Building your first aid cabinet: four tiers, from basics to advanced

This is the list we wish we’d had. Most advice stops at “keep a first aid kit and some medicines”. It doesn’t say which, how much, or what comes next.

We’ve split it into four tiers that follow our levels, L0 to L3. Each tier adds to the one before. And each comes with a course, because from tier 2 onwards, kit without training is mostly dead weight.

Tier 1 — The basics (L0)

What every home should have, today.

• A first aid kit: plasters, gauze, bandages, tape, scissors, tweezers, gloves, antiseptic wipes.
• A thermometer.
• Pain and fever relief: paracetamol and/or ibuprofen.
• Antihistamine tablets.
• Oral rehydration salts.
• Your own prescription medication, with a written list of what you take.

Course: a basic first aid course (Red Cross, St John Ambulance, Het Oranje Kruis or your national equivalent). Half a day to two days.

Tier 2 — The household cabinet (L1)

Enough to deal with most injuries and illnesses for 72 hours without a doctor.

• Everything in tier 1, plus a compact kit for the go-bag.
• Wound disinfectant and healing ointment.
• Burn gel or burn dressings.
• Anti-diarrhoea tablets, a nausea remedy, cold and sore-throat remedies.
• Saline or eye wash, and dry-eye drops.
• FFP2 / N95 respirators.
• A tourniquet and an emergency pressure bandage for serious bleeding.
• Triangular bandages and trauma shears.
• A printed first aid manual.
• Children’s formulations, if you have children.

Course: a bleeding-control course (Stop the Bleed in the US and UK). Around two hours, and the only safe way to own a tourniquet.

Tier 3 — Extended care (L2)

For one to two weeks when help is slow or overloaded.

• Hemostatic gauze (such as QuikClot or Celox) and chest seals.
• Wound-closure strips and an irrigation syringe for cleaning wounds.
• A mouldable splint (such as a SAM splint).
• A blood pressure monitor and a pulse oximeter.
• A dental emergency kit with temporary filling material.
• More of everything: dressings, gloves, medicines.
• A larger supply of prescription medication. Ask your doctor what’s possible.

Course: wilderness first aid (around 16 hours). It teaches care when help is hours away, which is exactly this scenario.

Tier 4 — Advanced (L3)

For weeks to months with limited access to healthcare.

• A stethoscope.
• A home AED (defibrillator).
• A full trauma bag: multiple tourniquets, pressure bandages, hemostatic gauze, chest seals.
• A burn dressing set.
• A diagnostic set relevant to your household, such as a glucose meter.
• A medical reference library, including Where There Is No Doctor (Hesperian).

Course: wilderness first responder (around 70–80 hours).

Keeping it working

• Check expiry dates once a year. Medicines and sterile dressings both expire.
• Store medicines cool, dry and out of reach of children.
• Keep a written list of everyone’s medication, allergies and conditions with the kit.

Last reviewed: October 2026. This guide isn’t medical advice: follow the leaflet for every medicine and ask your doctor or pharmacist about your situation.