EDC IFAK

The world isn't a Safe Space

No socio-political rant this time, I promise.
Ok, one tiny one, but it isn't even a complete sentence.

For those not familiar with the acronyms:
 "EDC" is short for Every Day Carry. This is a genre of products which are either specifically produced, or modified, for carrying around in a casual, everyday manner. This concept encompasses a wide variety of materials for a wide variety of purposes.
"IFAK" stands for Individual First Aid Kit. Kits which are referred to as "IFAKs" are not filled with bandaids and antibiotic cream, they are meant for traumatic events such as gunshots and explosions. On the spectrum of care capacity, the IFAK is somewhat specific. It isn't meant to address the wide variety of injuries and conditions an EMT's trauma kit can, nor is it meant for long-term care. IFAKs were developed by and for the military and law enforcement in order to address the types of trauma often encountered by those occupations, keeping the Officer/Agent/Marine/etc alive long enough for them to be addressed by a higher level of care (Corpsman, EMT, trauma surgeon).

"Uhhh, Rick? Why do I need one of these? I'm a civilian. I work at a coffee shop."

"Dude, do you live on Earth?"

While IFAKs were developed for Tactical Medicine, they can be used to address a wide variety of traumatic injuries. Broken glass severing an artery in a car crash; machinery breaking catastrophically, throwing a piece of metal into someone's chest, puncturing a lung; watching a softball game and having some alt-left nutjob start shooting up the place in support of collectivist economic policies (I SAID it wasn't a full sentence).

IFAK contents are somewhat standard. Variation occurs when you look at levels of training (military and law enforcement versions have a hemostatic agent, while civilian ones often don't). The contents available to military personnel ARE available to civilians, but would have to be purchased separately in many cases.

I'm not going into a list of contents and uses. I'm simply showing how I took a bulky IFAK and squished it down to not look as obnoxiously large as it did, so that I could carry it around without people thinking I'm so dramatically heteroclite as to warrant suspicion. There are a plethora of sources for purchasing IFAKs and being trained on their contents. I'm also not including anything about weaponry. What you carry, or not, your personal philosophy on the use of violence, how extensive you want to train with your IFAK, etc, ad nauseum, are all YOUR business. I'm only addressing the carriage of some specialized medical gear in a discreet manner.

If you run an interwebs search for IFAKs, they all look tacticool AF. Not good for trying to avoid more attention than normal.

(in case you wonder, the one pictured is from Spartan Armor Systems. I want to give credit where its due, and with a company name like that, it isn't targeted towards teachers and baristas, so it made my point)

On to my intent:

I had an obnoxiously-large IFAK stuffed into the outer pocket of a Tactical Tailor Concealed Carry Sling Bag. I had been given the bag as a gift, and use it to carry books, my iPad, and this IFAK.

As you can see, the IFAK was about 3 1/2" thick. Much of that is simply the nylon bag and internal dividers. When in the pocket of my sling bag, it was much bulkier than I prefer. I had been thinking about different possibilities of how to overcome this, and finally got around to something. The current set-up is still somewhat sub-optimal, but it's much better than the original pouch. As I walk through what I did today, you'll see that one of those vacuum food-storage machines would be quite helpful in making the kit more stable inside its pocket, and perhaps even skinnier. I don't have one yet. I'll probably borrow one from someone for this in the near future.

I also have some small ballistic panels. These are approximately 6x9" body armor panels that are added to body armor vests right over the center of the front of the vest. I have had a few in a box in the closet for a few years. I knew they'd come in handy, but hadn't thought of a use until I started this project. It turns out these panels fit almost perfectly in the sling bag's outer pocket. BINGO!

YOU might not have access to ballistic panels. If you want something just to provide a semi-rigid backing, you could easily cut a piece of cardboard to shape and use that.

I emptied the contents of the IFAK and tried different lay-outs on the panel to find what would keep the final product as flat as possible. Once I had the contents decently organized, I just folded the plastic wrap over the whole thing.

Even with an extra hemostatic agent (I added a Quick Clot "sport" sponge in addition to the Celox gauze that came with this kit), the kit is now an inch skinnier, at 2.5", than it was in the nylon pouch. I decided to add another ballistic panel to "sandwich" the whole thing, and that allowed me to wrap it a little more snug, so it's still 2.5" thick. These panels are old, and so have degraded in ballistic protection level. One would have stopped many pistol calibers 10 years ago. I'm thinking two might do the same now. I hope to never find out.

In addition to the IFAK, I keep hand sanitizer, a red/green signal light, and extra batteries for the light in that pocket. 

I keep earplugs with me almost everywhere. Y'all are really loud! Why does humanity insist on constant loud noise? While you're trying to turn it up to 11, I'm trying to turn it down to 1.

Anyway, as I said, the kit fits in the front pocket of my TT CCW Sling Bag. With the signal light, it's a snug fit, and I think it looks as though a larger soft-cover book is in the pocket.

I do have a tourniquet on the outside. I want that to be immediately accessible, if necessary (I REALLY hope it never is). The large "TQ" might draw attention, but only certain demographics know what it means, so I'm not horribly concerned.

The sling bag isn't enormous, so it's easy to carry around. The main compartment holds a large book, my iPad, a bunch of ear plugs, and there's room to spare. Also, TT was thoughtful in making it not look tacticool, which I really like. 

I also keep a small flashlight on the shoulder strap. It won't light-up an enormous area, but it'll let me treat injuries, check pupil response, and navigate in the dark. The light came with its own pouch, which simplifies how to attach it. 

I'd like something similar, but in leather. Unfortunately the leather bags, like from Colsen Keane (my favorite) or Saddleback Leather Co. can't be customized by the manufacturer (I emailed and asked) and don't have much in the way of partitions or pockets. 

I know not everyone wants to think about violent situations, but it's better to think about it (WITHOUT obsessing over it) and be prepared, than to depend on a third party to come to your rescue too late. An arterial bleed can easily render you unconscious in less than a minute (40 seconds in one training video we use), and you'll be dead a minute or two later. How long until the ambulance gets to your house? Longer than that!

"Rick, if I walk around with an IFAK, I'll look like a paranoid nutjob". 

"Uhhh, no duh, that's why I like mine to look like I have another book in my bag. Maybe it'll make me look more intelligent also."

"But this isn't going to address every possible injury"

"No, it isn't intended to. A simple broken leg, or a laceration that results in venous bleeding, isn't likely to kill you quickly. Arterial bleeding will, and a tension pneumothorax will sure as heck try."

If you decide that you agree with me about having an IFAK available regularly, look at what you can carry around day-to-day that won't draw attention. Sorry, but that Maxpedition bag will DEFINITELY draw attention. Find something that looks as innocuous as possible. Ladies, if you carry a purse, think about putting something like this in a back pocket of it. If you constantly have a small backpack with you, or shoulder bag, you could organize IFAK contents to fit without much trouble. 

Perhaps I'll post another socio-political rant again soon. Until then, kwaheri.