Running a condor PC and AR500 level 3 plates/trauma pads to save money as well as IFAK. Now that I have my IFAK loaded up it's sagging pretty hard on my carrier. Not interested in running a war belt. Was wondering if you guys had any creative and proven ways of securing gear?
Thanks for the feedback

Pictures would help, but it sounds like the slack may be coming from your plate pockets not being completely filled up causing the outside layer of your plate carrier to sag when loaded.

If that's the case, you might need something to better fill the plate pockets in order to tighten up the material to make it more supportive.

Ok thanks. Just threw some pics up for clarity.

And there's the pics...

Short of getting some HDPE and making a cummerbund stiffener, you might be SOL.

Also, that's an awfully large pouch to have under your arm. You might look into getting something a little slimmer.

S.O. Tech Viper
ITS Tactical Fatboy

I've had the pouch you are currently using. I got rid of it for many reasons, not the least of which being its size. It lended itself to being overloaded too easily.

Does the pouch you recommended have molle snaps to attach it to my PC? I didn't see any in the pics.

Yes, both are MOLLE compatible and include the required attachment hardware.

Ok thanks for the recommendation

OP, I'm with the above poster. The pouch you've selected is really quite large to fit in any good position on a plate carrier. I strongly suggest downsizing and sticking to only the necessities for medical supplies. Rule number one for any piece of gear is comfort/functionality. That looks like it would become a hindrance to your non-dominant arm with anything from magazine changes to moving into a shooting stance.

PS, I really dig your midline chest patch.

Yeah just picked it up the other day. I really do just have the essentials in it however I guess I could take out a CAT I have a couple of in there. I really want to keep the IFAK and ammo on my PC. I like having everything I really need on my PC never been a fan of war belts. Not sure where else to place it. I want quick access and need it on my non dominant side so I can draw my USP with ease.
Thanks, the 3% patch and Jesus saves cross patch are my fav so far that I've bought for my gear.

I understand your all-in-one/grab-and-go set up logic, but it needs to be well planned. Instead of expensive trial and error, take as much advice as you can from others that have already made the mistakes.

Without a belt, I would get the S.O. Tech Viper IFAK and place it on the rear center of your PC. It will be out of the way, but still accessible with BOTH hands (important).

That thing rides like a wart on the Sea Hags face.

I'm a medic by trade, and I have that same pouch among others. You're carrying far more than "just the essentials" to fill that pouch that completely.

I'm a proponent of a separate 'blow out kit' and 'boo-boo kit'. An individual blow out kit consisting of a flat packed pressure dressing, chest seal, combat gauze or other wound packing material, a couple pairs of exam gloves, a thoracostomy needle if you choose and a chunk of peel-off backing duct tape will get you through. Add a tourniquet in a separate TQ pouch and trauma shears or a rescue hook and you're jamming. A boo-boo / comfort kit can go in your third line stuff.

I've got most of the same gear.

First off, the curved plates beat the shit out of the flat once, as I'm guessing you already discovered.

Second, there's a strap with a buckle that's on the molle side of the condor rip-away pouch. You want to wrap that that strap through the handle, snap the buckle, and pull it tight.

Third, make sure you have the molle woven correctly. If it isn't, it'll sag.

On my rig I ditched the cumberbun to get better ventilation. I'm not sure where you're at, but in the greater Austin area during the summer you want to ditch as much as you can. Think about mounting the IFAK on the back of the rig (unless you're wearing a backpack).

Finally, consider a smaller pouch. The one you have is fucking huge. If you want to go cheap (and don't expect to use your gear a lot), the Condor Gadget Pouch might be a good option. I've been able to fit gloves, a 4" isreali bandage, and a SWAT-T in one of those with room to spare for comfort items like 1" adhesive bandaids.

ETA: http://store.oldgrouch.biz/iffiaidkitin.html fits inside a http://store.oldgrouch.biz/moakmaposaw2.html is also an option. The one I bought had cord connecting the insert to the pouch, but the removable insert can be handy. It's a little bulky relative to what you can store in it though.

Currently I have
CAT
Sealed compression bandage
Sealed dressing
Gauze
Quick clot
Transparent dressings
Gloves
Shears
Medical tape
Antibiotic cream

If you only have one tourniquet, you'll want it somewhere outside the main pouch where it can be quickly retrieved by either hand without having to search for it.

Yeah my plates don't have a whole lot of curve to them but yet they aren't completely flat. The trauma pads help a lot. I have the molle correctly attached. I took my extra sealed bandage and CAT out. Tightened the trap as much as possible. The pouch is just big I suppose. Looking at the tall boy pouch  that was recommended. I'm not too psyched about putting the pouch on the rear center of my PC. At least with it on the side I can see what I'm doing.
Thanks for the feedback guys. If you have it keep it coming. Learning a lot.

The Fatboy won't work on your back unless you use a tear away panel like this one:

http://www.skdtac.com/Marz-IFAK-Tear-Away-Panel-p/mzt.117.htm

If you don't want to go that route, the Fatoy will still be lower profile on your side than your current pouch.

The S.O. Tech Viper would probably be the best option for mounting on your back since it is the flattest and will still be accessible with either hand.

This pouch has a tear away panel.
I put some foam in the side plate pockets to help with that area. PC feels a lot better atleast.
Took both CATs and spare bandage out the med pouch which slimmed it down a little bit. I'm probably just going to return it and order a micro pouch. Thanks for the advice guys. This site has some badass folks on it.

I use a compressed ats small tear away with 1 flat NAR 4 inch ETD, 1 set of  HALO chest seals 1 PRIMED gauze, 1 sharpie, 1 14ga needle D and 1 pair of gloves.  You can cinch this down to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick.  Put your shears behind it in the molle webbing and get you a TRON TACTICAL horizontal TQ pouch for your CAT.  TQ is centrally located and readily accessible.  Put your bandaids, antibiotic cream and Tylenol in a ziploc in behind your TQ in the small admin pouch.  Done.  The poster above me is TRON of TQ holder fame, his gear is excellent.  Sorry for pimping your gear TRON, but I likes what I likes.

Jim

It's not too bad on my side. My arm rests on it. I'm able to manipulate my AR no prob, crouched, etc.
I just need to attach my CAT on the outside in some form or fashion. I'll order a pouch for it unless someone has a reliable DIY way of doing it?

These also work really well for IFAKs, allowing you to remove it quickly while staying secure http://www.itstactical.com/store/accessories/molle-stix-pair/

First off, are you right or left handed? If right handed, you need to move that out of the way as your pistol draw from pretty much anywhere will be heavily impeded.

Secondly, that IFAK is larger than anything I've ever humped into combat. It's gigantic. Honestly, if you went out shooting/hunting and one of your friends had an accident (ricochet, ND, etc) how much of whats in your IFAK can you knowledgeably utilize, right now? Attend a paramedic course at the local CC and you'll realize that you can drag 50lbs of medical gear around and still not have everything you could need. You'll also learn whats necessary to even have a chance and that's how you need to setup (and in the process, shrink) your IFAK.

Whenever I am out shooting, hunting on public land, training or at a coarse I have my IFAK on my chest rig panel or the panel that's on my carrier. Same IFAK, same setup. I've had .mil training, private courses I sought out at college aand a bit of unwanted first hand experience, and I only carry:

- 1 Israeli bandage
- Compressed H&H gauze
- 1 QuickClot combat gauze
- Nose tube
- Decompression needle
- 2x surgilube
- Sharpie
- Tourniquet (PC has a 2nd one on it)
- Medical tape
- Latex gloves

I fit all of this comfortably into an OSOE vertical IFAK that is probably 1/4 to 1/3 the size of yours. The only thing I'd wish I'd have room for is a chest seal but its simply too large to put into the IFAK without folding it multiple times, yet I have 1 in the med bag I keep in my Jeep. In a pinch the wrapping for the Israeli bandage will work, but its a ghetto fix.

Don't get discouraged. Less is more and you'll learn a lot here.

Completely agree with the comments about reducing the size.  You want the bare essentials to stop major bleeds, close up any chest wounds, start an airway and relieve any potential tension pneumothorax (maybe a pill pack too but that's small).  Anything more is going to be too bulky and probably not needed if you have a car bag (or medic) with you.  It all depends on your situation but anything that will interfere with your best initial medical treatment (throwing lead downrange to stop more casualties) is bad news.

If I can make another suggestion for you to take as you will.  I would highly recommend leaving your CAT somewhere easily accessible by both hands (I like out of the kit, over the sternum).  You want to be able to self treat an arm, so make sure that you have the strap through only one slot on the buckle so that you can self apply with one hand.  If you are applying it to a leg and have both arms free, you can use it in this state as well, although it would be a lot better to feed the strap back through the other slot at this point if your fine motor skills are OK.  Also, make sure that the tourniquet is always in a known state of ready-to-use.  If you have armor, you most likely cause of death is going to be extremity bleeders and properly applied tourniquets add hours to your life.

However you set it up, be sure to practice on yourself.  Don't be afraid to crank that tourniquet down hard so that you know what it feels like.  It will be painful but it will be the best way to save your life if you have an extremity bleeder.  Check for loss of your radial pulse to make sure it is tight enough.

I have both an ITS Fatboy and ITS Tallboy. I recommend them for a kit that has just about everything you need except a couple TQs.

I recommend a Blue Force Gear Trauma Kit Now. It sits pretty tight against the body and the insert holding all the gear can be ripped out of the pouch that attaches to the MOLLE platform.

Dang dude, where's the light bar for that ambulance?   My BOK rides in my right cargo pocket, it consists of a kerlex, hemostatic agent, naso, prescription grade anti-inflamatories, antibiotics, and Tac Med Solutions pressure dressing and TQ.  The EMT shears ride on my flak.

Zip tie that shit in place. It will hold it.

For reference, I've run the exact same kit you're using through a couple of training evolutions. While it might not seem too bulky for you in your home, I'd be willing to bet you'll feel differently after actually running it around vehicles, going through doors, trying to go prone, roll-over prone, etc. Condor received enough feedback saying that exact thing to cause them to come out with a smaller  the rip away EMT lite version.




The smaller kit has an Israeli pressure dressing, Bolin chest seal, thoracostomy needle, combat gauze, two pair of gloves, a chunk of duct tape, a TK4 tourniquet (supplemented by a SOF-T worn separately) and a pair of miniaturize shears. It's a great self / buddy aid BOK while being small enough to not hinder function / movement.

Thanks I like the configuration for the price so I'll probably go with this.

I have an HSGI bleeder/blowout pouch on my PC. Just some quick clot, a 6 inch izzy and some med tape in it. I have no training using a decompression needle so i don't carry one, but i could fit one in there. I'd put everything else on your PC and see how it works. Rifle plates don't do any good if you can't move.


A lot of of guys just use rubber bands to attach their tourniquet. I myself have a length of shock cord ran through my pals webbing, much like the rubber band method. My only problem was the bands snapping after a while. The shock cord works nice and is cheap. Another good attachment is the blue force tourniquet now holder. It's something you want to be able to get to one handed, with either hand, quickly.


http://www.skdtac.com/Blue-Force-Gear-Tourniquet-NOW-Strap-p/bfg.132.htm

Some good advice here and some bad advice here. For the layman, K.I.S.S. Keep a few things to stop hemorrhagic bleeding. After that, you need to seek medical attention. I have a fair amount of training in tactical medicine, but the photo below is my personal IFAK. Ive added combat gauze and a TQ since the picture was taken. Its not big and it doesnt have to be. Not pictured is a TQ in the left pants pocket and a Izzy in the right pants pocket. If you are think that you are going to treat other people with your IFAK youre fucked up. Not that I havent done it myself or others wont do it for a buddy, but that shouldnt be the plan. Treating other people are what aid bags are for. I didnt catch what your level of training is, but Id highly recommend getting some training on care in a hostile or potentially hostile environment. Everyone thinks they are billy badass until shit happens and then we resort to our true level of training.

I echo pretty much this.
Mine is in a HSGI pouch with above listing



minus the Banshee now...now located to either a warbelt, or EDC bag
.....depends on the occassion.

currently building a second set, of IFAK, so I don't have to move it around

Only suggestion...do sprints with it, roll around, go thru some tight obstacle and judge for yourself, will this location work for you.
good luck OP, keep up us updated and be safe

Mines pretty close to this, just mounted as close to the cummerbund flap as possible. I can open and access it with either hand. You can also see how my tourniquet is mounted.

<a href="http://s1078.photobucket.com/user/kyschauer/media/0222150203c-1_zpsefvssoeq.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w498/kyschauer/0222150203c-1_zpsefvssoeq.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 0222150203c-1_zpsefvssoeq.jpg"/></a>

If you use a TQ for training, be sure not to try and use it in real life.  When you really crank down on them, they tend to stretch and not be as effective.  I'd hate for someone to need one and not be able to use if effectively because they used it in training.

Dang, that thing is massive!

I use a standard Army IFAK and added mini medical sheers and quick clot.
Probably should get a chest seal as well but its a balances between weight/size and function.