Lets talk IFAKs

I've been to two "Stop the Bleeding " trauma first aid courses that dealt with gunshot wounds and a wilderness first aid course. We learned how to prioritize and improvize in first aid situations. Lesson learned is you have to know how to use the equipment in your kit, kits.

There are multiple kits in our house closest to the injuries that might occur and type of supplies needed. The kind I have to resupply often. I have one in the truck and one in my get home bag, couple of smaller kits for hiking. There is a iddedicated gunshot kit with the range bag. The gubshot kit is in plain sight in the house.

Never bought a formal kit. Supply and stock by evolving. Things like bandages never go bad. Alcohol is forever, iodine is also long term. I rotate the peroxide and antibiotics. Now and then I budget to overstock and store in good containers. First aid supplies are cheaper than ammo.

I've read books on "Ditch Medicine" in addition to formal courses. EMTs are well trained but generally well supplied. Ditch medicine will teach you how to pack a wound with a handkerchief to stop critical bleeding and get to the ER for antibiotics. Think out of the box, prioritize and improvize.

Ive got multiple IFAKs in key areas and several larger, more general first aid kits around......car, barn, truck, go bags.....
Being a medical professional of sorts Im kind of a first aid and ALS gadget junkie.
I love gause, and tourniquets, bandages, creams, syringes and DRUGS!!
Most of the drugs are meant for animals but they are free through my profession.

Nowhere near what @Criticalt is talking about I'm sure (though there is a selection of feline and canine meds here, lol) but there is a good go to selection of kit here, in the house, in the vehicles, in various go bags, etc.

I'm with you man, somehow this stuff just piles up. In a good way.

I'd throw this out there- having it on hand is good. Knowing how to use all of it is better.

I have a few of them. Depending on where they are located, is how I determine what is in them.

I am in the process of putting a new one together for my Plate/carrier that is being delivered next week.

I am currently searching for what I will be filling it with.

I have always been a fan of Pew Pew Tactical.

This is a good write up of this topic....

box of maxi pads in the first aid kit ..

someone has a laceration to there head ..

peel and stick it in there hand and tell them to hold it there .. off to the next person ..

nose bleed .. grab the box of tampons and up the nose it goes ..

I could write a book.
Others already have so I won’t.
I have shit stashed everywhere.
green kit at bottom of the stairs just in case SHTF.
kid knows more about the gear than my wife does because he listens. And plays fortnite.

growing up younger brother and I fking around with riding lawn mower .. ( i just removed the mower deck ) ..
he runs me over with it .. LOL .. laceration on arm and wrist ..

closed up with buttery fly band aids .. all good ..

cutting down dead cherry tree for a old lady .. chain saw attacked my knee .,. 3 inch long gash on it ..

closed it up with butter fly band aids .. had the farmers wife down the road check it out .. she is a RN .. looks good if you can keep it closed up.. no need for stitches ..

in my 30's now .. help friend with a 80 johnson boat motor .. keep losing spark to one cyl .. slap the breaker bar on the flywheel nut .. he turns the key
to start .. SMACK on the forehead / corner of my eye .. blood pouring down my face .. didn't knock me out .. lol

direct pressure .. bleeding stopped .. .. butter flys again .. next day .. black n blue eye

something so simple and even simple to make just from first aid tape and scissors .. works for a lot of things ..

back .. the only thing that's a bitch is getting stuck with a fish hook .. i spent a good 30 mins trying to get that fker out ( i was like 13 at the time )
then others noticed what was up was at a campsite with family .. and was a trip to the ER .. shots of Novocaine ..

i did tell the ER doc the other hooks on the bass plug unscrew .. there ok he said .. then he got hooked too lol ..



@Criticalt got any Novocaine you can share lol

Check out kits at Bear Independent, many different setups. Also available at Adventure Frontier.

Been to penetrating trauma and wilderness survival courses first takeaway's bandaid's don't matter. Been a father and husband on daily jaunts and guess what... Band aid's matter. LOL.

Got a couple of kits put together. Not a lot of Band Aids but a few. Along with Tourney, splint, Ace bandage, Israeli bandage, etc. experience band aid and/or moleskin will do the trick. But still have the others for when SHTF. Because mark my words. S will HTF sooner than later. And better off being prepared when it does.

I have first aid kit I bought from sportsman's guide over two decades ago. Used it s few times on minor cuts. Nothing that saved a life or limb. Having a good supply of bandaid seems more important in my household.

Mosinitis said:

I have first aid kit I bought from sportsman's guide over two decades ago. Used it s few times on minor cuts. Nothing that saved a life or limb. Having a good supply of bandaid seems more important in my household.

Click to expand...

No doubt band aids will keep family comfortable but won't save any lives if that unfortunate need should arise. Recommend keeping some trauma geared kit on hand as well. Even if for an auto accident or what not.

Anything North American Rescue. I just ordered another one of these


I add a pair of chest seals to it and it makes a good basic kit.

togmaster said:

Anything North American Rescue. I just ordered another one of these

North American Rescue (IPOK) Individual Patrol Officer Kit

North American Rescue (IPOK) Individual Patrol Officer Kit is designed to provide personnel with a compact and durable individual hemorrhage control kit to treat bleeding from penetrating and other traumatic injuries.

lapolicegear.com

I add a pair of chest seals to it and it makes a good basic kit.

Click to expand...

they are sorely overpriced.
convenient but overpriced.

cgrutt said:

No doubt band aids will keep family comfortable but won't save any lives if that unfortunate need should arise. Recommend keeping some trauma geared kit on hand as well. Even if for an auto accident or what not.

Click to expand...

It's included in my Sportsman's Guide kit. I probably should update it, the items could be from four decades ago.

Lets not forget one of my very favorite things for shutting small wounds and keeping bacteria out......super glue.

Acer-m14 said:

growing up younger brother and I fking around with riding lawn mower .. ( i just removed the mower deck ) ..
he runs me over with it .. LOL .. laceration on arm and wrist ..

closed up with buttery fly band aids .. all good ..

cutting down dead cherry tree for a old lady .. chain saw attacked my knee .,. 3 inch long gash on it ..

closed it up with butter fly band aids .. had the farmers wife down the road check it out .. she is a RN .. looks good if you can keep it closed up.. no need for stitches ..

in my 30's now .. help friend with a 80 johnson boat motor .. keep losing spark to one cyl .. slap the breaker bar on the flywheel nut .. he turns the key
to start .. SMACK on the forehead / corner of my eye .. blood pouring down my face .. didn't knock me out .. lol

direct pressure .. bleeding stopped .. .. butter flys again .. next day .. black n blue eye

something so simple and even simple to make just from first aid tape and scissors .. works for a lot of things ..

Click to expand...

I've improvised a lot of first aid in my days.

Sliced my thumb to the bone once with a large razor blade. Some paper towel and a hose clamp fixed that pretty well.

Nice thing about hose clamps is that it's very easy to adjust for the exact amount of pressure necessary to stop the bleeding, and no more.

spat said:

I've improvised a lot of first aid in my days.

Sliced my thumb to the bone once with a large razor blade. Some paper towel and a hose clamp fixed that pretty well.

Nice thing about hose clamps is that it's very easy to adjust for the exact amount of pressure necessary to stop the bleeding, and no more.

Click to expand...

electrical tape too lol...

Criticalt said:

Lets not forget one of my very favorite things for shutting small wounds and keeping bacteria out......super glue.

Click to expand...

Not sure if true or not but was told difference between surgical grade super glue and the stuff you buy in hardware store is how it dries. The everyday stuff dries with heat which can not only be uncomfortable but may actually cause more damage to tissue when curing. That said, I've used the hardware store stuff before...

cgrutt said:

electrical tape too lol...

Click to expand...

Cauterized a cut with a soldering iron once.

It wasn’t bleeding too bad, but it was enough that it was making my fingers too slippery to finish the work, and I didn't want to go all the way back to the house for bandaids.

Can't say I'd recommend that procedure, but it did stop the bleeding and healed up fine.

My hands have taken quite a bit of abuse over the years....

spat said:

Cauterized a cut with a soldering iron once.

It wasn’t bleeding too bad, but it was enough that it was making my fingers too slippery to finish the work, and I didn't want to go all the way back to the house for bandaids.

Can't say I'd recommend that procedure, but it did stop the bleeding and healed up fine.

My hands have taken quite a bit of abuse over the years....

Click to expand...

Can't say I did that but did fall back and put all my weight on a hot soldering iron once. That was fun.

cgrutt said:

Not sure if true or not but was told difference between surgical grade super glue and the stuff you buy in hardware store is how it dries. The everyday stuff dries with heat which can not only be uncomfortable but may actually cause more damage to tissue when curing. That said, I've used the hardware store stuff before...

Click to expand...

I can't think you put enough on that the heat would matter.

You'll use a couple drops, not half a cup.

I bet the difference is 99% "we can slap the word 'medical grade' on it and mark it up 10x the cost" and 1% we can reduce some minor ingredient that’s harmful but doesn’t do much.

cgrutt said:

Not sure if true or not but was told difference between surgical grade super glue and the stuff you buy in hardware store is how it dries. The everyday stuff dries with heat which can not only be uncomfortable but may actually cause more damage to tissue when curing. That said, I've used the hardware store stuff before...

Click to expand...

Ive got both and will use them interchangeably when necessary.

I was in from 76-99 and tourniquets not prescribed then early but maybe a last resort and we had none. They are now and you better have one out of the plastic to put on your arm or leg as soon as possible. I got retrained by a company that comes to a place in Westchester to teach a class of about 20 people, 1/2 our people from my company (all ex-military) with ABC news people from NYC, the other people. They are green compared to us but they are more exposed in their work. We work selling stuff to foreign forces and when they know we were soldiers also, we get a certain level of protection from rapport and being embedded. News people no that lucky. The new first aid training we got, which probably came from our forces down range in the last 20 years was stellar and I now carry all the new items from my new training all the time.

Vinson57 said:

I was in from 76-99 and tourniquets not prescribed then early but maybe a last resort and we had none. They are now and you better have one out of the plastic to put on your arm or leg as soon as possible. I got retrained by a company that comes to a place in Westchester to teach a class of about 20 people, 1/2 our people from my company (all ex-military) with ABC news people from NYC, the other people. They are green compared to us but they are more exposed in their work. We work selling stuff to foreign forces and when they know we were soldiers also, we get a certain level of protection from rapport and being embedded. News people no that lucky. The new first aid training we got, which probably came from our forces down range in the last 20 years was stellar and I now carry all the new items from my new training all the time.

Click to expand...

What protocol are they currently teaching for tourney? High and tight or close to injury? Seems it changes every now and then last class I was in was high and tight.

cgrutt said:

What protocol are they currently teaching for tourney? High and tight or close to injury? Seems it changes every now and then last class I was in was high and tight.

Click to expand...

same with CPR .. every time for update classes it has changed ..

btw high n tight could mean for a tourney around the neck .. even if the bleed was in the thigh LOL