M-9 Assault Medical Backpack is a compact medical backpack from the TacOps series from the American company Tactical & Survival Specialties Inc. (TSSI).
Last year, the American company Tactical & Survival Specialties Inc. (TSSI) celebrated its 40th birthday. Since its founding in 1980 under the brand, a small company founded by US Navy veteran Bill Strang has been designing and supplying equipment for military personnel, federal agencies and law enforcement. Today, TSSI distributes products to the military, field medics, mine clearance and communications specialists under its own TacOps brand, as well as a range of tactical partner brands.
TSSI's TacOps product line includes a range of medical products from complete personal first aid kits, pouches, bags, shoulder pads, to medical quick access panels that can be placed in cars, helicopters, and used to equip field hospitals. But one of the most famous products of the TacOps medical line is the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack, which is actively used by law enforcement, military personnel and special forces around the world. This popularity is partly due to the following features.
- Compact profile and relatively small dimensions.
- Several ways of transportation: on transport, as a separate backpack, or fixation directly on the tactical equipment of a soldier.
- External pocket for quick access to priority gear.
- Flexible internal organization system including four mesh pockets and a Velcro toolbar.
- Available colors: Black, Coyote, Ranger Green, Red, ACU, Multicam, Multicam Black.
- Dimensions (see): 30 x 50 x 8 (width \ height \ depth).
- Made in the USA.
The following review presents the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack in Ranger Green. Before moving on to the details of the design, I also note that it can be purchased in three configurations: a separate backpack, a separate filling, and a backpack with filling. I opted for the non-padded version so that I could choose the padding elements myself. Therefore, in this publication we will focus only on the backpack and its structure, and leave the issue of filling for a separate publication.
The TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack includes the following items: a backpack, internal pockets, an organizational panel, padded shoulder straps, a removable adjustable belt with an inch sling and a set of accessories for mounting the backpack to tactical equipment and body armor. We will get to know all these components in more detail, but for now let's start from the back.
The back of the backpack is completely flat and has no padding or damping inserts. This was done deliberately in order to reduce the overall dimensions and keep the depth within 8-10 centimeters. As you can see in the photo above, all the elements for transportation can be detached or hidden, thanks to which the back has no parts and elements that protrude beyond the limits. In this form, the backpack is conveniently stored in the cabin or in the trunk of a car, where it will not cling to the equipment around.
When transferring a backpack over body armor, there is also no urgent need for dampers, but they only increase the depth and can prevent the owner from passing through narrow rooms of buildings, doorways and hatches of armored vehicles. At the same time, dampers or other additional items of equipment can be attached to the back of the backpack using a large section of Velcro measuring 22 x 21 centimeters (width / height), which is located in the center of the back.
Further, for the shoulder straps, we traditionally pay attention to the straps, which in the case of the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack are already three possible options.
The first are flat webbing from a sling 5 centimeters wide, directly sewn to the backpack. For a more ergonomic fit, they have a characteristic bend, which is clearly visible in the photo above. These straps can be considered secondary as they are not very comfortable for long-term carrying, especially if the backpack is filled with heavy contents. But the manufacturer has included them in the design so that you can move the backpack from transport over relatively short distances, as well as in the case when there are no other straps nearby.
The second - full-fledged padded shoulder straps with foam inside. The width of these straps gradually narrows from 8 to 5.5 centimeters from top to bottom, and provides comfort during long travel with a backpack. Externally, in the upper part, they have three lines of the PALS modular interface in one cell for fixing additional pouches and equipment: harnesses, scissors, lanterns, etc. Below are two plastic half rings where you can snap carabiners or hang gloves, glasses and the like. Also, these straps have a chest strap with an elastic insert. The position of the chest strap is vertically adjustable, allowing you to adjust the straps to the structure of the user's body and the elements of clothing and equipment that he uses.
It is advisable to use these straps when it is necessary to carry the backpack over long distances, as well as in cases when you do not use body armor. It is not very convenient to put on these overall straps over the straps of a body armor or plate socks, therefore, in this case, the first thin straps are somewhat more convenient.
The third "straps" from the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack are a set of accessories that allows you to attach the backpack directly to a bulletproof vest or plate carrier without using any straps at all. It includes two ITW Nexus QASM plastic buckles, two adapters for PALS interface cells, and two lanyards that snap into the backpack on one side and attach to the adapter on the other. How all these fittings fit together can be seen in the photo above.
Slings 4 cm wide and 35.5 centimeters long will allow you to adjust the position of the backpack in height, and serve you as straps, and the system itself allows you to quickly drop the backpack by disconnecting four fastexes. The result is a flat fit with no excess shoulder material and quick access to the backpack and its contents.
We must give credit to the manufacturer for predicting all of these porting options and including them in the package. Therefore, whether you will use the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack as a backpack for long raids, mount it to the rear platform of a plate carrier, or transport it in the trunk of a car with folded shoulder straps - all these options are available to you right away, and you do not need to buy additional straps or accessories separately.
Also, of the backrest features, it is worth mentioning a small loop with a metal buckle for an inch sling, which is hidden behind the main adjustable shoulder strap. Thanks to this buckle, you can add an adjustable belt with an inch sling to your backpack. The belt is divided into halves by a plastic fastex, and each half can be adjusted within 72 cm. Therefore, with its help, you can not only get an adjustable belt for a backpack, but also fix it, for example, on the back surface of a passenger seat in a car.
With the possibilities for transfer and fixation, so far everything, so we can pay attention to the rest of the design features of the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack.
In the upper part of the back there is a 7.5 cm wide Velcro, which fixes the neck of a mesh pocket measuring 29 x 44 cm to the back. It is this pocket that you saw in the photo before, and it is in it that the flat, inseparable straps of the backpack are hidden. However, this is not its only purpose. If necessary, this pocket can be used to transport flat bulky items such as an Ambu Perfit ACE neck collar, SAM Splint 2 soft tires, Hypothermia Prevention & Management Kit (HPMS) components, or other items that are difficult to fit inside.
The top of the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack is equipped with a handle for transporting from an inch sling 15 centimeters long. To prevent the handle from clinging to surrounding objects, it can be folded and fixed in the folded state using two velcro strips 3.5 cm long.
A similar handle is located at the top of the front wall of the backpack, which is rejected. This is done so that you can quickly close the backpack, grab the two handles and move it from one victim to another, or quickly leave the place. This is done without the need to spend time zipping and unbuttoning the zipper. By holding the backpack by these two handles, you will not lose items from the inside, so this is a significant time-saver.
On the front wall there is also a modular system from the PALS interface with three lines of five cells. Here you can skip little things like scissors, a flashlight, etc., which require relatively quick and unhindered access, or hang additional totals to expand the useful volume of the backpack. Just try not to use deep pouches, so as not to increase the profile of the backpack too much.
In the center of the front wall there is a Velcro tape measuring 7.5 x 5 centimeters (width / height), to which reflective markers, insignia, or identifiers of the medical direction of the backpack and contents can be fixed.
On the side, on each side, the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack has a modular PALS interface with 7 rows of one cell. Given the shallow depth of the backpack, it is not possible to place more here, but these cells can also be used to accommodate additional equipment: pouches for harnesses, slings for fixing stretchers, tools for unblocking victims, and the like.
Along with the PALS straps, there is a 37 cm side zipper that allows the front wall of the backpack to be thrown forward.
The bottom of the backpack has a wide metal eyelet for water leakage that can get inside the interior space. On both sides from it to the bottom, loops 5 centimeters wide are sewn, into which one inch adjustable slings 40 centimeters long are passed. With their help, you can fix additional equipment in your backpack: interchangeable items of clothing, a tent, stretcher and the like.
There is a zipper behind the fastexes, which are responsible for adjusting the length of the lower lines. It opens access to a separate external pocket with useful dimensions of about 28 x 12 x 8 cm (width \ height \ depth). This pocket is usually used for specific categories of equipment such as IV fluids (systems, solution bags), vital signs collection (sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, pulse oximeter, glucometer, etc.), bulky items, etc.
We examined the external design features, so we move on - inside the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack.
Inside, the backpack can be roughly divided into two large parts: the inner surface of the front wall, and the back wall. They have pockets for organizing and categorizing content. Some of them can be configured independently, some are fixed, so we will consider each separately, and start with the inner surface of the front wall.
On the top of the front wall there is a mesh pocket measuring 29 x 7 centimeters. Its two upper corners are rounded through the shape of the backpack itself. In the center of the pocket there are two folds that allow the front wall to expand to accommodate bulky items inside. Access to the pocket is provided through a zipper with two sliders, which is located in the lower seam of the pocket, and is equipped with two mitts made of red paracord.
This pocket is well suited for various small items of primary use, such as gloves, because this is the pocket you will see first when you open the backpack zipper.
In the center of the front wall there is a large Velcro with total dimensions of 29 x 17.5 cm. Where the organizational panel is mounted, and any other equipment can be fixed using organizers or Velcro pouches.
With the backpack, the manufacturer included an organizing panel for instruments called the TSSI Modular Instrument Panel. This is the second generation of this panel, in which the place of elastic loops of fixed width was taken by three rows of 12 loops 2 centimeters wide, 12 holes in inserts with Hypalons on each side of the panel and five sections of shock cord with cordlocks.
With their help, you can transform an area measuring 29 x 17.5 centimeters (width \ height) into a modular platform that will hold your gear in a way that suits you. In the photo above, I tried to depict just a few of the many possible options for passing the shock cord through the loops. But I am sure that you will find a convenient way for you to fix objects such as oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal air ducts, decompression needles, flashlights for checking the pupils, markers, scissors, clamps, tweezers, dressing bags and the like. How this is done can be seen in the video from the manufacturer.
If necessary, the TSSI Modular Instrument Panel can be purchased separately and used to organize interchangeable sets of equipment, can be placed both inside and outside the backpack with Velcro, which you have already seen on the back.
Below the Velcro is another mesh pocket measuring 29 x 10 centimeters (width / height), with two folds in the front wall. Except for a slightly higher height, it is structurally identical to the upper pocket, so it can serve to categorize and organize a separate group of content. But do not rush, because it has one more feature.
On the upper border of this pocket there is a Velcro 16 cm wide. Pulling on it gives you access to a flat space with external Velcro, which increases the overall height of the pocket by an additional 19 centimeters. It is very convenient to carry flat objects like SAM Splint 2 here, as well as to store aid guides, triage points of interest or victim cards.
At the bottom of the front wall is another zipper, 29 cm wide, with two sliders and tacks made of red paracord. But instead of a mesh pocket, it gives you access to the lower outer pocket of the backpack. Using this channel, you can remove items from the outer pocket when the backpack is already unfolded in front of you without having to lift the top wall or change the orientation of the backpack. But you have the opportunity, for example, to use the system for access from the inner pocket, and attach it to the bag that is in the outer pocket.
These are all the design features of the front wall, most of which, as you can see, are fixed, except for the organizational panel for tools. But where all the modular pockets of the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack are contained is on the inner surface of the back wall.
The back wall of the backpack is completely reserved for Velcro with dimensions of 29 x 38 centimeters (width / height). Therefore, you yourself can choose the location of the equipment and how to fix it. The set includes four velcro mesh pockets, each with a zip with two sliders and red paracord potholders. Structurally, these pockets can be divided into 2 groups: small and large.
The small pocket has a useful dimensions of 29 x 7 x 6 cm (width / height / depth) and, like the top pocket on the front wall, has rounded top edges to fit as much as possible from the top, and follow the contours of the backpack. The set includes only one such pocket, which has only a zipper with two sliders, and does not have a shock cord tightening.
The large pocket is superior in useful dimensions, which are 29 x 10 x 6 centimeters (width \ height \ depth) and additionally has front wall braces, which are made by combining a shock cord with a cordlock. A total of three such pockets are included in the kit, which, if necessary, can be installed in vertical and horizontal orientation.
All in all, the TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack is a fairly sophisticated specialized backpack for transporting medical supplies during dynamic assault operations. With a relatively small overall dimensions, it allows the owner to move freely in rooms, tight spaces, disembark from vehicles, ships and aircraft, and the like. At the same time, the internal space and organizational capabilities are sufficient for the transportation of critical medical supplies per small group, quick access to it, and distribution in accordance with the selected examination and care algorithm. This is a fairly flexible platform both in terms of transfer methods and in terms of organizing internal space.
The TSSI TACOPS M-9 Assault Medical Backpack presented in this review was delivered to order by punisher.com.ua store.
Source: https://secretsquirrel.com.ua/snaryazhenie/ohliad-zaplichnyka-tssi-tacops-m-9-assault-medical-backpack/
Author: MAD
