No more leg bags...
Last deployment, I used a CTOMS FrontLine with 3 Magazine Shingle as my first line treatment pouch. A vest mounted low profile combination magazine and first line medical pouch.
Traditionally, Medics and Tactical First Responders have
used a leg bag as their first line medical treatment pouch. Defence RD Canada released a study stating that any gear strapped to the legs of a
provider increase fatigue and increase energy expended by a whopping 15%. Per
Leg! That is a significant percentage of increase that needs to be addressed.
Tactical operations and tactical medical incidents are exhausting enough without
fighting your gear. Besides, I have never really like subloads or strapping on my legs.
Lifesaving gear needs to be in your ‘work space’ or the Diver’s
Triangle for easy access under stress, period, full stop! Additionally, to be able to drop prone and
still be combat effective, any vest mounted treatment pouch needs to be low
profile and top accessible. A
properly stocked first line treatment pouch will take up a bit of MOLLE real
estate room that may be required for equally important primary weapon
magazines. Sometime, fire superiority is the best medicine. Therefore, a
substantial amount of ammunition must be rapidly accessible. So, a low profile
vest mounted combination magazine/medical pouch is the solution to this problem.
For my most recent deployment, I selected the CTOMS FrontLine with 3 Magazine Shingle as my first line treatment
pouch. It was mounted to the front of my issued SORD SCS set up as
a Plate Carrier; a Canadian Armed Forces vest trial was being conducted
during this rotation. I selected the CTOMS combination pouch design over other
commercially available pouches as it has the magazine on the front of the
pouch, rather than behind the med pouch. The primary weapon magazines on the front of the pouch allow for a
quick, snag-free draw under stress. Each of three open top shingles will hold a
single USGI, P Mag, or Lancer AR magazine secured with a shock cord with pull
tab. That meant ninety rounds plus one on the rifle without additional
pouches added to my rig. The Frontline with 3 Magazine Shingle has an integral
plastic stiffener sewn into the outside panel. When combined with the zipper
end locations, the pouch does not flop open when in use or making movement. Additionally, there is a backup Velcro closure
that can be used to secure the pouch closed should you have to make rapid
tactical movement if threats present themselves during Tactical Field Care.
That never happens!
CTOMS FrontLine made my rig very low profile especially important on low visibility convoys |
Most of road work done in the my AOR was low visibility convoys, so space was at a premium but threats were constant. CTOMS FrontLine with 3 Magazine Shingle is a low profile pouch but held sufficient
medical gear for opening a Tactical Field Care Bubble. Medical gear is secured
in place by CTOMS’s signature Modular Adjustable Retention System (MARS). Also, there is a flap pocket on the inside front panel. It is
very simple to customize pouch layout. A top accessible pouch and low profile design, I
found I was still able to prone out and contents surveyed with a simple
downwards glance in most positions.
Proning out with FrontLine with Magazine Shingle |
FrontLine with 3 Magazine Shingle Loadout
Outside:
1x Glove pouch with 3 x Pair of Nitrile Gloves
1x Whistle
3 x 30 round primary weapon magazines
3 x 30 round primary weapon magazines
Inside:
3 x Cas Cards
1 x Sharps Shuttle
2 x C-A-T®
3 x Warrior Wipes
2 x PRNs
1 x 28Fr NPA
1 x HALO Seal 2 pack
1 x Triangular Bandage
1 x Sharpie Black Marker
8 x 2” Safety Pins
The CTOMS FrontLine with 3 Mag Shingle is an excellent first
line treatment pouch for tactical care providers that use an AR platform. It is constructed of 500D Cordura with a reversed #10 coil YKK zipper and CTOMS Zip Tabs. Designed in Canada; made in the USA. As with everything from CTOMS it is built to last. There was little to no wear on the pouch after eight months of on/off tactical operations and in-theatre continuation training. For
those that use other weapon platforms, consider the CTOMS Frontline. It is essentially the
medical pouch with MOLLE on the front for the addition of appropriate weapon’s
platform magazine pouches. Many of the infantry and engineers I worked with expressed an interest in the CTOMS FrontLine with 3 Mag Shingle as a admin panel or EOD pouch.
Take care out there
Solid information, thanks for putting all this out in full detail! Making it really easy for me to make my decisions on building my new MED vest over my gunfighter rig,
ReplyDeleteI am glad it was of assistance.
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