol example is the English generic name for acetaminophen. An English brand name is Panadol, versus Tylenol in the US.
Second, it's for sure not a copyright issue, it's a trademark issue. Every bottle of generic acetaminophen in the country says "Compare to the active ingredient in Tylenol" somewhere on the box. I am NOT a trademark lawyer, but I think you need to do more research here because having both names would be a lot safer.
chitberry13 t1_j26v66c wrote
I would add another tourniquet, and SAM splint.
[deleted] OP t1_j28miuw wrote
The hard case(Basecamp) has one tourniquet in the lid, depending if they consumer purchases the IFAK or Trailhead soft case; IFAK comes with two more tourniquets, Trailhead has one tourniquet inside.
Unique-Public-8594 t1_j25kjft wrote
Like kabfighter said, Life Straw.
Kind of depends on whether this is intended to be more First Aid only or both First Aid and Survival.
Solar charger (built into the outer case)? Something that can notify emergency services of your location? Emergency (thin foil?) “blanket”? Iodine? Some dehydrated food?
[deleted] OP t1_j25lkk8 wrote
More First Aid than survival but we have mixed in some survival products in to the trailhead soft kit such a emergency blankets, bivy sack, compass, fire starter, etc. At the end of the day we are giving enough supplies to hopefully get you out of the woods while maintaining lightweight and portability. TrailMedic on Youtube just posted a review of our kits. Check it out: https://youtu.be/NqvjWsF7UJg
deadowl t1_j26o541 wrote
Obvious things that stand out:
- Antiseptic wipes should be universal.
- Lack of hand/feet warmers in cold climates.
What I would recommend is looking at climate and ecosystem zones individually to design first aid and survival kits. E.g. poison parsnip grows in Vermont, let's have something in our kit for exposure to that. Ticks are pretty common east of the Mississippi--gotta have something for that. Hire me to do your market segmentation if need be.
[deleted] OP t1_j28nxjo wrote
Unfortunately from a cost perspective it is not feasible to have kits designed for every ecosystem zone. It would be alot of overhead sitting on shelves which is why no company has kits designed for that. Most consumers add extra supplies/equipment to their kits.
We do have a tick key in the Trailhead bag, sting relief wipes, posion ivy wipes, hydrocortisone cream etc.
deadowl t1_j29g1d2 wrote
Okay, so I imagine you have outsourced labor then?
[deleted] OP t1_j29ia4y wrote
We are an upstart company and have supply chain and manufacturing ready to roll.
deadowl t1_j29kmgi wrote
Yea, you'd need to adopt a supply chain that restricts manufacturing and distribution for it to not be economically feasible to have regional variants, which is why I'm guessing you're doing the manufacturing over in China or someplace like that where you've gotta have a minimum number of orders per unit specification.
[deleted] OP t1_j29kwea wrote
We are an upstart company hence why we are on a crowdfunding platform ;)
deadowl t1_j29no1y wrote
How do you intend to distribute revenue? Are you going to invest in local manufacturing? Maybe take over the old Edge Pharma facilities if they haven't been already?
[deleted] OP t1_j29pfuk wrote
We are getting way off topic from my original post. Our Director of Logisitics has everything setup without getting into details. Yes, we would love to do everything local once we have enough revenue. We already have a warehouse and office space. Frugged is just a new product line from Garnet Health here in Essex VT.
deadowl t1_j29qeih wrote
I'd think targeting and later diversifying based on ecological zones is an untapped space that would make a lot of sense because it's not a saturated market like the one you're entering. Insourcing to some level would help you diversify in that space.
wolfgaardvt t1_j269j0x wrote
Are these available now or is availability dependent on your Indegogo campaign? We may be running a Vermont -based event or two in 2023 that would be a great venue to promote/sell these kits...:)
[deleted] OP t1_j28ok47 wrote
It is currently dependent on the success of the IndieGoGo campaign to give us enough funding to launch retail unless we get a contract from a company. What are the Vermont based events? We have been looking at renting space for VT based events to sell kits.
8valvegrowl t1_j29udh8 wrote
Here is another area that I don't think is paid much attention to, I'm not a medic/first responder, but I've been in a situation or two:
Dexterity/Ease of use - Things need to be easy to access or use, whether solo work on a victim or solo on yourself and it needs to be done with one hand. Possibly in gloves, whether latex/nitrile gloves or cold weather gear.
One handed, simple tourniquets like RATS are invaluable in this case (the windlass tourniquet you listed is good and effective, but I feel like it takes a lot more dexterity to work effectively with one hand), same with trying to open packaging for dressings/pills/anti-bacterials/liquids.
I'm sure there are lots of rules about how things like pills and liquids can be stored, but a little tear off packet sucks in a low mobility or challenging environment.
I put stuff like these in a plastic vial with a pop cap that I can flick off or force off with a squeeze or brush against something. Probably not realistic for a product, but something to think about.
[deleted] OP t1_j29v0zr wrote
We actually have applied for a wholesale account with RapidStop for RATS tourniquets yesterday. It’s a great product because you can also use it on dogs.
chitberry13 t1_j2c08rk wrote
RATS tourniquets are not TCCC recommended. Stick to CAT or SOFTT-W. CATs can be used on dogs. I have used them on pig limbs during live tissue training.
[deleted] OP t1_j2dt21p wrote
Yes, I’ve used them in live tissue training before deployment to Iraq.
Cranky_Yankee t1_j2ajtr2 wrote
You should cross post this over in r\NewHampshire sub. Judging by the comments, they get a lot of hikers including the White Mountain volunteer rescuers .
[deleted] OP t1_j2ar9gm wrote
Thanks for the idea. I will certainly do that. Happy New Year
cheetofoot t1_j28n7sm wrote
Totally put the moleskin in the smaller one, just a half strip or something. It's such a day saver.
Was working on a trail crew this fall and one of the old timers is a physician. Never seen anyone whip it out of their pack faster when I said the word "hot spot".
I really like your medicine selection.
I love this Vermont product!! I'm proud of carrying my first aid and I'd be very proud to carry Vermont products in it.
[deleted] OP t1_j28obkk wrote
Yes, moleskin is fantastic. The Woundcare bag comes with 6 and the Trailhead soft kit comes with 4 moleskin. Thank you for the input. Hopefully we have a successful launch on crowdfunding this month so we can launch retail soon.
elpvtam t1_j28qo2x wrote
This is what's in my first aid kit Alcohol wipes A few gauze pads A few bandaids Maybe a butterfly closure Good waterproof tape Ibeprofen in a small tube Benadryl (at least 4) Key chain swiss army knife. Scissors and file are most useful Spain headlamp batteries Some duct tape Lighter Sometimes I'll add a sam splint and bigger tape if it's a longer ski/bike outing. Personally my philosophy is go as light as possible so you're more inclined to carry it.
[deleted] OP t1_j28r3uz wrote
Thats a good setup. I would recommend a tourniquet or hemostatic gauze for serious bleeds.
Reasonable_Bend_1472 t1_j28skfk wrote
An irrigation syringe would be a good addition.
[deleted] OP t1_j28tco6 wrote
Yes, thank you! Easy upgrade right there
8valvegrowl t1_j28z19u wrote
Along with some sterile water/larger quantity of saline or something to treat the water being used for irrigation.
Solid looking kits. I have some of the MyMedic products, which are similar, but I'd certainly go out of my way to support a local company making good FAKs.
[deleted] OP t1_j292esv wrote
Thank you for your support. Love Vermonters who support local companies. MyMedic makes great products but they charge alot and that can turn away consumers. Our IFAKs on our crowdfunding campaign are 30-40% marked down $69 to grow business but even when we launch retail at $89 it's still half off what MyMedics prices are. Our goal is to make high quality first aid available to everyone by keeping the prices low. Keep in touch and follow us on Instagram@ go_frugged and Facebook as Frugged
8valvegrowl t1_j29pzv1 wrote
MyMedic is VERY pricy and 7-8 years ago when I started using them, they were about the only game in town for kits of this caliber, so kudos to you and your team trying to put together well thought out kits at a better price. I'll be watching and supporting.
[deleted] OP t1_j29qe1x wrote
Yes, please go to IndieGoGo, find us under Frugged and support us if you can. These will be the cheapest the kits sell for before retail. Thanks again!
Reasonable_Bend_1472 t1_j29evox wrote
That's good if you can get it, but weight can be a factor.
8valvegrowl t1_j29orpl wrote
For sure, carrying 500 ml of saline or DI is a weight concern for someone carrying a kit in a daypack or backpacking.
I was thinking more like the Base Camp kit would include a sterile water source.
For a lighter weight kit, maybe some Iodine drops/tablets to clean up an unknown water source. Yes, cleaning a wound out with any water is better than none, but a little insurance that you aren't adding bacterial infections in a deep or dirty wound might go a long way in prevention.
8valvegrowl t1_j28zjni wrote
Some packets of QuikClot are VERY handy. Especially a powder like Celox. Also, liquid wound sealer tubes. I use those all the time. Or just Krazy Glue :)
[deleted] OP t1_j291j9e wrote
Yes, we are currently looking at several brands of hemostatic agents for the kits. VetBond by 3M is a great glue to use for cuts. We also have some duct tape in the kits too.
PerennialPangolin t1_j25sa51 wrote
Instant cold pack. I know they are quite bulky but aside from basic bandages and antiseptic wipes, that's probably the first aid item I've actually needed/used the most often.
Also, if it were me I would probably reduce the number of different antihistamines and pain killers.