Description
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The SFD Responder was borne of the desire to make a good idea great. Now with the SFD Responder 2.0, we continue to improve on what has become the standard bearer for ankle carriers.
An ankle pouch is a great way to always carry an IFAK on you discretely and comfortably. I did my research and found that a few manufacturers were producing different models. I had high hopes that I would find one that would work well for me and over the course of a couple of years I’ve tried every ankle pouch on the market. Unfortunately, I found out that some are too bulky, some don’t carry enough, some are not tough enough, some try to do too much and are not comfortable.
The net result of my endeavor is that next to my box of gun holsters I now have a box of ankle pouches that are gathering dust!
While in Italy for work, I was relating my frustration with finding a good ankle pouch to Fabio Casali. Fabio is the owner of Frog.Pro (www.Frogpro.it) and a very talented craftsman. We started brainstorming and after some drawing, cutting and sawing we had our first prototype in July 2016. I used that prototype daily until I went back to Italy next October. Armed with my notes, Fabio skills and ingenuity and some more R&D we re-designed the SFD Responder with a few improvements. I wore the new version every day since and I can truly say I’m beyond satisfied with how it turned out.
Now, after listening to your feedback and after 1 more year of R&D we made it a little bit lighter and added two vertical 1/2″ silicone strips in each pocket to make retention of the equipment failproof.
The SFD Responder is designed for Every Day Carry in urban or rural environments. Some of the practical advantages of this carry method is that you don’t have to fight with other tools on your beltline for space or carry an extra daypack or satchel (I know, Jack Bauer made it cool, but still…). More importantly, you don’t have to sacrifice necessary equipment to fit your kit in a pant or jacket pocket.
Let’s look at some of the design details and materials that went into the construction of the SFD Responder:
- Pockets are made of 2 layers of tough elastic cloth, lightweight and breathable. It conforms to the contents inserted allowing for secure and discreet carry of the equipment when walking, running or jumping.
- We added 2 vertical 1/2″ silicone strips in each pocket to further improve the retention of the equipment.
- Open bottom pocket design helps to “stuff” equipment in and keep it there securely.
- Bottom of the pockets is reinforced with MIL-W-17337, class II nylon webbing and won’t fray from rubbing on shoes/boots like the elastic cloth would.
- Two PALS MOLLE laser cut in LAHYCO®, a proprietary blend of Hypalon® and Cordura® 500D, offer more storage options if you need it. Using Shock Cord, Velcro or small pockets.
- The female Velcro cloth is sawn on 3D Air Mesh helping tremendously with comfort, fit and breathability.
- We use the new Velcro Ultra-Mate® for the closing tab. This wide Velcro tab is more rigid and has smaller “teeth” than regular Velcro. It adheres better and stays put even when saturated with sweat or water.
- Long enough to fit over most tall boots, duty, tactical or hiking.
- Weight: 3.8 oz.
- Dimensions: 20” L x 4” W. With the load in the pictures the SFD Responder is 1 ¼ inch thick max.
Whether you are a civilian, LEO, Fire Fighter, EMT, Executive Protection Agent, Security Guard, Correctional Officer, etc. you can customize the content of your kit and always have it with you.
Colors: Black, Ranger Green, Coyote (498), Tan (499), Multicam (+$10)
Price: $68.95 + S&H ($6.50)
Justin (verified owner) –
I’ve been using various ankle IFAKs since late 2012. This one is by far the most robust one I’ve seen and used. Can’t go wrong with it. I keep a SOF-T Wide, Combat Gauze, NAR Flat ETD and a Benchmade Rescue Hook on mine.
Shawn Hake (verified owner) –
Incredible craftsmanship, very comfortable, and great design.
Mark Scheuermann (AKA MojoNixin in LF & P&S forums) (verified owner) –
Mine arrived yesterday. So far I am very impressed. Very good materials properly stitched. Able to get a CAT TQ with sharpie in one pouch. A super compressed trauma bandage and super compressed gauze pack in another pouch with a throw away strap cutter wedges in, and a twin pack of Hyfin compact chest seals and quick clot in the third pouch. Will be able to add an NPA and chest dart to the Molle slots on the main tab. This piece of kit is very comfortable. It’s not like an ankle rig for your bug which kind of lets you always know it’s there.
lshstream –
Thanks to the slim profile of the new Velcro, less rough than the traditional one, the SFD-Responder results more comfortable when worn in contact with the skin.
J. Grabo (verified owner) –
I have carried the Rogue Gunfighter No Vis Medical Kit as well as the Rescue Essentials Tactical Ankle Kit, the SFD Responder blows both out of the water in terms of carry capacity, quality, comfort, and profile. The ready access and organization of the pouches/slots is well thought out and will keep things where you put them. This is the preferred kit recommended to all my Stop the Bleed/Bleeding Control students.
Edward Holcomb (verified owner) –
I placed an order on 3 Oct 2017. I still have yet to receive my Responder. There has been some contact with the company saying it would be shipped on the week of Oct 27. When contacted the first week of November they said that there was a mix-up and it would be shipped early the week of the 8th. I still have no product and now there is no response from the company. Today is the 16th of November.
admin –
Hello Ed, my apologies for lagging behind in responding to you. Your order shipped out last Friday so you should finally receive it by Wednesday. Sorry for any inconvenience and I sincerely thank you again for your patience.
Alessandro
Grant Johnson (verified owner) –
The most important piece of EDC Gear I own, can’t thank you enough for your ingenuity and passion bringing this to the market.
Cord (verified owner) –
Great piece of gear! Only complaint is that it took nearly 3 months for delivery, due to a problem with customs. But other than that this AFAK is awesome!!! Well made & designed.
Scott –
I heard about the SFD Responder in a video posted by Rob Pincus of the Personal Defense Network. The major selling point was that it was comfortable enough to wear all day. After a few months of wearing this everyday, I can attest to its comfort and durability. Well done! I carry a RATs tourniquet, SWAT-T, two packages of Z-folded Combat Gauze, and a Leatherman Raptor clipped to the laser-cut MOLLE and secured with a MOLLE Web Dominator bungie cord.
Roberto Alonzo (verified owner) –
I have been wearing this for around 2 years. Taken pistol classes with it, run around town all day, and up and down the Vegas strip. It is comfortable and secure. Protects items well. The one issue I had was packaged items sliding out. I fixed this by putting the rubber band from my soft-t wide around them. It’s been perfect since. You do need to wear a sock under this if you will be walking around.
I’ve tried others. They are either bulky or just don’t work well even after modification.
I carry ( far rt comp) a SOFT-T wide, bench made rescue cutter (center comp) NAR 4.5×4.1 S fold gauze, celox ribbon 1in x 5 ft, these have the rubber band around them, ( far left) sm hyfin chest seal and 1 pair gloves.
All packaging looks near new.
Andy –
I’ve had the privilege of testing and evaluating the SFD Responder 2.0 at the invitation of Alessandro Padovani and Rob Pincus for the past six months or so, and I am extremely impressed by it.
Background: I am an active-duty servicemember who works for the federal agency that is mandated (by statute) with leading and coordinating all public health and medical services during a disaster or emergency. I served as the command/control team lead for our agency during the response to the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013, and the biggest lesson from that incident was that anyone who left the scene alive ultimately survived the incident — in no small part due to the extensive use of tourniquets by first responders and bystanders on injured runners and spectators. I’ve incorporated that “lesson learned” into my daily carry gear, and have at least one tourniquet and one hemostatic clotting bandage on me at all times.
Alessandro provides the background to how the Responder 2.0 came into being on this page already — I will simply echo that I also have tried another ankle medical kit holster, and find that the Responder 2.0 is simply more comfortable due to its elasticity, holds the gear better due to the silicone strips on the inside of the pockets, and fits my smaller ankle better (my other holster is bigger and doesn’t stretch, so I have extra holster material not secured and “flapping in the breeze”). It also seems to be a lower-profile holster in all dimensions, so it fits under my jeans, dress pants, and uniform pants (when I am wearing a service uniform vs. utilities) much better and with less snagging.
I’ve already recommended it to our folks who serve as SWAT medics with various federal law enforcement agencies, and sometimes are in suits due to the formal/high-visibility nature of their assignments.
The cost is twice what other ankle medical kit holsters are currently going for, hence only 4 stars out of 5 (actually, I’d rate it 4.5/5 if that were an option) — but you are paying for the thoughtfulness of the design, and the quality of the materials. Quality doesn’t come cheaply.
In short, highly recommended and well worth the expense.
Shawn –
Great piece of gear. Alessandro was great to deal with and they shipped pretty quick. Our jail staff loves them.
David Culpepper (verified owner) –
I ordered mine two months ago and still have not received it. The company is also not responding to my emails. I should have payed attention to the reviews.
admin –
Hello David,
as per our last email communication from yesterday:
Hello David,
It is shipping out tomorrow. I understand your frustration and I hope that the quality and comfort of the SFD Responder will make up for the extra time you had to wait.
Thank you again for your patience,
SullyCortez (verified owner) –
Absolutely AMAZING!! It literally disappears even when loaded full. When you need deep concealment but still need medical, THIS is definitely THE ankle rig to rock. I can fit a SOFT tourniquet, two chest seals, full size trauma shears, two pairs of gloves, Israeli bandage, sharpie, light, roll of duct tape, Celox rapid, and gauze. 10/10 I HIGHLY recommend picking up a few pieces of stretchy bungie cord and cut some small pieces to thread through the holes on the front of one of the panels that way you can get little stretchy “hooks” that you can slip tape, gloves, etc underneath. The design is truly versatile and I’ll def be picking up another one – one for classes and training and one for EDC.
John (verified owner) –
The SFD Responder quality is excellent. Stitching, velcro, internal silicone strips, etc. are all first class. I also like the Molle cut outs which give you additional options. It is also very comfortable to wear. I received mine about a week ago and have been playing with different configurations. I would have given it 5 stars except for 2 things:
1. Cost – expensive compared to other AFAKs on the market but the quality may make up for that
2. Customer Service – I ordered mine on 04/16 & as the web site stated 60 – 70 in stock I asked if it would arrive sooner than the 4 – 6 weeks stated. I rec’d a reply on 04/30 saying that it would ship on 05/03 (I figured 05/06). Sent an email on 05/20 asking for tracking info or refund & got tracking info on 05/22. Responder arrived on 05/25. the Pony Express only took 10 days to cover 1,800 miles in 1860 – should be able to do better today.
Chris Sully Cortez (verified owner) –
Amazing!! The quality is superb, the comfort level after wearing everyday for six months is astronomical, and the carry ability is bar none the best on the market. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another 2-3 of these, just wish they would add an option to have optional tabs to hold the items in securely as after a while the fabric begins to loosen and lose its stretchability and strength depending on how much gear you’re carrying. But other than that small gripe, this thing is SOLID. Don’t hesitate pick one up NOW!
Craig McKee-Parks (verified owner) –
The delivery took longer than expected however the owner of the company, Alessandro Padovani advised there had been a problem getting the materials from Italy. He was informative and helpful. The product is high quality and comfortable to wear and holds the tounaquet, chest seals, gauze and quick clot easily. The wait was worth it, Thanks Alessandro.
Ray –
I got mine in April 2021. I wear it a few times a week and I love it! I will buy it again if/when the velcro wears out.
Here is what I carry in mine. CAT tourniquet, mini sharpie, 1st responder shears, gloves, mini flashlight (mouth friendly), NAR 4″ ETD (Emergency Trauma Dressing), QuikClot gauze, wound packing gauze and HyFin Vent chest seal twin pack