Tips to roll your own med kit

“Everyday Medical”

A conversation I had recently went something like this:
Them: “A med kit? Why do I need a med kit?”
Me: “Because you could get injured or see someone else get hurt.”
Them: “Well, I carry my CCW gun and all of my EDC stuff and don’t have room for it, plus I don’t plan on getting injured.” Me: “…………..”

Seriously, though guys, get a med kit. We all like the latest gear and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, even though we’re thankfully seeing more med kits on the firing line, there is still a low degree of prioritization when it comes to purchasing individual medical equipment. What we’re trying to do is get folks to stop and think. How many photos do you see on social media with instructors and competition shooters on the line without a med kit on their person? The med kit 100 yards away does you no good when life expectancy can be measured in seconds. We’ve got to stop perpetuating this stereotype of invicibility; the mindset of “Oh, it won’t happen to me.”, because it can and it does. That type of thinking is irresponsible. If you have room for a spare mag, you have room for at least a tourniquet and a pair of gloves.
How likely are we to use that super, high speed, ninjafied gun to save a life, though? Realistically, how many shooting situations do you find yourself in? Now, how many of you have witnessed traumatic accidents? Car wrecks, someone cutting themselves, falls, etc. The number is probably far higher on this side of the column. Which would keep me pointing folks in the direction of obtaining a solid med kit AND getting the training. Plus, a big one is that you can carry a med kit anywhere. Not so much with a gun and/or knife.
I'm proud to say that our company builds some great med kits. They’re not the least expensive out there but they’re not the most expensive, either. If you do your research, you’ll find that out. We have kits of varying sizes and prices so that we can fit into pretty much anyone’s budget. That said, there are many solid companies out there who build good, solid med kits and there are also some kits that are less than stellar. Caveat emptor. But, we understand that many, if not most, of us are on tight budgets and we will be the first to let folks know, “roll your own” if you can’t afford a commercially available one. If you choose to do that, good on you, but there are a few considerations as to how you’ll want to build it.

1) Cost
2) Size
3) “Mission Requirements”

Cost is always a driving factor because, let’s face it, medical equipment isn’t cheap and if it is cheap, watch out because it can be counterfeit, stolen or expired. I don’t trust my life or the life of my friends and loved ones to ‘bargain basement’ medical gear. Be wary of QuikClot Combat Gauze that costs $20 a roll and those $10 “CAT’s. It’s either not the real deal or it’s stolen.
Get gear from a reputable dealer and get items which have been proven to work in austere environments and get solid gear. Buy once, cry once.
Size matters. No matter what you’ve been told. Ounces equal pounds and pounds equal pain. There are lots of components out there which have a minimal footprint and maximum effectiveness. Get only what you can carry comfortably.
The “Mission” drives many people’s decisions on what they get and by mission we mean what they’ll be utilizing the kit for, ie. Military, Law Enforcement, day-to-day carry, etc. Ultimately, we have to get the kit which is best suited for us, what we do and the situations in which we may find ourselves.

“Okay, so what do I put in it?” Remember these two things: Stop the bleeding and start the breathing.
At a minimum, we need some type of hemorrhage control, because, ultimately, that’s the most important factor because blood belongs in the body. It’s science. But, here are some items you can put in your own med kit, or if you’re looking for a kit, what it should have in it.

-Tourniquet—not just the last resort anymore. There are manyl studies and real-world incidents which show the efficacy of this once-maligned device.

-Hemostatic Agents—The latest ‘generations’ are the most desirable due to the fact that the agent is impregnated into gauze which makes it easier to get to the source of the bleed.

-Gloves—Nitrile, not latex. There are many folks out there with latex allergies. Don’t kill them while you’re trying to help them and carry a couple of pairs.
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-Pressure Bandage—These help put focused pressure on wounds and reinforce hemostatic dressings.

If you have room, you can add:
-Occlusive Chest Seals—Vented or Non-Vented. Check the latest TCCC guidelines on this. Vented is first choice, non-vented, second. With either dressing in place, though, you’ll still need to monitor the patient for the development of a tension pneumothorax.

-Mylar Blanket—Keeps them warm. The warmer they are, the better they clot. The better they clot, the less they bleed. The less they bleed, the more they live. Science.

-Nasal Airway—Quick, basic and easy way to secure an airway and it actually can be utilized orally.

Those are just a few of the basic items you can have in a kit. Remember, it’s your kit and you can keep adding more and more stuff to it, BUT, in a stressful situation we fall to our lowest level of training and when we do that, more ‘stuff’ can become confusing instead of us going right for the piece of equipment we need.

Confusion leads to hesitation. Hesitation leads to exsanguination. Exsanguination leads to expiration. Keep it simple.

The last point we’ll make is of the utmost importance and that is to get the training you need to effectively employ your equipment. It does you no good to carry a kit if you can’t use it. Know WHAT to carry, HOW to use it, WHY you’re using it and WHEN to use it. Learn how to think outside the med kit if you run out of kit and have to exploit your environment. The best med kit is the one on your person.

Make medical part of your EDC. The time chooses you.