A red first aid kit with scissors, tweezers, and medication laid out beside it

Gear / Preparedness / Medical

What's in an IFAK?

The bleeding-control kit to carry on you, at the range, and in the car, and where to get each piece.

What's in a typical IFAK

The 8 Essentials

Common questions
  1. A black Combat Application Tourniquet with a red tab

    01Tourniquet

    Stops life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg. The U.S. Army has issued the C-A-T since 2005.

    Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T)

  2. A QuikClot Combat Gauze package with the Z-folded gauze beside it

    02Hemostatic gauze

    Speeds clotting when you pack a wound a tourniquet can't reach.

    QuikClot Combat Gauze or Combat Gauze LE

  3. A NAR Wound Packing Gauze package with folded white gauze

    03Packing gauze

    Plain sterile gauze for packing a wound or general bandaging.

    Wound Packing Gauze

  4. An Emergency Trauma Dressing in its olive package beside the unpacked dressing

    04Pressure dressing

    Holds pressure on a packed wound. Doubles as a sling or splint tie.

    Emergency Trauma Dressing (ETD)

  5. A HyFin Vent chest seal twin pack with one seal shown beside it

    05Chest seals

    Vented seals for a penetrating chest wound, one for entry and one for exit.

    HyFin Vent Chest Seal Twin Pack or single seal

  6. Two pairs of black NAR trauma shears

    06Trauma shears

    Cut clothing away fast so you can see and reach the wound.

    NAR Trauma Shears

  7. A bag of Bear Claw nitrile gloves beside a gloved hand

    07Gloves

    Nitrile gloves protect you while you treat someone else.

    Bear Claw Nitrile Gloves

  8. A green nasopharyngeal airway beside a packet of lubricating jelly

    08Airway (NPA)

    Keeps an unconscious person's airway open. Only carry it if you're trained to use it.

    Nasopharyngeal Airway w/ Lubricant

Also carry

  • Marker Write the tourniquet time on the strap.
  • Emergency blanket Blood loss drops body heat, even in summer.
  • A pouch you can reach On your belt or bag, reachable with either hand.
  • Spare tourniquet Staged in the car or range bag.

Based on the American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed kit and the CoTCCC recommended devices list. Product links go to North American Rescue.

Or grab one ready-made

Ready-Made Kits

The Snakestaff Next-Generation IFAK in its Pocket Protector configuration, with its contents laid out

Snakestaff Systems

Next-Generation IFAK

Pull-tab bleeding-control kit with QR-linked instructions.

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A camo LT Creed Responder IFAK pouch with a red cross patch

LT Creed

Responder IFAK

Belt or MOLLE pouch with tourniquet, gauze, chest seal, airway, shears, and gloves.

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A red MyMedic Bleed Stopper med pack

MyMedic

Bleed Stopper

Grab-and-go kit with a tourniquet, hemostatic dressing, gauze, and pressure bandage.

View Product →
A Snakestaff Pressure Pak with a hemostatic dressing and tourniquet

Snakestaff Systems

Pressure Pak

Compact trauma pack that pairs with, or stands in for, a full IFAK.

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A compact black ETQ Gen 2 tourniquet

Snakestaff Systems

ETQ Gen 2 Tourniquet

Pocket-size windlass tourniquet for everyday carry.

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A red MyMedic MyFAK first aid kit bag

MyMedic

MyFAK

Full first aid kit for home, vehicle, or backcountry. MOLLE-mountable.

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An olive MyMedic Hiker Medic med pack

MyMedic

Hiker Medic

Trail kit for blisters, minor wounds, dehydration, and exposure.

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A black MyMedic ZZIPS med pack

MyMedic

ZZIPS

Wound-closure kit that stands in for stitches, with gauze and gloves.

View Product →

Train With It

Gear without training is just dead weight.

Iron Rescue's one-day TECC course (Tactical Emergency Casualty Care) teaches everyday people to stop bleeding, manage airway and chest injuries, and move a casualty. No medical background needed, with certification. Taught in Utah.

See the TECC Course

Common Questions

What goes in an IFAK?

An IFAK (individual first aid kit) is built to stop life-threatening bleeding until help arrives. The core is a tourniquet, hemostatic or compressed gauze for packing wounds, a pressure bandage, a pair of vented chest seals, trauma shears, nitrile gloves, a marker to record tourniquet time, and an emergency blanket. That list follows the American College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed kit and the military TCCC standard. Carry it where you can reach it with either hand, and keep a spare tourniquet in the car or range bag.

Where should I buy a tourniquet?

Buy directly from the manufacturer or an authorized dealer, and stick to a model the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC) recommends, such as the C-A-T Gen 7 or SOFTT-W. Cheap knockoff tourniquets are common online and can break or slip when you crank them down, which is the one moment it cannot fail.

Do I need training to use an IFAK?

Yes. A kit you have never practiced with is slow under stress. A Stop the Bleed class takes 1 to 2 hours and teaches the three skills that matter most: applying pressure, packing a wound, and applying a tourniquet. Iron Rescue teaches Stop the Bleed and TCCC classes in Utah. Items like a nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) should only be carried if you have been trained to use them.

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