IMMEDIATE CASUALTY CARE IWB SERIES

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Immediate Casualty Care was founded by Jon Grabo, a full-time firefighter and paramedic, to provide training and low-profile gear for private security, on and off duty first responders and the prepared citizen. Jon wanted to come up with additional options to carry medical gear.

Everyone should carry a trauma kit and have the training to use it. According to published research (JAMA Surgery, October 2017), the average response time in the U.S. from the time of a 911 call to arrival of EMS on scene was seven minutes. This increased to more than 14 minutes in rural settings. A person can bleed out long before then.

In an active shooter or terrorist incident, EMS won’t reach victims until the threat has been neutralized. During the Paris attacks on 13 November 2015, it was over 160 minutes from the time the terrorists fired the first shots in the Bataclan theater until the responding emergency personnel were able to reach those inside the venue.

Immediate Casualty Care Min-E-Med IWB, IWB Tourniquet Holder 2.0 and IWB-Flat 2.0 (clockwise from left) are great way to discreetly carry med gear. Designed by full-time firefighter/paramedic Jon Grabo and made in the USA, they allow for comfortable low-profile inside-the-waist band carry.

Unfortunately, options for low-profile EDC of med gear on one’s person have been quite limited. If it’s not practical, convenient and comfortable most people simply won’t carry it. Ankle carry might work for some people, but isn’t practical with all attire. The same is true for pocket carry.

I have been looking for a better option. I wondered why someone hadn’t come out with a practical inside-the-waistband (IWB) IFAK pouch. Then I came across the Immediate Casualty Care IWB series. It appeared to be just the ticket for my EDC IFAK needs. So I reached out to the company. Samples of the pouches were soon headed my way.

Immediate Casualty Care currently offers four different IWB IFAK pouches: Min-E-Med™ IWB, IWB-T (Tuckable), IWB-Flat 2.0, and IWB Touniquet Pouch 2.0. The company provided me with the Min-E-Med IWB, IWB-Flat 2.0 and IWB Touniquet Pouch 2.0 for evaluation.

According to Immediate Casualty Care, since its release, the IWB series has also been evaluated and used by private security firms, survival experts, and non-permissive environment specialists who have included the IWB as escape and evasion, covert travel and mini-bug out kits.

I was immediately impressed with the IWB series. They’re made of a durable military-grade latex-free nylon elastic material and offered with several belt/waistband clip options. The multi-use pouches are form fitting, snag-free and lay flat when empty, eliminating unecessary bulk.

All materials and hardware are sourced and assembled in the USA by veteran and first responder owned businesses. The quality of the materials, attention to detail and workmanship is absolutetey top notch.

The Min-E-Med measures 9″ X 6″ and weighs approximately 3.5 ounces. It has dual sleeves that stage two pouches in a row in the outer sleeve and a full width pouch in the inner sleeve. The front two pockets are also dual sleeved. The Min-E-Med is designed to accomodate a SWAT-T® or ETD®, Combat Gauze®, a CAT®, SOF® or RMT® Tourniquet, mini shears and chest seals. It has a single removable stainless steel clip for over or under belt mounting.

The IWB-T is identical to the Min-E-Med except for a UtiliClip® 3+ clip that allows for an outer garment layer to be tucked over to conceal the kit, making it ideal when wearing uniforms or formal clothing. The UtiliClip 3+ clip is ideal for secure waistband mounting and for “tuckability’ when wearing formal clothing or uniforms.

Immediate Casualty Care Min-E-Med IWB and Tourniquet Holder 2.0 with med gear. The Min-E-Med has stainless steel belt clip from over/under belt mounting. A tuckable version the Min-E-Med is also available. The IWB Tourniquet Holder 2.0 is available with your choice of a UltiClip 3.3 Slim, ideal for under belt/no belt retention or a DCC MOD 4 1.5″ clip, ideal for over belt mounting. All of the clips are removable.

Immediate Casualty Care IWB-Flat 2.0 is a single sleeve that stages supplies in a row, minimizing the thickness to nearly as thin as the supplies carried. It comes standard at no extra cost with a removable stainless steel clip. Other options include DCC MOD 4 1.5″ Gear Clip™, UtiliClip 3+ Tuckable Clip, and non-metalic screws and J-Clip.

Immediate Casually Care IWB series is exceptionally versatile. It’s not limited to med gear. Min-E-Med IWB is shown holding two AR mags. It allows mags to be carried discreetly and securely with rapid access. Photo: Author.

The IWB-Flat 2.0 measures 12″ x 8″ and weighs about 3.5 ounces. It’s a single sleeve that stages supplies in three pouches in a row, minimizing the thickness to nearly as thin as the supplies carried. The 2.0 version features a new “highback” design to help prevent contents from rubbing on the wearer’s skin and undergarments for greater comfort.

The IWB-Flat 2.0 has dual clips and is available with multiple clip options. A removable stainless steel clip comes standard at no extra cost. Other options (when available) include Discreet Carry Concepts (DCC) MOD 4 1.5″ Gear Clip™, UtiliClip 3+ Tuckable Clip, and non-metalic screws and J-Clip.

The non-metallic screws and J-clip, although not as strong as the olther clips, can be used in conjunction with other non-metallic trauma gear to move through security checkpoints without setting off metal detecting devices, limiting the need to remove the kit for evaluation by security personnel.

The IWB Tourniquet Pouch 2.0 measures 4″ x 7.5″ and weighs around three ounces. It’s a single pouch that comes with your choice of either a UtiliClip 3.3 Slim or DCC MOD 4 1.5″ clip. It has a sweatshield to prevent rubbing on your skin or garment. The pouch is designed to accomdate a single CAT, SOF or RMT tourniquet.

As you can see, the IWB series gives you a lot of options and flexibility. If you can fit an item in the pouch, it will hold it. For example, the Min-E-Med IWB is also a great low-profile way to carry two AR magazines.

Security and ease of access are important. The elastic pouches hold the contents securely but still allow easy access. There’s no worry about anything accidentally falling out. You can turn the pouches upside down and shake them and nothing will come out.

As to comfort, a lot will depend on what you put in and how you pack it. With the right selection and packing of the contents it can be very comfortable. For example, to keep things as compact and flat as possible, I typically carry the Min-E-Med IWB with a SWAT-T, Combat Gauze and HyFin® Vent Compact Chest Seals, as well as nitrile gloves and a Benchmade® 7 Hook.

The SWAT-T isn’t my first choice for a touniquet, but it’s compact and serves a variety of roles. It’s a medical multi-tool that may be employed as a tourniquet, pressure dressing, occlusive device, elastic bandage, sling and swathe, and more, making it a popular choice for many compact trauma kits.

I carry a CAT as my primary tourniquet. Although the Min-E-Med IWB will hold a CAT too, I generally carry the CAT separately in the IWB Touniquet Pouch to keep the Min-E-Med IWB as flat as possible.

SUMMING UP

Immediate Casualty Care IWB-T (shown being worn) is the tuckable version of the Min-E-Med IWB. It comes with a UtiliClip 3+ Tuckable Clip that allows for an outer garment layer to be tucked over, completely concealing the kit. Photo: Immediate Casualty Care.

The IWB series is reasonably priced. The Min-E-Med IWB will run you only $35.00. The IWB-T goes for $40.00 and the IWB-Flat with standard clips will set you out $40.00. The IWB Tourniquet Pouch 2.0 is $25.00.

To sum up, the Immediate Casualty Care IWB series has worked very well for me. It solved a very real problem. It will very likely work well for you too. I definitely recommend that you check it out. It’s gives you a lot of options.