EDC Pocket Trauma Kit: Perfect Addition to Your Combat Gear

I like finding ways to keep medical gear around. After serving in law enforcement for years, I have learned you can never be too prepared. When medical emergencies happen, most people are not prepared and their medical gear is not in order, too far away, or they don’t know where anything is. Medical kits are one of those boxes we check to make ourselves feel good but never expect to use them.

Sure, we need a band-aid or some Neosporin every now and then, but we never really expect to use a tourniquet or pressure bandages. I can’t believe how many calls I’ve responded to where people were screaming for help but didn’t do anything else. They had medical kits somewhere in their house or car, but in the heat of the moment couldn’t remember where they were.

The ones who did find a medical kit either didn’t have what they needed in it or had it but couldn’t find it. I try to keep a medical kit in each car, each bag, and at home. The EDC Pocket Trauma Kit from Live the Creed is a compact trauma kit that can easily fit in places that regular first-aid kits do not. It’s not a replacement for larger medical kits, but it’s a great way to keep a few more essential items close by.

What’s in the EDC trauma kit?

The EDC kit is a fold-open pouch with two elastic bands that each hold two items underneath. A pull tab on the outside of the pouch helps open it quickly. The bottom side has a quick-clot control dressing and a pair of nitrile gloves. The top side contains a SWAT tourniquet and micro first-aid kit. The first-aid kit has one alcohol prep pad, one povidone-iodine USP prep pad, and one antibiotic ointment packet. It also contains two medium-size band-aids, one Steri-Strip, and one large rectangle band-aid.

A SWAT tourniquet is one of the simplest types of tourniquets to use. The instructions are printed on the package and are easy to remember, “stretch, wrap, and tuck.” My favorite regular tourniquets are the Rhino Rescue Medical Tourniquet and the Blue Force Gear Tourniquet. But they are not as compact as the SWAT tourniquet or as simple. It’s a little harder to carry a regular tourniquet every day because of their size. A smaller compact tourniquet is easier to always have close by.

The quick clot bleeding control dressing is another good thing to have on you or in a bag close by. A bleeding control dressing is a strip of gauze that allows you to place gauze over the wound and then wrap more of the strip around it to help hold itself on. The band-aids are just handy to have but not as critical.

Reasons To Carry an EDC Pocket Trauma Kit

We really shouldn’t need a reason to carry any type of medical kit because the safer and more prepared we are, the better. But let’s talk about some reasons anyway. In my second year of being a police officer, I responded to a call where a farmer had cut his leg on part of a fence post sticking out of the ground. He was climbing off a tractor and didn’t see the post sticking out of the ground in the weeds.

The rusty post put a gash in his leg just above the ankle, causing it to bleed profusely. He called 911 on his cell phone and stated he was starting to get dizzy. When I arrived, he was sitting in the weeds trying to put pressure on it with a handkerchief. He told me he had a first-aid kit in the truck “somewhere” but didn’t know where. He didn’t even bother to go look for it because it would take too long. I applied a pressure bandage and checked for bleeding to see if a tourniquet was needed instead. The bandage stopped the bleeding until medics arrived.

This was another example of someone “checking that box” by purchasing a kit and then forgetting about it. In emergencies, you may need a medical kit by you regardless of where you are. Having something in your vehicle doesn’t do any good if you’re out in the woods hunting or hiking. You should always have something on you for yourself or to help others.

Where to carry the EDC pocket trauma kit?

While this kit is called a “pocket” trauma kit, it’s still a little too big for regular pockets on most pants. It would fit easily in a coat, leg pocket of cargo pants, or in a purse. I keep a full-size medical kit in my truck, but it’s under the seat. Having a small trauma kit in the console or door of your car is a great idea. If you were involved in an accident and couldn’t move, you would still have access to a few essential items.

This kit would work in just about any size of carry bag, including backpacks, gun cases, and range bags. Another benefit of having an EDC trauma kit in addition to a regular medical kit is the need for items in large-scale events. If you are involved or close to an incident where multiple people are injured, having access to multiple tourniquets and bleeding control bandages could save lives.

Do you need to train for your medical gear?

The quick answer is yes, train with any gear you have. The longer answer is don’t let training stop you from keeping medical supplies on you. You can find training at all levels so there shouldn’t be any excuses about not carrying something because you didn’t know how to use it.

If you want formal training, contact your local health department, hospital, ambulance district, red cross office, or any other medical organization. They can provide info on classes available in our area to teach basic first aid and emergency trauma response. But even if you cannot do that, there are plenty of videos online that show how to use each item in a medical kit and when to use them.

Are you prepared?

Having medical kits and other gear is something everyone should consider. Like all things, there must be a reasonable approach to it. I understand you may not want to pack your car or home for a makeshift hospital, but a few medical kits go a long way. Put together a good kit for your home and one for each vehicle.

Something smaller like this EDC Trauma kit is great for throwing in a bag or something that will be on you when you’re not at home or by your car. You don’t have to go overboard, but at least get on board. There are plenty of small compact medical kits on the market, but if you want a compact trauma kit, the EDC Pocket Trauma Kit by Live the Creed is a great choice.