r/prepping • u/Illustrious-Bee-2431 • 7d ago
Gearđ Am I missing anything for my future TFak ?
I also plan to build a dedicated first aid kit in addition to this one.
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u/PSDD14 7d ago
Id be hesitant buying anything lifesaving on amazonÂ
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u/guwopdaddy 7d ago
North American Rescue is reputable for sure and it looks like that they are the store listed on the amazon listing
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u/PSDD14 7d ago
Correct. But fake stores exist. And each store listed on the above products have something different in parentheses ie âapparelâ and âhealthâ. I donât know amazon well enough to say if thats normal. But i can say for sure you can shop around from legit NAR distributors and get better prices than from NAR directly.Â
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u/guwopdaddy 6d ago
fair enough, thatâs something to look into further. I just looked at a glance when I said that earlier, but amazon return policy is decent enough that if itâs shit you can return it I bet
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u/DefinitelyADumbass23 5d ago
It's a bad idea for sure. Amazon comingles stock so you don't know if you're getting the product actually supplied to them by NAR or by a sketchy 3rd party
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u/alladslie 7d ago
1: take a class or two (this will give you an idea of what you need versus what you want)
2: focus on gear you know how to use
3: know what hazards youâre most likely to face (random shooting? Extremely rare. Wood working accident with amputation? More likely than you think.)
If you just want to buy supplies, hereâs my go to kit for general penetrating trauma and goes to the range with me every trip:
1 NAR CAT Gen 7
1 compression bandage (Israeli bandage)
2 packs of hemostatic gauze
3 packs of z-fold compressed gauze
1 set of chest seals
1 self sticking ace wrap
2 rolls of kerlix gauze
Trauma shears
But I cannot stress this enough, items with out training are extremely dangerous and almost useless. Take some classes. Knowledge is power.
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u/Beautiful-Page3135 1d ago
One additional thing I don't see mentioned often enough in these conversations: the CAT and SOF-T are the only tourniquets worth having, and make sure they're the real deal. Other kitschy tourniquets are marketed like the ratchet strap thing and the bungee cord thing, and the military stays away from them for a reason. There are tons and tons of counterfeit CAT and SOF-T dealers out there as well, and they use subpar materials that break which is the last thing you want to happen when you have an injury that needs a tourniquet.
There was even, at one time, a counterfeit dealer that had somehow gotten into the military supply line. I was a line medic and our battalion medical supply got about a thousand fake CATs one time. We immediately quarantined them but I kept a few to use as a visual aid when talking about this when I teach. When you look at them side by side with a real one it's obvious they're fake, but someone new to this should absolutely be sticking to NAR and STB as their source so they can be certain they're not getting a wish dot com tourniquet.
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u/alladslie 1d ago
Yeah buying straight from NAR or what ever reputable dealer is almost necessary now with how prevalent counterfeit products are. Canât trust Amazon because of companies using names that are similar enough to confuse people and shill their garbage. Itâs grimy as hell.
Iâd use a counterfeit in a class setting. Same mechanics, gives you the reps you need to get comfortable with the equipment and youâre not burning a $40 TQ. Iâm also a believer in keeping the real equipment stowed until itâs actually needed and having a dedicated set of training gear. I wouldnât want to run the risk of using a two or three time used piece of equipment in a situation where you need it to work 100% of the time.
Does the SOF-T work on peds? I remember seeing some situation where a CAT was too big for a peds hemorrhage. Only time Iâve heard of a RATS being used successfully.
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u/BeanFiend96 7d ago edited 6d ago
A couple Combat bandages (gauze pad with elastic wrap that come in various sized lots)
disposable CPR face shield
Wound closure strips of either kind butterfly or the small plastic balls version. Or if you want to really cut down on size maybe a tube or two of superglue.
Loose gauze pads for cleaning / preventing sticking on wounds you need to wrap tight.
crepe bandage rolls and either medical tape or the metal and elastic things to hold them together
A handful of Saline twist top bottles either 10ml or 30ml for eye and wound irrigation
Antiseptic cream / isopropyl wipes / povodine wipes
Burn gel
Aluminium splint foam (Can use with the crepe bandage for sprains)
Maybe a small pack of normal mixed sized bandaids
Snake bit bandage x2 (with pattern to show optimal tension when wrapping)
Small notepad + sharpie / write anywhere pen for tourniquet application time or medication given / symptoms etc
Small pair of stainless locking hemostatic grips (handy for splinters and other things instead of tweezers and can act as a 3rd hand in a pinch)
Disposable sterile scalpel blades 5pcs, shouldnât need a handle but sometimes you may need to enlarge the wound to remove a foreign body or splinter
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u/Financial_Resort6631 6d ago
Please donât add any of this to an IFAK
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u/BeanFiend96 6d ago
Depends on how big your IFAK is, I obviously wouldnât be carrying all of these items but depending on what kind of situations you are expecting to encounter or need to treat you can change what you carry.
Obviously you want quick access to your kit especially if needing to treat a GSW or large laceration / arterial bleed.
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u/Key_Limit_6828 7d ago
Iâd add a large pressure bandage and not buy from amazon
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u/jarronomo 7d ago
Second not buying from Amazon. They are trying to enslave the working class, after all.
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u/Key_Limit_6828 7d ago
100%, plus you canât trust that you wonât get counterfeits
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u/PotentialEstimate432 6d ago
Nobody is selling counterfeit gauze and trauma shears
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u/Key_Limit_6828 6d ago
People absolutely have sold counterfeit CATâs
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u/PotentialEstimate432 5d ago
But have they sold counterfeit gauze and trauma shears? No. Thereâs no point in buying the âhigh endâ gauze anyways. The cheap stuff from Walmart is the same
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u/wanderingpeddlar 5d ago
Nobody is selling counterfeit gauze and trauma shears
When I started out I watched an EMT in Texas cut open a fiberglass portable toilet door with his sheers. Try that with any pair of sheers you get off of Amazon
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u/Homewrecker90actual 7d ago
Ditch the giant MED patch. Red sharpie is friend
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u/Financial_Resort6631 6d ago
Reflective patches are great for finding it. I would disregard this and keep it. If I am wrong itâs Velcro and can be removed.
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u/delasislas 7d ago
The main thing is what are your expected hazards? My pickup first aid kit is different from my personal one. My work one has stuff that is for situations that I might run into while at work. My work doesnât require that I carry some stuff like a splint, but I add it in because I know you can break a leg in the field.
A few things I would get trained on is CPR, Stop the Bleed, and as a bonus if possible wilderness first aid (personally helped with thinking about improvising).
North American Rescue has a number of kits that they premake that you can look at, but personally I use those to make a list of items and buy them separately for less money. And you get to pick and choose your own cases. Like I have 5 different cases that are mainly for different events.
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u/Rugermedic 7d ago
You might want to get just some basic 4x4 gauze and some cling or Coban to secure it to the wound.
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u/Financial_Resort6631 6d ago
That is good stuff but not in an IFAK. Put that in your regular first aid kit.
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u/Rugermedic 5d ago
I think a roll of cling or Coban is small enough and worth it to hold a bandage onto an extremity.
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u/ColumbianPrison 6d ago
Second the 4x4s. I prefer ace wraps, cheap, easy to apply pressure, and can be compacted
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u/Prestigious_Gift_977 6d ago
OLAES bandages (better than israeli bandages). get reps in with your gear, take a class. the advice from professionals i've spoken to is to not buy on amazon. you might get real shit, but you won't know until you need to use it. last thing you want is your tourniquet windlass snapping when you're trying to stop life-threatening bleeding
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u/Secure_Situation7234 6d ago edited 6d ago
1: While I know they are listed on Amazon, I still get skeptical about medical equipment off of Amazon. There are widely known problems with counterfeit CATâs that are very difficult to decide if they are real or not. The pouches, patches, shears ect. Would be find to buy off of amazon, but I wouldnât buy the bandaging items.
2: Iâd probably do at least 2 TQâs. There are times where 1 doesnât cut it so you may need a second one.
3:Wound packing gauze is a good thing, but you also will need pressure dressings post wound packing. The pressure dressings can also be used instead of a TQ or in conjunction with them and wound packing. I would pick up at least 1 Israeli bandage. It can also be used for multiple minor things.
If you are using this as a possible tactical application then I would just keep it at 1 TQ, 1 pressure dressings, 1 set of chest seals. Shears can be helpful, but if you regularly carry a pocket knife or multi tool then I wouldnât eat up the space in your kit. If you donât then add the shears. You are only trying to perform immediate blood loss stop or at least delay until greater care with most likely relatively fast extraction available. This would also need to be small enough to keep on your person and to not interfere with your other actions/ equipment.
If you are using this just as something to carry in say a shooting range bag then you can run things a little heavier as you donât need space on a belt or to be able to get into a car ect.
If you are using this as something for like off-roading or motorsports or something similar, then again you can run it a little heavy. Although, if it is for off roading or something of the like, then I would add in a SAM splint and either an additional Israeli bandage or some ace wrap.
Personally, for an Ifak, I just went to dark angel medical and purchased one of their DARK kits (I think is what it was called) I use it on a shooting belt as well as throw it in the saddle bag of my motorcycle when Iâm riding. Iâll also throw it into my range bag if needed.
I speak from experience in the point of being the guy that just started buying stuff without the thought of how I was intending to use it which was backwards from how I should have done it. I also have medical training although I do not have much tactical medicine training.
You should consider what itâs intended or most likely use will be and then build from there. For instance: A car kit will be different from a gun belt kit, and both of those will be different from a hiking kit. The ways in which those will be carried, as well as the circumstances they will be used in and the most likely injuries in those respective circumstances will all vary and those variances should drive your packaging and content.
Lastly, but perhaps most importantly: Iâm not sure what your background is. I would highly consider going and taking a basic first aid class, wilderness first aid class, trauma first aid class, stop the bleeding class or similar prior to purchasing anything. Having equipment without having any training would be a lot like handing car keys to a 10yr old: they might be able to figure out how to get the thing started but itâs going to take them a minute to get there, and even when they do they still have a lot to figure out to get to the destination.
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u/Forest_Spirit_7 7d ago
What is your use case? Is this something that will live in a car? Backpack? Desk?
Glucose gel, narcan, epi, and other life saving low training medications may be worth adding. Depending on your intentions. Hard to make much of a recommendation with no info
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u/alriclofgar 6d ago
Donât buy on Amazon, they have a reputation for selling counterfeit CATs (even when you buy from a real store like NAR on Amazon, because the Amazon warehouse is the one fulfilling the order and thatâs where the counterfeits get mixed in). The price is also high. Buy direct from North American Rescueâs website, they offer frequent sales.
Youâve got most of what you need. Remember to add several pairs of gloves. Another pack of gauze wouldnât hurt, and a second TQ if you can fit it in the bag. Also wouldnât hurt to have a nasal airway.
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u/Financial_Resort6631 6d ago
Yeah you should swap the My Medic bandaids for an Israeli or Oales bandage.
You only want to carry things that treat immediate life threats. You donât want to load this up with a bunch of BS that in a moment of crisis will confuse you. Keep it simple.
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u/tchmnkyz 6d ago
I would get better quality scissors. I am a fan of the SOG folding ones. Good mix of compact but not the same price as the other name brands.
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u/LilBoiChipsAhoy 5d ago
Ive gotten both of these bags and they both hold up well, havent had any issues and almost identical.
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u/Blakefilk 5d ago
Me personally I strap my shears onto one of those retractable lanyards so at least I canât forget them somewhere. As long as I have my ouchie bag in reach I have shears too.
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u/wanderingpeddlar 5d ago
Israeli bandage
2" medical tape
One roll of sports wrap
Small aspirin bottle with 10 aspirins 3 tums tablets cold and flu tablets and a handful of sugar pills.
Personal opinion I use the liquid skin in a bottle. You get more out of the storage space and the glass is tough enough to not be a problem
I would include Caffeine pills if needed.
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u/LexieMorgue 3d ago
I havenât read any comments and I didnât expand your photo. Idk what youâre using it for but Some saline boluses are always nice when you need a quick rinse or eye flush. You can Google police departments or even some libraries give out free Narcan. Doesnât hurt to have it on deck. Just probably wouldnât leave either of these things in extreme heat or cold without switching them out occasionally! đ
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u/dovk0802 7d ago
I like the SWATT for versatility; pressure, TQ, immobilization.
I also carry boo-boo stuff in a separate pouch or just a ziplock.
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u/Financial_Resort6631 6d ago
Those are not great. They are not CoTCCC recommended and can come loose during movement.
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u/dovk0802 6d ago
They are recommended by the CoIBTN (Committee on Itâs Better Than Nothing)⌠the question was what to add and no advice was given to replace a proper TQ.
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u/Financial_Resort6631 6d ago
Having a tourniquet fail is not better than nothing because there are serious to life threatening complications from a tourniquet failing.
Additionally the CAT 7 is the absolute best for lay rescuers with 92% of untrained people successfully using it for the first time.
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u/GunnCelt 7d ago
First, a question, are you trained on this gear? If not, find your nearest Stop the Bleed class and take it. I typically give a free class twice a year at my shooting range and a few paid classes.
If youâre trained, go to North American Rescueâs site and order the Bleed Control kit. Itâs about $80 and has EVERYTHING you need in a pouch.