TQs on fighting kit: Where do you put them and how are they attached?

[Not A PJ]

After seeing some discussion in other areas, I figured it would be beneficial to start a thread discussing TQ placement on fighting kit.

The big questions I want to see answered are:

How many TQs do you carry on your fighting gear?

Where do you carry them?

How do you carry them (pouch, rubber bands, shock cord, etc)?

Why do you choose this setup?

If you have pictures to go along with your post, please add them!

"I can't reach it!"

 

[Matt Landfair]

Centerish in a BFG M4 tenspeed pouch and in medkid about 2 oclock.

 

[Not A PJ]

Currently I carry two CATs on my IOTV.

Both of them are stowed in the new issued TQ pouches. The first rides on my left (non dominant) shoulder oriented to be opened with a downward pull. The second sits on top of my issued IFAK (on my right side) oriented to be opened with a pull towards my midline.

Both TQs (as well as my IFAK) can be accessed with either hand. They are protected from the environment by the pouches and set in a one-handed configuration that allows for immediate self application. Both pouches are clearly labelled as TQ pouches.

 

[Bourneshooter]

Duty Belt: Just right of my cuff pouch a First Spear TQ pouch. With CAT and Sharpie.

JPC: CAT carried in the DARK external TQ pouch. In patrol uniform the CAT on my belt is also present, in multicam for SWAT stuff, a second one is in my crye cargo pocket on the right side.

Turtle Vest: CAT in the upper right shoulder in a Paraclete Med/Firing Systems pouch. Second CAT is inside the NAR IFAK under and forward of my Left armpit.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bronson]

1st & Foremost: Enemy Casualty Production Trumps Friendly Soldier Treatment.

Cold math, but there it is. Priority on my kit is for life-ending and not life-saving equipment.

Warrior TACSOP is to have all TQ’s in fully enclosed pouches. This is done due to environmental effects on TQ efficacy when they are exposed. The time it takes to access and deploy a TQ in that configuration and know it to be at full efficacy is preferable to slightly faster access and deployment time and questionable efficacy.

When training US Army folks, I try and have Units issued the RFI TQ Pouches to mount them high on the center of either their KDH PC or IOTV. They’re not the best TQ pouch (what's the fascination with snap top closures and how hard is it to have everything on a Multicam pouch actually be Multicam?), but they do fully enclose the TQ and mount vertically allowing ambidextrous access.

For GPF I prefer an SOP for a TQ high centerline on the chest. It is an area not prone to IED strike damage tossing the TQ. It is an easily identifiable and accessed area. It typically does not detract from target engagement items such as ammo, this is not always the case for MGer's and their loadouts. I have a D27 TQ/Admin Pouch that houses a SOFT-TW in the TQ Holder portion, and a monocular/smart cards/map stuff in the Admin portion.

On my LWPC I have 2x SORD TQ Covers. They are forward mounted on both side plates. They are both capable of being accessed ambidextrously. They hold SOFT-TW’s that are routed for leg injuries. I prefer the SOFT-TW for leg injuries due to ease of application, superior windlass, and overall construction.






Warrior TACSOP is also to have 2x CAT tourniquets in USGI Coat / Combat Shirt shoulder pockets. These are routed specifically for arm injuries. I prefer the CAT for arm injuries due to ease of application, especially for self-aid and one-arm application. While these are in danger of amputation for IED’s, it is a significantly less risk compared to ankle carry of TQ’s. Some folks prefer the red tip to be exposed, I’m not an advocate of that for two reasons: 1) Red is a target indicator as it’s a color dissimilar to anything in the environment. 2) I believe Leaders should be conducting PCC/PCI’s and Soldiers, after being sufficiently trained, being held accountable for their performance and equipment.

Personally - I have 4x SOFT-TW's and 2x CAT's on me in full kit. I do not advocate this across the board. I carry that many due to experiences in the Arghandab River Valley where IED's were a significant threat and treating multiple amputee casualties not organic to our element where their TQ's were missing post IED Strike, or they did not carry them in the first place (ANA/ANP). I'm not willing to go below a minimum level of TQ's designated for my own aid for the treatment of others, so I plus up. As someone with additional medical training in the element, the responsibility to have a higher medical role follows suit.

Summary:
1x SOFT-TW in D27 TQ/Admin Pouch
2x SOFT-TW's in SORD TQ Pouches
1x SOFT-TW on IFAK Waistbag
2x CAT's in Shoulder Pockets.

 

[275RLTW]

I'm a big fan of running multiple TQs on me. 1st layer is a TQ on my belt, centerline, held with shock cord as well as one on my rifle stock. These are always with me. If I have a gun, I have a TQ. 2d line there are TQs on each side of my mag pouches of my plate carriers held again by shock cord, allowing either hand accessibility to either TQ. I also carry at least 2 more TQs in my IFAK, as the 1st items I come to when opening the pouch. If I'm running with gear on my back as well, (breaching tools, pack, etc...) I'll run a TQ top center of my PC just below the drag handle so that if I am unconscious, face down, and spurting blood, hopefully someone will take 10 sec to square me away. While that is a lot of TQs, they are cheap, light, and the best life saving device we can carry. With a single explosion able to cause severe hemorrhaging in all 4 extremities simultaneously, I thought having 4+ TQ was worth the extra weight for me. I use shock cord in order to save weight and to keep them visible. It's counter productive to camouflage something so vital and then make it difficult to retrieve when dealing with shock and trauma. While the elements can degrade them over time, this also happens in any pouch not completely sealed. Replacing TQs every few months is just a necessary expense. I don't advocate carry in arm pockets as any injury to the upper arm could possibly compromise the TQ needed. While that is also possible when worn anywhere else, I've seen several people with TQs in the arm pocket and get an injury to the opposite arm that limits range of motion and then the TQ is unretrievable. The more along the centerline of the body, the better. Also, since primary assessments by medics check the head and torso first, the TQs are more easily found there than on the extremities which are assessed last. Nor am I always wearing a shirt with arm pockets.

 

[Longeye]

I use the BFG MP7 Ten Speed pouch mounted on my Crye MRB belt just aft of my holster. It is accessible with either hand. The MP7 pouch holds a CAT much more securely than a M4 Ten speed.

I also use one of the London Bridge velcro TQ holders that rig on the velcro of the front flap which retains the cummerbund on my JPC.