The NSN MARCH IFAK is a near perfect IFAK Resupply Kit. You would be hard pressed to find a better packaged kit. Each component is vacuum sealed with not an ounce of bulk among them. When using a belt mounted pouch or fanny pack, this space efficiency makes a noticeable difference. However, after practicing with our own kits, we found two glaring issues the kept it from being a perfect IFAK Kit.
The other big problem we had was with the TMT tourniquet. Everyone here is a firm believer of the "you can never have too many tourniquets" rule, but that implies you are talking about a good tourniquet. If you have ever practiced using a tourniquet or had one on yourself, than you know it's pretty clear when it is working. It applies a lot of pressure, and most noticeably, it f*cking hurts. Both amateurs and experts alike had trouble applying this glorified ranger band correctly. When compared to the NAR CAT Gen 7 (the gold standard of TQs) the TMT took longer to apply, didn't exert nearly as much pressure, and the windlass felt like it would snap.
Both of these were so upsetting to us that we have decided to put together an IFAK upgrade kit. We suggest throwing out the MARCH black nitrite gloves and giving the TMT tourniquet to your local auto-erotic asphyxiation enthusiast. (That's a joke by the way, they'd probably die or end up brain dead. The only difference at that point is whether you can donate the organs.) In their place we are providing two pairs of Nitrile light blue 4mil exam gloves by AMMEX, ideally you should have three to four pairs but two is a good start. We'll even pre-roll them for you, the way God intended. And to replace the TMT TQ, you will get that gold standard we mentioned earlier, the NAR CAT Gen7 Tourniquet. The CAT doesn't suffer from any of the problems the TMT has, and everyone at the warehouse can tell you from first hand experience, it will apply pressure, and it will f*ucking hurt!
NAR C.A.T. Specifications
- Buckle has one contoured slit
- Can only be routed singly
- Wide windlass diameter with convex grip rings
- Rounded leading edge with thick plate
- Thick windlass clip with buttressed sides
- Red tip technology
- Fully weather resistant
AMMEX APFN Specifications
- Nitrile material
- 4mm thickness
- Easy-To-See blue
- Powder free
- Long cuff
The NSN MARCH IFAK is a near perfect IFAK Resupply Kit. You would be hard pressed to find a better packaged kit. Each component is vacuum sealed with not an ounce of bulk among them. When using a belt mounted pouch or fanny pack, this space efficiency makes a noticeable difference. However, after practicing with our own kits, we found two glaring issues the kept it from being a perfect IFAK Kit.
The other big problem we had was with the TMT tourniquet. Everyone here is a firm believer of the "you can never have too many tourniquets" rule, but that implies you are talking about a good tourniquet. If you have ever practiced using a tourniquet or had one on yourself, than you know it's pretty clear when it is working. It applies a lot of pressure, and most noticeably, it f*cking hurts. Both amateurs and experts alike had trouble applying this glorified ranger band correctly. When compared to the NAR CAT Gen 7 (the gold standard of TQs) the TMT took longer to apply, didn't exert nearly as much pressure, and the windlass felt like it would snap.
Both of these were so upsetting to us that we have decided to put together an IFAK upgrade kit. We suggest throwing out the MARCH black nitrite gloves and giving the TMT tourniquet to your local auto-erotic asphyxiation enthusiast. (That's a joke by the way, they'd probably die or end up brain dead. The only difference at that point is whether you can donate the organs.) In their place we are providing two pairs of Nitrile light blue 4mil exam gloves by AMMEX, ideally you should have three to four pairs but two is a good start. We'll even pre-roll them for you, the way God intended. And to replace the TMT TQ, you will get that gold standard we mentioned earlier, the NAR CAT Gen7 Tourniquet. The CAT doesn't suffer from any of the problems the TMT has, and everyone at the warehouse can tell you from first hand experience, it will apply pressure, and it will f*ucking hurt!
NAR C.A.T. Specifications
- Buckle has one contoured slit
- Can only be routed singly
- Wide windlass diameter with convex grip rings
- Rounded leading edge with thick plate
- Thick windlass clip with buttressed sides
- Red tip technology
- Fully weather resistant
AMMEX APFN Specifications
- Nitrile material
- 4mm thickness
- Easy-To-See blue
- Powder free
- Long cuff
Excellent
Perfect for either stopping rapid hemorrhaging or for autoerotic asphyxiation. All depends on how your weekend is going, really.