Exhaustive List of Survival Medical Supplies

We found this awesome list of survival medical supplies over at Doom and Bloom, and we have to give credit where credit is due, this is one of the most inclusive and exhaustive lists of medical supplies one would need for most any survival situation. In fact, it’s more likely than not if you were to stockpile all of these items, you would be the new-age Dr. Quin Medicine Woman when SHTF.

We’ve also taken it one step further and have linked up the products we carry to the list of items in the article (isn’t that sweet of us?). As a small side note, we did remove a few of the items on the list, partially for length and partially due to the repetitive nature of the original post. The article begins below.

List of Survival and Collapse Medical Supplies (Natural Remedies)

Here’s my list of Survival and Collapse medical supplies with natural remedies included. We include natural remedies for first use or back up to save on items that won’t be produced in an austere setting. Dr.Bones and I spend a lot of time and energy researching “back-up” plans for traditional medicine. We want you to have the ability to provide medical help in a disaster scenario, and for that, you’ll need conventional medical supplies and some knowledge on what natural remedies are useful for certain situations. Below is a very ambitious list of things you should consider:

** Remember- the more options available, the more likely you will find something that works! **

  • Oral antibiotics – (or if an emergency, fish meds)
  • Antibiotic ointment and/or antibacterial herbal salves
  • Ace bandages- multiple sizes
  • Kerlix or rolled gauze
  • Steri strips and butterfly bandages to close minor lacerations
  • TONS of gauze/dressings (BOTH: sterile and non-sterile 4x4s. Include lots of non-adherent “telfa” pads so healing wounds won’t stick to the dressing)
  • ABD pads (usually 5×9), also called combine dressings
  • Tapes- include DUCT, adhesive and paper ( for adhesive tape allergies)
  • Quality bandage scissor/trauma shears ( ALL METAL, the plastic handle ones break cutting jean material!)
  • Pliable splinting material (“sam” splints – everything from finger
  • splints to 36 inch rolls that you can cut to size)
  • Moleskin with padding – for blisters
  • Scalpels (#10, #11, #15 most popular)
  • CPR masks
  • Paracord – multiple uses for this
  • Nitrile gloves – hypoallergenic
  • Antibacterial soap
  • Syringes – for wound irrigation and cleaning
  • Antiseptics – get lots of various solutions, Hibiclens is excellent
  • Universal cervical collar
  • OPAs (Oral Airways) – prevents occlusion of an airway due to an allergic reaction while waiting for the epi-pen or Benadryl to kick in
  • Alcohol pads -to clean instruments/hands
  • N-95s Masks (for healthy people to keep them from getting sick!)
  • Dermabond (Rx) or super glue ( may burn the skin)
  • Sutures – 2-0 nylon (don’t bother with 3-0 or smaller unless working with delicate skin on the face, eyelids, etc.)
  • Skin stapler/remover and 2 adson forceps (if you or someone you know knows how to use properly)
  • Curved and straight Kelly clamps ( to remove foreign objects from wounds)
  • Several large safety pins
  • Magnifying glass
  • Light source – Penlight, headlamp, glow stick, flashlight
  • Some type of fire starter – to start fires for boiling water or sterilizing instruments. Include a container for boiling water in your supplies!
  • Mylar blankets
  • Wool Blankets
  • Thermometer
  • Ammonia inhalants
  • Cotton Sheets – can be cut into strips for multiple uses, or used to carry patients
  • Clotting powders like Quikclot, Celox – (cayenne pepper powder may help minor bleeding)
  • Tourniquet- such as CAT, only use in severe bleeding that will not stop with direct pressure or clotting agents
  • Snake bite kit – must use within seconds of the bite or it is useless
  • Re-useable GEL packs- can be cooled OR heated
  • Aquatabs – to help purify water
  • Athlete’s foot powder (lasts longer than creams)
  • Monistat cream (or equivalent) – for vaginal yeast infections

Survival Dental Care

  • Dental mirror
  • Dental extractors/elevator
  • Dental filling material ( commercial or mix zinc oxide powder and 2 drops clove oil),
  • Baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and 2 drops of peppermint oil make a great gum treatment and toothpaste
  • Hydrogen peroxide – makes a great oral mouthwash/gargle for gum swelling and irritations. Do not use on open skin wounds after the initial wound cleaning! HP may damage healing cells inside an open skin wound.
  • Extra essential clove bud oil (numbs dental pain when applied directly
  • Toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Dental Floss

Miscellaneous Survival Items List

  • Eye cup
  • Eye wash
  • Eye pads /eye patch
  • Claritin (non-drowsy antihistamine)- hay fever/allergies
  • Benadryl ( drowsy antihistamine) – allergic reactions to stings, medication, food, and contact with irritants
  • Epi-pen (Rx), if needed for anaphylactic reactions
  • Aspirin (not for children), Tylenol, and Ibuprofen
  • Imodium – for diarrhea
  • Hydro-cortisone cream – anti-inflammatory, good for rashes
  • Vaseline/Petroleum jelly – a million uses! Great to make non-stick dressings.
  • Aloe vera – for burns
  • Gatorade or rehydration tablets/powders- for rehydration drinks ( to tx dehydration)
  • Multi-vitamins, extra vitamin C (tablets and powder), zinc, and other supplements to strengthen the immune system

Survival Medical Kit List. How big is too big?

What do you guys think? Is the list too inclusive, is it missing something big? What would you add?

Emergency first-aid education and medicine

To learn more about emergency first-aid education, medicines of all sorts, and highly specialized kits visit Joey and Amy Alton over at Doom and Bloom. They are the authors of the #1 Amazon Bestseller and 2017 Book Excellence Award winner in medicine “The Survival Medicine Handbook”. 

See their articles in American Survival Guide, Survivor’s Edge, Backwoods Home, and other great magazines. For over 1000 articles on medical preparedness in wilderness, disaster, or other austere settings, go to their website at Doom and Bloom. 

The opinions voiced by Joe Alton, M.D., and Amy Alton, A.R.N.P. are their own and are not meant to take the place of seeking medical, this website, or help from a qualified healthcare provider.

9 thoughts on “Exhaustive List of Survival Medical Supplies

  1. KayEhm says:

    Just wanted to add to this great list as a resource for anyone looking to complete their survival kits, first aid gear, and bug out/in equipment.

  2. Victoria J. Dow says:

    Although you could use your forceps, it would be nice to have a dedicated needleholder for your sutures. Wire cutter pliers for fishhook removal.

  3. Candace says:

    Excellent list.. I do feel you are missing some things..

    -Manual suction device and bulb syringe (babies can sometimes get a mucus build up they are unable to cough up on their own, also great for dental procedures)
    -Dermoplast spray (the best over the counter numbing/pain reliever) it is commonly used after child birth for instant relief of horrible pain.
    -Wound disinfectant spray (faster and doesn’t sting as much)
    -Purification essential oil (helps heal wounds)
    -HONEY!!! (has so many uses)
    -Eye drops (for dry itchy eyes)
    -Ear drops for swimmer ear AND apple cider vinegar (for earaches)
    -Saline Nasal Spray (for a stuffy nose)
    -A good lip balm (Vaseline with coconut butter was my choice)
    -Zinc Oxide powder (mixed with clove oil, makes a temp. filling)
    -Ginger tea bags (for upset tummies)
    -Essential oils (clove, ginger, peppermint, lavender, oregano oil)
    -Essential oil blends (purification and peace and calming)
    -A good diaper rash ointment (walking can cause chafing in adults)
    -A basic ob delivery kit (because you just never know)

    Otherwise a great list :) I’ve also added a child size and adult size manual oxygen mask.. This would not do much good if there is no where to transfer the patient but I find giving someone an oxygen masks helps calm them which makes it’s easier to get the information you need and to work on them.

  4. Candace says:

    We’ve also put Syringes (large 60cc for wound cleaning paired with tweezers and a magnifying glass) and small syringes, sample packs of chapstick, ointment and essential oils and some empty pill bottles with covers (we would need to be selective and limited with giving away supplies if there was no way of getting more).. I think that is about it.

    It’s my hope that one of us would also have the fully stocked ambulance lol

  5. Schoenzy says:

    I work in a department that provides sterile instruments for a large hospital. By far the most used tray from the emergency ward is a regular suture tray. The hospital is surprisingly wasteful with good quality instruments and anyone who works in an MDRU could build some great reusable trays.
    Straight and curved hemostats
    Needle drivers
    Tissue forceps
    Scissors
    Kellys
    Lots of gauze.
    All of the instruments can be sterilized by the steam of boiling water and reused.
    Find a friend who works at the hospital to rescue some from the recycling, we toss a lot of quality instruments.

  6. Justin Baker says:

    Thank you for re-posting this list! It is very very comprehensive! I read through the comments and also added your reader’s additions to it for my own list! One thing I would add is a good drying rack for herbal processing! A whole lot of what you have on the list has herbal alternatives that are just as effective and without some of the side effects! I want to also add – don’t forget to look for good books on how to use the medicinal herbs you find and how to harvest them properly! My household forages and wildcrafts many herbs and spices all season long. Most of the herbs we gather are processed into tinctures, salves, and syrups. Some we hang dry to dehydrate, then store in sealed glass mason jars in a large cabinet designed to keep out light just for our herbs! We have now taken to gathering good old dollar tree spices and things like that every time we go to town to grocery shop! Pepper, salt, and garlic powder being among the chief of these.

    We are in Oregon, Lane County, and there are quite a lot of trees here that provide some interesting healing properties! My mom just bought me a book for my birthday last October (I turned 44), “The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies” by Claude Davis and Nicole Apelian. I loved it and immediately bought three copies for Christmas presents! I immediately noticed a superfood tree listed in its pages that I know for a fact has been quietly making its way into many American backyards! If you can spot this peaceful invader he’ll provide you with food (all parts are edible), water (it can purify it), more protein and calcium than milk, four times the iron of spinach and… a LOT more! I planted one in my backyard two years ago and was absolutely blown away by how fast it grew – over 4′ feet in just 2 months. Best of all, this tree already grows in many American backyards, so see if it grows in your own backyard as well.

    Wanted to share my good find with y’all!
    Joy & Health to you,
    Justin Baker

  7. KT says:

    I would add: IV start kit, rehydration liquids – Lactated Ringers are best but Normal Saline will do in a pinch – But the bags of liquid can be opened to drink and will keep for ages under cool conditions. I would also add acupuncture needles – again you will need training BUT can reduce stress and pain from wounds – some forms of aural needles can stay put for a few days – easy to learn how to use as compared to regular acupuncture. NOTE/DISCLAIMER: You need the training to use these!

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