You Should Carry an IFAK Kit. Here's Why.

This article, "The Most Important Thing You Carry," appeared originally as a Handbook in the November 2017 issue of Shooting Illustrated. To subscribe to the magazine, visit the NRA membership page here and select Shooting Illustrated as your member magazine.To get more news about medical kits, you can visit rusuntacmed.com official website.

The subject of Individual First-Aid Kits (IFAK) is something near and dear to my heart, as I lived and used them daily for many years as a Green Beret medic. I used my overseas experience to both hone my own skills as well as develop products that are useful outside of the military. Hopefully I can shed some light on what and why I’ve chosen the items you’ll find in the IFAKs I build and design for friends, my family and myself.

The Why
What makes up your Everyday Carry (EDC) gear is a personal choice. I’m a Glock and Strider Knife guy. Just like we all have what we like for our EDC, carry guns and knives, medical equipment is similar—whether it’s the training needed to deploy it, ease of use or availability. With so many new companies having so many cool new products, it can be a daunting task to figure out what might best suit you and your needs. I carry an EDC IFAK not only for myself, but also for the people around me, so for me versatility is key.

We live in a pretty messed up world right now, no one can deny that. We face so many different threats, from criminal attacks to terrorists armed with everything from bombs to knives to vehicles. It is our responsibility to be ready for our family, loved ones and even strangers. Preparing for the worst is never a bad idea. The bottom line for me is, if you’re carrying a firearm, you need to carry an individual first-aid kit. You train with your firearm, and you should also train with your med kit.
The What
What is in your IFAK is mostly an individual choice—a happy balance between too little and not enough. With too little, you will have to improvise most of your care. With too much, it won’t be convenient and you won’t carry it. That said, every situation is different, so I have five basic kits ready to go. They are each specific to an aspect of my everyday life, ensuring that I will always have something to treat trauma.
Body Carry
I am a fan of having something on me at all times. I am a civilian now, and I don’t believe in having a big pouch that stands off my body and highlights myself to anyone around me as someone who would carry an IFAK, and therefore possibly a firearm. I keep a tourniquet (TQ) in a handy pocket or around my belt so I can quickly stop any major bleeding without having to dig the TQ out of a bag, or struggle with an injury to access it.

Having your TQ accessible with both hands is the most important thing you can do. Let me say that again just to give it the emphasis it deserves. Carrying a TQ on your body that is easily accessible with either hand is the most important thing you can do. I have seen many instances where a person had to dig for a lifesaving piece of equipment, when that item could have been the difference between life and death. Don’t make that mistake.

I am also a huge fan of keeping some low-visibility items like Nustat hemostatic gauze and a flat-folded dressing like the H&H dressing on my belt or in my pocket. When faced with the greatest adversity of your life you need to be able to rapidly and easily access the items you need to preserve yourself or others.
Bag
I travel often and have young ones, so you won’t often see me without some kind of bag on or near me. I like to carry an innocuous bag, usually from REI or the mall. I do have an old army camouflage-pattern bag that I carry, but more often then not it’s a low-visibility bag that holds lots of stuff (mostly toys for a 5-year-old). I like to keep a couple tourniquets, some bandages and some kind of hemostatic dressing like Nustat.