medical kit

Crate Club’s first aid kit: Courtesy of North American Rescue

When it comes to successful gear in the medical world its hard to beat North American Rescue. When Crate Club wanted to develop and send out a medical kit we knew there was only one company worth teaming up with. North American Rescue makes some of the best medical gear on the market, from pouches to Gauze NAR makes it all. Crate Club’s First Aid kit is all North American Rescue, minus the easy tote pouch we included.

What’s in the Crate Club First Aid Kit?

Responder 4-inch Emergency Trauma Dressing
Responder Compressed Gauze
Large Nitrile Gloves
Survival Blanket
10- Band-Aids
Roll of Medical Tape

The kit is simple and designed for the everyday citizen. You don’t have to be an EMT or a Corpsman to use this gear. Medical gear can be tricky if you don’t know how to properly and safely use a piece of gear you shouldn’t even attempt it. You could easily make things worse by jumping in feet first. Always go head first folks and know your limitations.

This kit is designed to provide the basics for treating everything from boo-boos to traumatic injuries for those with a base understanding of bleeding control. We wanted to keep the contents light and easy to carry in a backpack, a glove box, or even a cargo pocket.

The Crate Club First Aid kit isn’t a replacement for an IFAK or a medic bag, it’s an EDC kit designed for those with little to no medical training. The biggest concern was the quality of the components. We knew that teaming with NAR was the way to go.

Breaking Down the First Aid Components

The NAR Responder Trauma Dressing is the biggest part of the kit and is designed for applying immediate pressure to the wound and to help stop the bleeding. Vacuum sealed and sterile the ETD is perfect for compact and concealed carry. One of the features we found perfect for beginners was the simple hook and loop closure method. It’s less confusing that bars or hooks for someone who has never applied a pressure dressing. The dressing is 60 inches long and 4 inches wide and weighs only 2 ounces.

The Compressed Gauze is well suited for both wrapping injuries and being used with the trauma dressing for packing wounds and stopping a hemorrhage. NAR uses this interesting crinkle weave in their gauze that maximized blood and fluid absorption.

The inclusion for gloves is for both you and your patient. The gloves will protect you from whatever your patient has and render you mostly sterile when treating the patient. These are a simple addition that can make a big difference in your health and the health of your patient.

Band-aids are pretty self-explanatory. As is medical tape. They treat smaller wounds and do help prevent infection and stop very minor bleeding. Medical tape applied with an improvised bandage is great for lacerations, but don’t ask me how I know.

Lastly, the survival blanket. A small, light piece of kit designed to reflect 90% of the body’s heat back to it. The blanket can be used when you’re chilly sure, but it can also save your life. It beats back hypothermia and reduces the heat lost by a person immediately. It weighs 2 ounces, is easy to carry, and a very versatile tool when it comes to survival and first aid.

Save Yourself

The Crate Club First Aid kit is simple, and anyone can use it. Your goal is to be able to use it. The included kit is simple, but you should seek medical training immediately to add to the kit. Toss in a tourniquet, some Combat Gauze, maybe even a Pneumothorax emergency air release. To use them requires training, and you need to get out and train, seek competent instruction and make 2019 the year you learn how to save a life.

Learn more about the Crate Club and sign up

Visit the online Crate Club Store

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Watch: The Every Day Mobility Go-Lite Seat Back Bag

I’ve always got my eye open for new innovative gear to aid in my level of preparedness. I recently wrote an article on your everyday vehicle and how I have my personal vehicle setup for emergencies. After seeing this new Go-Lite Seat Back Bag from Fieldcraft Survival, I just may have to rethink the layout of gear in my vehicle. I’m going to have to get my hands on one of these.

From Fieldcraft Survival

The EDM GO-LITE Panel/Pack is a velcro and molle panel that straps easily to the back of your seat to allow for modular carry of accessories and equipment. You can quickly remove and adhere to medical/survival for immediate action in the event of an emergency. The Panel then quickly transforms into a Go-Bag with the removal of the top and bottom straps. This Patent Pending minimalist go bag/panel comes in Black Multicam with Black Accents. The pre-order will be a limited run of Black Multicam and has an expected ship time of 6-8 weeks. You will save 15% off retail and the first 100 pre-orders will receive a custom leather “FieldCraft Mobility” patch as part of your order. The EDM Go-Lite is MADE IN THE USA and guaranteed the highest quality textile on the market. Two small and one large general purpose pouches in black Multicam included. Clear Vinyl pouch sold separately. This bag is built mil-spec for durability and longevity in the field with a LIFETIME WARRANTY!!! Sorry, no refunds for any reason.

*Photo courtesy of Fieldcraft Survival

Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight .7 Kit

In a previous article, I talked about my custom medical kit. This is the kit I have in my pack at all times. When it’s time to hit the trail, the medical kit goes with me in my hiking daypack. However, not everyone wants to piece together their own medical kit for various reasons. For that reason, I’m going to cover a popular off the shelf medical first aid kit. Regardless of what you decide, you need to carry some type of first aid kit – even if it’s a piece of crap like I was issued in the Marine Corps. Our first aid kit consisted of moleskin, a roll of electrical tape, Motrin, and a canteen of water.

The Ultralight and Watertight .7 Kit by Adventure Medical Kits is the perfect choice for people who want one kit for climbing, kayaking, hiking, and every other outdoor activity that they participate in. The .7 is also the 0fficial medical kit of the USARA 24 Hour Adventure Race Series.

CONTENTS of the Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight and Watertight .7 Kit

1 – Splinter Picker/Tick Remover Forceps
1 – Duct Tape, 2 x 100″
3 – Safety Pins
2 – After Bite Sting and Itch Relief, Wipe
2 – Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25 mg)
4 – Ibuprofen (200 mg)
1 – Tincture of Benzoin Topical Skin Adhesive, Vial
3 – Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Net Wt. 0.9 g, (1/32 oz)
1 – Gloves, Nitrile (Pair)
5 – After Cuts and Scrapes Anesthetic/Antiseptic, Wipe
4 – Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1 x 3″
3 – Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle
3 – Bandage, Butterfly Closure
1 – Bandage, Elastic with Velcro Closure, 2″
3 – Conforming Gauze Bandage, Non-Sterile, 3″
2 – Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2 x 2″
2 – Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 3 x 3″
2 – Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterile, 3 x 4″
1 – Moleskin, 4 x 7″
1 – Tape, Cloth, 1 x 10 Yards

I recommend going through the contents of your off the shelf kit and customizing it to your location and medical preferences. You’ll need to beef this kit up if you want a first aid kit that is truly capable of supporting 1 to 2 people for up to 4 days. Below are the changes I made to my personal kit to support myself and family for day hikes and the reasons why.

removed the Tincture of Benzoin Vial – never had a use for this stuff
removed the Butterfly Closure Bandage – You can use standard 1″ x 3″ bandaids cut down the center for this and they are stronger than the butterfly bandages.
removed the Elastic Velcro Closure Bandage – replaced with the SWAT-T Tourniquet
removed the Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25 mg) – I’m only concerned with pain/swelling and dehydration.
Added (1) SWAT-T Tourniquet – I prefer this over the Elastic Velcro Bandage since it can fill multiple applications such as a tourniquet, pressure bandage, or to secure a splint.
Added an H&H Compression Gauze pack – These just get the job done for heavy bleeding. This combined with the SWAT-T will give you a pretty damn good defense against blood loss.
Added Salt Stick capsules for dehydration and heat related illnesses
Added (1) sam splint finger splint – when I was adding other items to my kits I decided to ask several people what they would like to see in a first aid kit that is not commonly found in them. The common answer I received from them all was a finger splint – especially those who have kids.
Replaced the ‘Dry Lock’ interior waterproof bag with my Aloksak waterproof bag – The Dry Lock bag seems to be a rigid zip lock type bag. The Aloksak is a proven product and I trust it over anything else.

The Bottom Line

This kit by itself is good for your smaller cuts, scrapes, insect bites, and stings. It’s enough to get you back to the car parked at the trail head and to a doctor if the injury warrants that. For anything above and beyond your basic cuts and scrapes, you’re going to have to beef this kit up with other items or custom make your own kit to suit your personal needs.

Violent Nomad Go! Bag | Blend seamlessly into any environment

What is the importance of a go-bag and why should you have one?

“I kinda have a unique job, so my loadout is tailored to the main purpose of the pack. For this loadout in particular, I always carry a Maratac AA flashlight, spare magazines for my AR and Glock, Passport, Bogota lock picks, Arabic translator book, SOF-T tourniquet, a burner cell phone with local SIM chip, Leatherman multi-tool, trauma kit, Princeton-Tec headlamp, and some form of negotiating material in order to bribe someone. Most times, money is always the best bribery material to get somewhere or get past a security checkpoint. In my case, I’m trying not to stand out as an American, so I have a cleared iPhone 5s since people in the Middle East LOVE their electronics.

I also put a 7.62 rated armor plate in the laptop pocket of the pack in the event I’m being pursued by someone that intends to cause harm. AK-47’s are the most prevalent where I’m at so it only made sense to get rid of the usual soft armor I have in there and replace it with the plate.

I carry my iPhone 6s with the LifeProof back up battery case on it because I have a GPS app that I utilize without the need for cell service that will help me navigate without the need for a map.” – Loadout Room writer Nick Betts

Let’s take a closer look at the new Violent Nomad Go! Bag

We’ve done several articles covering go bags and although the concept is simple, sometimes people don’t know where to start when building one from scratch. You have to determine what kind of bag to use and then determine what the contents will be based on your skill level, the region you live/operate in, as well as potential threats native to your area. Clint Emerson, the author of 100 Deadly Skills and creator of the Violent Nomad, has taken the guesswork out of it for you by providing a Go! Bag already stocked with two different survival kits, 1 urban and 1 rural, and a medical kit. This kit is a great baseline to start with and as your skill level evolves, you can add to or modify the contents.

Keep in mind that this bag is a smaller sling bag and is not meant to carry a laptop or tablet. This Go! Bag is meant for one thing; keeping you alive when shit hits the fan.

Courtesy of the Violent Nomad website:

In day-to-day life, bolt bags can be used as precautionary measures—not only by civilians living in regions at high risk for natural disasters, but by anyone alert to the threat of urban disasters or terrorism.

This bag is designed for and can be worn by anyone, whether you are civilian or military; a mom or a dad. Non-tactical by design, this bag is meant to blend seamlessly into any environment.

Package Contents:

1 GO! BAG, including 1 USB adapter

1 Rural EDC Survival Kit

1 Urban EDC Survival Kit

1 M.A.R.C.H. EDC Kit

Approx. Size: 9.8” x 14.9” x 4.7”

Specifications:

Color: Black

Fabric: Oxford cloth fabric

Lining: Polyester

photo courtesy of Clint Emerson

Up your preparedness game with the Violent Nomad Go! Bag

*Featured image courtesy of the author

Tactical Tailor First Responder Bag: Like it or not, Fanny Packs are in

The concept of the fanny pack or waist pack is nothing new. There has remained a steady trend in the utilization of these types of packs within the SOPs of varying SOF units. Waist packs used as quickly removable IFAKS, assaulter load outs, and housing for extraneous breaching equipment have all found their niche within the context of these waist bags. I use a Spiritus System SACK on my Crye AVS to hold my extra Commo equipment. The central body placement, the ability to access the pouch ambidextrously, and the zero-sum loss of MOLLE space on your kit make waist based packs alluring for load carrying potential.

Enter the Tactical Tailor First Responder Bag. The bag itself, like all Tactical Tailor products, is built to last. Heavy 1000D Cordura meshed with YKK zipper will ensure that this bag need not be pampered. The Bag, in essence, bridges a gap between being a typically -sized IFAK and a smaller stand-alone med bag.

Measurements: 12″ wide x 6.5″ tall x 5.25″ deep
NSN: 6530015480940 (Black, Coyote Brown, OD.)
MADE IN THE USA

The Exterior of the bag boasts a trauma shear pouch, a smaller zippered pouch, and generous MOLLE webbing for attaching extra ancillary equipment. Within the bag itself, there are four different panels of elastic webbing, ranging in girth, in order to stow and organize the medical gear of varying sizes. There is also a small pliable divider within the front portion of the bag. Like many other TT products, a hi-viz orange panel is sewn into the bottom of the bag to aid in visual acuity of the bag’s bottom. The bag pictured is currently loaded with the following (there is so much more room for other equipment):

1 Trauma Shears
1 SOF-T W Tourniquet
1 SWAT-T Tourniquet
2 IZZY Dressings
1 Z-PACK GAUZE
1 OLAES Bandage
2 H/H Gauze
6 HALO dressings
2 Needle Ds
1 Nasopharyngeal tube
2 Nitrile Gloves
1 HEMCON dressing
1 CELOX powder

The bag also has buckled carrying straps with a wide range of size adjustment. If rocking the fanny pack is not your jam, one can wear the bag slung across the shoulders or over their armor. For me personally, I currently have the bag affixed to a rear seat of my vehicle. I am seriously debating obtaining a second bag in order to organize and stow my SERE car loadout. The bag would fit that SERE gear setup nicely and look for a follow-up article depicting this bag’s many pragmatic uses.

Author – Ross R. is currently serving in the US Military Special Operations community.

Dark Angel Medical Gen 3 Trauma Kit | Full Review

After an in-depth run through of the Dark Angel Medical Gen 3 Trauma Kit, I have concluded that any kind of medical trauma kit is a must-have for anyone serious about tactical training. We are going beyond a basic first aid kit here, where band-aids and blister pads and are not enough to stop the bleeding. As we all know or have seen, there are some pretty serious injuries someone can sustain while working in the tactical industry. Anything from an accident at the gun range from someone not paying attention, to tactical driving mishaps and everything in between. A good solid medical trauma kit is a must have to keep on you at all times or in a vehicle for when you need it most. That’s where Dark Angel Medical comes into the picture. With over 50 years of medical experience and 30 years of Active Duty Military experience, Dark Angel Medical puts every effort into designing a safe and easy to use trauma kit that will be there when you need it the most.

The D.A.R.K. (Direct Action Response Kit) Gen 3 trauma Kit is a small package that contains everything you will need to save a life. The D.A.R.K. was designed with simplicity under stress kept in mind. It comes complete with a Gen 3 Molle pouch that has a shear retention strap on either side to hold a set of medical trauma shears, a Gen 7 CAT (Tourniquet) and the following:

Vacuum-sealed components to include:

1 pair Nitrile gloves, size L,
1 pair HALO Seals,
1x Nasal Airway,
1x 4” Israeli Bandage,
1x QuikCLot Combat Gauze LE or ChitoGauze XR Pro(MIL-SPEC Kits contain QuikClot Combat Gauze MIL)
1x Compressed Gauze
1x Mylar Blanket
Polycarbonate Eyeshield (current USMC issue eye shield and is recommended by the Committee on Tactical Casualty Combat Care)
1 x Ten Tac Med Tips Assessment Card

1x TCCC Casualty Documentation Tool
1x 14 Gauge ARS Decompression Needle
QuikClot Combat Gauze MIL

The biggest issue of having a piece of gear like this is taking in consideration of whether or not you can get to it and use it in time. The Gen 3 trauma kit has a “quick release” pull tab under the top flap for quick access. When the time comes to use the kit, just pull the tab and out pops the sealed medical items there for you. No more digging through the kit looking for an Israeli bandage or Quikclot, all the contents are easily available and easy to use. This makes a big difference, even when in a stressful situation. The Mil-Spec Gen 3 trauma kit stayed on my belt while using it at the gun range, held on by the webbed molle straps that secure the kit to any piece of gear. One of the concerns I thought I would have, was whether or not the trauma shears would get in the way when sitting or leaning up next to something. They are held on to the kit by retention straps on both sides of the kit and do not protrude in any way. So no issue there. Everything fits nice and snug in a small package.

Last but not least, but another important factor in a company is their level of customer service. I just want to say that Dark Angel Medical has outstanding customer service when it comes to satisfying their customers. There was a slight “snafu” on my first order and I was sent the wrong product from Dark Angel Medical. After a brief phone call and quick reaction on their part, I was expedited the black Gen 3 trauma kit that I originally ordered. I know that no one is perfect and things happen, but I just want to say that Dark Angel Medical went above and beyond to deliver an outstanding product in time for my review deadline. Thanks again to the wonderful team at Dark Angel Medical, keep up the great work!

Author – Chandler Brookins is a former US Navy Veteran with multiple deployments to SE Asia and The Middle East, while attached to many Tier 1 Special Operation Groups. Chandler has also served as a Dallas Police Officer for 3 years, before focusing his efforts on civilian SERE training and security assessments.