I’m an associate staff writer covering outdoors and travel gear, and I’m certified in wilderness first aid. I’ve written and contributed to guides for camping chairs, headlamps, and trail cameras. I spend a lot of time outside, and I’m no stranger to treating the inevitable cuts, burns, poison ivy, and, uh, digestive issues that crop up.

For this guide:

• I retested our picks and compared them against some kits we hadn’t tried before, such as the REI best-selling Hart Outdoor Multiday First Aid Kit.
• I spoke with two experts from Wyoming’s National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), including the director of faculty and an instructor who teaches wilderness first aid.
• A NOLS instructor reviewed our top pick and runner-up, assessing what was included (or not included) and the quality of the supplies.
• I attended several NOLS webinars discussing essential first aid kit supplies and techniques.
• In 2017, writer Anna Perling tested 12 kits and spoke with three experts for a previous version of this guide, and her reporting still appears throughout the current guide. She was certified as a wilderness first responder at the time of her reporting.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, I review and test products with complete editorial independence. I’m never made aware of any business implications of my editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.
• In accordance with Wirecutter standards, I return or donate all products I’ve tested once my assessment of them is complete, which may involve longer-term testing by my colleagues and me. I never hang onto “freebies” once testing is done.

No matter what you’ll be doing outdoors—hiking, rafting, climbing, or biking—it’s always a good idea to bring along a first aid kit. This guide is for outdoor enthusiasts looking to take short trips with a small group of people. With a good kit, you should be able to treat minor injuries or ailments in the field or stabilize more serious ones until you can get help.

When we asked experts about the ideal first aid kit, they recommended assembling your own based on your needs. However, a pre-packaged kit gives you a good place to start, and you can easily add items to customize it. For more information about how to customize your kit and what other supplies to consider, see Other wilderness first aid supplies to consider.

Regardless of what you have in your kit, your knowledge is the most important tool you carry with you. The best kits we considered came with instructional booklets and cards, but make sure you’re comfortable using what’s in your kit. Consider taking a CPR course or completing a wilderness first aid, wilderness first responder, or emergency medical technician (EMT) certification. Our wilderness first aid experts all strongly emphasized that you should never use a tool or a first aid technique that you’re unfamiliar with.

Our picks are not intended for search-and-rescue responders or EMTs, who are expected to provide higher levels of care to patients and use more-specialized tools and medications. We also did not evaluate survival kits.

We considered the best-selling and highest-rated kits available at leading outdoor retailers such as REI and Cabela’s, as well as on Amazon and at Target and Walmart. Then, we dove deeper into offerings from brands that our experts recommended, including Adventure Medical Kits, Coleman, Lifeline, NOLS, and Wilderness Medicine Training Center, as well as Cabela’s own proprietary kits. After visiting the Outdoor Retailer trade show for several years, we also looked into kits from companies that we saw on the floor: 12 Survivors, Coghlan’s, Stansport, and UST.

We eliminated kits with a focus on survival tools (like firestarters, space blankets, and water purifiers) and kits that were exceptionally minimal and didn’t have good ratings or reviews. We evaluated the finalists according to the following criteria:

• Adequate scope: You should be able to treat and clean cuts and scrapes to prevent infection; pad blisters; treat minor burns; wrap or splint sprains or extremity injuries; and treat cold symptoms, headaches, fevers, allergies, bug bites, nausea, and diarrhea. What you need beyond that depends on your group and the type of trip (see Other wilderness first aid supplies to consider) For each of the kits we tested, we noted if any items had expired, if anything seemed superfluous, and if any crucial tools or medications were missing.
• Organization: A great kit has labeled pockets for easy access as well as a design that doesn’t force you to dump all of the contents out to find what you need. And, of course, the kit needs to be small enough to fit into your backpack along with the rest of your gear, and light enough that you aren’t tempted to leave it at home.
• Completeness: Double-check the contents of any kit you buy—over the years we’ve noticed some missing supplies in various kits we’ve tested, including some of our picks (which, for example, were missing a couple of bandages or some medications).
• Manuals and reference materials: The best kits have first aid manuals or booklets (even if you’re trained, these are helpful for reference) and patient-assessment forms that you can fill out and then provide to medical professionals.
• Durability: Because you’re likely to place a first aid kit on the ground, you should consider how waterproof the case is. Our experts also noted that the zipper quality was important, as zippers easily fail. The best kits have protective pockets inside to keep medicine packets and bandages dry and intact while you’re treating your patient and the kit is open.
• Sold by a reliable vendor: We spoke with a representative from Adventure Ready Brands, which owns Adventure Medical Kits, and they said that if you’re buying from Amazon, make sure that “Sold by” on the product page says either Amazon.com or the manufacturer’s name. Otherwise, you’re buying from a third-party seller, and that’s not a great idea for medical equipment. (Unfortunately, third-party sellers buy up inventory to resell on Amazon, and Adventure Medical Kits and other manufacturers have no control over this practice.)

We opened up all of the cases, observing how well they were organized and labeled and how durable they seemed to be (for example, I couldn’t puncture any of our picks’ cases with the pointy ends of their respective shears). We counted all the items and compared them against the supply list. In addition, we checked the expiration dates and made sure all of the supplies were intact.

From the kits still in the running, we tested their components: cutting up moleskin using the scissors from each kit, wrapping ankles with elastic bandages, testing each kit’s bandage adhesives, and walking around with moleskins and tape on our feet.

Lastly, instructors from Outward Bound and NOLS examined our picks and gave their opinions on the contents and quality of the supplies.

For weekend warriors who want to be prepared for common first aid needs, we recommend the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Backpacker Kit. But if you do buy this kit, make sure to double-check its contents, especially the medications.

The Backpacker Kit is the most organized first aid kit. It unfolds into a flowerlike shape, with each pocket containing supplies geared to a particular situation or injury. Pockets are clearly labeled by category, including Medication, Stop Bleeding Fast, Instruction/Instrument, Cuts & Scrapes, and Wound Care/Burn/Blister. The Backpacker Kit’s pockets fold back into one another, and you secure them with a Velcro strap, which helps hold the case when you’re zipping it shut.

It has high-quality supplies. Compared with our budget pick, the quality of this kit’s bandages, tape, and dressings was clearly superior. Its moleskin was thicker and stickier than those in the First Aid Only kit, and the medical tape was twice as wide and stayed on better after getting wet.

It’s the toughest kit we tested. It has a reinforced bottom coated with rubbery thermoplastic polyurethane for extra support. The case is made from a sturdy, water-resistant nylon, and it has a handle so you can hang it. While testing, we couldn’t puncture the Backpacker Kit’s case with the pointy-ended forceps that came with the kit (by contrast, the thin cases from their Ultralight/Watertight series were easy to puncture).

It’s compact but has room for extra supplies. Measuring 7.5 by 6 by 3.5 inches and weighing 1 pound, the Backpacker Kit fits in a daypack and leaves room for other staples. The trapezoidal design is intended to provide room for add-on supplies, and the pockets are spacious enough to hold them.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• It’s always a good idea to double-check the contents of any kit you buy—over the years we’ve noticed some missing supplies in various kits we’ve tested. When we ordered the Backpacker Kit from REI for testing in 2024, it was missing the acetaminophen and had double the ibuprofen promised. We reached out to Adventure Medical Kits’s customer support via the company’s website form but did not hear back by the time of publication. We also reported the issue to REI customer service, who reordered the kit free of charge (a nice benefit of buying from a reputable seller). However, this second kit had no ibuprofen, no aspirin, and more than double the acetaminophen listed in the contents. We’ve reached out again to REI and Adventure Medical Kits, and REI has said they haven’t seen a trend in customer complaints of this type. We will update this guide with any new information as it comes.
• The Backpacker Kit doesn’t come with patient-assessment forms for documenting symptom progression and treatment; it does have room for forms and a pencil (see Other wilderness first aid supplies to consider to access free printouts of these forms).
• Its case is water-resistant but not waterproof. It does fit into a gallon-size zip-top plastic bag, though—we’d suggest using one in wet weather or if you’re on the water.

If our pick is out of stock or not available from a reputable seller, the Hart Outdoor Multiday First Aid Kit is a great secondary option, but you should add a couple of items: an anti-diarrheal and a wound irrigation tool.

It’s organized (but not as well as our top pick). Like our top pick, the Hart Outdoor kit has pouches and sleeves for different types of supplies: gauze, adhesive bandages, wound care, medications, and topical relief. It unzips and unfolds vertically (rather than into the flower-like shape of our top pick). It’s easier to access everything you need, thanks to the labels on its pockets and because a few items, like the tweezers and bandage wrap, are held in place by elastic loops. We still prefer our pick’s organizational features because its compartments are easier to access, and it has more room for extra supplies.

Its supplies are almost as good as that of our top pick. The bandages and blister treatments were as sticky and long-lasting as those from the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Backpacker Kit. A couple of items didn’t live up to our top pick’s: The medical tape’s adhesive wasn’t quite as good, and the scissors did not cut through moleskin pads as easily.

It costs a little less than our top pick. Usually, this pick costs $42, while our top pick costs about $48.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• The Hart Outdoor kit lacks a wound irrigation tool, which we recommend carrying and is included in our pick. See Replenishing your kit for more info on getting this item.
• It also, curiously, does not include an anti-diarrheal but instead includes an antacid. An anti-diarrheal is much more useful, and we recommend putting some in this kit if you buy it.
• When compared with our pick, this kit has smaller quantities of medications and fewer types of bandages and gauze.
• Its case and zippers also don’t feel as tough, and it doesn’t have as much extra room for additional items.

We like the highly rated First Aid Only 299 Piece All-Purpose First Aid Kit (FAO-442) as a budget option, even though it lacks the higher-quality tools of our top pick and is missing some items we’d like to see in a wilderness first aid kit.

It’s inexpensive (both to buy and resupply). The First Aid Only kit usually costs less than half of the price of our top pick. What’s more, the company sells refills at reasonable prices, which makes it easier to replace used or out-of-date supplies without needing to buy another full kit.

It holds a lot of supplies. The First Aid Only kit doesn’t indicate what size group it’s designed for, but the kit is packed with items—it has almost 200 bandages of various sizes—that should cover more than a weekend’s worth of minor cuts and scrapes for up to four people.

It’s more organized than most kits (but not as good as our pick or runner-up). The First Aid Only kit unfolds like a book; you slide its components in and out of open plastic compartments. The compartments are clear, which helps you find things, and you can rifle through them without having to take everything out of the case, as opposed to sack-style options from the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight series. The case of the First Aid Only kit feels durable, and the zipper works fine, although it lacks the rubber reinforcements of the Backpacker Kit.

How the First Aid Only kit has held up

Two Wirecutter staffers who have owned and used the First Aid Only kit love that it has a lot of bandages and supplies. “It’s so full of stuff that I don’t think I’ll need to replace it anytime soon,” one staffer said. She keeps it in her hiking backpack at all times, and it’s come in handy for various cuts and scrapes, especially when she goes out rock climbing and bouldering. A second staffer commented that she wished it had more blister supplies.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Supplies in the First Aid Only kit aren’t as high in quality as those in our top pick. For instance, the scissors were smaller and didn’t cut fabric as easily. Although this kit had two rolls of paper tape, they weren’t as sticky or durable as the fabric medical tape that came in Adventure Medical’s kits. This kit’s plastic tweezers were clumsier to hold and control than Adventure Medical’s metal forceps.
• Its compartments have no labels, and because they’re open, the items inside can move around, making it hard for you to know what’s where.
• Each time we’ve ordered the kit—in 2017 and 2024—it was missing a couple of items, such as fingertip bandages or ibuprofen. With any kit you buy, always double-check its contents after you receive it.
• It lacks an equivalent to the wilderness first aid booklet that comes with the Backpacker Kit. It does have a basic first aid handout with refreshers from the Red Cross for reference.

If you’re likely to be out in the woods during hunting season: Consider Adventure Medical Kits’s Sportsman Series, which is one of two first aid recommendations in our guide to the best emergency preparedness gear. It has items geared toward heavy bleeding and trauma from gun or arrow wounds, such as tourniquets and hemostatic dressings, which most hikers probably won’t need.

Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .9 Kit: This kit contains fewer items than our top pick yet costs just as much. Its case also isn’t as durable, and you have to dump out the contents to find anything.

Adventure Medical Kits Adventure First Aid 2.0: This kit holds a lot of supplies, and it’s organized by injury. It could be a good choice for families or large camping trips. However, as of the writing of this guide, this kit was only available on Amazon via a seller that we could not verify as official or reliable.

NOLS Med Kit 4.0: This is the company’s best-selling kit. It has all of the supplies you’d want, including some rarely found in other kits, like thermometers, a pencil, and an accident report form. But its compartments aren’t labeled, and the case has no rubber reinforcements.

WMTC Minimalist First Aid Pack: The Wilderness Medicine Training Center’s kit is designed to let you add most of your own supplies. It doesn’t have enough items to warrant the cost, though—it would cost well over $100 at the time of this writing to stock the kit with WMTC’s suggested supplies.

Surviveware Comprehensive Premium First Aid Kit: This kit is roughly the same price as our top pick but includes no over-the-counter medicine, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. It’s available on Amazon, but as of spring 2024, it isn’t sold by a vendor that we deem reliable (either Amazon or the manufacturer).

We looked into kits from My Medic, which all look high-quality, but they’re considerably more expensive than our top pick and don’t offer more for the price. One other big flaw: They don’t include a hard-copy first-aid reference. Instead, you get a restaurant-menu-style QR code to download a doc to your phone. That’s not a great idea for wilderness first aid kits (or for restaurants either).

A preassembled first aid kit offers a great starting point, but there’s no such thing as one perfect kit. What you take with you should depend on where you’re going, how long you’ll be gone, who’s going with you, and what you’re trained to use.

Below are some items, sorted by category, that don’t always come in prepackaged first aid kits. Many of these are available at pharmacies; for those that aren’t, see Replenishing your kit.

Extras, so you don’t run out

Nitrile gloves: Our first aid kit picks include only one pair of nitrile gloves. It can’t hurt to add an extra pair, especially if you’re going on a longer backpacking trip or if you’ll be far into the wilderness.

Safety pins: While some of our picks include these, they are easy to lose, and extras take up relatively little space.

Tape: One expert we spoke to, Josh McNary at NOLS, said that tape is usually the first thing to run out in a kit, especially if anyone is prone to blisters. While the cloth athletic tape included in most kits works fine, McNary said Leukotape or KT tape is a great upgrade because it adheres better to skin.

Wound and blister care

Wound irrigation tool: This typically takes the form of a syringe. Our top pick includes this, but our other picks do not. It’s worth picking one up if you don’t have one.

Water disinfection device or chemicals: Purifying water can be critical if someone is dehydrated or you need to irrigate a wound. A water filter or purification tablets are two quick and lightweight tools: We recommend the Sawyer Mini Water Filter and Potable Aqua tablets in “The Best Gear for Your Bug-Out Bag.”

Burn pads: You can cover wounds and blisters using these handy antiseptic gel pads, which dry on skin to form a protective shield.

Povidone iodine: Commonly diluted in water, this is used to disinfect skin and wounds. The experts we interviewed at NOLS recommend using povidone iodine solution only when a wound has a high infection risk (such as an animal bite) or already has signs of infection. Otherwise, flushing with potable water is sufficient.

Tincture of benzoin: This natural sticky substance treats blisters and small wounds, and can go under bandages to create more adhesion.

Sprains, breaks, aches, and pains

Triangular bandages: These bandages are typically used to make a sling (video), which you’d ideally make with two bandages. They can also be used to bandage, pressure, or pack wounds.

Dental relief gel, such as Orajel: According to NOLS’s own data dating back to 1984, dental issues have been the third most-likely incident to occur during the organization’s wilderness trainings (second to gastrointestinal issues and soft-tissue injuries).

Wire splint: Made of lightweight metal, reusable splints can be more convenient than trying to fashion something in the field. SAM Medical is the most well-known manufacturer, but you can find similar versions elsewhere online.

Monitoring symptoms

SOAP forms (also called patient-assessment forms or radio reports): Having pre-structured paperwork gives you an easy way to record the most important information about a first aid scenario, like vitals, symptoms, and observations. A variety of free, printable forms are available online, including those from Adventure Medical Kits (PDF) and The Center for Wilderness Safety.

Permanent marker: For taking notes on a patient’s condition, a permanent marker works better than a pen or pencil in wet weather.

Oral thermometer: It can be helpful to take a patient’s temperature alongside their other vitals. Disposable thermometers are light and packable, but if you’d rather take a reusable battery-powered thermometer, bring probe covers.

CPR and other masks

CPR/rescue mask: If you’re qualified to give CPR and need to do so, a mask protects you and the patient from bodily fluids and cross-contamination.

Medical or surgical masks: A respirator or surgical mask will protect you and your patient from respiratory illness and bodily fluids, especially when you need to be in close contact.

Protection from the elements

Thermal blanket or bivvy: For longer adventures in cooler weather, a lightweight emergency blanket or thermal bivvy, like the ones we recommend for gear for your bug-out bag, can keep you or a patient warm in a pinch.

Cold packs: Although cold packs can be helpful, our experts agreed that they likely weren’t worth the additional weight. They don’t stay cold long and can rupture in your pack, making a mess.

Saline solution: For flushing minor wounds, drinkable water at a high volume is sufficient, according to experts we spoke with. For wounds that are already infected, a povidone iodine solution is preferable to saline.

Tourniquets, hemostatic gauze, or other bleed-control products: If you’re going on a hunting trip, they’re a good idea; for short hikes or lower-risk outings, though, they’re probably unnecessary. Tod Schimelpfenig of NOLS said, “The average person in the wilderness has a very low risk of needing a tourniquet or a hemostatic dressing. I don’t carry these in my first aid kit. If I were hunting, maybe...”

Go through your kit’s contents before every trip to make sure everything is present and nothing has expired and to ensure that you know how to find what you need—it’s better to do this while you’re still at home than when you’re on the side of the trail, trying to comfort an injured friend. Replace anything you used up during your last trip, and add extras you and your group may want.

For adhesive bandages and common medicines like ibuprofen or aspirin, you likely have most of them at home. If you don’t, you might as well buy a normal-size package at a drugstore and use that to refill your kit.

Other supplies require special packaging for trail use. You’ll want to carry your tincture of benzoin, for instance, in small ampules instead of a 2-ounce bottle (which is what you’d find at a pharmacy). Similarly, it’s better to bring antibiotic ointment in single-use packets rather than a whole tube.

You can order supplies from a few different places:

• US First Aid and Preparedness is the official provider of American Red Cross products and other first aid supplies.
• First Aid Only, which makes our budget pick, has a ton of refill options at reasonable prices.
• NOLS is a trusted leader in wilderness medicine and education.

Adventure Medical Kits, which makes our top pick, used to sell individual supplies for refilling their kits, but a representative at the company confirmed that they no longer offer them.

First Aid Only, the company that makes our budget pick, has an Amazon storefront with refills (in addition to its own website), all of which are listed as “Sold by Amazon.com” at the time of publication. (Always double-check the seller before you buy.)

WoolAid makes merino wool bandages, which we plan to test as an alternative to fabric and plastic bandages.

This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.