In the same vein as my thread a few months ago about flashlights, in which I was incredulous that the world has moved on from alkaline batteries to lithium, the Boy Scout in me reminds me I'm an idiot every time I go out for a hike with my anemic first aid kit.

One specific thing I'm curious about is that when I go to REI or other outdoorsy stores, I see the first aid aisle has all sorts of options for tourniquets, wound packing, etc., etc. Are people actually carrying that stuff with them, or is it all kind of a gimmick?

My nightmare is to be out hiking, have myself or someone I'm with get injured, and be like "well, we might've been able to save your life/limb if we just had XYZ item no one wanted to buy/carry".

If anyone has advice, guides on putting together a kit, or recs for good little bags to pack everything in, I'm all ears!

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