Live The Creed’s Responder IFAK: Essential Kit

While I’m not technically a First Responder by any sense of the definition, I have often times been the first person on scene of a medical emergency. I am a Scout Master and spend a good bit of time in the woods, have participated in several search and rescues, and travel way too much. I know from experience the value of a solid first aid kit and keep an IFAK with me all the time.

Until I picked up Live The Creed’s Responder IFAK, I had never owned an off-the-shelf first aid kit or IFAK. When I travel with my Scouts, I run heavy. Even the IFAK I’ve carried with me to the range and on hunts tends to run heavy as I’m rarely alone. It is better to have too much than not enough, no?

But this goes against advice I find myself giving constantly about EDC, and that is that size matters; if your gun, knife, light, tools, or even your IFAK is too big, you won’t carry it. Convenience is everything for those who are just getting into the preparedness lifestyle.

What is an IFAK?

An Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) is a must-have for people like us. While we spend a good bit of time talking about armed self-defense, we should be as concerned about how to plug holes and stop bleeding originating from many kinds of trauma. The “individual” portion of this argument denotes a size that contains enough gear for one person.

IFAKs are great on gun belts. If you’re building a belt with a holster and mag pouches, why not add an IFAK — one that is clearly marked and easy to see? IFAKs are ideal tools for responding to accidents on or off the range, as well as to intentional violence. With adequate training, you can use your IFAK on someone else; or — if you end up in need of attention — someone else with training may be able to use those same tools on you.

What goes in an IFAK?

There are several sizes and these determine how much and what goes in. Companies like Live The Creed primarily package the ingredients. There’s a simplicity to picking up an IFAK like this and knowing you have the basics on hand.

We’ll talk more about the nuances of each LTC kit below but the basic structure of an IFAK doesn’t change. The goal is to stop bleeding long enough for advanced medical care to take over. A tourniquet is a must. Most of us include a chest seal.

After those two, size often dictates what can go in. Gloves are good. Gauze and other tools to stop more superficial bleeding are useful. And many will also include more advanced tools like airway tubes.

Live The Creed Responder IFAK

The LTC Responder IFAK is large enough to contain all of the IFAK basics, and it is exceptionally easy to access. The TQ rides on the outside, and all of the guts of the kit are contained by a sleeve that pulls out to reveal everything in an easy-to-access layout. This is crucial for those who get amped up and flustered by any kind of stressful situation.

The LTC Responder IFAK Contents

• Laser-cut Cordura nylon case
• QD buckle closure
• Versatile mount design with 2 TacTie polymer mounting clips
• Compatible with most duty belts up to 2.5”W
• MOLLE-compatible design
• Built-in tourniquet holder
• 1 CAT tourniquet
• 1 pack of QuikClot Combat Gauze LE hemostatic gauze
• 1 NAR HyFin® Vent compact chest seal set
• 28fr nasopharyngeal airway with lube
• XL Bear Claw gloves
• Includes MED PVC cross patch

The kit is wrapped in either black, MC, MCB, Ranger Green, or Coyote. FDE is noticeably absent, but Coyote should cover those who really want to match. I’m ambivalent about my IFAK matching, as I hope its presence stands out clearly to anyone who might need what’s inside to help me in the event that I’m unable to help myself. But others trust in the handy first aid cross symbols, so maybe I’m overthinking it.

This kit sells for $174.99. If the price seems steep, try pricing out the individual components. The CAT TQ, chest seal, and QuickClot alone will help explain the pricing. LTC has gone for top-shelf tools, as they should — this isn’t the place for knockoffs.

The LTC Pocket Tauma Kit

If an IFAK is too big — and sometimes it is — there’s one you can keep in your pocket. I tend to run an IFAK on my gun belt, I keep a large kit in my truck, and I have an older IFAK in my backpack, but this idea of something that fits in your pocket is ideal, too. While the Pocket Trauma Kit seems like a minimalist approach, it is better than going without.

Carry pouch:

• Durable 500D nylon fabric construction
• Water-resistant zippers with positive grip pulls
• Mounts to load-barring MOLLE equipment or belts up to 2.5”W
• A sleeved pocket behind elastic webbing holds flat supplies
• Windowed pouch for first aid items
• Can wear it as an abdominal dangler pouch
• Lifetime warranty

Kit includes:

• One CAT Gen 7 Tourniquet
• One SWAT Tourniquet
• One QuickClot Combat Gauze LE
• One NAR HyFin Compact Chest Seal Set
• One 28Fr Nasopharyngeal Airway w/Lube
• One 4” Israeli Bandage
• Two NAR Compressed Gauze
• Trauma Shears 7.5”
• One Emergency Blanket
• Two pairs of XL Bear Claw Gloves
• One 24” Moldable Aluminum Splint Triangular Bandage
• One CPR Face Shield
• Assorted Bandages
• Two 4×4” Gauze Pads
• Two 2×3” Gauze Pads
• One Abdominal Gauze Pad
• One Eye Pad
• One Splinget Out
• Steri-Strips (wound closure strips)
• One 1” 3M Medical Tape
• One Tampon
• Two Iodine wipes
• Two alcohol wipes
• Two hand sanitizer wipes
• Two antibiotic Bacitracin packs
• Two burn gel packs
• Two Aspirin packs
• Two Ibuprofen packs
• Two Antihistamine packs

This one sells for $259.99.

No matter which of these might be the right size, all offer tools that — alone — won’t do you much good. You don’t need any special training to use gauze, but you do if you plan on doing much else. Tourniquets and chest seals and airway tubes should be used with caution.

The answer, though, is easy enough. Train. Grab some friends and begin with a Stop the Bleed class. That will be a gateway to more advanced trauma topics. As someone who has used some of these tools, I can’t stress enough the confidence that comes from training.