Maxpedition Individual First Aid Pouch

I tend to go heavy on first-aid.  I would rather have it when I need it than skimp and be sorry.

In recent years I scaled back my *individual* first aid kit to save weight.  One thing I did was to group all my first aid supplies in a heavy gauge plastic bag instead of a nylon pouch. The advantage of this approach is that it is lightweight and waterproof.  It is also cheap (free).  The bag also stored larger items that were too big for most small first-aid pouches.  These large items include an Israeli bandage and QuikClot gauze.  I also carry a Kendall 5”x9” abdominal pad.   So even when I used a small first aid pouch, I still put it in a plastic bag to keep the pouch and larger items together.  It made sense to ditch the pouch.

I had a minor incident recently where I cut my hand and needed to stop the bleeding.  To access my gauze pads, I was forced to dump the contents of the plastic bag onto the ground.  Otherwise I would have had to rummage through the contents of the confined bag, one-handed, trying not to get blood all over everything (while bleeding).

What I learned from this incident is that having the proper equipment is not sufficient.  It needs to be accessible and organized so that it can be used when needed.  So I recently purchased a Maxpedition Individual First Aid Pouch.  I am paying a small penalty in weight and sacrificing a water-proof container.  But I think the organization and improved response time are worth it.

The numbers:

• 420-Denier nylon for weight reduction and increased mobility
• Overall size: 8″ wide x 5″ high x 2.5″ thick
• Clamshell opening main compartment
• Internal mesh and see-thru plastic organizers
• External zippered mesh pocket
• Integral carry handle
• MOLLE compatible

I found a good review on YouTube, that mirrors my experience with the pouch so far (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toV7-4blLRg).  The idea of attaching a paracord handle to the pouch came from this review.  I keep all of my emergency gear in the hydration sleeve of my pack.  So having the quick-grab orange handle fits the way I plan to use the kit.  The idea to hot-glue ugly “Rescue-Me Orange” nylon to the pouch was purely my idea.  🙂

Some pictures

Here is the pouch.  The color is Khaki.  In the outer mesh pocket I carry everything I want to access in a timely manner.  This includes nitrile gloves, CPR face shield, Israeli bandage, QuikClot gause pad, and my WFA protocol/checklist.

Here is the pouch being held for size by the integrated handle.  For some reason, it appears much larger in this picture than it actually is.  It is only 8″ wide x 5″ high x 2.5″ thick.

I added a paracord “grab-n-go” handle that makes the pouch more visible and protrudes from my pack’s hydration sleeve to make access easier.

Here is the open pouch.  All of my medicine, tape, small instruments, bandaids and moleskin are in the waterproof pocket on the right.  The mesh pocket on the left contains rollers and gauze.

I hope this post helps people think about accessibility and is of interest to those looking to buy individual first aid pouches.

More Wilderness First Aid on NatureOutside

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