interesting read/history : https://warriorpublications.wordpress.com/2016/06/03/the-tourniquet/ I would like this thread to be a non biased, first hand account of TQ usage by the community here. No names/places required, victim photos should have faces / important ID markers redacted. reviews of TQ brands, field expedient TQ's etc. Thoughts on various Name brands, thoughts on field expedient set ups. -------------------------------------------------------- I will start with a field expedient TQ.....loosely based on the R.A.T.S. TQ.........recently I got a very good deal on a bunch of 1/4" shock cord. On a whim, i stretched the shock cord, and OVER a couple of 1/4" THICK stomach dressings, I proceeded to wrap my arm below the shoulder. I did 10 wraps of the stretched shock cord......then held it. Took less than 2 seconds for my lower arm and wrist and hand to go pale . I backed it off, it was too painful for a non emergency application. The force exerted by the shock cord wrap was extremely high. The 1/4" shock cord , when stretched and wrapped over THICK dressings, exerts stick snapping forces......equal,if not GREATER to the force of a trad TQ (windlass system CAT etc). it was interesting.....a trad TQ is wider obviously, this is better, the shock cord TQ is too narrow,but this can be solved by applying two THICK dressings and wrapping WIDE. this is what i came up with for field expedient TQ : 1" harness ring and 8' (4' doubled 1/4" shock cord) a 6" piece of double 1/4" shock cord, when stretched fully, exerts almost 30lbs of pressure. So a few wraps could exceed over 100+ lbs force. I'm going to insert the two cords into bunched hollow webbing, this should spread out the clamping force better.
