A tourniquet you cannot reach is not a tourniquet you carry. Put one where either hand finds it, and one where a teammate can.
At a glance
10 things to know about the Universal Armor Tourniquet Dispenser
What it holds, where it mounts, and what the tourniquets inside it do.
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01
A carrier sold with its tourniquets
TacMed lists it as the Universal Armor Tourniquet Dispenser with SOF® Tourniquets.3 It carries tourniquets only — no hemostatic gauze, dressings or chest seals.
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02
The status belongs to the tourniquet
The evidence-based list names the SOF Tactical Tourniquet–Wide (SOFTT-W), NSN 6515-01-587-9943.2 It names tourniquets, not carriers, so the recommendation attaches to a tourniquet entry, never to the dispenser.
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03
It goes where the ID patch goes
TacMed designed it to sit on a ballistic vest or carrier on top of the area where ID patches are normally placed; the patch then goes on top of the dispenser.3
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04
Front, back, or both
It can be worn front and/or back.3 One on the chest is within either hand's reach; one on the back is reachable by a teammate.
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05
The back position is for the team
TacMed describes the back location as being for team or buddy deployment, which increases the number of tourniquets a single vest carries.3
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06
It frees space instead of using it
TacMed states the dispenser creates more space on ballistic vests and plate carriers.3 The ID patch area usually carries a name tape or agency panel, so MOLLE webbing stays free for other gear.
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07
Built to stay on the vest
TacMed specifies heavy-duty materials with reinforced stitching, and a design that fits most ID patch areas.3
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08
Four colors
Black, Tan, Red and Orange.3 Color changes the carrier, not the tourniquets inside.
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09
The evidence on the SOF design is mixed
The original SOF Tactical Tourniquet stopped the distal pulse in every volunteer, arm and leg, in a 2005 study.7 Later work on the SOFTT-W is less favorable: arm failure was 58.3% against 5.6% for the C-A-T Gen 7 and 19.4% for the TMT,5 and on a manikin leg hemorrhage control was 35% against 67.7% for the C-A-T Gen 7.6 Slack removal and practice matter with any windlass.
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10
Carrying a tourniquet is not training
Practice drawing from the dispenser in the armor you wear — standing, kneeling, seated in a vehicle, gloved, with either hand — and applying the tourniquet to yourself. A patch placed over the dispenser must not block the draw.
How to mount, draw and apply it
Mounting under the patch, the draw, and the placement decision before the tourniquet goes on.
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1Mount it in the ID patch area. Position the dispenser on the vest or plate carrier where the ID patch normally goes, front and/or back, then place the patch on top.3 Wear one where either hand reaches it, and a second on the back for a teammate.
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2Draw the tourniquet. Pull a tourniquet out with one hand. Practice with either hand, gloved, in your armor, before you rely on it.
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3Choose the placement. Under threat, or when you cannot see where the blood is coming from: hasty — high and tight, over clothing. When the source is found and time and safety allow: deliberate — on bare skin, 2–3 in. above the wound. If that point lands on a joint, move above the joint. Never place it across or directly over a joint.1
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4Tighten until the bleeding stops. Slide it on, pull the strap tail tight to take the slack out, then twist the windlass until the bleeding stops and the distal pulse is gone. It hurts, and that is expected.1
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5Lock, secure and record. Lock the windlass in its clip, secure the strap, and write the time on the tourniquet and the casualty card. If bleeding continues, add a second tourniquet side by side with the first.1
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6Reassess a hasty tourniquet. When the scene allows, expose the wound. If a tourniquet is needed, place a second one on bare skin 2–3 in. above the bleeding site, tighten it, then slowly release the first. If the source still cannot be found, the first stays high and tight.1
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7Leave it on — or convert by protocol. For civilians and most law enforcement, especially in self-aid, leaving it in place for the receiving clinicians is good practice. The TCCC Guidelines direct every effort to convert within 2 hours when the casualty is not in shock, the wound can be watched, and it is not an amputation.1
Where it fits
- Carrying tourniquets on a ballistic vest or plate carrier in the ID patch area3
- Front, back or both — a back position a teammate can reach3
- Keeping MOLLE webbing free for other gear3
- Life-threatening bleeding from an arm or a leg, and any traumatic amputation1
- Carrying hemostatic gauze, a pressure dressing or a chest seal — it holds tourniquets only
- Gear without an ID patch area to mount to
- The groin, armpit or neck — pack those wounds with hemostatic gauze and hold pressure
- Bleeding that direct pressure or a pressure dressing controls
The evidence
There is no study of this dispenser. The evidence below is for the SOF tourniquet design, with its mixed results.
| Study | Evidence type | What was studied | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kragh et al., Ann Surg 2009 | Human · combat clinical | Tourniquets as a class: 232 casualties with 428 tourniquets, Baghdad combat support hospital, 2006 | Tourniquet use when shock was absent was associated with survival (90% vs 10%, P < 0.001); no amputation resulted solely from tourniquet use |
| Walters et al., Prehosp Emerg Care 2005 | Human volunteer | Seven tourniquets self-applied on the thigh (n = 18) and the upper arm (n = 12), distal Doppler pulse | The C-A-T, the EMT and the SOF Tactical Tourniquet each eliminated the distal pulse in every subject, arm and leg |
| Treager et al., J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2021 | Human volunteer · randomized crossover | C-A-T Gen 7 vs TMT vs SOFTT-W on arm and leg, Doppler pulse | Arm failure 5.56% C-A-T, 19.44% TMT, 58.33% SOFTT-W; leg 27.78%, 44.44%, 61.11%; the C-A-T was significantly better than the SOFTT-W on both limbs |
| Katsnelson et al., Mil Med 2020 | Manikin · randomized | C-A-T Gen 7, SAM XT and SOFTT-W on a HapMed leg trainer, 60 military medicine cadets | Hemorrhage control 67.7% C-A-T, 73.3% SAM XT, 35% SOFTT-W; mean pressure 104 mmHg for the SOFTT-W vs 175 and 186 for the others; slack tracked failure |
| Montgomery et al., J Spec Oper Med 2019 | Expert review · evidence-based update | Review of limb tourniquets for the evidence-based's April 2019 update | First update to the evidence-based standard limb tourniquets since 2005; the authors note the lack of unbiased data and official evaluation criteria |
Strongest to weakest: clinical series, then live-volunteer studies, then manikin work, then expert review. The combat data are for tourniquets as a class. The volunteer and manikin comparisons favored the C-A-T over the SOFTT-W; the 2005 volunteer study found the original SOF tourniquet fully effective.4,7
How it compares
Where a tourniquet can ride on the body or the armor.
| Universal Armor Tourniquet Dispenser | LAPD Tourniquet Pouch | Ankle holster | Pouch on MOLLE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worn | Over the ID patch area of a vest or plate carrier, front and/or back | On a duty belt | On either ankle | On MOLLE/PALS webbing |
| Uses MOLLE space | No — it sits under the ID patch | No — it is on the belt | No — it is on the leg | Yes |
| Tourniquet included | Sold with SOF® Tourniquets | No | No | Depends on the pouch |
| TacMed item | 80-0035 | TQ-C-DL2-B (1.5 in. strap) | TQAH | — |
| evidence-based standard | Carrier — status belongs to the tourniquet | Carrier — status belongs to the tourniquet | Carrier — status belongs to the tourniquet | Carrier — no status |
The evidence-based list covers tourniquets only, so no carrier appears on it.2 TacMed item numbers from TacMed Solutions.3
Build the system
The tourniquet it carries, other ways to wear a tourniquet, the dressings that go beside it, and a trainer to practice on.
Questions buyers ask
Package & specifications
Available Options:
- Black
- Tan
- Red
- Orange
Specifications coming soon. Contact us for detailed product information.
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