Basic First Aid Kit

It goes without saying you'll need to be able to treat injuries. For this, you'll need a first aid kit.

First- DON'T buy a prepackaged first aid kit. Prepackaged kits are overpriced, and usually contain alot of items you don't need many of (like bandaids) and none of the really critical items.

To start, you'll need a box to store your first aid kit in.

This is mine. It's a Korean War-vintage Navy lifeboat first aid box. It was given to me when I was a kid, but you can get one (or a similar one) online for just a few dollars. This box is absolutely airtight (before writing this, I filled my kitchen sink with water and immersed the box with a paper towel inside. It floated. I had to hold it down to check for leaks, and the paper towel was dry afterward). A first aid kit box you'd buy today would be made out of cheap plastic, and likely wouldn't be airtight like this.

Now, what to put in it? Here are my suggestions:

Battle Dressing and QuikClot: For staunching major blood loss, such as a gunshot wound.

A roll of gauze, gauze pads, an eye pad, and bandage tape.

A few bandaids and antibacterial ointment such as Neosporin.

An ACE-type bandage.

Burn relief ointment.

A good pair of tweezers. If you must remove a deeply-embedded object, such as a splinter, you'll be glad you spent the extra few dollars for a quality pair of tweezers. Also, a small magnifying lens is helpful. You can get one in a small eyeglasses screwdriver kit for just a few dollars at many "dollar" stores.

A pair of EMT-type shears. Even these mini shears are excellent. They're for cutting through clothing in order to access wounds.

This list is by no means exhaustive. You may get ideas for more items from taking a first aid/CPR class.

Additionally, I keep a rubbing alcohol and Povidone-Iodine solution handy, for disinfection. These are already sold in watertight bottles, so packing them in your watertight first aid box isn't important.