Review: Shemaghs and Furoshiki

I had a request from a reader to cover the myriad uses that the Arabian headcovering, the shemagh (or keffiyeh, or ghutrah as I learned the word) has. Rather than just covering the one form of "big square of fabric" I thought I would mix in the very similar, but culturally diverse Japanese multipurpose carry-cloth, the traditional Furoshiki.

 Whilst fairly divergent in purpose, each style relies on the same thing: a single, square piece of fabric.

Fabric is everywhere, and whilst patterns, weaves, materials, sizes and shapes may differ, it is a fairly simple thing to be able to put your hands on. With the increased Western military presence in the Middle East (yes, its been 22 years since the First Gulf War,) this fairly ubiquitous piece of  Arabian attire has worked its way into the mainstream western culture. I lived in Dubai between 1989 and 1991, and the red-and-white ghutrah in the middle there was from then.

Starting up kendo in 1997, I was exposed to the use of squares of fabric to bundle up our keikogi and hakama, in furoshiki style, which allowed us to keep it neat, tidy, transport it and also letting the often very sweaty clothes dry after a hard session. At least, far better that it would if stuffed into a plastic shopping bag, or gym bag.

I wont spend a lot of time on furoshiki, as it is an art all to itself, rather I will show you a couple of links. This picture was produced by the Japanese Ministry of Environment as a means of demonstrating the many ways different sized packages and items can be bundled into a square of fabric, offering stable, padded and accessible wrapping for a variety of goods.



I've mentioned shemaghs before, as I picked one up off the street her ein Melbourne as part of my eagle-eyed urban-salvage mentality, but I have quite the collection of them. Warm in winter, shady in summer, easily stowable and highly variable in wear and use, the shemagh is a versatile and essential part  of being apocalypse equipped.

There are a variety of sites that can show you "how to tie a shemagh like the military"so I'm not going to go through a step by step, rather, I will show you some of the ways that I have worn mine, and that you might find useful.

Most of these involve folding the square into a triangle, which leaves the little dangling tassels on the short edges, rather than the forwards long edge. I learned to wear min in Emirati and Bedouin style, which usually consists of a single triangular fold, and topped with the double ringed agal but any cord or banding could suffice, and keep it on your head, whilst providing much needed shade.

Even without an agal, it is possible to keep it on your head in fairly easy terms. Just flicking one of the corners around your neck and towards the back will give it enough weight to hold it down onlt your head, and less lifting surfaces to blow off as easily.

You can wear it like this to cover your nose and mouth, both as a dust/sand/debris hand smoke filter, as a sun-block, but also to obscure your identity if that kind of thing is useful to you, say if you were throwing rocks at tanks in Gaza or new York...

I've worn mine like this in the sun, rain, hail and snow, and have found that it's a very versatile piece of clothing able to be adapted to meet the ever changing Melbourne weather.

Rolled loosely, that same triangular fold gives you a long length of insulating material I wrap around your neck, whether it be to trap heat in the cold, or soaked in water to give evaporative cooling to the wearer. In this way, it acts in similar fashion to the HeadSox and HeadOver tubes, but far lower-tech.

It's worth noting that certain colour patterns may be more significant than you might think, and it is well worth looking into when you are traveling, but there isn't really a hard and fast system in place. If in doubt, ask a local, or wear something in "modern" patterns.

Pulling up the front of that self-same scarf, you have a very functional face-shield to guard against identification, sun, dust, sand and debris, even some (it has been often claimed) dispersion agents like CS gas with a vinegar treatment, apparently.

 A slight tug and it's either up or down, and you can also cover your ears with the same fabric.

I've also used mine as a sieve, putting fruit in it and washing them through it...

Having also spent a bunch of time holidaying in south east Asia, I've seen similar fabrics worn wrapped around the head in a ring, more as a sweatband than as a sunshade. Worn with the tassels on the outside you also have built in bug-bothering dangles not unlike the mythical cork-strung hat of the Australian bush.



Not just a piece of clothing, however, the shemagh can be utilized in a variety of ways  (such as in its Japanese configuration, for furoshiki) and I hope I can show you a couple of these too.

So here is me having using my shemagh as a triangular bandage to immobilize an arm, something I covered recently in my First Aid Certificate Level 2 course (yay, skills ...)

Depending on the circumstance, and the need, this can be done extremely quickly. I moved from the SE Asia head wrap to this sling in about 15-20 seconds. If you take a little more time, you can make a much neater, much more supportive sling.

Similarly, I could have rolled it into a tight rope, and used it as an emergency tourniquet, or as the binding of a splint.

Other uses that I've had for it is as a shade cloth, picnic tablecloth, as a belt, a child-toy-leash and as a mondo wet-towel-snapper.

When folded up, a cotton shemagh makes a quite reasonable bandage, either as a deep square, to stem urgent bleeding, or to hold down dressings. Filled with ice they make cold compresses, left alone they make good padding for bruises, sprains and bites.

All in all, whether it be for headware, packaging, or all manner of other applications, this simple piece of cloth, however it is names, coloured or decorated, is an essential piece of kit, that I wouldn't want to travel or adventure without, let alone survive without.

Wish Lust: Geigerrig Tactical Guardian hydration pack

Following on from this years SHOT show, I saw a link from the guys at Soldier Systems, reporting from the OR (I presume that stands for Outdoor Recreation, or something to that effect) on a really cool hydration system.

The Geigerrig comapny have a rather unique offering, with a pressurized hydration system. This system involves having a bladder with a hand pump (like the kind Dr's use to take your blood pressure on a elbow collar) to pump air into the bladder, squirting it out of the bite-valve.

This is the Guardian model, which I fell in wish-lust with ....

 It features a 2L (70oz) bladder (although they do offer a 3L bladder as well) which has fittings for drinking tube and pressurization tube which are both quick-release valved, and offers a slide-top for easy filling and cleaning. Skanky hydration bladders are no-ones friend!

Better yet, they have a variety of carriers for these bladders, all designed to contain the pressure, and give you a secure, continuous pressure water-source. 

The fabric of the carrier is a light and rugged 500D Cordura, with PALS/MOLLE strips on top and bottom, six D-ring attachment points for lashing it your pack, vest, plate carrier or what-have you, should you decide to forgo the built in (but stowable) pack straps. 

Twin compression straps add to the pressure and stability of your water-load, but the real magic here is the hard nylon "guardian plate" which backs the carrier. This was the real magic for me, as it offers something that I've noted was missing, a slick, hard backing to my hydration carrier. I am very happy with my Platatac Bravo but I found that when on Tough Mudder, crawling through pipes and under netting, and barbed wire, that it caught on occasion, as well as getting in and out of vehicles with it, a slick turtle-back would be a great advantage to both toughness, and drag-reduction.

Couple this with the in-line cyrpto and virus filters and you have a very resilient, functional pressurized hydration system. Hydrate, wash wounds, clean goggles all on the bounce, from a secured and armoured platform!

What's NOT to lust after?

Review: CountyComm Premium EMT / Combat Shears

These are another part of the batch of gear that I got from CountyComm, I've had a set previously, but I passed them along to a my partner Anna, who had need of them. These are the Premium EMT Shears by Maratac. These are the full size versions, but they also make a much more compact version, but I wanted the full sized version to maximize my cutting power.

The first thing to note about these sheers are the cutting edges. The two arms have quite different features, in that one is a sheepsfoot tip (to reduce the chances of penetration) and has a predominantly flat cutting edge. The opposing arm has fine saw-like teeth in the stainless steel blade, no point at all, and a flattened lip that runs at 90 degrees to arms, giving a platform to run the shears against, when cutting clothes off a person, or the like. You can see that the shears have fullers pressed into them, giving them increased rigidity and shear strength.

The area behind the rivet also features two notches, for stripping wire, something I'd be otherwise afraid to do with the shears, as a result of the very aggressive cutting power they possess. These are some no-nonsense tools, and I have every faith that they will serve me well, for all my first aid and emergency trauma uses, they also cut zip-ties to get flex-cuffs off prisoners, open burlap bags to feed my chookens, open packing boxes, cutting tins to make BBQ-coal starters and they even cut coins, for when you get sick of capitalism and need to stick it to "the man".

The handles are an impact resistant composite, seen here in "desert brown" and are smooth edged, and the finger-recesses big enough that I can fit three fingers in a squeeze into the big ring, or two comfortably with work-gloves on. I can't recommend a set of these enough, they will cleanly, and efficiently brutalise anything you need to cut safely and with precision. I don't look forwards to having to cut someone out of their mangled boots, but I ever need to, these will be something I reach for!

Review: Platatac - MAC Mesh Back Pack

This unusual piece is a now discontinued line from Platatac, something of an experiment of theirs that didn't pan out commercially as well as hoped. I however, think they are a great idea. The concept is that a daypack has been mated with the Medium Armour Carrier back-piece.

You'll remember from recent posts that I got this particular piece of gear as part of a deal along with the Front Opening Panel which I reviewed not too long ago, but this is interchangeable with that as well as the closed front MAC plate carrier that makes up the front of my usual rig.

The ability to chop and change these pieces gives the wearer the ability to have a permanently mounted pack, integral ballistic plating carriage and modularity to connect it to an existing front piece.

As with all Platatac's main-line gear, I chose khaki, to suit my aesthetic, and is made of the same 1000d Cordura material I've come to expect from their gear.




As well as two spacious "most of the way to the bottom" unzipping side-pocket, each with a set of 3 row, 2 column PALS/MOLLE, but also with a large  "1/3 of the way opening" main compartment. Inside the main compartment there is an elasticized internal pocket, up against the back wall, suitable for a hydration bladder, or soft-storage. At the top of the pack there is a vent, cut and covered to prevent the casual ingress of water and dirt, which would allow a hydration tube and/or cables to exit the pack.

The pack also has a beaver-tail flap, which is fitted with multiple cinch straps, two fastex-style clips, one on each side, and a criss-cross of shock-cord running through D-loops to give additional storage. The beaver-tail will fit most ballistic helmets, I read, but for my purposes, it fits my Pro Tec Classic skate helmet just nicely.  For all my brain-bashing adventure needs!





























The "inside" of the pack shows off its plate-carrying nature, with a heavy hook-and-loop closing pouch, allowing your vitals to have that much needed protection. Below this, you can see here the belt-pouch, where it is possible to run a waist belt, or the strapping needed to secure the bottom of this piece to the bottom of one of the front components of the MAC family.


The inside of the belt-pocket has another patch of hook-and-loop, to secure any strapping you use to prevent it sliding one way or another. You can also see some additional loops and attachment points. These came in very handy when I rigged this pack for solo-wear, by running two meter-long lengths of webbing from the bottom, up to the fastex-style clips at the shoulders. There are also two sets of wide elastic cable/tube keepers sewn into the shoulders, and additional d-rings for further attachment options.

Underneath the beaver-tail helmet carrier, there is extensive PALS/MOLLE real-estate, with 6 rows of 7 channels, the top one being hook-and-loop loop field, with an additional band of MOLLE-spaced loop-field below that for unit, name or morale patches.

The pack was just big enough to fit my ubiquitous CSI folder and most of my daily needs. I also fitted my bottle-carrying FUP pouch, and my half-med pouch, as well as some other needfuls, as you can see here.

All in all this is a very interesting hybrid. I would have made some further adjustments and recommendations if Platatac were looking to continue the lin, namely to the placement of some of the loops and attachment options, but all in all, it was a worthy investment. Now i can kit out another member of my household, and put a pack on them that cant be lost or forgotten!

Good thinking, and staying prepared!












8

Home Front: Injury and Illness

Being sick sucks. Being injured sucks. I've been both often enough just in the last year to make me strongly consider what options and risks would be apparent in the event of a disaster both for those with chronic illness or injuries, and those with incidental illnesses and injuries. One of my partners has some fairly hefty pharmaceutical requirements for the condition she has. The other has torn cartilage in her knee and a history of respiratory problems. The idea of loss of access to the medical facilities and the pharmacopeia that modern industrial society provides us is chilling. Even the idea of long trips "off-grid" would require significant stockpiling, and preparation, and this is not a bad thing, but costly and difficult to arrange.

Even taking stock of our little bathroom medicine cabinet at home, just to take stock, made me realise how dependent we are on the infrastructure both to have such things produced and also distributed. I recently watched the disease-thriller "Contagion" which really impressed me with its sensible and pretty accurate portrayal of both lab-science and disease epidemiology. It reminded me that in the event of a wide-spread disease, resources will become scare not only due to demand, but also as the infrastructure required to produce and disseminate it is affected by the disease. Not only medical supplies, but later on, all supplies and services, depending on the severity of the outbreak could be unavailable. Healthcare workers are often on the front lines, as the very sick are brought to hospitals and from there, it can spread. That not only means my workplace, but also the people who would care for and supply treatments to my loved ones, and children.

Fortunately, there are several sources for being kept aware of these kinds of events, both sickness, and natural.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
The World Health Organization (WHO)

both of which I follow via Twitter on:
https://twitter.com/CDCemergency
https://twitter.com/WHO

I'm also fortunate enough to be sent bulletins like these through work, from the Bureau of Meteorology

 
Sent: Tuesday, 4 September 2012 3:15 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: ** State Health Command Advisory - damaging and destructive winds **


Good afternoon all,

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for damaging winds in the following forecast districts:

Mallee
Wimmera
Northern Country
North Central
North East
South West
Central
West and South Gippsland
East Gippsland

Damaging winds around 60 to 80 km/h with peak gusts of 100 to 120km/h are forecast to develop over the Southwest and Wimmera districts this evening, and will extend to remaining districts overnight and early Wednesday morning.

Over Alpine areas, winds are expected to average 80 to 100 km/h Wednesday with peak gusts of 140 km/h

The Victorian health sector should:

Maintain situational awareness via the Bureau of Meteorology website: http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/warnings/
Consider the dissemination of this advisory


Being aware is part of the battle, looking after my family and loved ones in the event of such an event, short or long term, is another. I have first-aid kits, but when it comes down to it, do we have enough medical supplies laid in? No.

Do I know where to go to get some, and what to get? Mostly. More work required.

It also occurred to me that improving my First-Aid training is always a good thing.

Review: Platatac Half Med Pack

I popped in to Platatac a while ago and the guys said they had something new for me, which always perks my ears and puts some extra fluff in my tail. This was no exception. As you might have noticed, I'm quite a collector of pouches, as indicated by my FUP's, SR25's, the 60rnd pouch, modular radio pouch, an iPhone pouch, a wrist mounted map pouch, a camera pouch and a utility pouch, the two twin 40mm pouches, the butt-pack and the 3x30 M16 pouch all of which I have reviewed. I'm quite the pouch enthusiast. The Platatac guys know this well. So, when I came in getting advice on one of my new day-pack options, they introduced me to the Half Med Slot pouch, in Multicam. This is my first piece of Multicam kit, and I must say, it is a nice pattern, looking at it up close. A drier, arid version of "woodland", with more depth of colour than DPCU AUSCAM, whilst keeping the "flowing oilslick" pattern rather than "hearts and bunnies" of AUSCAM, or the static blur of the Digi-cams.

I like it, quite a lot. Perhaps that's a topic for another post, what say you?

So, on with the Half Med Slot pouch. Firstly, the pouch is fronted with a nice broad loop field for putting indicator patches on, like I've done here. The long, broad grip-tab at the front gives a good purchase, without being a snag-risk. The pouch hasn't popped open whilst I've been slinging it around. The top sides of the pouch are held snug with a wide elastic strip. The grip-tab is more than just the opening tab for the pouch, however, it is integral to the internals. A swift yank of the tab tears free the hook-and-loop, and out pops this neat bundle.

There in your hand is a long strip of nylon, bundled in elastic tape, that is jam packed with loops for stowing all manner of small medical aid gear. There is a second loop-field, along with a metal grommet, presumably to act as a means of hooking the kit up once it's "drawn". There are also two looped tabs, one on each side of the bottom, also for post-pull attachment. I've put a roll of z-folded compression bandage on the medium elastic loop, and the large loop holds the bundle together in this picture. However, its in what is underneath that is really the key here.

Here is what options these loops provide, according to Platatac:

1x Large Elastic Loop for FAD or Equivalent

1x Medium Elastic Loop for CAT (tourniquet)

3x Small/Medium Elastic Loops for smaller items such as bandages

6x Small Elastic Loops for other items such as scissors, cyalume or similar items

1x Hidden Pocket for gloves, iodine or similar items

I've put a couple of cyalume sticks in mine, along side a couple of rolls of 5cmx3m bandage, as well as a supply of band-aids, sterile would dressings, a sterile eye-patch and a pair of forceps. Four safety-pins through one of the loops of elastic give me something to keep bandages on. The hidden pocket is a great addition, for longer items that need to be stowed away, like gloves. The main body of the pouch has a couple of interesting features, namely another metal eyelet and two winglets which seem to be for closing off the pouch keeping rain and incidental ingress of crud.

This is a really cool pouch, and I think I will be taking some time to modify this pouches layout and contents, but I will be certainly keeping it on my day-pack as an ongoing trial of a very useful piece of kit.

Review: Platatac Nomad Daypack

I've been searching for a replacement for my venerable Crumpler Messenger Bag for some time now. Partly due to it's having taken a considerably soiling over the years, partly due to ergonomics and partly because I've been told I carry too much stuff. So I put the word out that I was looking for a daypack, basically, something I could carry my daily load to and from work. That basically means including my "emergency" EDC load, my lunch, my iPad and my note-folder. My good friend recently showed me his Maxpedition STIKA which is a great pack, but I also put my question to the guys at Platatac, and this is what they had for me: 
This is the Platatac Nomad their answer to my question. Firstly I was surprised that they stocked such a generic and every-man looking pack, but that in fact is part of the point of the Nomad. This is the pack you pack when you -don't- want to look like you are ready for anything. Almost every element of this pack screams "I'm just a backpack" but it is oh so much more. However, that's not to say that there is anything less than I have come to expect from a Platatac product. The shoulder straps are well padded and highly adjustable, both top and bottom. They come with a sternum strap that recesses into pockets  fitted in the outer of the straps when not in use. An adjustable waist strap also stows away in the bottom of the pack when not needed. The entire shoulder strap system is also detachable, and can be stored behind the top flap, under a zipperable compartment. A webbing handle on the side of the pack gives a brief-case like carry option, or the main handle at the top, which is padded and fills the hand nicely. A narrow band of hook-and-loop is unobtrusive but gives me some room for some fun.

The front of the pack offers three pocket options. The grey panel is an elastic pouch, good for water bottles and the like. Next up is a deep zippered pocket, fitted with a keychain retaining hook, and is sizable enough for me to put a book in, even if George R.R. Martin wrote it.The second zipperable pocket is the felt-lined glasses / goggles pocket. This is a great idea, and although I have left my spare specs in a case, I really appreciate the thought that was given to that kind of feature.

This leads us to the two large segments of this pack. I'll start with the "secondary" one. Under the felted glasses pocket, which hangs free, freeing up valuable real-estate on the inner side of the segment, are two mesh pockets. The upper of the two is zippered and the majority of my EDC lives in there. The second mesh pouch is larger,  elasticized, and carries my over-stuffed and soon-to-be-replaced First Aid Kit. This is as good a point as any to mention the construction of this pack. Again it features a 1000d Cordura outer, which is treated to repel rain, and features all taped and sealed inner seems, keeping your gear snug and dry. Both the large compartments feature lips over the zipper, to further shield the contents from water invasion.






The "inside" of the secondary compartment features several pen-pockets (one of which keeps my eating irons) and also a larger pocket for maps, a PDA, or what-have-you. A retention strap crosses the 55cm x 40cm compartment, allowing you to compress and secure bulky jackets and the like. I've used mine to secure my keiko-gi and hakama for kendo as well as spare clothes when I have spent the night away from home. A really clever feature. One thing I've found though, is that if I leave this compartment partially unzipped, the weight of the contents of the mesh pouches can drag the front of the pack open. Something to consider when it comes to packing and humping it places. Again, all of the features are no different to those I'd expect of any other well made backpack.

The main compartment is where the magic happens, however. The entire back panel is made up of PALS/MOLLE webbing, with 7 rows of 8 channels, there is a lot of real-estate for attaching internal pouches. I've installed one of my FUP pouches, for my bottle, and piggie-backed my paracord filled Crumpler Thirsty-Al pouch to that. Below that is my microfiber towel. This whole compartment can be expanded by unzipping an expansion panel giving you a lot more capacity (from 45L to 50L total) , but even then, there is more to this pack. True to their design aims of this pouch, which is to say, covert transport, this pack is designed to accommodate the HK-G36C and Short Barreled M4 Carbine variants, and can still accommodate larger barreled options with its hideaway extender sleeve. This sleeve zips shut on the bottom of the pack, and props the bottom out beaver-tail style to extend the length of the pack from 55 cm to quite the lengthy 75cm. The two attachment straps are included.

 Now, far be it from me to try to demonstrate this capacity in anything other than silly NERF style, as I did whilst demonstrating my 215Gear Sling, so here again is my Nerf Stampede which fits the bill nicely at 74cm long. Combined with the included straps,  I was able to stow my foam-spitter, unloaded, with no troubles whatsoever. Good to know before the next Humans vs Zombies Melbourne event comes along, but it also happens to fit my favourite piece of gardening equipment as well.


I'm very pleased with this pack, it's certainly a considerable upgrade on both utility and presentation on my old messenger bag, I think my only concern is that it is still quite large, and I will be tempted to load more into it, just because I can. Wearing a two-strap bag has already proven itself to help my back, regardless of the weight I haul, so that's a win right there.

Wish-Lust: QuikClot kits

I wanted to talk briefly about the plight of the overseas prepper when it comes to first aid and trauma kits. There are a lot of products out there which are spot on the money when it comes to either EDC kits or more specifically, trauma kits for those who are anticipating being around grievous bodily harm. The problem comes that We see all kinds of cool kits available which contain haemostaticly treated bandages, that is to say, bandages that are impregnated with clotting agents, such as those produced by Z-Medica in their QuikClot products. The problem being is that these products, like the industry leading QuikClot z-folded bandages, are restricted exports from the US.


This means that the extremely desirable trauma kits put out by ITS Tactical or the comparable trauma kits put out by AMP-3  are unavailable to those of us who would want to have them on-hand for our own preparedness planning. There was a recent report posted by ITS-Tactical outlining how a kit if this nature was put into place by a first-responder chance passer-by and it nails home the kind of reason that I would want to have one of these kits myself.  I'm sure there are reasons not to export these items, be they copyright, international security or customs in nature, but it is very disappointing when I can see these great products out there, potentially life-saving, or at the very least, injury mitigating products, that are out of my reach, "just because".


That said, there are cut-down, alternative kits that I could purchase. There are kits put out by both those vendors like the  ITS Tactical EDC Trauma Kit and the AMP-3 Comprehensive First Aid Kit but the point of these kits, or at least what makes them special, would be the inclusion of the haemostatic bandages. The ITS Tactical one DOES include them, so is out, as far as exporting to Australia is concerned.  I have first aid kits, I've reported on and reviewed them in the past  I even have a fairly well stocked Australian Defense Force range first-aid kit comparable to the AMP-3 Range kit but neither my first aid kit, nor the range-medic kit have the QuikClot bandages.  

My wearable options are, to build a better first aid kit in a pouch (like the Platatac MOAP), or to fork out for an "inert" kit from ITS-Tactical which is basically a training kit, with expired contents and a non-treated version of the Z-Medica z-folded bandages, and get an empty one of their cool trauma-kit pouches to stuff it all in, which is an expensive prop for roleplaying, or a similarly cut-down product by AMP-3 like their iFAK.







What I'd dearly love is to be able to find a similar product, with a reputation for success, eith in, or exportable to Australia.

Home Front: Hospitals

Here I am, sitting in Emergency with my partner who has injured herself after a domestic fall. She's ok, just a bit bruised and very sore. I am no stranger to hospitals, as not only have I worked in them for the last 13 years, but have also had my fair share of visits to them. Mostly for myself, but also for Triceratops Girl, and a variety of other loved ones who have pranged, stabbed or plagued themselves. Both Triceratops Girl and Tactical Baby were hospital born, one Au-natural, the other planned Caeser. Hospitals are centers of medical excellence and care. They have the best infrastructure, the best people and the best setup for not only treating the sick, and the broken but also usually have on-site laboratories, morgues and research facilities of one kind or another. However, like any service, they have their limits. Hospitals, and especially hospital Emergengy departments take the brunt of a hospitals everyday traffic from the public. When GP clinics close at the end of business hours, the worth ey might ordinarily take spills over to ED. Which is why I find myself in my third hour of a waiting room. We walked in, as these weren't blood-gushing or screaming injuries, and at a major metropolitan hospital like this one, the ambulances keep coming.

Why am I covering this? What's the importance? Supply and demand. In the event of a major disaster, hospitals have policies in place to mitigate the loads placed on them by this kind of thing. Patients are re-routed to other facilities or discharged early to make room for an influx of casualties. However, if you look to wide-scale disasters, covering multiple catchments it's likely that those regular policies will be overwhelmed.

Considering the expected waiting times on a weeknight at a major metropolitan hospital for a relatively minor injury, which is annoying but harmless, imagine the delays expected in a disaster situation when ED's are continuously swamped with multiple casualties. That is just for relatively "simple" situations like catastrophic weather as seen in the Hurricane Katrina, Cyclone Yasi, Indian Ocean tsunami or the Great Eastern Tsunami.

Couple this with either hospitals being directly affected by the disaster, either being in the brunt of the disaster, being cut off from major services as a result or worse yet, being an epicenter of a biological disaster, where sick people are clustered and congregate, potentially compounding infections and exposing those skilled workers and carers to the same debilitating condition. (The picture to the side is a Geiger Counter, as seen wall-mounted in the entrance ways of most major metropolitan hospitals I've been to in Melbourne)

Four hours in and we've had an x-ray, a brace fitted but are still awaiting a Dr's final assessment. We've seen bleeding and aggressive drunks spraying blood and obscenity. I sit here, in an otherwise calm, well lit, orderly hospital, very glad that we have such a well run system.

If it all goes to crap, and it's all Code Brown, this may not be as readily available so, be prepared to look after yourself, and yours when the time comes. Common sense, some knowledge and training can make all the difference in a crisis. Something we should all aim to achieve.

Review: First Aid Kit

I'm always on the lookout for things I can add to my store of preparedness items, large and small. We have a pretty well stocked and rotated "medicine cabinet", the odd compression bandage, band-aids, disinfectants and the like, and can manage cuts, bumps and abrasions around the house with little drama, but what we certainly lacked was a single, contained go-to First Aid kit. Even with the windfall of a mostly-full, retired ADF Field Medic Kit, I wanted to have some properly put together First-Aid kits and out of the blue, a 78 Piece Emergency First Aid Kit was advertised and I snapped several up.One for home (now hanging up in our main hallway), one for my car, and one "spare". I'm fond of spares.



Each of these hand-bag sized rip-stop and bright red kits is stuffed with a collection of well laid out items in several easy access pockets. There are three main pockets to this kit, folding over into one easy to see at a glance package. In the middle of this kit are 6 rolled 5cm x 4m bandages, a elastisised compression bandage roll, medical tape, alcohol wipe sachets, a set of plastic forceps, scissors and a set of safety pins.

The inner pocket is covered over by a clear flap, which in turn carries sterilised non-woven wound pads, both in 10cm x 10cm and 5cm x 5cm. It also carries a series of non-adherent 5cm x 7.5cm seterilised pads, an eye-pad and a bundle of elastic band-aid type plasters. Sufficient to patch up all manner of domestic injuries, where more intense medical attention is either not required, or can be at least patched long enough to keep someone from leaking all over the place on the way to see a Doctor.

The final pocket contains several items that I consider important both for specific needs and generally. Befind a hook-and-loop flap are a set of sterile latex gloves provides barrier protection against any infectious agents that may be faced whilst tending someones injuries and I think are crucially important when doing so. I usually put a couple more sets of gloves in any first aid kit I have, for this reason alone. Many years in a microbiology lab have made the phrase "Gloves!" part of my unconscious battle-cry when facing body fluids. A burn dressing is likewise a vital part of any kit. Burns are especially susceptible to infection, and require special care to avoid septic shock setting in, which may occur with fibrous bandages. A triangular bandage is also a welcome addition, being useful as a sling, head bandage and for splints. The inclusion of an instant ice-pack is a great idea , especially if in a remote location, even if it is disposable. I may replace this with a catalytic renewable one at some stage. Lastly, the inclusion of a space blanket made me very happy, as they are an awesome first aid and survival tool as I've said before, when reviewing the Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival kit.

When I was on my Junior High Outdoor Education field trip, in 1991 whilst living in Canada, and up in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, my tent-mate hacking into his thumb with an axe whilst holding the log he was looking to chop. Less-than-stellar, right there. However, I had a first aid kit on hand, and quickly patched him up sufficiently that he could be driven the several hours to the nearest hospital to get the stitches he required. Now, its not like he would have lost his thumb or anything, but having a kit on-hand, and having the where-with-all to act made the rest of his treatment a lot easier. Be prepared. Be equipped. Know what you have and how to use it.

Review: AUSCAM Medical Field Pack

Happy Australia Day! In honour of this auspicious day, I wanted to do a review of another piece of mystery swag my mysterious benefactor connected with the Australian Defense Force delivered. This is what the package insert listed as "Field Pack Medical, Camouflage Pattern". For all impressions, a fairly standard looking rectangular backpack, not unlike a hefty school bag and just as exciting looking, (apart from being in the much loved "hearts and bunnies" AUSCAM). There are hidden delights, so stick around and we'll get to them. Firstly the pack is made from the same rough wearing nylon as the previously reviewed Raven backpack. On the front of the pack are two external pockets, both fixed with twin Fastex buckles and webbing straps. The pockets are fairly shallow but probably good for documents and snacks.

The pack also has a fairly standard backpack style set of shoulder straps, padded with nylon straps. A sternum strap assists with stability and load bearing. There is a nylon handle on the side, for carrying the pack like a briefcases, which is an interesting variation from most carry handles, found on the top. A zippered pocket lines the whole of the back, and a cunningly designed pocket in the top conceals a waterproof cover. The pack is 445mm x 300mm x 190mm and whilst may appear to be Volvo-designed, the magic is all on the inside.

The interior of the pack is home to four pouches, each with a clear plastic face to see the contents, and webbing handles at each end. These pouches are all held in place by hook-side hook-and-loop backing, with the entire of the back wall of the pack being loop-side. Each pouch is fully zipperable and comes with a ID pocket for labeling. I'd estimate that each of the pouches has a 2-3L capacity and being removable, can be configured as you see fit. How I love the modularity of this set up!

I was fortunate enough that the pack came to me partially filled, as it had been retired from active use on the static range it was intended for. Inside are a number of bandages, gauze packs, tapes, gloves, sutures and the like. Pretty awesome as a starter kit. Some of the items seem to have passed their "best before" date, and will need to be replaced, but its a great windfall nevertheless. The included package insert tells me that a there is room for quite a number more items, which I will endeavor to accumulate or substitute.

Inside the front flap of the bag are some interesting features. A series of elastisised loops allow the retention of a number of items or tools, I'll put some more Cyalume sticks in them, and perhaps some labeled centrifuge tubes filled with medicines. A wide mesh pocket makes for storage of larger items, and the roll at the side is a waterproof mat that unfolds to give a large, "clean" drop cloth for laying out supplies in the course of treating an injury. Far better to place bandages on the mat from within the kit, rather than the muddy forest floor you might find yourself treating an injury on.
 
Having a big, well equipped first aid kit, with a wide range of consumables, ready for a range of situations, is a very good idea, especially when considering the needs that may arise following a disaster or catastrophe of some kind.  Regular supply lines will become strained if not cut, and those sterile and medicated products that we use to counter infection and treat injury can and will make a big difference, especially in the hands of those trained in their use.

So, Happy Australia Day, I hope nothing bad happens to you, your culture or civilization. Today.
Twice on one day would be annoying and lead to conflicts on my calendar.

Review: Platatac MEOP Medic Pouch

 A while back I purchased a Khaki Pouch Combo deal from Platatac and I recently had a good occasion to make use of one of its components, the MEOP Medic Pouch and I wanted to share the good times I had with it. This large pouch is just bursting with functionality. Firstly I'm really pleased with having it in khaki, matching my other gear nicely. As with all the Platatac gear, its made from the hardy 1000d Cordura and fitted with MilSpec buckles, zippers and webbing. The MOLLE loops, of which there are 7 rows of 5 columns on the front, and 7 rows of 2 columns along each side. This is a phenomenal amount of real estate for further attachment of pouches externally. Another addition is a loop-side hook-and-loop strip at the top front of the pouch (to which I have attached a "Problem Staying Solved" morale patch from Action Figure Therapy's Army Ranger). The top panel the pouch has two rubber gaskets for hydration tubes (or any other protuberance you may require, I'm thinking cables that audio / mic cables could feed through it).
The back of the pack has two separate rows of three of the PLMRS (Platypus Light Modular Recovery System) MOLLE/PALS attachment system straps, and a set of left and right zippers, for attaching to bigger packs, or to strap two of these pouches together. Another feature is two full sets of dual Fastex clips, top and bottom as well as two sets of buckles for feeding tape or webbing through. One interesting aspect is that the pouch can be folded up on itself, either for empty storage or when loaded, to minimize bulk. 

I had this pouch mounted on my Young Guns belt recently, for a New Years Eve party, which we took Tactical Baby to, and instead of taking her usual baby-bag, I wanted to pouch it all. This is where the MEOP comes in so handy! Not only is it -covered- in MOLLE, its insides are likewise covered in it too. Both the back and the "lip" of the pouch, which zippers all the way down, have a full 7x5 grid of attachment points. The top of the bag also has a double sided strip of hook-and-loop for perhaps holding that hydration system or iThingy cables. However, my New Years loadout for Tactical Baby was this. inside the MEOP, I slung several nappies, bound with some safety-orange paracord I mistakenly bought, below that I also lashed in a packet of baby-wipes, and along side this, changes of clothes, and a rolled up change mat. Along with a plastic bag fed through the MOLLE of the "lip" I had everything I would need in case of poo-nami. 

Everything fit into the pouch, and it even folded, enabling me to cut down on the bulk that would have otherwise dangled downwards off my hip. Access by popping the top two Fastex clips, and a quick unzip was speady, and the pack unfurled beautifully, and smoothly.


Now, baby wrangling may not -seem- like much of an adventure for a rugged and apocalypse ready loadout, but I assure you, if you have ever had a screaming baby who needs a fast nappy change, and you fumble, spilling your cleans and soileds, you can easily translate that to disaster mishaps.  This pouch is modular, versatile and rugged. I braved the uncertain looks of my baby's mother and staked Tactical Baby's wellbeing on it when I loaded it up, and it didn't fail me. I can easily recommend this as a means to secure and transport your needfuls in an orderly fashion, be that a trauma kit, nappy bag or whatever.