You’re already on the right track focusing on everyday items you’re familiar with—that’s actually a really practical way to build a kit.

A lot of the answers you’ll get tend to jump straight to specialized gear, but most people don’t have things like tourniquets or hemostatic agents just sitting around. Starting with items you know how to use is a solid approach.

Where I’ve found it helps is to think less in terms of specific items and more in terms of what you actually need to be able to do.

I usually break it down like this:

• control bleeding
• clean the wound
• protect it
• prevent infection
• manage pain

From there, you can use common, familiar items to cover those functions.

For example:

• gauze or clean cloth for bleeding and coverage
• antiseptic or alcohol pads to clean wounds
• bandages to protect them
• antibiotic ointment to help prevent infection
• and basic pain relievers

Another thing I focus on is prioritizing based on two questions:

• what injuries would cause the most serious problems
• what injuries are most likely to happen

That keeps the kit practical instead of overloaded.

Once you’ve got those basics covered, you can always add more specialized items later if you decide you need them, but starting with familiar, everyday items usually leads to a kit you’ll actually use and understand.