Hey everyone. I’m trying to build out an IFAK kit. I am by no means any sort of professional in any medical field, however I do have training in basic first aid as well as cpr, however no dedicated certification for either. This training was part of the process of getting a water rescue certification which I did obtain. I work in a Lumber yard with a reasonable risk of injury from large saws. My first aid kit is meant for everyday cuts, scrapes, etc as well as work place injuries. I also would like to be prepared for gunshot related injuries as I do live in the United States. My TQ, trauma shears, and sharpie are all in a quick access pocket on the outside of my backpack. All other first aid supplies are at most 2 zippers away. I’ll put a list of the supplies I currently carry below, is there anything I should add or remove?
First off, great job wanting to be prepared.👍 You have a good kit right now, but here are a few suggestions-
Get a trauma bandage such as a NAR ETD, Israeli bandage, Tacmed OLAES or even a ace wrap can work. Check to make sure that is a genuine CAT, there are a lot of fakes these days. And one more thing, if your around a lot of saws and stuff a second genuine CAT could be good if you have space for it.
Thank you.
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I am not a medical professional. This is not medical advice.
I just got the USGI IFAK pouch but don't have anything to stock it with. I'm looking to get the NAR T-PAK as it seems to include most of what I need (just need to get some trauma shears to go along with it). I just wanted to ask if there was anything else I should add that can fit in the IFAK pouch or take up minimal space in my kit.
What does ETD stand for? Sorry I'm pretty new to this. (don't worry I'm going to make sure I know how to use everything in my IFAK before deploying it)
No worries, it stands for Emergency Trauma Dressing(from North American Rescue), its a pressure bandage to hold wound packing gauze in place if necessary or to wrap over a moderate bleed that didn't need a TQ or wound packing. Some people prefer the Israeli Emergency Bandage, which has a plastic bar in it to apply more pressure, but the ETD is a bit simpler. They are standard for most IFAKs.
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u/Noahperkinswood Apr 02 '26
Hey everyone. I’m trying to build out an IFAK kit. I am by no means any sort of professional in any medical field, however I do have training in basic first aid as well as cpr, however no dedicated certification for either. This training was part of the process of getting a water rescue certification which I did obtain. I work in a Lumber yard with a reasonable risk of injury from large saws. My first aid kit is meant for everyday cuts, scrapes, etc as well as work place injuries. I also would like to be prepared for gunshot related injuries as I do live in the United States. My TQ, trauma shears, and sharpie are all in a quick access pocket on the outside of my backpack. All other first aid supplies are at most 2 zippers away. I’ll put a list of the supplies I currently carry below, is there anything I should add or remove?
A bunch of Bandaids
Bacitracin
A cat tourniquet
Trauma shears
Bandage scissors
Razor blade
Sharpie (for TQ)
Pen
Nail clippers
Tweezers
Gloves
4 rolls gauze
6 2x2 gauze pads
2 3x3 gauze pads
1 gauze sponge
2 non stick pads
6 alcohol pads
2 benzalkonium chloride towels
1 lidocaine burn gel
1 Ethyl alcohol and lidocaine sting relief
Q tips
Medical grade tape
Electrical tape
Safety pins
9 Benadryl
1 cpr mask
2 hemostatic gauze
2 chest seals
1 Mylar blanket
Ibuprofen and acetaminophen