An essential aspect of preparedness is medical supplies and training. The ability to self-stabilize and package yourself, potential patients, or family members will depend on your ability to respond quickly to any situation. MYSTERY RANCH offers two basic medical pouches.
VLAK in use. Photo by: TacGas
The Removable First Aid Kit (RFAK) and Vehicle Litter Aid Kit (VLAK) are two small medical pouches from MYSTERY RANCH built to handle essential medical tasks with expandable-organization in mind. Their application excels with on-person or vehicle-based missions – from the residential, tactical urban, mission-essential or wilderness backcountry environments.
RFAK and VLAK both offer quick, one-handed visual access to your essential medical supplies organized inside – allowing for pressure or stabilization while accessing the necessary medical solution stored inside.
The history of MYSTERY RANCH medical kits:
IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) and VLAK (Vehicle Litter Aid Kit) were initially designed around 2010 in response to an RFP for a SOCOM Tactical Combat Causality Care program. Both pouches were designed with quick one-handed entry, ensuring fast rip-open access to med supplies. This design was based on the previously developed Rip-Zip pockets, turned upside down for this application.
The Ranch was a sub-contractor on the bid, providing nylon that the prime contractor would kit out with the medical supplies. The prime contractor wasn’t awarded the contract, but SOCOM quickly reached out praising the design built by MYSTERY RANCH. Since then, these have been staples of the Ranch’s in-line program.
RFAK – Removable First Aid Kit
The original MYSTERY RANCH IFAK was redesigned in 2016 based on user feedback from those downrange. The primary redesign element was the ability to remove the internal medical kit while the IFAK outer stayed attached. As shown below, the internal component are now removable so that with one hand, a user could pull the entire contents out of the shell in a tight little bundle. This allowed self-administration of aid or the ability to toss the bundle to someone else who needs it. With this design change, we re-named the product RFAK (Removable First Aid Kit). The RFAK is a compact, yet expandable and removable, individual first aid kit. It features a MOLLE attach system and is sized to keep a low profile.
No matter if this is placed on your kit, in your go-bag, or in any of your day-to-day belongings. The RFAK contains enough space for an individual’s essential medical supplies.
VLAK – Vehicle Litter Aid Kit
The VLAK is the next step-up in medical kit size, while maintaining the same single-handed utility and MOLLE attachment as the RFAK. It includes a long, detachable strap connected to the top to sling it over a vehicle headrest, or your shoulder while heading to the X. It can also be attached to an assault vest and body armor.
VLAK is a common acronym for this type of larger IFAK designed to be primarily vehicle based for responders to a mass casualty event. This size adapts to family or crew needs with vehicle mobility in mind. The VLAK is sized to hold two RFAK’s worth of gear, to either refill RFAK’s or triage several patients. The VLAK was designed to address medical resupply storage in vehicles.
The Litter in the name refers to its ability to carry a compressed and ultra-light litter under the two compression straps on the top of the VLAK. As such, it is larger than the RFAK so that it can carry larger and additional medical items along with standard medical gauze, clotting agent, etc.
RFAK and VLAK Manufacturing and Distribution
Both of these medical pouches are currently made in the USA and are Berry Compliant, and available for civilian purchase.
We also manufacture an Asia-sourced version that is supplied to the Norwegian Military, as MYSTERY RANCH is a subcontractor for most of the Nylon on Norway’s current TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) program. Some version of most of our medical packs and pouches are being issued widely there since 2018.
We are pleased to collaborate with our friends at North American Rescue for kitting out our medical packs for these photos and videos. Please contact NARescue customer service to order medical contents as shown.
*Contents not included with MR pack.
