IFAK

Chuckman

Chuckman

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I am putting this here (as opposed to survival/prep/outdoors) as people add the IFAK to their belt or PC. I have seen, used, or been issued just about every iteration, starting with the iconic ALICE kit:

upload_2020-7-15_13-5-16.jpeg

They all get the job done, but I see flaws/weaknesses in most of them.

What do you carry, what do you like about it, and what do you want improved? (Full disclosure: I am working with John Boyette on a new design).
 
Hard to beat the current ifak. Got on on the back of my pc. Also have a full back pack of more first aid items.
 
Chuckman said:
I am putting this here (as opposed to survival/prep/outdoors) as people add the IFAK to their belt or PC. I have seen, used, or been issued just about every iteration, starting with the iconic ALICE kit:

View attachment 230853

They all get the job done, but I see flaws/weaknesses in most of them.

What do you carry, what do you like about it, and what do you want improved? (Full disclosure: I am working with John Boyette on a new design).
Click to expand...
That’s not an IFAK. That’s a FAKI...says so right on the top. :p
 
I am partial to the Vanquest FATPack. I also have a Onetigris that is smaller and made of less sturdy material.

One handed opening with everything contained and secured.

I would like something lower profile but still have easy access and easy to load.
 
Johnny said:
I am partial to the Vanquest FATPack. I also have a Onetigris that is smaller and made of less sturdy material.

One handed opening with everything contained and secured.

I would like something lower profile but still have easy access and easy to load.
Click to expand...

The better mousetrap I am trying to build...
 
What is inside? What are yall carrying?
 
HMP said:
What is inside? What are yall carrying?
Click to expand...

The IFAK is there for someone else to treat YOU; it needs to have the minimum to cover MARCH (M-massive hemorrhage, A-airway, R-respiratory, C-circulation, and H-hypothermia): tourniquet, modular bandage of some type, petro gauze/chest seal, nasopharyngeal airway, hemostatic dressing, something to cover you (i.e., 'space' blanket).
 
Chuckman said:
The IFAK is there for someone else to treat YOU; it needs to have the minimum to cover MARCH (M-massive hemorrhage, A-airway, R-respiratory, C-circulation, and H-hypothermia): tourniquet, modular bandage of some type, petro gauze/chest seal, nasopharyngeal airway, hemostatic dressing, something to cover you (i.e., 'space' blanket).
Click to expand...

No morphine drip?
 
@Chuckman
I use standard IFAKs (with customized goodies) as posted and keep them at home and in vehicles as well as my go everywhere bag but i would change:

Exterior buckle sucks. I want something secure but easier to open under stress

The elastic bands that hold the various items inside weaken over time and they are sometimes too small or too big for what I want to store.

instead of making it like a Russian nesting doll, a kit inside a kit, I would like to be able to open it and have what I need right there, not open it and then open it again, without spilling a bunch of loose items out.

maybe put an exterior pocket/pouch for a TQ or QuickClot gauze....like an I need it and I need it now pocket.

Definitely a place For a sharpie and a secure way to hold a set of shears. I found a mini set of trauma shears for mine just so they fit without taking up too much room
 
11B CIB said:
I only have that problem from Hydromorphone. I can handle everything else pretty well
Click to expand...

Me, it's morphine and percocet. I don't know what the soil is like in Gilbert, SC, but here in central NC, we don't have "dirt," we have clay: a tightly-packed, highly dense, gray-tan, completely-impervious-to-water, clay. Yeah, that's my poop after narcs.
 
Chuckman said:
Me, it's morphine and percocet. I don't know what the soil is like in Gilbert, SC, but here in central NC, we don't have "dirt," we have clay: a tightly-packed, highly dense, gray-tan, completely-impervious-to-water, clay. Yeah, that's my poop after narcs.
Click to expand...

Well this thread just took a whole new direction.:eek:
 
The tpg black med pouch is nice and ambi. It slides in a sleeve and can be pulled either way.

ETA looks like they're out of business or something.


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Johnny said:
I am partial to the Vanquest FATPack. I also have a Onetigris that is smaller and made of less sturdy material.

One handed opening with everything contained and secured.

I would like something lower profile but still have easy access and easy to load.
Click to expand...


I have the OneTigris pouch that you speak of ....there are a couple of different versions out there, some of the side pockets are mesh, others are elastic.
Screenshot_20200715-203533.png

@Chuckman , I've been using this at work to carry PPE on my person. The D Ring will clip to a ZaK keyring holder on my belt. It's held up better than I thought it would and is of pretty good quality.

I was going to, and still have on order the SO Tech IFAK drop leg that I had intended to use as a mini Active Threat bag at work.

sotechtactical.com/products/pifaktbvs

We just added the TacMed Solutions pouch to our Active Threat response load out on units

https://www.tacmedsolutions.com/TacMed-LAPD-Kit

Comparing the TacMed Solutions pouch and the OneTigris pouch, I still prefer the One Tigris, which is basically a knock off of the ITS Tactical Tallboy and Fatboy.

I've been able to play around with and fit the following into the OneTigris pouch:
Left outside:
Large Sharpie
Chem light
Right outside:
Gloves in the elastic pouch
Back:
Trauma shears tucked into the MOLLE
Inside:
Hyfin chest seals x4
CAT x2
SOFTT-W
28fr NPA
TPAK needles x2
OLEAS
Celox Z Fold
ACE wrap
Space blanket
Roller gauze x2
5x9s x2
1" tape

I will probably buy a couple more of them for each of our vehicles and move the 5.11 "cubes" in the vehicles to a more comprehensive med kit.
IMG_20191228_000525.jpg

What I need is something small like the Pocket DARK Jr. or this guy I found the other day as something I can carry in my pocket everyday.

https://ltcreed.com/products/edc-pocket-trauma-kit
 
@NCMedic , thanks for the information. I am big on SOTech, and on my "battle belt" I have TacMed Solutions kit.

I know in my mind what I want to have as a perfect kit, but I have yet to see it made. I'm beginning to think it's a unicorn.
 
Chuckman said:
I know in my mind what I want to have as a perfect kit, but I have yet to see it made. I'm beginning to think it's a unicorn.
Click to expand...

Perfect is the enemy of good, eh?

Every time I look at a premade kit I can find something I don't like about it and end up hacking and modding until I get what I want.
 
th
and
colored-nylon-zip-ties-main.jpg
and
Duck-Brand-Printed-Duct-Tape-Realtree-Hardwoods-Camo.jpg


If this don't fix it I'm a goner anyway.
 
I have the standard RFI issue on my kit but with the new gen tourniquet. My battle belt has a JNB IFAK with gloves, quick clot, Israeli bandage, more gauze, XSTAT injector, tourniquet, NPA, and shears.
f408af4c3aea9292cf5962db2bf491b8.jpg
e8555112bc0399220b3c5c6763450b9a.jpg


Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk
 
I can see I need to have a look at my kit......
 
How 'bout an IFAK on the back and a FAK at the front?

I've heard it said that you Never use your IFAK for someone else's needs. Makes sense to have both IFAK and FAK.
 
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Chuckman said:
@NCMedic , thanks for the information. I am big on SOTech, and on my "battle belt" I have TacMed Solutions kit.

I know in my mind what I want to have as a perfect kit, but I have yet to see it made. I'm beginning to think it's a unicorn.
Click to expand...

Fully disagree.
I think the key is to find the primary internal pieces and then the 2nd and 3rd level replacement parts.

Once these are known, the work space can be layed out.
 
@Me. @MacEntyre . You make a good points, the range I consider a different environment. I certainly have the IFAK, but I also carry a beefier general first aid kit, in which is a "boo boo" kit. 99% of things that happen on the range can be covered with Band-Aids, sunscreen, or polysporin.

The traditional use of the IFAK is that a single you solely, to be used by someone else, on you. That is easy to do in the military where that is how everyone is trained, and will not likely apply in a civilian application.

Regarding location of a battle belt and speaking to the larger location on where you put an IFAK also goes back to the military where everything is standardized. It is true you can put a buckle theoretically anywhere, in the military everything is in the same location so that if you have to take off my body armor or my battle belt or have to use my first aid kit you know exactly where everything is to do it.
 
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Just my two cents but an IFAK on the front of a belt would make going prone uncomfortable. I tried to keep as much open on the front as possible to really be able to go prone without laying on a bunch of pouches and stuff. Now that isn't a big deal for everyone but I shoot prone enough that it matters to me.

I know a handful of our medics have larger IFAK kits on their belts because they can usually just take off the belt and lay it next to them or hang it somewhere while doing their work.

Different setups for different folks.
 
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