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Everyone knows you need different first aid kits (FAKs) for different situations. Small day hikes may be different from weeks in the woods. A family kit will need more than an individual kit. A home kit will have more varied items than a go-kit. In the interest of covering many situations, we will be reviewing a My Medic IFAK today called the MyFAK Pro.
Our last review on a My Medic first aid kit was for a small, one-person portable kit. The MyFAK Pro is a larger kit with more variability (and more stop-the-bleed supplies). It is intended for immediate treatment of major wounds with higher care nearby (i.e. tourniquet, nasopharyngeal airway) and for longer term treatment of smaller injuries in case you are further from treatment (i.e. cold pack, finger splint, painkillers).
Since the supplies are the same as far as sourcing, quality, and packaging, I will be going over those in less detail here. You can read more about it on the review of the smaller kit if you like, and the score out of ten for these components will be at the end of the article.
Speed and Ease of Use
Outisde
Working from the outside in, the bag itself is a MOLLE design, which makes it easy to integrate with other gear but also has a fully-Velcro panel, such that you can rip it off of your other gear if you need to move it in a hurry without bothering about the MOLLE. Behind this panel is an adjustable cross-body strap, making it also portable by itself.
The bag quality is durable and simple in construction. Personally, I like that there are no words at all on the outside. It is one color, with a clear cross symbol on the detachable clip. This makes it abundantly clear to you or whoever would need to find and use your first aid kit in an emergency which bag has the first aid. Surprisingly, I have not seen this on many other ready-made kits out there. The cross may be stylized, small, or hidden amongst the words of the brand name and product name.
They come in many solid colors, some glaringly red, others natural colors that would camouflage better, but the white cross is always easily visible.
Inside
Inside, the bag is constructed very nicely for making everything visible, accessible, and customizable. There are staggered mesh pockets with elastic on the top edge to keep everything in place, making all of the items easily seen. Again, that gives it more points for speed. Add to this the center panel, which folds open like a book, making all of the supplies intuitive to access.
None of the pockets are labeled, which has its pros and cons. You won’t be confusing anyone using the kit by arranging it for your own needs, but if you customize by adding your own supplies, you may have some difficulty finding the supplies for your purposes.
My Medic neatly gets around this issue because of their labeling system.
Labels
Covered in more detail in the first review, all of the supplies in this first aid kit are packaged in smaller, resealable plastic bags on the inside of the main bag. These are called modules, and the genius of them is that they are color-coded by injury type.
Bleeding is red, burns are orange, hydration is dark blue, tools are black—you get the idea. For a survival tool where speed is of the utmost importance, this is indispensable and unique among first aid kit manufacturers as far as I am aware. It may also make it easier to communicate to a child what they should bring you if you can’t move.
Not to be missed is also the fact that the modules have very few words on them. Other first aid kits will often have supplies with all of the drug facts, fancy scientific names, and use information plastered all over the package, making it difficult for anyone without intimate knowledge of the supplies in your kit to find the name of what they are looking for. The outside of the module has a list of the contents, and inside the modules, some of the individual supplies have all of this information, but by that point you have narrowed it down enough to find what you need quickly.
Lastly, the modules can be bought individually on the website to refill your kit as needed. Since there is so much variability in the supplies, there aren’t a lot of repeats in this kit, so it is wise to have extras on hand to refill your kit as needed instead of waiting until you’ve used it to order more.
First Aid Contents
Now we dive into what is in the MyFAK Pro specifically. I won’t go through each of the items as you can do that on their website, but I will say, it is very comprehensive, with gauze to electrolytes and chest seals to anti-chafe cream.
First, I will say, there is no instruction booklet. There is a QR code which you can use to find a downloadable instruction booklet online, but that requires you to have a functioning phone nearby on which you either have reliable service or had the foresight to download this guide onto. I would prefer the booklet to be included, but others may appreciate saving on space. It depends on what you will need the kit for.
Variety
The sort of kits My Medic puts together are the kind that have a little bit of everything. (They do have trauma kits as well that are more focused on having a lot of supplies). Even certain survival tools that don’t strictly count as first aid are included, like a space blanket and, in the MyFAK Pro, paracord.
In other words, this is the kind of kit you can take with you anywhere for a short-term scenario and be assured that you have most if not all of the supplies you will need for whatever comes up. In this way, it has a lot of value for peace of mind.
(Keep in mind, you will have to have practice in using all of the supplies for them to actually deliver on that peace of mind).
Amount
On the flip side, this means that you will not be taking it, as is, on any very long excursions where you may use up all of one type of supplies before you can replace them (either at home if you had the forethought to have replacements on hand or by ordering and shipping in new materials).
There is the option of replacing the supplies provided with the amounts and kinds of supplies that you want, but if you have that much experience and expertise, you are probably assembling your own kit. If your purpose in buying a first aid kit is to have something ready to go that you don’t have to think about, buying the MyFAK Pro will get you a kit with one or two of everything.
Is it an Ideal First Aid Kit for Survivalists and Preppers?
For survivalists prepared to bug out or with limited space in their home or vehicle, minimizing gear and maximizing functionality is a must. If your goal is to be ready for the apocalypse with as little gear as you can manage, the MyFAK Pro may be overkill for you. You may appreciate a smaller kit with supplies you are very familiar with or not including things you can expect to improvise. On the other hand, preppers that don’t anticipate going on any long unplanned hikes through dangerous terrain and have the extra space may value the full range of first aid gear in the MyFAK Pro more.
In the end, it’s all about how close to higher care you anticipate being and how many eventualities you feel comfortable with being ready for. If you want a smaller kit, check out the Sidekick, if you want a more purpose-driven kit, you can mix and match modules in a My Medic kit or check out another company.
Scoring
Shipping time 9/10
Order sent out in one day and shipped in four. Utah to Ohio.
Packaging 10/10
Simple cardboard, but there was nothing fragile about the kit, so it worked fine.
Website description accuracy 9/10
Undersold how water resistant it was in my opinion, but didn’t get the dimensions correct, as if they didn’t measure it when it was stuffed full. It is 6.5”x4.5”x3.5”, not 7.5”x5.5”x1”. Otherwise, no problem.
Product appearance/aesthetics 10/10
Easy to distinguish as a first aid kit with the simple, visible cross symbol. Comes in many colors to match your setting or preference. I also just liked how the whole thing looked generally, inside and out.
Easy to understand instructions 8/10
Well-laid out. Most physical instructions included and a digital booklet but I would appreciate a printed booklet. A few critical instructions were missing on the back of packaging.
Ease of use 12/10 (can I do that?)
This is the best thing about this kit in my mind—it is very easy to navigate under stress—and ease of use matters even more for FAKs than other things.
Warranty coverage 10/10
Lifetime warranty of manufacturer defects.
Overall quality/value 9/10
I found nothing lacking and everything seemed to match my standards. The value was great with a very reasonable price for the contents. Thankfully, I haven’t had enough injuries to test out everything, but it looks good on physical inspection. Strangely, from what I have used, the black band aids are ridiculously durable and sticky but the beige ones peel up if they get wet. Make of this what you will.
Product support 9/10
Comprehensive order tracking
30 day return or exchange if everything is untouched but you have to pay shipping back
Optional shipping guarantee to purchase for international shipping
A nice FAQ and automated helpdesk
I contacted with a dumb question at the end of the day via their support email and a chat on their website. The chatbot format was confusing – it basically sends an email for you. But the reply to my inbox was quick and courteous.
Lastly, their email list is spammy, but they do have an awful lot of sales if you’re on it.
Point of Origin 3/10
Largely made in China, though it was assembled in U.S. and a few critical trauma supplies were sourced from the U.S. Exact sourcing of each item varies.
Overall score 8.5/10
Overall, this IFAK Pouch is definitely something that I would purchase and use for myself. It is a well thought-out system that is nicely packed, easy to use and a good price. Considering that I don’t have training in everything in this pack, I will probably be switching out some modules for things that I will be more likely to use. For my uses, a smaller pack would probably be better most of the time, but I do like the size and construction of the bag for taking on longer trips.
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