EDC Medical Kit: More Important EDC Item Than a Firearm?
When you think of EDC or everyday carry, is one of the first things you think of an EDC medical kit? If not, it should be. Sure, we all love to clip a super cool EDC knife to our pocket and our favorite flashlight that has “all the lumens,” but the reality is, an EDC medical kit is the most forgotten about EDC item and one of the most important.
Now, I’m not here to push certain brands that need to go in your EDC medical kit, but rather, I want to showcase two items that make carrying an EDC medical kit extremely simple, along with some items you should consider putting in your kit.
Related Article: The Halo Chest Seal — An EDC Life-Saving Tool for Chest Trauma
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Do not take what’s found in this article as medical or legal advice. You should seek out a dedicated medical course specific to stopping a major bleed, such as a trauma course by a professional tactical/medical company to get proper training on how to use the items found in this article.
Table of contents
Why Don’t You Carry an EDC Medical Kit?
Let’s face it, we carry enough stuff in our pockets, right? You have your cellphone, wallet, knife, flashlight, and whatever else you need during your everyday life. How the heck are you supposed to fill your pockets with more stuff?
Trust me, I totally understand what’s going through your head. But there’s something we all need to think about when it comes to an EDC medical kit.
Related Article: Self-Defense EDC Recommendations for Vacation or Business Trips
What is the likelihood that you’ll ever need to pull out and use your firearm? The chances are probably pretty slim, no? Now, how likely are you to roll up on a car crash or an injury at work or a job site where a major bleed could occur? The chances are probably much higher, correct?
Having both a firearm and EDC medical kit is similar to having a fire extinguisher in your home — it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. No one plans on having their house catch on fire, but if it does, it’s nice to know you have a means of putting it out and stopping it. The same can be said about carrying an EDC medical kit for when bad things happen.
Related Article: Live the Creed — Impressive EDC & Battle Belt Med Kits
What Are Some Common Medical Items You Should Carry?
Thinking of hemorrhaging and incidents involving massive blood loss, a simple Batman Band-Aid over a large gash or bullet hole won’t cut it. You’re going to need something to stop the bleeding NOW, while someone is on the phone with 911 calling in the emergency to get the medical professionals on the scene.
This is where your EDC medical kit comes into play.
So, what are some of the essential items you should carry on a daily basis as part of your EDC medical kit? Here are four things you should have on hand:
- Tourniquet
- Compression gauze or coagulant like QuickClot
- Compression bandage
- Nitrile gloves
The four items listed above should be considered your bare minimum. But again, the issue circles back to how you’ll carry these items on your person. This leads us nicely into the next section.
The Goal of Your EDC Medical Kit Should Be to Keep a Thin Profile
Your role as a civilian is not to be GI Joe. While you may play Call of Duty every night, you’re probably far from being considered highly skilled with firearms and medical equipment. That being said, you should get training for both, even if it’s just the basics, to ensure you know how to stop a threat as well as stop a massive bleed.
Related Article: Is the NeoMag Type G the Best Way to Conceal a Glock Mag?
Carrying all the “tactical” gear you want may cause you to feel like your pants are going to fall down, but with the right gear, you can simplify the entire process and keep a very low profile.
There are two items I recommend to make your EDC medical kit as compact as possible — the PHLster Flatpack and the PHLster Pocket Emergency Wallet. I’m going to briefly talk about why I chose these products and why I purchased and use these products.
I purchased the PHLster Flatpack and the PHLster Pocket Emergency Wallet after carrying my own EDC medical kit that I put together. The problem with what I was using is that all my medical items were tossed in a Ziploc bag. When I would sit down, you would hear the plastic baggie crinkle. While no one noticed, I figured it had to only be a matter of time until the tiny bit of air trapped in there would make a loud popping sound, and the next thing I know, I’d have a huge hole in my baggie full of emergency medical equipment and people staring at me wondering what that noise was.
To solve my Ziploc issue, the PHLster Pocket Emergency Wallet was able to not only stage all of the items in my EDC medical kit but separate them into three compartments that make finding what I’d need very easy. Additionally, the PHLster Pocket Emergency Wallet compresses all the gear to ensure nothing falls out and that the entire EDC medical kit has a thin profile and can slide easily into my back right pocket without a huge bulge (it looks like a wallet in my back pocket).
Related Article: SnakeStaff Systems ETQ — A Tourniquet You’ll Actually Carry?
Now, you might be wondering what happened to the tourniquet? That’s where the PHLster Flatpack provides a very specific role. If you were to take a CAT tourniquet or a SOF-T, they’re not exactly the easiest thing to conceal. However, if you learn how to flat-fold them, you can get them extremely thin.
Here’s how to flat-fold your tourniquets:
Once you have flat-folded your tourniquet, place it inside the PHLster Flatpack, which will not only allow you to conceal it on your beltline if you wish, but it makes the footprint extremely small and compact so that you can toss it in your back left pocket.
You Can Save Someone’s Life or Even Your Own
If you carry a firearm and don’t carry an EDC medical kit, you’re wrong — plain and simple. If you think you’re going to unholster your firearm and shoot, you can expect before or after that happens to find bullets also coming in your direction. Therefore, if you’re going to be responsible for putting holes in things, you need to be able to plug those holes and stop bleeding as well.
Related Article: SAVE A LIFE — Medical Training w/ Iron Forge Consulting Group
I’m by no means an attorney and am not giving you legal advice, but in the event you discharge your firearm, you will want to have an attorney in your list of contacts for providing your statement to the police and to step in should there be any legal issues that arise.
Even if you don’t carry a firearm or you live in a state that hates freedom and won’t allow you to carry a firearm concealed, you can and should still carry an EDC medical kit because, as we all know, criminals don’t follow the law and having an EDC medical kit can not only save someone’s life, but that life could also be your own.
Related Article: Are Chest Seals Truly Necessary in Trauma Kits?
And as always, go out and get the proper training needed to be proficient with your firearm(s) and EDC medical kit. I am not an instructor or tactical ninja, and I don’t pretend to be one on the weekends. I’m simply someone who seeks knowledge, improvement, and proficiency when it comes to self-defense and the ability to protect my family and those around me. You are your own first line of defense, seek the training of a certified and experienced instructor. And if you are in the market for a better way to carry your medical gear, definitely consider grabbing the PHLster Flatpack and PHLster Pocket Emergency Wallet. I have no financial gain from it, they are merely two products that I purchased to make my life easier (and safer).
*Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links or ads, which means we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through these links. These commissions help support the operation and maintenance of our website, allowing us to continue producing free valuable content. Your support is genuinely appreciated, whether you choose to use our links or not. Thank you for being a part of our community and enjoying our content.
PLEASE CONSIDER SHARING THIS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA TO HELP OTHERS LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TOPIC. SIMPLY CLICK BELOW!
