Best EMS Bag

[Mrbaxter]

Hi all,


I was looking for everyone's thoughts, opinions, and suggestions on a first-in bag or jump bag. I've looked at Meret and Statpacks and both seem to be well known and respected brands. I'm looking for something that could carry a D size tank with regulator, as well as a BVM and a decent amount of the standard trauma/BLS equipment. I'd prefer a backpack style set up. And most importantly I don't want to kill the bank, but I do want something that is quality. What do you all think?

 

[sheazle]

I currently have a 5.11 ALS2900, before that I tried the BLS2000. I liked the size of the BLS2000, but it didn't have anywhwere really the right size to hold a C-collar. The ALS2900 is quite large. I am volunteer fire and first responder, and often run POV to medical calls. I've had medics on scene comment on the size of my bag... :haha: but I don't have the luxury of having this equipment in this bag and that equipment in that bag etc. We often beat the medics on scene by 5-10 minutes so I need to be prepared to provide care out of that bag alone at least until they arrive, and sometimes afterwords.


As far as the bags go they both have several outside pockets, one I keep my BSI and another I keep my BP cuff and stethoscope and pulse ox etc. in. 90% of calls these are the only pockets I open. Both have hard sided compartments for O2 cylinders, which was a selling point for me as my bag is thrown in the cab of my truck or the toolbox in the bed all the time. Both bags have padded handles that double as backpack straps, although I've not used them that way yet. I'm not going to go in to all the details as you can just as easily GTS and find out more than I can tell you.


Long story short, I liked the BLS 2000 but the c-collars we use didn't fit well, so I bought the ALS2900, which I use now, and I am very satisfied with it.


P.M. me if you are interested in a deal on a barely used BLS2000....

 

[Surgicalcric]

I prefer to keep the O2 separate from the other medical supplies.


I have a Ferno Professional ALS bag with all my ACLS/ALS drugs and supplies with light trauma stuff inside; a Ferno Trauma bag for all my non-tactical trauma stuff; and my O2 cylinder, vent, intubation kit, and tubing supplies are in a Conterra SAR O2 bag (hand carried but has shoulder straps for back-pack style carry).


I find that I will inevitably want to get into my B/ALS bag in a manner that isnt conducive to having it impeded by a cylinder, especially if there are more than one patient.

 

[Phillyrube]

I have a Blackhawk Special Ops pack that I was using when I was on the job. Good pack, fortunately I never needed to use it as a tac medic. Now that I'm out of that game, I will be selling it.

 

[sheazle]

I am also interested in hearing opinions on BLS bags. The bags our department issues are starting to wear out.

 

[Mrbaxter]

I currently have a 5.11 ALS2900, before that I tried the BLS2000.

Both have hard sided compartments for O2 cylinders, which was a selling point for me as my bag is thrown in the cab of my truck or the toolbox in the bed all the time.


P.M. me if you are interested in a deal on a barely used BLS2000....

Thanks for the advice! Have you ever had any problems with overheating or freezing of the equipment? This bad would be in the back seat or trunk of a car that is parked outside year round. CT has weather that gets upwards of 100+ in the summer, to negative teens in the winter. And I'd rather not destroy the bag, equipment or my car for that matter.

 

[sheazle]

Thanks for the advice! Have you ever had any problems with overheating or freezing of the equipment? This bad would be in the back seat or trunk of a car that is parked outside year round. CT has weather that gets upwards of 100+ in the summer, to negative teens in the winter. And I'd rather not destroy the bag, equipment or my car for that matter.

It gets cold here in the winter also, this winter especially, but I don't carry anything really affected by low temperature. I have a bottle of sterile water that could freeze but I don't think that would hurt it. I guess it could crack and leak but it didn't this winter even with below 0 temperatures for days at a time. I have had to warn a few of my patients that "hey this BP cuff is going to be cold" but I haven't had any real issues. I usually leave my windows cracked in the summer, but it still gets hot. I haven't had it long enough to know how the heat will affect it. I will probably keep it in the toolbox instead of the cab, as it should stay cooler in there without the green house effect going on. The O2 cylinders are DOT rated so normal temperatures shouldn't hurt them.


The BLS and ALS also have MOLLE loops on them, I keep a Scott one-gas CO detector attached to the outside of my bag for those generic "sick person" calls that can turn out to be CO poisoning.

 

[Mrbaxter]

and my O2 cylinder.

Surgicalcric, being from the warmer parts of the country, could you weigh in on the heat affecting equipment at all? I'm specifically worried about an O2 bottle overheating and bursting.

 

[Surgicalcric]

Surgicalcric, being from the warmer parts of the country, could you weigh in on the heat affecting equipment at all? I'm specifically worried about an O2 bottle overheating and bursting.

Hey Bax.


In Iraq/Astan I often carried O2 in CF or aluminum cylinders in the back of our vehicles for CASEVEC care (patients on vents, etc) where the heat could average 110* in the daytime and we had no issues there so I don't worry about it too much in SC heat.


Hope this helps.

 

[Skip Goulet]

I haven't seen their catalog lately, but Moore Medical did offer a bag capable of carrying a "D" cylinder, if I remember correctly. You might check out their website.

 

[sheazle]

Here's my BLS2000. Loaded it up and ran one call with it. Decided I needed more room so I got the ALS2900.











P.S. the zero gravity function is not included. (no idea why the photos are upside down)

 

[ast123]

I don't personally use this bag, but I got my weekly email from Galls about their trauma/O2 bag being on sale right now for $37.19 and figured I'd pass the info along. Its got some good reviews on their site.


Link: Dyna Med Deluxe Trauma/Oxygen Bag at Galls


Picture:

 

[emt111]

I don't personally use this bag, but I got my weekly email from Galls about their trauma/O2 bag being on sale right now for $37.19 and figured I'd pass the info along. Its got some good reviews on their site.

Link: Dyna Med Deluxe Trauma/Oxygen Bag at Galls

I had a dyna-med trauma bag, not a bad bag, though the color faded real fast. Just remember that you get what you pay for. If your looking at the 5.11 2900 bag, also look at the Ironduck ultra breathsaver. You can get it for about the same price as the 2900 (Iron Duck Bags For Medical Trauma And Oxygen And Medical EMS Bags.), and it's a little larger. I got one as a gift when I got my EMT, and I have my full trauma bag, O2 bag, c-collars, cardboard splints, and an OB kit in the bag, and I still have plenty of room left. And as for the backpack functionality, you can get a second shoulder strap, but I don't know how comfortable it would be.

 

[tvsjr]

I had a blue Dynamed trauma bag a while back... got it out at a call to begin treatment (FF fell out)... damn thing wouldn't unzip. Long story short, the plastic teeth MELTED in the Texas heat (black truck, topper, in the sun).


My current solution is a Pelican EMS case. No O2.

 

[AZEMT]

Surgicalcric, being from the warmer parts of the country, could you weigh in on the heat affecting equipment at all? I'm specifically worried about an O2 bottle overheating and bursting.

Baxter-


As surgicalcric said, do not worry about the 02 cylinder. If it's a standard aluminum cylinder with a current hydro, you're good to go in all normal weather conditions pretty much nationwide. We leave O2 cylinders in our rig (pickup truck with metal topper) all the time, throughout the AZ 115 degree summer. They will take it no problem. Just keep 'em out of the campfire.


Heat poses the biggest danger to batteries, meds, and rubber. We rotate our gloves out to keep them from getting brittle. Same with the batteries in glucometers and other stuff. If you leave batteries in your rig all summer, they'll be dead by the end even without using them. So we change them a couple times a year. Finally, I'm BLS so all I carry is orgal glucose, but if you leave that exposed in the heat it'll get crusty. Same with AED pads. Finally, gotta watch the bladders and bulbs on BP cuffs.


A lot of that is probably due to the lack of humidity as well, and you don't see rapid decay on items that you use fairly regularly, but if you let them sit for months without use, or they're exposed to nothing but extreme heat between calls, they can give up on you.


tl;dr--O2 will be fine in the heat. Make sure to change batteries in your equipment before & after summer. Don't leave medications, stuff with expensive batteries (AED), or AED pads in your trunk when it's hot. Rotate your gloves once a year. Do this and it's all good.

 

[gallagher073]

Surgicalcric, being from the warmer parts of the country, could you weigh in on the heat affecting equipment at all? I'm specifically worried about an O2 bottle overheating and bursting.

I sell a line of EMS Bags that are made in the USA, send me a PM if you're interested.

 

[pdk9]

I like the StatPack G1 backpacks...well made, room for everything you'll need, & comfortable to wear/carry. I've used DynaMed bags before and they're okay for a POV bag that you'll rarely use, but if it's something you can foresee yourself using a bit more, you'll want something that is more rugged/thicker material like StatPack.

 

[justavillain]

I use a standard jump bag at work but I like the idea and ease of a backpack style. When I was in the Marines the Corpsman used a black hawk storm 2 iirc that opens flat and has tons of space.


I use a recon mountaineer cls bag for MFR response minus an aed and o2 tank in my truck.


It always seems I have the jump bag over my shoulder/across my back and the o2 or aed in hand so a back pack with the o2 and the jump equipment would be nice. We have a separate o2 bag because carrying the Cpap, neb, and King airways takes up a lot of room in the jump bag. So an o2 bag with the non rebreathers and nasals is helpful

 

[Skip Goulet]

I use a standard jump bag at work but I like the idea and ease of a backpack style. When I was in the Marines the Corpsman used a black hawk storm 2 iirc that opens flat and has tons of space.

I use a recon mountaineer cls bag for MFR response minus an aed and o2 tank in my truck.


It always seems I have the jump bag over my shoulder/across my back and the o2 or aed in hand so a back pack with the o2 and the jump equipment would be nice. We have a separate o2 bag because carrying the Cpap, neb, and King airways takes up a lot of room in the jump bag. So an o2 bag with the non rebreathers and nasals is helpful

I'm a bit old-fashioned. I carry two fully stocked 747 kits in my trunk. They still do the job.

 

[justavillain]

I'm a bit old-fashioned. I carry two fully stocked 747 kits in my trunk. They still do the job.

So that is to teach us kids where we came from right? Is 1 equipment and the other on the hook with rampart?


Kidding a rigid box is useful and many of the older guys prefer that style including my Capt. He just said the other day that he needed to pop the tags on our stations bag to remember what is in it and it's locations.


Here is my MFR kit. It is everything required minus the o2 stuff and aed. It can clip to my ruck for when I'm camping with the wife, or hunting is Canada wilderness. And it has a wide strap for carrying across your body

 

[gallagher073]

I'm a bit old-fashioned. I carry two fully stocked 747 kits in my trunk. They still do the job.

I have MANY customers still using the 747......I know it may be old-fashioned, but they work!

 

[Skip Goulet]

I have MANY customers still using the 747......I know it may be old-fashioned, but they work!

My sentiments, exactly. Between those two kits and a big Knickerbocker box I've had for over 30 years, I can carry enough supplies to damn near do surgery! And no one wants to "borrow" an old box like these. I've had some nice soft bag kits, but they always seem to disappear....suddenly!