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Preparedness

The Poor Man's IFAK

For $150, you can build your IFAK. Building your own IFAK is easy and takes no time at all. I've compiled a list of medical supplies you can buy at Amazon that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

The Poor Man's IFAK
Separatists Fighters

Building your own IFAK is easy and takes no time at all. I've compiled a list of medical supplies you can buy at Amazon that won't cost you an arm and a leg. 🤦🏼‍♂️

An Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) is a trauma-oriented medical pouch or bag you carry on your war belt, chest rig, or plate carrier.

IFAK Pouch

I use the following setup from Ferro Concepts:

But many medical molle pouches are much cheaper on Amazon.

Trauma Roll 1 (Trauma Burrito)

IFAK Supplies ($149)

Organize your IFAK supplies in a bin/crate at home. Always try to have some spares around if you cannot buy more. (Ammo crate $21)

  1. Chest Seal Twin Pack ($16)
  2. C-A-T Combat Application Tourniquet ($28)**
  3. Combat Casualty Card ($9)
  4. Nasopharyngeal Airway (NPA) ($13)
  5. Self Adhesive Elastic Bandage ($16)
  6. Celox™ Z-Fold Gauze ($41)
  7. Gecko Grip Multipurpose Flat Tape ($10)
  8. Tension Pneumothorax Thoracic Needle ($16)

**The tourniquet goes on your equipment and not in your IFAK pouch.

An example of how I store my IFAK medical supplies.

HyFin Vent Compact Chest Seal ($16/2 pack)

C-A-T Tourniquet ($28)

Combat Casualty Card ($9.04/8 pack)

  • Combat Casualty Card
  • 8 cards in an airtight, waterproof Aloksak bag w/ Sharpie Mini-Marker. Aloksak bags are Mil-Spec, and good to 200 meters under water.

Nasopharyngeal Airway ($13/2 pack)

  • Nasopharyngeal Airway (NPA)
  • Provide open airway to make suctioning and bronchoscopy easier, safer and less traumatic; The flared distal end prevents the device from becoming lost; 

Self Adhesive Elastic Bandage ($16/12 pack)

Celox™ Z-Fold Gauze ($41)

Celox™ Z-Fold Gauze, 10 Ft
  • Celox™ Z-Fold Gauze
  • Celox Gauze Z-Fold is easy to work with and compact, suitable for severe high pressure bleeding & hemorrhage. Celox dressings are a safe and easy way to stop bleeding fast, with granules that adapt to the bleeding source and do not generate heat.

Gecko Grip Multipurpose Flat Tape ($10/6 strips)

  • Gecko Grip Multipurpose Flat Tape
  • This is ideal for Outdoor and Adventure IFAKs, and vacuum sealed kits that do not need a full roll of tape. Each kit contains 6 strips, each 2” wide x 15” long with easy peel off backing.

Tension Pneumothorax Thoracic Needle ($17/2 pack)

  • Tension Pneumothorax Thoracic Needle
  • Compact and portable, our chest decompression needle kit is ideal for a wide range of outdoor activities such as backpacking, hiking, mountaineering, and emergency preparedness, ensuring you're prepared for any situation.

General Medical Supplies

It never hurts to have some additional medical supplies at home. I would pick up triangulars and the NAR Quicklitter lite first.

Gauze Wrap Roll for Wounds ($25)

  • Gauze Wrap Roll for Wounds
  • Rolled Gauze for Comprehensive Care: Vive Care's sterile rolled gauze is essential for wound care, offering gentle compression to reduce bleeding and protecting injuries from contamination. Each roll is perfect for securing splints or dressings, maintaining a clean wound environment.

Israeli Style Emergency Bandage ($34/5 pack)

  • Israeli Style Emergency Bandage
  • The pressure bandage with a 6" x 7" non-adherent pad consolidates multiple first-aid devices, such as primary dressing, pressure applicator, secondary dressing, and a foolproof closure apparatus to secure the bandage in place.

Triangular Bandage ($9/12 pack)

  • Triangular Bandage
  • Multi-purpose bandage to compress various injuries; support sprains and/or broken bones

Sterile Gauze Bandage Roll ($22/12 pack)

  • Sterile Gauze Bandage Roll
  • MANY WOUND APPLICATIONS – This roll of thick, soft and stretchy medical band aid roll will adapt to any injury or open skin wounds, whether it’s a burn, cut, or graze. The gauze roll absorbs blood and promotes clotting.

NAR Quicklitter Lite ($46)

  • NAR Quicklitter Lite
  • Expanding on the success and feedback from the QuikLitter and QuikLitter XL, North American Rescue's QuikLitter Lite has added capability and reduced weight and size to be able to fit into a cargo pocket.

Conclusion

Medical supplies are insanely expensive. Choose wisely how you want to build your medical kits. I do not advise people to spend 300 dollars on IFAKs that are bloated with unnecessary items they don't need, which is not something I advise people to do.

Be wise; pick up medical supplies every month; over time, you will have enough to build multiple kits for your family.

Stay well, brothers.

~ FA

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