Here in Czech Republic it's required by law to have a first aid kit in a car but pretty much all of the pre-made ones are a bad joke. So I built my own kit and stuffed it inside an old British army IFAK bag I got for like 8$. It's been sitting in my 1994 Lancia Delta ever since and fortunately I didn't have to use any of the supplies yet.
The same here in Ukraine - each car should have first aid kit - but in fact basic kits it's just a garbage. So better to prepare your own IFAK if you really want to help anybody.
In germany too. Its also required by law to have a high viz vest and one of those triangelular waring beacons. And it actually makes a lot of sense! In Poland it's even required to have a fire extinguisher.
The other thing about the burn treatments, is to make sure you know what kind of burn they are meant for. When I was in high-school working at a McDonald's I got burnt by a chemical they use to scrub the grills. The manager used the wrong burn treatment on me, so when I got to the hospital they had to scrub and flush the hell out of my burn. That was really pleasant 🙄
I like the bag. That's about it. The rest of the kit is mostly boo-boo stuff. Personally, I stick to plano trays for kitting and keep a CAT/shears on the outside. For $70 you could do a lot better.
I carry this thing in all my vehicles and it’s been ridiculously useful. Just strap a cat to it and you’re good. You can get better trauma supplies for less but this kit is actually full of realistic items. Plus the bag is crazy durable.
Exactly my thinking. Sell me the bag alone for like 20$, so I could throw in a NAR IFAK inside to actually save someone’s life potentially. I can survive a minor cut or two or a headache for that matter. Also if you need to vomit just open a damn window. Disgusting? Sure. So what? Suck it up, buttercup. Not literally thought. :D
So one of the 68W medics here in my unit carries those zips, they work well enough, I saw him use a few of them on a buddy's leg after he slashed it open on a snapped cable, held on okay, but definitely recommend wrapping them with gauze not only to protect them but to make sure they don't come off because it does seem that they don't hold on 100% of the time
I'm also a 68W, and I usually keep a cravat along with the tourniquet in my kit. It's my last resort, after I've run out of CATs, belts, 550 cord belts, etc. Those things suck, but alive is alive.
Thank you so much for all the time and effort you take and put into teaching us and making us better as people and citizens of the most amazing and beautiful country in the world 🇺🇸 I truly appreciate you and what you do brother! I would absolutely love if you made a video on how to build your own kit so maybe a few bag options and then what to put in those bags obviously it would be similar to what comes in a kit like this but would be cool to see maybe a budget friendly and then an all out no budget $ kit. I like the idea of building your own and do so myself but would love to get some professional opinions and options and see what someone like you would recommend. Thanks again and stay safe!
I think having this kit would be better than nothing for most people, but it's not for me. I have a quick grab bag in my car with some basics and a few advanced items. Then for the more serious stuff, I have a LAPG Range bag I repurposed to hold enough supplies to treat a family (at the moment 6 people) that was in a bad accident. It is unfortunately in my trunk, though easy to grab. I need to get it inside the car where I can quickly grab it as I jump out. Being that I drive a small car (Honda Civic) that has been difficult for me to figure out and implement while not losing space for my kids.
Nice video. I keep an EVA first aid kit in my car. It is durable and portable. It contains bandages, life-saving scissors, sterile cotton balls, band-aids and other simple first aid supplies. After watching this video, I thought I would add a few more things.
Actually making a snow cave is one of the essential tips in the winter mountain. In Norway's "mountain knowledge rules" one of them is to bury your self down in time. It does not matter if you don't have any experience in making snow caves, what you make will be better than being exposed to the wind and elements. It will save your life if you are stuck in the mountains in the winter.
Hey man. Just started watching some of your vids. I know this is a loaded question but what is probably the best kit you've reviewed so far? I know they can all be modified, but which has the least amount of waste and needs the least amount of addition. Speaking from average Joe perspective with basic Boy Scout training expecting most scenarios on the road. Thanks.
I agree. Everyone should have a first aid kit in their vehicle. With my budget, I can not afford bags like this one, pre-made with things I will very doubt full that I will ever need and use. I keep a BugOut bag or Get Home Bag in my truck. If I leave my truck to survey an area, it comes with me. I can sustain life for two people for two days with an extensive trama pack and first aid kit. Having the right medical supplies is crucial for survival in any situation . You should have in the minimum: X2 Isreal Bandages X2 Ratcheting Tourniquet X2 Bleedstop X2 Wound Packing Gauze X2 Chest Seal X2 Venelated Chest Seal X2 Sterile Surgical gloves X1 Emergency Sizzers X1 Knife X1 Headlamp X1 Penlight X1 Tweezers X1 Mirror X1 Magnifying Glass That should be a basic Trama Kit , build from that
Appreciate the review and your time as always. As far as this kit goes, seems OK at best. Another great channel from Gray Bearded Green Beret says more or less “why not make the bar at adequate? (Vs better than nothing.) I tend to agree with that (and I believe you, Sam, do too) I’m a huge fan of buying from Medical Gear Outfitters, Dietrich and his team are great! Bought a few grand worth of stuff for me and family / friends from there…and then just build my own kits. I would love it if he built a better version of this kit.
Not a bad little kit. Imo if you buy a pre-made kit expecting it to solve all your problems, your going to be upset every time. This is great for a road trip, and at least has something to help stop a bleed. to be honest, if I make my own kit, I usually forgo all the small things than kick myself later for not having it. again I’d probably carry a dedicated trauma bag on top of this, but this is still a cool kit.
Just keep an eye on the packaging every now and then. If the packaging looks like it’s starting to turn color or breakdown then time to replace. I’d also pay closer attention to expiration dates on meds. I live in FL and I’ve had supplies last for a few years in my kits without problems. I’ve also taken Advil that’s been expired for 2 years from a bottle that lives in my car. It worked and I’m still alive!
Very informative - thank you for this review! I’m going to take a closer look at my kits and research more when I have to restock them. Question for you about storing kits like these in your car - will the heat/cold affect the items in the kit? Is it better to just put them in the car when you are actually traveling?
In my opinion where I live I would carry a full trauma bag from luminary global founded by a military veteran she does a lot of kits based around civilian and first responders and police because of where I live it’s a high trauma area very unsafe area where the main hospitals are UC Cincinnati gets all the trauma from our city
I'd say much better get a Nanuk 903/904 First Aid Case and stuff it with actually useful items. Like NAR IFAK with some boo boo items to cover the whole specter of situations you may face. Unlike this soft semi water resistant shell Nanuk is actually fully water and shock proof and even floating. You may even order some kits from MyMedic if you really like them. You'll spend more money for sure, but in the end you'll get a real First Aid Kit, which is probably what you want if your end goal is safety and not an illusion of it.
I have a few of the My Medic IFAK kits. Ive added a couple items and have a tough time closing the bags. I've been trying to buy the My FAK large bag for weeks now however they are never in stock. Wish they'd sort out this issue as I'd like to remain brand loyal with these kits.
Thanks! I’ve been looking at their products and right away I didn’t like the tourniquet or the scissors. I was also concerned about the quality of some of the items or missing items. It’s great hearing your thoughts on what you liked and what you would change.
The ResQme tool. I'd clip it to the zipper pull. I have one on my keychain and one attached to the overhead grab handle in my car. I really like the zip bag organization. That is a goal for sure for my kits. Ditch the Rats, and put an Israeli bandage in there instead.
@LoneScout Doing it in a local scrap yard on junk is not the same as doing it in a real situation under stress, especially when person doesn't have a career in law enforcement. All fine motor skills are lost, good luck finding those to hold this tiny toy and even better being able to actually use it successfully. I have no doubt trained professionals can successfully use this and maybe even common people if they are lucky. But I would think life saving tools should be better than that.
@LoneScout You're right, I never tried one of these. But then I would never carry one of these on my keys anyway as I don't have tendency to attach different kinds of nonsense to my keys. It looks retarded. No offence to people that do. It's just how I feel about it. Again a full tang or a normal window breaker in a glove compartment will do a much better job without giving a false sense of security. Just my opinion.
@LoneScout Some of these have carbide tip, which is supposedly more durable and multi time use. And yeah, a tactical pen is something I would rather use. You can also keep those in your pocket as an EDC and in your car as well. To each his own I guess. I'm just really skeptical about "gimmicky" tools with names such as resqme. Again, never personally used these, so maybe they work, maybe they don't.
Excellent video Prep well done. The only thing is whenever I see "prefilled" and "modules" it's always someone else's idea of what I'm going to need. I fill my own like you do. Be safe bro
The glow stick seems “insignificant”. I had to apply trauma to a gunshot wound in a neighbors yard last night. I would have given my left arm for chest seals and a glow stick in my kit. I will also never buy a black med pack again. I couldn’t find anything in the dark. If you have a dark colored on, empty it and spray the inside with white flex seal or line it with bright orange.
I prefer the CAT, but that's because it's all I've known. That being said, I do have a RATS TQ in my get home bag only because it came with a kit I had acquired. In my opinion, it's better than nothing, but I'd take a CAT over it any day.
I would think the high temp extremes in a car would quickly ruin several of those items, but what else can you do? I like the idea of storing the seat/window tool accessible to the driver for yourself or as first responder.
Can you make a video for various kits we could make our self? A list of the items to have, optionally with preferred bands. The list being in the video comment for easy copy/paste/printing. Maybe it will cost more to buy items separately, but then won't need to replace cheap scissors, etc., like you point out. You could link directly to buy sites too, where you could have a referral link so you could at least get compensated a bit.
Oh maybe multiple kits setups. Like a kit for a car (like this video subject). One for hiking, one to have in the home, at work, etc. Or, another way, put together top of the line kits (with no garbage stuff you point out). Could make your own ecommerce thing, or just put them up on eBay, Etsy, etc. I'll be your first customer.
My kit is crammed in the pocket of the driver's side door. But I have a lift Belt** The kind used in NURSING homes to assist ppl. Walking. I'm Short in height I thought if I ever have to help someone get out of a car, wrap it around them? It's very difficult to move a person who's on the ground by yourself. Unless u have a blanket.
I have 2 sperate dedicated kits, one for booboos that I made myself and the other a multi person trauma kit focused on heavy bleeds that I modded myself.
Hey @PrepMedic, Ive heard you & others, talk about RATS and I eventually tossed it from my kit. I have a few as backup backups, but do you have any feelings on the SWAT TQ, it's obviously similar but much thicker and very stretchy. I live in NYC and it packs very small so I keep one in my bag. Do you think I should just ditch that also & stick to a NAR SOFT....or at least add a SOFT? Thanks a lot. 🤙🏼🇺🇲
I have a prevention which is what they replaced this kit with. IMO the dumb part of this kit is the stuff like the TQ, regardless of what type, and the shears. If you want trauma, you need a bigger or more specialized bag. I got rid of the shears completely, replaced the TQ with some liquid IV, and threw a few more QoL things like eye drops, hot/cold packs, pepto, tums, and splinter out in there. Not all kits need able to save a life. But having a few MyMedic things, their bags are quality, and I can trust the items in there. Their superskin bandages are the best I've ever used, but are still overpriced.
I rather build out my own IFAK that way I know what's in it, where everything is located and the quality of the items within. To each their own though, good for those that aren't sure how to build their own.
I was at a race last night when a man was shot. It was two upper chest wounds below the collarbone and approximately two inches above the heart. Didn’t see an exit wound. Would you have performed cpr in that type of situation? I honestly didn’t know what to do and didn’t think cpr was the right decision at the moment. I provided my bandana that I keep with me to possibly help slow the bleeding through pressure, but I believe cpr (being performed by someone other than myself) was a poor choice and may have worsened the situation. He ultimately passed away and they caught the guy who did it this morning.
My opinion only - being that no one has x-ray vision it is impossible to visualize the internal damage caused such as the cavitation of bullets traveling in the torso or which major organs were struck. Another consideration is that doing compressions most likely causes quickening of blood loss which leads to decline in profusion to the brain. Follow the M.A.R.C.H. algorithm and use the 'tools' you have on hand (as Sam has expressed more than once, a simple use of the palm of your hand could act as a occlusive dressing). CPR may been deemed the best option by the person who did and may have been within their level of training/skill set. The take away to your situation is that someone acted and didn't just standby creating a tictok video and the family can be comforted that someone cared at that moment. Not sure if my opinion answers your question.
@@leslieunderwood3520 I honestly don’t believe the person performing cpr was qualified. I work for a major railroad and we deal with many suicides, amputations, even trees falling on employees. I’ve helped haul bodies out with my hirail truck to the coroner’s van. Happens more than we’d think. So we do take a yearly medical course, and have even had a combat medic come in and show us tourniquet uses, but we don’t train for bullet wounds. I felt in that moment as you mentioned that it was doing more harm than good by pumping more blood out. Furthermore, there were some claims made by said person on the news last night that dubious at best. So maybe not on tictok, but local news. Also, we were at a race with multiple medical personnel within less than a minute, maybe two hundred yard walk and it took close to ten minutes for the already on scene officers to get to us. Even longer for medic at the same distance. All in all I almost wish I would have told said person to stop performing cpr. There was someone holding pressure on the wounds, and another checking pulse. I was talking to him and trying to provide a light source and offer what I had on my person (my handkerchief/bandanna) until further medical, in this case police officers arrived.
@@BowdyUp I can appreciate your job related experiences. Recommend that you request 'puncture' wound training at work. GSWs may not be specific to your place of work however; being that you work in an industrial type setting fluke accidents can happen causing puncture sounds (small metallic objects under pressure being propelled, etc) where a Stop the Bleed course would be beneficial. As for the on-scene event staff. Not having all the facts I can only suggest the following: there was an alleged shooting. Scene safety is paramount to any responder (I am sure it was covered in your worksite first aid training). As such; they probably held back until the scene was secured by a form of law enforcement. Unfortunately, even if those at the scene were screaming the shooter left it is still unsafe until law enforcement does their thing. It wouldn't be the time an armed shooter unexpectedly returned to the scene. Just my opinion.
@@leslieunderwood3520 I could understand if that were the case, but the officers weren’t doing any scene safety, they simply walked up ten minutes later. I could see them two football fields away. I’m not trying to bad mouth them, just referencing how long it took as opposed to having to call a police officer or medic by 911.
@@BowdyUp well, sorry, I wasn't there so, I can not defend their actions except sometimes things appear differently than what they are in a critical situation. I can't play Monday morning quarterback since we don't have their input.
I don't understand the whole idea behind the R.A.T's tourniquet. It is inferior to all of the "windlass" style tourniquets. I get the price, but if that's really the issue, practice with the SWAT tourniquet. It also solves a lot of the other "pro's" of the R.A.T's that people quote.
@@dominickstewart433 You can buy most of the stuff included in their $100 kit for about $25, so including even a CAT would still be possible and profitable. You're paying a huge premium for case and having them put the bandages, etc in it.
Any company who offers a RATS TQ in a medical kit automatically loses credibility. It's even worse that they defend it with shoe string anecdotal evidence from a single study when you call them out for it.
Meh. Its usable. The tourniquet looks awful. How much? If looks were everything...but how to test the usability is mandatory. I'd still put a kit together..save some $$..
I would stay away from Amazon for medical supplies. An actual CAT TQ costs $24 minimum (no matter where you buy it from) anything less then that is a knockoff and Amazon is notorious for counterfeit medical products.
I placed an order for MyMedic based in large part to your reviews of their products but really wished I had checked out their reviews on Facebook first. I placed an order more than 10 days ago and it hasnt even shipped. Customer service is terrible. Come to find out….I, not unique. There are tons of bad reviews of them not shipping. A lot of their online responses to their reviews indicate they only have 2 people to fulfill orders? They invest a ton into marketing but can’t even fulfill orders.
I’ve collected popular mechanics tools since the late 80s glad to see they still making a good product! Any ifak need a tourniquet make that 2… blood clot powder, gauze x10, and decompression needle! All this is useless without training tho! 🇺🇸🏴🫡