@[LA] Zoomer Medi/k/ How about 1 CAT for your IFAK, and a couple of Grafkettes for the cheapskates?

https://www.mdsupplies.com/medical-supplies-Graham-Field-Grafkette-Tourniquet-S9KRGRWGFP.html

I want two for my IFAK.

Never see those before

I don’t honestly trust those.

They seem not much better than RATs.

Yes, the Grafs are less secure than the CATs but they will stop the bleeding as a temporary measure. They're not a CAT replacement. At Ft. Sam I learned to apply TQs high and tight on the limb first, then convert to a pressure bandage or TQ closer to the wound. Same principle applies to the Graf.

How wide are they?

Hey bois if we can hold off the big hootenanny for 4 more years I can patch you guys up as a physician

Though I’d like it to happen sooner

Like...surgery patching or?

@Benja if you only have 4 years left, you're probably good enough to work on me

@[LA] Zoomer Medi/k/ about 3/4" wide. I've still got one from my time in the guard. It wasn't my only TQ.

Yeah no

TQs with a width that small have been found to cause nerve damage.

Like I said, temporary measure.

But still, nerve damage is not good in any circumstance.

@[LA] Zoomer Medi/k/ I agree, but it's better than bleeding out.

Wouldn’t you have a good stream of CATs available as a 68W?

@[LA] Zoomer Medi/k/ I carried multiple CATs in my aid bag, yes. The Graf I wrapped around my back belt loops for easy access.

Alright.

@[LA] Zoomer Medi/k/ you’d be amazed at how bad the medical support logistics are in *some* units

I don’t know if I would

Considering how fucking stupid military is

Then again...I’ve been handing garbage bags full of medical before, or had a ammo can in front of the medical bay that you could grab fresh TQ’s from at your leisure

I want

As far as RATS goes

Ramseys are worse

The grafkette or however it was spelled (we just called them reusable tq’s) or only for starting iv’s in place of the normal rubber band style that comes in an iv start kit and for that matter you should invest in a NAR Boa

As far as hemorrhage control only CO-TCCC approved tq’s should be used. Rats cause nerve damage their only real claim to fame was portability and a false claim that they would fit on kids whereas CAT’s and others wouldn’t

I know a lot of people really love the sof-t wide, but I have a few and really just do not like them.

I prefer the sof t over the cat but only because it's what I learned on and what we carried in our trucks

They have better quality materials, yeah, but they just feel awkward. Maybes it because I’m so used to the cat tq, but nobody ever really gave me any real reason they preferred them other than “THATS WHAT SF USES” and even then,

What gets me with them is not using them on others, but myself. That and the whole “don’t grab the windlass when pulling it tight initially” like you can with a cat.

I think it honestly comes down to what you were trained with between the two

I can do one handed and send app with a sof t better than I can a cat, but again it's the only one I've really handled regularly

I definitely can not use a sof t one handed. They just feel that little bit more awkward to me, they never want to pull through tight enough for me to feel confident to start with the windlass. Always feels like there’s just that little bit too much slack.

It all comes down to practice I guess. Everytime I try to use a cat especially one handed the velcro hangs me up

https://techcrunch.com/2020/05/01/nvidias-top-scientist-develops-open-source-ventilator-that-can-be-built-with-400-in-readily-available-parts/. I saw this and it got me thinking would it be worth investing in more obscure diy medical devices as hospitals and actual medical devices might eventually become unavailable?

Keep practicing because in a real life situation that one handed tq may save your life.

Who has recommendations for IFAKs?

@Copbot1001 pre-made? Building your own? You need recommendations for medical gear or pouches or?