Hey, guys. This is Chuck from PressCheck Training & Consulting. Today, we're going to talk about different ways that we can carry tourniquets on our gear when we are out in a field environment on the range or what have you. The need for a tourniquet, I don't think requires any debate anymore. The validation of the CAT, the soft T, and all the TCC-approved tourniquets has absolutely been validated, and real-world saves hundreds, if not thousands of times in the last 20 years of conflict overseas, and then with the proliferation of these in domestic law enforcement and EDC as well. The first method that we're going to talk about of securing it, any given tourniquet that you have, is to use some type of existing pouch design. One of the things I really like about the ten-speed line of magazine pouches made by Blue Force Gear is that they're extremely versatile. In this configuration here, we've got a two magazine, one set for immediate reload, one with a little bit more retention, and then we've taken that third magazine due to our mission or needs or whatever, and we've decided to use that slot to hold the tourniquet.

It comes out very easily from the top with just two fingers here. Could be deployed with either hand in the event of an injury or what have you. So finding a spot on your gear, an existing pouch that you can have your tourniquet on is absolutely viable way. It doesn't cost you any additional expenditures there as well. Then from there, we've got the Trauma Kit NOW!, and this is the TK NOW! small version. On this belt system, this is a sub belt that would be worn either alone or with a larger kit. We have all of our IFAK materials contained right here inside of the Trauma Kit Now small, and we have double elastic loops located on both sides so we can have the tourniquet securely mounted right here to the side, or If you wanted to carry double tourniquets or tourniquets of more than one kind, there are people that have preference. They like using soft-T tourniquets on larger extremities. They like using your CAT-7s or CAT-8s, whatever the latest generation is, on upper extremities. You could have one of each kind and use the tourniquet appropriate to the wound site that you're dealing with.

You have the option to do both of those here on this thing. A more minimalist design, this is my actual range belt that I use when I'm teaching. I don't want to be carrying a lot of extra weight on my body when I'm wearing this gun belt all day, 9, 10 hour classes. But I do want to have first aid on board. So I've chosen to use the micro trauma kit. And then this is the Blue Force Gear Tourniquet hammock, and it has laser cuts here which allow it to go to either belt straps or any type of pals webbing on the backside. And now it just dangles down below my micro and gives me access to my tourniquet, worn 6:00 on my range belt when I'm out there. And all I want to carry is ammunition, the pistol, and then my first aid for the range day there. There's a variant of the hammock, which is also called the shear, and it has the ability to carry a set of EMT shears down there as well. Then the next thing that we want to talk about is the Trauma Kit Now Strap. The Tourniquet NOW! Strap basically has a stiffener in the back which will interface with any of your MOLLE or Powell's webbing that is sewn to the outside of older legacy armor systems or on the newer vests that have laser cuts, it just slips right into those and locks into position.

We have one of those here mounted with a soft-T right here to the outside of the 10-speed shingle on the front of the vest. Takes up one row of PALS webbing. Then this system here, if it's not direct mounted, it can also be mounted to the trauma kit. Now, medium size. There are laser cuts in the top of the flap. This is Blue Force Gears, absolutely bomb-proof ultra-comp material, so there's going to be no threat of tearing here. This entire thing, if it's caught, will pop off of the pouch. This prevents an additional snag hazard threat on the back of your gear, whatever. And you could just route that thing right in there. And now you've got your tourniquet on the top of your kits pull out pouch. So you could pull this entire thing out. You have access to your Med, and the tourniquet is located to the top flap as well. The last pouch that we need to talk about is the Tourniquet Now dedicated pouch. This is an enclosed pouch design, and there are organizations that have requirements for an enclosed pouch. This is going to protect the tourniquet from environmental hazards like extra dust, UV light, degrading materials, and things like that.

We've got a 10-speed elastic material on the sides, and then we've got a good heavy-duty CORDURA design down the front to prevent abrasion points, stuff like that. There's also organizations that have a standard operating procedure that you have to have your tourniquet marked as such so that a stranger that comes up can identify where your tourniquet is if you have it hidden inside of a pouch. So it's marked TQ on the top. There's a pull tab here which is made out of that ULTRAcomp material, and it has the blip, which stands for Ball Loaded Index Point. And there's an actual ball in here that gives you some purchase in the event that you are sweating, muddy, bloody to prevent your hand from slipping off of the tab. So you can get a hold of the blip, and Now it's going to come and open up. This thing is going to extend out fully, and then the tourniquet deploys right out of the bottom of the pouch. This is an extremely viable method for those that want a little bit more security and a little bit more protection for your tourniquet. From my personal experience, if I was trying to cut down on weight and bulk and chose to have my tourniquet exposed for everybody to see, I'm going to want to replace this life-saving piece of equipment a little bit more frequently as it starts to degrade, as the Velcro starts to get worn out, and I start seeing frays.

I'm just going to take this tourniquet, I'm going to put it over in my training stock so I can now have guys really practice crank it down on those tourniquets and all of that, and it's no longer going to be in my duty stable. So I'm going to be rotating that tourniquet out more frequently. If you're in an organization where you're only issued one tourniquet and replacing it is going to be out of pocket on you, then an enclosed design is probably going to be something that you're going to want to go to because it's going to have that tourniquet last a little bit longer and protect it for a little bit more duration. So as usual, come back to Blue Force Gear's website for more content like this and more videos showing instructional and product design.