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Buy first aid kit or built your own? Especially tourniquet

Being realistic 99% of us are only hunting one day at a time. So the things you need focus on is life safety. In the corps we got 4 life saving rules, start the breathing, stop the bleeding protect the wound treat for shock. So in a self aid situation you need to focus on stop the bleeding and protecting the wound. In my kit have the following:
1) combat quick tourniquet - 6$ amazon or cheap for "expired" ones on eBay
2) wound pack gauze, 3 rolls, 3$ for a 12pack
3) ace bandage to dress wound <2$ a piece.
4) medical tape - just cheap stuff
5) medical gloves (while first aid kits are meant to be used on yourself, but you never know when you might need to help someone else)
And as far as "first aid" that's all I need and feel that is needed to carry.
 
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Kayl said:
1. I would highly recommend the SOF-T or CAT over the RATS.

2. Buy a second tourniquet and designate it as a practice one. I'd recommend a different color one. Not as important with the SOF-T, but the CAT shouldn't be reused due to the application stressing the plastic.



You will not cause tissue damage with a tourniquet in 99.99% of the situations in which they're applied in the continental US. You're looking at 12+ hours before that becomes an issue if I remember the TCCC studies correctly.
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This

For the kit, you can look at Dark Angel Medical and their D.A.R.K. Kit. You can also take an in-person training class from them. Personally I distinguish between a trauma kit and what I call a “boo boo” kit. The latter has less important items - bandaids, antiseptic and other meds, etc. If I forget the boo boo kit, it’s ok but maybe I have some discomfort. The trauma kit has a TQ as the most critical component, and the TQ is sometimes the only item I carry. My preference is the CAT purchased from a reputable source, which for this item isn’t Amazon for me.

I have multiple TQs - in the car, my pack, etc. I also have a practice (blue for me) TQ. If you don’t need one, no worries. If you need one, and don’t have one, you can die in much shorter time than you think.
 
Please look here. If you have questions about any item or it’s use/application call NAR or PM me any time. This goes for any member on here.

Medical Kits | North American Rescue

Medical Kits
www.narescue.com www.narescue.com

I would start with this one as a starting point to compare to.
www.narescue.com

Micro IFAK

When space is everything, don’t sacrifice preparedness. NAR’s MICRO IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) provides you with a minimalist solution containing proven life saving equipment. No matter what environment you are in, the ruggedized, vacuum packed, re-sealable MICRO empowers you to treat...
www.narescue.com www.narescue.com
 
Great topic, I have been planning on starting a kit and attend some in person training, time to do it.
Just wasn't sure what to start with.
Would you guys recommend a small kit while out hunting and a larger kit in the vehicle?
 
Icedog said:
Great topic, I have been planning on starting a kit and attend some in person training, time to do it.
Just wasn't sure what to start with.
Would you guys recommend a small kit while out hunting and a larger kit in the vehicle?
Click to expand...

I keep this kit on my backpack's molle and another strapped to the headrest in my SUV:

www.narescue.com

M-FAK Mini First Aid Kits - REALTREE Camo (RTC)

NAR's most compact, half size First Aid Kit empowering Sportsmen with the most requested point-of-wounding equipment in the smallest cube space possible - The Sportsman version of North American Rescue's M-FAK Mini First Aid Kit, was designed to be the most compact, multi-use IFAK for delivering...
www.narescue.com www.narescue.com

I have more stuff available in my SUV, but this kit covers a lot of the basics.

This graphic from Dark Angel Medical sums up the basics for you:
untitled-1.png
 
As with most things, what works for you won't work for someone else.

Unless you're doing multi-day back country hunts, a TQ, a compression bandage, a triangle bandage and band-aids is all you probably need. The TQ will take care of arterial bleeds, compression bandage for veinous bleeds, compression and/or triangle bandage for fractures and band-aids for everything else. If I were back country, the supplies would be more as it would take longer to get out or be rescued.

For TQ's, CAT is probably the simplest but also the largest. SOF-T is smaller and more robust but not as easy to use. I'm becoming a fan of the ETQ for EDC but that's just me. For compression bandages, I prefer and carry H&H but also have Israeli's in larger kits. Band-aids and triangle bandages can be cheap J&J.
 
fwafwow said:
New (to me) gear alert.
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The wide (CoTCCC standard) is awaiting certification. They’re lighter than a SOF-T and slightly smaller and are built out of the same material as a CAT. Not as robust as a SOF-T but the CAT is certified so there’s that.

I carry their narrow (1” wide) in a G19 mag holder as my off duty EDC. The SOF-T plus other items mentioned are duty carry.

As with everything in life, it’s about balance. I’d carry a G19 24/7 but it’s a PITA wearing lighter summer clothes. Conversely, a G42 is no where near as capable as a G19 but if you carry it daily, it’s better than nothing.

Same with a TQ. A CAT is stupid simple to use but is bulky and I won’t EDC something like that. The SOF-T is great but not as user friendly and still bulkier than the ETQ. The ETQ is something stupid easy to use, light enough to EDC and while not CoTCCC certified yet, it’s construction doesn’t lead me to believe that it wouldn’t and trust my life to it accordingly.

YMMV


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MNFarmHunter said:
The wide (CoTCCC standard) is awaiting certification. They’re lighter than a SOF-T and slightly smaller and are built out of the same material as a CAT. Not as robust as a SOF-T but the CAT is certified so there’s that.

I carry their narrow (1” wide) in a G19 mag holder as my off duty EDC. The SOF-T plus other items mentioned are duty carry.

As with everything in life, it’s about balance. I’d carry a G19 24/7 but it’s a PITA wearing lighter summer clothes. Conversely, a G42 is no where near as capable as a G19 but if you carry it daily, it’s better than nothing.

Same with a TQ. A CAT is stupid simple to use but is bulky and I won’t EDC something like that. The SOF-T is great but not as user friendly and still bulkier than the ETQ. The ETQ is something stupid easy to use, light enough to EDC and while not CoTCCC certified yet, it’s construction doesn’t lead me to believe that it wouldn’t and trust my life to it accordingly.

YMMV

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Thanks for the tip. The pistol analogy is perfect.
 
I carry a sof-t but will switch it out for a swat-t occasionally as it is a more multi functional item. I’ve had all of the above mentioned tourniquets applied to me and the cat is probably the most miserable to actually have on. Biggest thing is making sure whatever you use is tight enough. If you don’t crank it down enough, you will stop venous outflow but still allow arterial blood to enter… this can actually make the situation worse. There is a lot of data showing you have hours with a device on before risking the limb. I always keep 1 in my truck and in my pack. You never know
 
BackSpasm said:
snip
I always keep 1 in my truck and in my pack. You never know
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Same. I have at least 1 in every vehicle, 1 on my person and one in whatever kit I carry. “Kit” being a loose term for hunting backpack or similar, camping pack or similar, etc.

Much like everything else though, you have consciously go through the motions on what/how you would use it. If you’ve ever struggled with something while camping/hunting/whatever, only to realize that you had packed something to make you life easier, you’ll understand.


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Please check out the website in my signature. I believe training for stopping blood loss should be as common as the Heimlich maneuver.

This thread is a good reminder to me to take another class.
 
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I have been on a lot of trauma calls and have never seen a bleed which couldn't be stopped with direct pressure. I do not carry a tq but do have a triangle bandage which can be utilized as such if the situation ever warrants. Not posting to be argumentive but personally feel a trauma dressing and 4 x 4's are much more useful for severe bleeds. This is merely an opinion and in no way should be construed as professional medical advice leading to litigation. :)
 
I’m going to put my opinion into this. I work as a firefighter/EMT and have used a lot of different equipment….

one thing i will say, just because it “expires” doesn’t mean it won’t work. we have to by law replace the expired (so it goes into my kit lol).

Must haves:
1. quick clot (bandages have the hemostatic in it). any type is fine, just have more then 1.
2. some type of tourniquet. this is one thing i wouldn’t skimp on. Soft T has more room for error (meaning you can not tighten it initially but with the rod it will secure to what you need) or the CAT (these have to be right initially because they have a small “tightening” strap)
3. basic first aid supplies (tape, 4x4, 5x9, gauze)
4. SAM splint. these are a moldable splint. it can be cut, but you can just fold it to fit.
5. Pressure bandages

Nice to haves:
trauma scissors (can buy in packs of 5 for dirt cheap).
Some type of oral medications (Benadryl, Tylenol, IBP)
Bandaids of assorted sizes

If i can think of anything else, i will add. Just remember be cautious with practicing tourniquet application because when you load a tourniquet (like the CAT) it can fail when you need it. If you want to practice, buy 2. we’ve broke them in training from using them, so we have a set marked “PRACTICE”…
also, applying a tourniquet which a lot fail to do. get it as high as possible, no matter where the injury is (for example on a arm, get it up into the pit and on the leg, get it to the groin).
 
bowhuntr09 said:
Site says they are restocking on 12/2. Also signatures show if you turn your phone horizontally.

lastly GO TIGERS!!!
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Thx for the tech tip / that should have been obvious to me. I edited my post.

Go Tigers!
 
jcassell207 said:
also, applying a tourniquet which a lot fail to do. get it as high as possible, no matter where the injury is (for example on a arm, get it up into the pit and on the leg, get it to the groin).
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I’ve now heard two schools of thought. The training I took a few years ago is consistent with what you have stated. But I could have sworn that the instructor in the refresher class I took said that they now recommend the TQ be placed closer to the injury and not as close to the trunk - 2-3” above the wound (other than on a knee or elbow).
 
fwafwow said:
I’ve now heard two schools of thought. The training I took a few years ago is consistent with what you have stated. But I could have sworn that the instructor in the refresher class I took said that they now recommend the TQ be placed closer to the injury and not as close to the trunk - 2-3” above the wound (other than on a knee or elbow).
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High and tight is what we go by in my fire dept and what our swat medics were taught

High being close to the trunk



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