Every first aid kit checklist you find online is either too short to be useful or so long that nobody finishes it. This one is sized by kit, because a glove-box pouch and a kitchen cupboard box are not the same list at different lengths.
Print it, tape it inside the lid, and restocking stops being an archaeology project.
The List, by Kit Size
Start from the column that matches where the kit will live. Each column includes everything to its left.
Small pouch — bag, desk, glove box
- Adhesive bandages, four sizes including knuckle and fingertip
- Two sterile gauze pads and a roll of tape
- Antiseptic wipes
- Two pairs of nitrile gloves
- Blister plasters
- Painkillers, single-dose sachets
- Tweezers
Household kit — add to the above
- Shears that cut, tested before you trust them
- Sterile dressings in two sizes, and a conforming bandage
- Triangular bandage
- Digital thermometer
- Antibiotic ointment and a burn gel or dressing
- Antihistamine, oral and cream
- Cold pack
- CPR face shield
- Written medication list for the household, plus Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
Vehicle kit — add again
- Foil blanket, one per seat
- Pressure dressing
- Torch, and a marker pen
- Bottled water for irrigation
Those are the first aid kit contents that earn their space. Anything a shop-bought kit adds beyond this is usually padding — one tester found a 120-piece kit whose cold compress would not activate, and a 250-piece kit bulked out with glow sticks.
What Expires, and When
Dressings and bandages last for years if the sterile packaging stays sealed. Almost everything else has a clock on it, and the clock runs faster in a car.
| Item | Check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Medication | Twice a year | Shortest life in the kit, and the first thing raided |
| Adhesive bandages | Once a year, twice in a vehicle | The glue fails long before the plaster looks old |
| Sterile dressings and gauze | Once a year | Only the seal matters — a torn wrapper is an expired dressing |
| Antiseptic wipes and gels | Once a year | They dry out in the sachet, particularly in heat |
| Cold packs | Once a year | Chemical packs stop activating with age, silently |
| Shears, tweezers, thermometer | When the kit is opened | Corrosion and dead batteries, not expiry |
Write the earliest date from inside the kit on the outside of the case. That turns an audit into a glance, and it is the single habit that keeps a kit alive.
What Shop Lists Leave Out
Manufacturer inventories describe what's in the box. They don't describe what a household needs, and the gap is consistent.
Gloves, in quantity. Kits ship with one or two pairs. You want a box.
Painkillers. Several of the best-rated kits contain none at all, deliberately — medication dates faster than dressings and complicates shipping.
A thermometer. Almost never included, and the item a household reaches for most often after bandages.
The written medication list. Free, weightless, and the first thing a paramedic asks for. Nobody sells it, so nobody has one.
A first aid kit checklist template you can annotate beats a printed inventory you can't. Cross out what doesn't apply to your household, add what does, and the list becomes yours.
Where each kit should live, and which tested kits are worth the money, is in First Aid Kits, Home First Aid Kits and Car & Travel First Aid Kits.
Print the sheet, do the table-top audit tonight, and buy only what the audit says is missing.
FAQ: First Aid Kit Checklists
What goes in a first aid kit?
Adhesive bandages in several sizes, gauze and tape, antiseptic wipes, gloves, shears, a thermometer, painkillers, an antihistamine and a cold pack. Vehicle kits add a foil blanket, a pressure dressing and a torch.
How often should I restock?
Medication twice a year, everything else annually — and twice a year for anything kept in a vehicle, where heat shortens the life of adhesives and sterile packaging.
Is the checklist free?
Yes. No email address, no account, no bundled product. Every printable on this site works the same way.
Does a bigger piece count mean a better kit?
No. Testers repeatedly found high piece counts padded with plasters and novelties. Judge a kit on whether the shears cut and whether you can find things in it.
What's the one item almost everyone is missing?
A written list of the medication everyone in the household takes. It costs nothing, weighs nothing, and is the first thing emergency services ask for.
Sources
- American Red Cross — recommended first aid kit contents
- OutdoorGearLab — first aid kit testing, 15 kits purchased and field tested, updated April 2025
- Poison Control (1-800-222-1222)
- Ready.gov — household emergency supplies
This page is general information, not medical advice. When an emergency is underway, follow 911 dispatchers and emergency services before any general guidance. See our Editorial Policy and Sources & Fact-Checking.