Tear off IFAK pouches, yes or no?

[Looey]

I also like the Blow out kits that are detachable from your kits, for me it is a must to have something there more than just velcro!!! you need something that will secure it in place until you need it: snaps, good retention strap with a quick release buckle.
If you start doing vehicle bail out's with any equipment that is not secure you will loose it, once you start going into fire and movement or crawling on the dirt to use micro terrain you will be surprise of the things that you start loosing and leaving behind with out knowing.

you need to make sure you put it somewhere that you can access the kit with either hand and also one handed if you need to, if you are working one handed you will need to get it away from your kit and maybe place it in your lap to have easy/fast access to your equipment and get your self patched up in a hurry.

A lot of the guys over here are using different types of detachable IFAK pouches but they all have a retention devise, there are a lot of good kits out there. I am using a SORD IFAK pouch that is detachable, and i also like the Blue force gear IFAK a lot too.

We also keep our tourniquets out of the IFAK pouches and put it somewhere in the center of our bodies to have quick access if needed, our standard is to have a tourniquet in place in 60 seconds or less our re-evaluate your gear placement and gear it self.

I know when I was still in the Marine Crops it was always: Self Aid, Buddy Aid, Medic. after that the medic would make the determination on steps to follow.

[CENTCOM_Survivor]

I chose a tear away to so I could quickly detach it and throw it to a buddy. We had one of our Deputies almost bleed out a long time ago when he was pinned down behind a car. I guess no one thought to throw him a kit with a tourniquet in it.
I use a Jones Tactical tear away with a Condor med pouch when we do warrants etc. Since we don't wear a outer vest I keep it on a drop down which has the female buckle under my duty belt. The Velcro is heavy duty and its not coming off.

[Von Rheydt]

I chose a tear away to so I could quickly detach it and throw it to a buddy. We had one of our Deputies almost bleed out a long time ago when he was pinned down behind a car. I guess no one thought to throw him a kit with a tourniquet in it.

The problem is if it lands away or short of the intended target and then the guy who needs it is looking at it whilst the situation only gets worse.

We used to attach a length of paracord to, what people now call, bug out bags so that if thrown for the ammo or first aid kit they could be pulled back if they landed wrong.

-split-

As for tear off's, I am confused. For combat I was taught and worked under the principle of the primary first aid kit on the man is for the man. The principle is that the primary kit you have on you is for you. If a man is downed his primary kit is used on him. Of course, you carry extra so that you can deal with problems. But, you should never confuse your primary kit with the extra's.

For civilian use, vehicle carry and range use........who gives a flying whazoo so long as it works. So stop argueing, we're all friends here.

[CENTCOM_Survivor]

The problem is if it lands away or short of the intended target and then the guy who needs it is looking at it whilst the situation only gets worse.

We used to attach a length of paracord to, what people now call, bug out bags so that if thrown for the ammo or first aid kit they could be pulled back if they landed wrong.

Throwing short/off wouldn't be good. If needed the IFAK would be clipped to a Stop Stick cord (in every cruiser) for retrieval. You can also use the Stop Stick cord for ammo etc. The Stop Stick cord a little more manageable than a bunch of loose paracord.

The principle is that the primary kit you have on you is for you.

While this is easy in the military it gets complicated in law enforcement. Most IFAK's are kept in the cruiser as there is no where to carry a full kit in uniform. You will be hard pressed to find a LEO that even carries a tourniquet on his person.
In my street crimes unit we wear BDUs with a undershirt vest (no tac vest). This is why I have my IFAK on a drop down as there is no where to put it during "normal" activities.
I'm the only one that carries a IFAK during "high risk" stuff (don't get me started) and there is no SOP in our unit for carrying one. Its a sore issue so I take it upon myself to carry mine with me. If needed I could rip it off and toss it to another member in a really bad situation.

[GhostB14]

First off let me thank you guys for all the useful info and the pros/cons of the system. I did not intend to cause any pissing, but this is the internet and it happens. I just want to try this out to see if it works for me.

I keep hearing it echoed that any tear-off system should have extra retention available, I guess its good that's what I ordered.

I see I forgot to state my goals/uses for it, bad on my part. I'm just a Joe Blow nobody with a PC I got for cheap and I am ringing out the idea of a system that will allow training carriage as well a HD use. I know there are many threads on using vests and such for HD so we don't need to go there. I have been very fortunate to get ahold of some quality kit for little cash so I can give a complete system a good shot to see if it works for me.

By all means if further discussion on the pro/cons can help those in harms way, please continue. It's much more important for those people than it is for this mall ninja.

[chuckman]

I don't see it as a pissing contest at all. A lot of people here have real-world experience, and all of those experiences vary. What works for PVT Shmuckatelli in A-Stan may not work for Officer Goodbody in Anytown, USA. I will tell you my perception is what works in an urban environment does not work in a jungle environment; and as a former corpsman, what I carry is often overkill compared to many. Read the posts, make a decision, and try it. If it doesn't work for you, try something else. You have a huge advantage in that you are not downrange. You get to play with the gear and have do-overs.

[nikuraba29]

Transitioned from the Issues IFAK to the Improved IFAK. Then went out and bought ATS's small med kit which allows you to detatch it and place it in fornt of you while doing self-aid. Much easier then grabbing an handful of IFAK and trying to sort what you need. Recently went to the BFG Trauma Kit NOW! and is a great piece of kit that folds up and has retention for all of your items and when you pull out of the pocket it falls open and allows you one handed access to its contents. It sits inside a farily robust pocket with a protective flap to keep it from falling out. Pretty F@*&tard proof.

29

[Wicked]

It really depends a lot on the size of the pouch and it's location if a tear-off pouch would be a liability or not.

I run a first line belt with a modified US Grunt Gear IFAK pouch in the center of my back. It has a pull out insert but is large and fairly bulky. In the back center position on my belt it can be accessed with either hand.

I'm fairly certain in that location a 'tear-off" type would quickly become detached every time I get in and out of a vehicle. Mine never fails to hang up or catch the seat or door frame every time, so I'm glad it is securely fastened to my belt.

A smaller tear-off pouch in a different spot would probably work out differently.

[VARIABLE9]

I did use search, reason why a 2010 thread is being bumped.

Anyone have experience with this IFAK?

HSGI ON- OR OFF-DUTY MEDICAL POUCH

Not looking for it on a PC, looking to use on a belt. There are a few reasons why such as ease of adding or swapping to multiple belts, size/shape, ability to take on off to use, and some of the features on it. I currently use a HSGI Bleeder/Blowout and not excited by it. TIA

[DevL]

My police department mandates all officers carry a TQ at all times.

I personally own a half dozen blow out kits and run kits with pullout sleeves to hold stuff in an organized fashion and a few non removable zip open pouch types.

On my plate carrier I run a TQ on one side at front of cummerbund and a heavily modified Cleer medical on the other. On my lower back I run a Ronin which is in a sleeve. TQ on top inside, mostly due to a lack of belt space. It's a second TQ anyway. We have a full kit in each glove box of every vehicle. One at qual range out on table. I have one on my range bag, one on rifle case. We train monthly and have all had tactical medic courses. My "on me at all times" TQ is a SWAT-T in a cargo pocket. I used to run a CAT on plate carrier but recently switched to SOF T Wide. Small or back is also SOF-T Wide.

I have a 5.11, Condor, BFG Trauma Kit Now!, etc. I can assure you, those sleeved trauma kits are not coming loose and anything attached to your body is hard to dig through. For me it's a pull out sleeve everytime I can get one. I'd never rely on just velcro though like on a tear away Condor... Unless it is just a kit hanging on the rear of a seat so I can bring it out of the car quickly.