From the beginning, ITS Tactical has worked hard to provide concise knowledge and information for all breeds of warrior: Military, Law Enforcement and Civilian alike. So it is no surprise that they also produce superior gear. After realizing that my ITS ETA Trauma Kit had surpassed its recommended expiration date (by a wide margin), I decided to crack it open to see how everything held up. After five years of bouncing around both the U.S. and the world (nothing Tier 1) it was time for a refresh anyway.

The ITS ETA Trauma Kit is about the only type of cool-guy gear that you want to have but hope to never use.

The Package

The ITS ETA Trauma Kit comes in two pouch configurations: Fatboy (wider/shorter) and Tallboy (taller/skinnier). Both versions come laced with plenty of MOLLE attachments to hook up to vests, packs and bags. My Fatboy spent about ten percent of its life on a Tactical Tailor Hybrid Enhanced Vest. However, the majority of the time I just tossed it into my grey man Timbuk2 messenger bag. Either way, the pouch itself has held up well and after a lot of miles, it still looks clean.

The Contents

Both the ITS ETA Fatboy and Tallboy come in two varieties: Basic and Advanced. It should go without saying, but before carrying an Immediate First Aid Kit (IFAK) of any type, you should be properly trained on all of its contents. The Advanced kit adds a Decompression Needle and a Nasalpharyngeal Airway (NPA) on top of everything found in the Basic kit (full list below). These are specialty items and should only be used by someone with professional training.

Besides the HALO Chest Seal (for sucking chest wounds) the rest of the kit focuses on stopping blood loss: QuikClot, Pressure Dressing, Elastic Bandage, Z-Fold Bandage. In addition, there is a combat casualty card (for notifying emergency responders of what life saving steps you used) and basic instructions for ‘Care Under Fire’. Nitrile gloves and a pencil round out the list.

Everything that comes in the ETA Kit is vacuumed sealed sterile bag protecting it from the environment and extending the shelf life of the contents. The ITS crew gives the ETA a minimum shelf life of two years, equal to the item first set to expire.

Photographic review.

This isn’t a first aid/medical how-to piece; just a look at how everything in the ITS ETA Kit held up past its expiration date.

I added a spare set of gloves to the Fatboy pouch.

Vacuum seal still intact.

The HALO Chest Seal is about a year and a half past it’s prime.

The HALO Chest Seal is still sticky enough for use.

The Quik Clot combat gauze was also expired.

I can’t attest to the efficacy of the clotting agent, but the gauze itself looks good.

Dressings can get dry, brittle and powdery in less than a year. Not here.

A macro view of the Israeli bandage.

The exam gloves were still stretchy and ready to use. Even though I like the OD green, blue or green gloves will show blood better in low-light situations.

A macro look at the NPA.

Pencil: Not expired.

Conclusion

Even though my ETA was expired by over a year, the vacuum sealed bag kept everything looking fresh.

There are a ton of quality First Aid and Trauma kits on the market today. You have to gauge your skill, training and situations and put together the medical gear that’s right for you and your team (or family). For me, the ITS ETA Trauma Kit is a great package: sealed, compact and complete. Time to restock.

Full Contents List:
QuikClot Combat Gauze LE (Features X-Ray Detectable Strip)
HALO Chest Seal (1 Standard, 1 Vented)
Decompression Needle
Nasopharyngeal Airway (NPA) Adj. 28fr
Pressure Dressing (4″)
Elastic Bandage (4″)
Z-Fold Dressing
Combat Casualty Card
Nitrile Gloves (1 Pair)
Pencil
Contents List w/ CoTCCC Care Under Fire Instructions

ITS ETA Trauma Kit (Fatboy)
MSRP: $170
Refill: $110
Add-Ons:
SOF Tactical Tourniquet – Wide   +$29.99
Mojo Medical Shears   +$19.99
Mojo Retractor   +$19.99
https://store.itstactical.com/its-eta-trauma-kit-fatboy.html