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Be Prepared for Snake Season: Your Ultimate Snake Bite First Aid Kit
Australian first aid stopped recommending cut-and-suck for snake bite more than 30 years ago. The myth still appears in old movies and casual conversation, which is why so many people still half-believe it. A snake bite first aid kit is only useful if the person using it knows the right procedure and the contents inside match what that procedure needs.
Australia is home to more than 100 species of venomous snake. The Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne records a median of around 87 hospital envenomations a year, with one to two deaths in most years (ASP-20 study, Johnston et al., MJA 2017). Bites are highly treatable when first aid is applied correctly within minutes. The kit is the gear that makes the correct procedure possible.
What's in a snake bite first aid kit?
A snake bite first aid kit holds the gear needed to apply the Pressure Immobilisation Technique and signal the bite site to medical responders. A compliant Australian kit contains two long heavy crepe or elasticated compression bandages, a splint or splint material, a non-adherent pad, surgical tape, and a permanent marker. Some kits also include a triangular bandage and printed instructions.
Each item has a specific job:
- Two heavy crepe or elasticated bandages, long enough to wrap a full limb. Premium versions carry a printed pressure indicator (a shape or pattern that stretches into the correct profile when the right tension is reached).
- A splint or splint material, used to immobilise the limb after bandaging so the casualty cannot bend or move it.
- A non-adherent pad and surgical tape, used to cover the bite site before the compression bandage goes on.
- A permanent marker, used to circle the bite site on the bandage so hospital staff can find it under the wrap, and to write the time the bite happened.
- Printed instructions for the technique, kept inside the kit so anyone can use it under pressure.
Anything beyond this list is product upsell rather than first aid essential.
How to use a snake bite kit: the Pressure Immobilisation Technique
The Australian Resuscitation Council's current guideline (ANZCOR Guideline 9.4.8) recommends pressure immobilisation for all suspected Australian snake bites. The technique slows the movement of venom through the lymphatic system, buying time for transport to definitive medical care.
The sequence is:
- Keep the casualty still. Movement pumps venom into the bloodstream. The casualty should not walk if it can be avoided.
- Apply the non-adherent pad over the bite and tape it lightly in place.
- Start bandaging at the bite site. Wrap firmly down to the fingers or toes, then continue back up the limb as far as the bandage reaches. The bandage should feel as tight as a strapped sprain, firm but not cutting off circulation. If the bandage has a pressure indicator, use it.
- Splint the limb. A rigid splint, a stick, or a rolled magazine all work. The limb must not bend.
- Mark the bite site on the outside of the bandage with the permanent marker and write the time the bite happened.
- Call 000. Stay still. Wait for ambulance transport.
If you have never applied a pressure bandage before, the right tension is firmer than it feels. In real-world use, bandages are almost always applied too loose. Pull it until it feels too tight, then back off only if the casualty's fingers or toes go cold or change colour. Bandage the whole limb, not just the bite area. Local pressure on the bite alone is no longer recommended in Australia.
For bites on the torso, neck, or head, firm direct pressure on the bite site itself is the recommended technique. ANZCOR Guideline 9.4.8 has the full sequence for non-limb bites.
What not to do after a snake bite
This is where most well-intentioned first aid goes wrong:
- Do not wash the bite site. Residual venom on the skin is used by hospital laboratories to identify the snake type for antivenom selection. Washing destroys that evidence.
- Do not apply a tourniquet. Tourniquets cause tissue damage without preventing venom spread and are explicitly advised against by ANZCOR.
- Do not cut the wound. Cutting offers no clinical benefit and risks secondary infection.
- Do not attempt to suck out the venom. The technique does not remove a clinically useful amount of venom and risks contaminating the rescuer's mouth.
- Do not try to catch or photograph the snake at close range. Antivenom selection in Australia no longer depends on visual identification; the Snake Venom Detection Kit used in hospitals reads residual venom directly from the bite.
Not every snake bite delivers venom. A significant proportion of bites are "dry bites" with no envenomation, but you cannot tell at the scene which is which. Apply pressure immobilisation in every case and let the hospital decide whether antivenom is needed.
Where to keep a snake bite kit
Snake bite kits should sit wherever you are likely to be when a bite happens, not in a drawer at home. Practical locations include the boot of a 4WD or touring vehicle, a backpack used for bushwalking, fishing, or hunting, a farm ute, the first aid station on a boat, and stables, sheds, or rural work vehicles.
Most of the snake bite kits returned to our East Bendigo warehouse for restocking come back unopened, but the bandages inside have hardened with age and lost their stretch. A bandage that cannot reach the right tension is worse than no bandage at all because it gives a false sense of having the right gear. Swap the bandages every two to three years even if the kit looks unused.
What to look for in a snake bite kit
Australian first aid kits are legally required to be listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), so ARTG listing tells you a kit meets a baseline standard. It is not a quality marker on its own.
When choosing a kit, look at:
- Bandage quality. Two long crepe or elasticated bandages with pressure indicators. Short or stiff bandages are common in budget kits and fail in practice.
- Case durability. Snake bite kits live in glove boxes, boats, and packs. The case must survive heat, damp, and rough handling.
- Pack size. A kit that is too bulky to carry will get left behind in the car when it should be in the pack.
- Manufacturer. Kits assembled by a TGA-registered manufacturer are checked and certified at point of assembly. First Aid Distributions is a TGA-registered manufacturer and assembles its snake bite range in East Bendigo.
The FAD standard snake bite kit includes two pressure-indicator crepe bandages, a splint, a non-adherent pad, surgical tape, and a permanent marker, built to the criteria above. The full range sits at snake bite kits. For broader outdoor preparedness, see the outdoor first aid kits collection.
After first aid: hospital transport
Snake bite first aid buys time. It does not treat the envenomation. Once pressure immobilisation is applied:
- Call 000 if it has not already been called.
- Keep the casualty still and reassure them.
- Do not remove the bandage until hospital staff direct it. Premature removal can release a bolus of venom into circulation.
- Transport by ambulance where possible. Self-driving the casualty is risky for both driver and patient.
In remote areas where ambulance arrival is hours away, stay with the casualty and monitor their breathing, conscious state, and circulation in the bandaged limb. Self-transport should be a last resort. If it becomes necessary, the casualty should be carried, not allowed to walk, and a second person should monitor them throughout the drive. Antivenom in Australia is stocked at major hospitals, not at most regional clinics. Triple Zero will route the casualty to the right facility.
A snake bite kit is one of the few pieces of first aid gear where the cost of being wrong is permanent. Get the gear right, learn the technique once, and check that the kit in your car or pack is still in date. Bandages older than two or three years should be replaced even if the seal looks fine. For broader cluster context, see our hub on first aid in the Australian outdoors.