LXMB35

This is my second LXMB35. The first one has been with me as a first responder for almost six years. The only reason I ordered the second is that the first bag was stolen (along with my Honda).

This bag is awesome (a term I use quite sparingly). Holds an entire C kit with room for other more personal items, some of which might not be legal in your state. I get so many EMS types that Oooo and Ahhhh over my bag and they ask me where I got it.

When I get on scene I size up the situation (yes, I remembered), open the top and front sections which gives me access to 98% of what I need. I then pull on gloves, and go to work.

The good:
1. The four grab bags are great. Gold is my BP cuff, pulse Ox and stethoscope. Green is airway (has elastic straps for OPA’s or nasals). Red is bleeding control. Blue is miscellaneous rarely used items.
2. Front section has elastic straps and pockets for holding all the little loose items we use on a regular basis.
3. The pictures shown are out of date. Now the zippers have reflective tags making it easier to find. The older model had just plain black zippers. The new model is much nicer and easier to zip tie closed so your bag doesn’t loose weight due to sticky fingers. Well done on the reflective tags!
4. Everything has two zippers on them as nature intended. My pet peeve is to keep the two zippers centered so I can find them easier whereas some heathens tend to zip them all the way to one side.
5. The new bag straps seem to be sturdier and stronger. I could be wrong but the whole bag seems more rigid.
6. The black bottom material seems to be thicker as well.
7. The entire bag is well made and well designed. Could not find a single flaw and I looked for them.
8. The front pocket, both sides and the green grab bag all have elastic straps for holding small items.
9. Both times I selected orange. 1. It’s bright and noticeable. 2. I have not seen a lot of orange bags out there so mine stands out. 3. EMS’s attraction to dark blue fascinates me. Use bright colors! Get visible! 4. I like orange. Blues good too but I prefer orange. 5. I think it looks cool.
10. Waterproof! Or as much as I could tell. Rain or snow hasn’t penetrated the bag yet. I have not tried to submerge the whole bag and I don’t plan on it.
11. Originally, I paid $150 for the bag. Now it’s $90!!! Winner!!!

The bad: (come on, it can’t all be good)
1. In the main section the dividers are not adjustable. I do like being able to lift the whole section out together and I stash lesser used items down below (like mass casualty tags).
2. The bag has reflective tape on three sides. Did you forget the back? I can be out working a MVA at night five miles or more from the nearest streetlight on dark, winding, mountainous roads. I’d carry neon signs to be noticed if I could. The more that gets me seen the better.
3. This is a personal gripe. I wish the hand straps were a couple of inches longer. I store the bag with the “hook and loop” on the hand straps closed and together. When the bag is full it’s sometimes difficult to grab. A little more length would solve this issue (IMHO).
4. The side pockets should be a little larger, at least one should. I carry a BVM on the left side. The pocket is a little small for a standard size adult BVM collapsed so I switched it our at my squad for a more compact model so problem solved. Still a larger pocket or one that expands would be beneficial.
5. The main section top flap has three clear pockets with zippers. Please do away with the zippers, make them just pockets. I loaded my things and have never closed the zippers again.
6. I would prefer swivel connections for the shoulder strap.
7. A different product but… could the fill kits include an electronic BP cuff and pulse Ox in them? Please? And how about some real tourniquets?
8. Would some Molle attachments points on the bag hurt you that much?
9. While were on the subject, how about a metal ring to clip items on to? I have tape zip tied loosely around one hand strap and hand sanitizer on another. I also have two 3” cheapo carabineers around the hand straps for clipping on to. Things like keys and flashlights are handy to grab.
10. How about a couple outside pockets for CAT or SOFTT tourniquets with a “hook and loop” strap over the top to hold them in place?

Overall, I give the bag a 9.8 out if ten. I want to keep Lightning humble so they keep improving their products.

PS: some of the items I’ve added to my personal bag are: small flashlight, adjustable head flashlight, automatic wrist BP cuff (difficult to hear in the back of a rig when taking a BP), Pulse Ox, extra batteries (try to buy everything with the same battery size), 10 to 50 feet of bright colored 550 (para) cord, a few mylar blankets, cheap one use ponchos (dollar store) for both you and your patient(s), extra hot and cold packs, more cravats, “popsicle” sticks, Q-tips, a knife (a cheap air force survival knife works for me) sheathed or folded, save the last five feet of a roll of duct tape then stand on the roll to flatten it (1,001 uses), Sharpies, pens, pencils, small note pad (write in rain pad if you can swing it), a few sandwich sized Ziplock bags, good eye protection, saline, different size Band-Aids (Suggest in a small Tupperware), a bandana (101 uses), cheap sun glasses, eyeglass lens cleaning cloths, travel pack of tissues, Uno cards (for long waits on scene or to entertain patients), Neosporin, tums, pain relief (for your use only), drinking water, a couple of energy bars (Cliff is my choice) and lots of gloves. Your mileage may vary.