Protection means different things to different people. Thinking back to my teen years, living in what I thought was a carefree suburb, protection meant a crumpled up, bent and highly compromised condom that I kept in my wallet. It was that one piece of gear that I desperately hoped to use.
I mention this because that condom in many ways is like the EDC of many CPL holders. There are those who carry just in case, some who expect to need it one day and, unfortunately, there are even a few who hope to need it.
No matter which of these camps you fall into, the fact is you need to make sure your gear is ready for the challenge ahead. If you are not properly prepared or rely on old, wrinkled, faulty and even miss-fitting products when the time does arise (see what I did there) you have only prepared to fail.
Part of being prepared for the challenge is knowing what types of challenge you face. Let’s talk flashlights for a minute. Roughly 40% of the CPL holders who carry every day in an interview admitted to not carrying a flashlight. The chance of darkness happening once a day is 100% so why are you not preparing for the inevitable.
When you look to people who are unprepared for the dark, which is inevitable, it is no surprise to find even more people unprepared for a traumatic medical event. Take a look at this prudential commercial that highlights the reality vs. the perception of future risks.
With your chance of being in a death causing injury at 1 in 1,656 your chance of encountering one in your travels is even higher. The number one cause of preventable death is blood loss.
Taking all this into account carrying a med kit on your person becomes far more important than a gun. You are far more likely to save your life or that of a family or friend by knowing basic trauma care and having access to medical tools such as a tourniquet and hemostatic bandages. Yet this is one of the least carried tools. In my same interview of gun owners, 98% admitted they do not carry a trauma kit, and 95% did not carry a tourniquet.
There are a few reasons for this:
- Med Kits do not create the same feeling of empowerment as a firearm
- Trauma kits can be bulky and difficult to carry or conceal
- Most people have not taken the courses to provide them with the required medical training to effectively use these tools.
- Medkits are expensive and contain products that expire
Enter CLEER Medical:
CLEER Medical tackles some of these hurdles with their new Mini Blowout Kits with TQ. The biggest hurdle CLEER Medical removes for end users is the size and conceal ability. I spoke with Matt of CLEER Medical at a recent local event (as they are Ohio based) and learned the secrets to their kits.
Most companies take products on the market and try to jam them into the smallest pouch that they can. The result is sometimes bent and folded packaging that resembles wallet condoms.
