American Red Cross Deluxe 299-piece first aid kit review: the base layer for an outage medical kit

This is a research-based review, based on manufacturer specs and published data. We do not test products. The full contents list comes from First Aid Only's product page for the American Red Cross Deluxe All Purpose First Aid Kit, 299 pieces, checked November 1, 2026. First Aid Only's own store showed it sold out on that date; check Amazon for current availability.

In a short outage, a first aid kit covers the usual: a kitchen cut, a splinter, a burn from a camp stove. In a long one, pharmacies and urgent care clinics may close or run on limited hours, so the home kit carries more weight. Ready.gov lists a first aid kit in its basic disaster supplies kit and adds prescription medicines, non-prescription medicines and glasses to the recommended extras.

This kit is the most common style sold for homes: lots of adhesive bandages, small antiseptic packets and single-dose medicine packs. Here is how far that gets you, and what to add.

Who should buy it

• Households without any organized first aid supplies, who want one well-labeled case.
• Families with children: 50 junior bandages and plenty of standard sizes cover frequent small scrapes.
• Anyone building a go-bag who wants a kit light enough (1.3 lb) to carry.
• People who want the Red Cross First Aid Guide included for reference when phones are dead.

Who should skip it

• Anyone who wants serious bleeding control. There is one trauma pad and no tourniquet or pressure bandage in the contents list.
• Groups who need several days of supplies for four or more people in the backcountry; a kit organized by injury, such as Adventure Medical Kits' Mountain Series Explorer, is built for that.
• Households that will rely on the included medicine packets for a long outage. Six two-packs of each pain reliever do not go far.

Strengths

• Depth in small-wound supplies. 75 standard plastic bandages alone outlast most single-injury kits, and the mix of fabric, knuckle and fingertip bandages fits awkward spots.
• Organized case. First Aid Only describes clear vinyl pockets, so you can see supplies in a dark room by flashlight.
• Useful extras. A thermometer, an instant cold compress and an emergency blanket are all in the list.
• Light. At 1.3 lb, it fits a backpack or a glovebox.
• Reference guide. The printed Red Cross First Aid Guide works without a signal or a charged phone.

Drawbacks

• One pair of gloves. The list shows 2 nitrile gloves, which is one pair. Add a box.
• One trauma pad. Fine for a single deep cut, not for anything bigger.
• No CPR face shield appears in the contents list.
• Small medicine supply. 12 tablets of each pain reliever in two-packs. Expiry dates also matter: check them yearly.
• Soft case. Not described as water-resistant; store it in a sealed bin with the rest of the outage kit.

How it compares

A home kit, an expedition-style kit and the first aid pouch inside a ready-made go-bag. Figures come from each maker's page.

Using it in a long outage

Turn it into an outage medical bin

Keep the kit in one sealed plastic bin with the items Ready.gov lists as additional emergency supplies: prescription medicines, non-prescription medicines such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medicine, antacids or laxatives, and prescription glasses or contact lens solution. Ready.gov notes that about half of all Americans take a prescription medicine every day, and an emergency can make refills hard to get.

• A box of nitrile gloves and a CPR face shield.
• Extra gauze pads, a roll of gauze and medical tape: the kit's single trauma pad will not cover a bad cut.
• Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol for when tap water is off (CDC).
• A written list of each person's medicines, doses, allergies and doctors.
• A headlamp, so both hands are free; see our Black Diamond Spot 400 review.

Burns and cold injuries are outage injuries

Outages bring candles, camp stoves and propane heaters indoors, so add more burn dressings than the kit's single burn-relief packet. Winter outages bring cold: the CDC lists hypothermia warning signs in adults as shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. The emergency blanket in the kit is a stopgap; a real sleeping bag such as the Teton Celsius 0°F XXL is the plan.

Check it twice a year

When clocks change, open the kit, replace anything used, and check expiry dates on the medicine packs, ointments and antiseptics. Swap in fresh gloves if the old ones are brittle. If you live where pharmacies may be closed for a week or more after a storm, ask your doctor about keeping a small extra supply of daily prescriptions.