CAT Tourniquet: How It Works, How to Apply It, How to Spot a Fake

This guide is for people who are about to buy a tourniquet and want to buy the right one once: police officers and security staff putting one on a duty belt, shooters and hunters adding one to a range bag, and anyone building a first aid kit for the car, the home or the workplace. It covers what the C-A-T is, how the Gen 7 differs from older versions, how to apply it, how to recognise a fake, which colour to choose, how many to carry and how to look after it. We sell the Combat Application Tourniquet, so we have an interest here. Where something is North American Rescue's claim, the military's guidance or our own opinion, we say which. This article is not a substitute for a hands-on bleeding control course, and we would rather you took one than read us.

The C-A-T at a glance

What	Detail	Source
Full name	Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T)	North American Rescue
Current generation	Gen 7, with a single routing buckle	North American Rescue, U.S. Army
Band width	1.5 in (about 38 mm)	North American Rescue
Weight	2.7 oz (about 77 g)	North American Rescue
Military status	Official tourniquet of the U.S. Army since 2005, on the CoTCCC recommended list	North American Rescue, CoTCCC
Colours	Black (duty), orange (public access), blue (trainer)	North American Rescue
Use	One use only on a real casualty. Train with a trainer.	Manufacturer and retailer guidance

What a CAT tourniquet is and why it is the default

A tourniquet stops bleeding from a limb by squeezing the arm or leg hard enough to close the artery above the wound. The C-A-T does this with a band inside a band. You pull the outer band tight by hand, then turn a plastic rod, the windlass, which twists the inner band and tightens it far more than your hand could. Once the bleeding stops, the rod is locked in a clip and covered by a strap so it cannot unwind while the casualty is moved.

The reason it is the tourniquet most people picture is history. North American Rescue says the C-A-T has been the official tourniquet of the U.S. Army since 2005, and that the Army's Institute of Surgical Research found it 100% effective at stopping blood flow in testing. The U.S. Army has described bleeding as "the most common cause of potentially survivable death for wounded warfighters". When the military trains millions of people on one device, that device becomes the one police, paramedics and Stop the Bleed instructors use too.

Our honest view: the C-A-T is not the only good tourniquet. The SOF Tactical Tourniquet Wide, the SAM-XT and several others are also on the CoTCCC list. The C-A-T's real advantage is that it is the one most people have already been trained on. If you carry the same model your colleagues, your instructor and the paramedic who arrives later know, nobody has to work it out under stress.

The parts of a Gen 7 C-A-T

You will apply a tourniquet faster if you know what each part is called, because every course and instruction sheet uses these names.

• Self-adhering band. The long hook-and-loop band that goes round the limb. It ends in a red tip, which North American Rescue calls Red Tip Technology, so you can find the end by feel and sight.
• Single routing buckle. The slot the band passes through once. On the Gen 7 there is one slot instead of the two on the Gen 6.
• Internal band. A free-moving band inside the outer one. This is what the windlass tightens, and North American Rescue says it gives "true circumferential pressure".
• Windlass rod. The ribbed rod you turn. The Gen 7 rod is thicker than earlier versions and has more aggressive ribbing for grip.
• Windlass clip. The C-shaped clip that holds the rod once it is tight. It works from either side.
• Windlass strap. A strap with a write-on label that goes over the rod and clip. You write the time of application on it. On the Gen 7 it is gray, which the U.S. Army gives as the easy way to tell it from the white strap on a Gen 6.
• Stabilisation plate. The flat plate under the windlass that stops it pinching the skin.

Gen 7 vs Gen 6, and what about a "Gen 8"?

The U.S. Army announced the change to the Gen 7 in October 2016. The main difference is the buckle. The Gen 6 had two slots and two ways of routing the band, one for an arm and one for a leg. The Gen 7 has a single routing buckle, so there is one way to apply it whatever the limb. North American Rescue says this gives faster application, better slack removal, less blood loss and fewer windlass turns.

	Gen 6	Gen 7
Buckle	Two slots, different routing for arm and leg	Single routing buckle, one method for every limb
Windlass rod	Thinner	Larger diameter, aggressive ribbing
Windlass clip	Standard	Thicker and reinforced, bevelled entry on both sides
Windlass strap	White	Gray, marked "G7"
Still recommended?	Yes, both are on the CoTCCC list	Yes, and it is the version sold today

If you already own a Gen 6 that is in good condition, it is still a recommended tourniquet. The reason to replace it is consistency: the U.S. Army's own advice was that "when you need to actually use a tourniquet is the wrong time to figure out which version you have and how to use it". If your team trains on the Gen 7, carry the Gen 7.

People also search for a "CAT tourniquet Gen 8". As of October 2026, North American Rescue's product page sells the Gen 7, and its most recent listed change is a new welding process on the windlass strap. We have not found an official Gen 8 from North American Rescue. If you see one offered on a marketplace, treat it with the same suspicion as any other C-A-T sold at a strange price, and check the points in the counterfeit section below.

How to apply a CAT tourniquet

These are the steps as North American Rescue's instructions, the TCCC skill sheet and Stop the Bleed teach them. Read them, then go and practise them on a trainer, ideally with an instructor watching.

1. Place it. Put the tourniquet on the limb above the wound. Stop the Bleed guidance is 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) above the wound and never over a joint such as the elbow or knee. If you cannot see the wound clearly, or you are under threat, go "high and tight", as close to the armpit or groin as you can. Put it directly on skin if you can. Clothing can let it slip.
2. Route and pull. Pass the red tip through the single routing buckle and pull the band tight, away from the buckle.
3. Remove the slack. Fasten the band back on itself. North American Rescue's instructions say all slack must be removed from the band before you tighten the windlass. This is the step people rush, and a loose band means many more turns of the rod.
4. Twist the windlass. Turn the rod until the bleeding stops. On a genuine Gen 7 with the slack removed properly, retailer guides describe two to three turns as typical, but a large thigh may need more. If you can check, the pulse below the tourniquet should be gone.
5. Lock and secure. Put the rod into the windlass clip. Check that the bleeding has stopped. Then pull the windlass strap over the rod and clip and fasten it.
6. Time it and get help. Write the time of application on the strap. Call the emergency number and tell the dispatcher a tourniquet is on.

When one tourniquet is not enough

If the bleeding has not stopped after the windlass is tight and locked, Stop the Bleed and TCCC guidance is to apply a second tourniquet just above the first. Do not take the first one off. Thighs on large adults are the most common case. This is one of the reasons many people carry two.

It will hurt, and that is not a sign it is wrong

A tourniquet that is tight enough to stop arterial bleeding is painful. Course instructors warn about this because the natural reaction, from the casualty and from the person who applied it, is to loosen it. Do not. Loosening it lets the bleeding restart.

How long can it stay on?

For a member of the public the answer is simple: leave it on and let the hospital take it off. Military TCCC guidance aims to convert a tourniquet to another method within two hours where the casualty is not in shock, the wound can be watched closely and the limb has not been amputated, and it says not to attempt conversion after six hours. Those decisions belong to trained medics and doctors, not to the bystander who put it on.

Self-application on one arm

The C-A-T is designed so you can put it on your own arm with one hand. The usual training method is to keep the band pre-routed through the buckle in a loop, slide your arm into the loop, pull the tail with your good hand, then turn the windlass. Practise this specifically. It feels very different from putting one on someone else, and it is the scenario most people never rehearse.

How to spot a fake CAT tourniquet

Counterfeit C-A-Ts are a real problem, not a marketing line. North American Rescue obtained a General Exclusion Order from the U.S. International Trade Commission, which lets U.S. Customs and Border Protection seize imported goods that look like a C-A-T. Its argument is short: genuine C-A-Ts are made only in the United States, so a C-A-T shipped from abroad should not exist. Fakes look right in a photo and fail on a limb.

Check	Genuine Gen 7	Typical fake
Buckle lettering	Raised "CAT" lettering on the single routing buckle	Missing, flat or blurred
Buckle joint	Sonic-welded to the band	Sewn on with thread
Windlass rod	Thick, deeply ribbed, raised lettering near each end	Thin, flexes or snaps under load
Windlass clip	Thick and reinforced	Thin, can crack when the rod is forced in
Performance	Typically two to three turns after slack is removed	Retailers report up to ten turns, or no occlusion at all
Where it came from	North American Rescue or an authorised dealer	Marketplace listing at a price well below the norm

If you already own a C-A-T and are not sure, compare it with a known genuine one side by side, or contact North American Rescue, who say they will help you check. Do not test it by cranking a real tourniquet to failure on your own arm. That damages a genuine one and proves little about a fake.

Black, orange or blue: which C-A-T should you buy?

North American Rescue says all three colours are made to the same specification with the same materials. The difference is the job.

• Black is the original. It is the subdued choice for military, police and anyone who wears it on a uniform, battle belt or plate carrier.
• Orange is the high-visibility version made for the public market and for public bleeding-control kits, so a responder can see at once that a tourniquet is on.
• Blue is the trainer. It is a fully working Gen 7 coloured blue so it can be identified as a training device and used over and over.

We stock the C-A-T in black and in blue. Our suggestion is to buy one of each: the black one stays sealed in its pouch for real use, and the blue one lives in your training bag. Never carry a tourniquet you have practised with as your working one. Repeated tightening wears the hook-and-loop and the windlass, and you will not know by how much.

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  Turniket bojovej aplikácie (CAT)

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  Špeciálne operácie taktický turniket široký (SOFT T)

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Before you buy: how many, and how to look after them

Buy two, not one

One tourniquet does not always stop bleeding from a thigh. In a study of volunteers by Kragh and colleagues (Journal of Trauma, 2008), a single tourniquet on the thigh stopped the pulse in about 70% of applications. Israeli Defense Forces data from casualties on the Syrian border (Benov and colleagues, 2019), as summarised by Crisis Medicine, reported the same 70% for one tourniquet and full success for two side by side. That is why instructors tell you to carry at least two on the body, and why our default suggestion is two black C-A-Ts plus one blue trainer.

Who you are	What we would buy	Why
Police officer or armed security	2 black C-A-Ts, 1 blue trainer, a belt pouch	One on the belt, one on the carrier or in the vehicle kit. Check what your agency already issues first.
Range shooter or hunter	1 black C-A-T on the body, 1 in the range bag, 1 blue trainer	Range injuries are usually to a limb. The bag can be out of reach, the belt is not.
Car, home or workplace kit	1 or 2 black C-A-Ts inside a trauma kit	Stored in a dark, dry place, a sealed C-A-T has no expiry date according to the manufacturer.
Instructor or team buying for training	Blue trainers for every student, black for the kit	Trainers take repeated use. Duty tourniquets should not.

Does a CAT tourniquet expire?

Not while it is unused. North American Rescue says the C-A-T "has no shelf life as long as it remains unused, in protective packaging, and stored in a dry, dark, climate-controlled space". Once it has been used, or carried in the open through heat, cold, sand and dirt, that no longer holds. So a sealed C-A-T in a car kit can stay there, but one carried on the outside of a plate carrier for a summer of training needs checking.

What to check, and when to replace it

North American Rescue's checklist is short. Look at it when you get it, and again every time you clean your kit:

• The windlass rod and clip are intact, with no cracks.
• The hook-and-loop band grips properly and is not worn.
• The edges are not fraying and no stitching is coming loose.
• The colour has not faded. Discolouration means it has had too much sun.

If it fails any of these, or it has been used on someone, replace it. A tourniquet is the cheapest item on your belt and the one you can least afford to fail.

How to carry a CAT tourniquet

A tourniquet only helps if you can get it out with one hand, with either hand, possibly lying down. That rules out the bottom of a backpack. Three ways that work:

Carry method	Good for	Watch out for
Open strap holder on MOLLE, such as the Tourniquet NOW! Strap	Plate carriers, chest rigs, bags. Fastest access, lowest profile.	The tourniquet is exposed to sun, rain and dirt, so inspect and replace it more often.
Covered pouch, such as the Tourniquet NOW! Pouch	Duty belts, battle belts and everyday carry. Protects the tourniquet but still opens with one pull.	Pick the belt-mounted or MOLLE version to match what you wear.
Inside a trauma kit, such as the Micro Trauma Kit NOW!	Keeping the tourniquet with gauze, gloves and a pressure dressing.	Make sure you can reach the tourniquet without unpacking the rest.

Position matters as much as the holder. In our battle belt setup guide we put the tourniquet at the front, between 12 and 1 o'clock, so either hand can reach it if one arm is injured. A tourniquet at the small of your back is out of reach for your own injury. On a drop leg platform or carrier, the same rule applies: front, visible, reachable with the weak hand.

Before you put it in a holder, "stage" the C-A-T the way North American Rescue packs it: band routed through the buckle in a loop, windlass clip and rod lined up, strap folded so the red tip is the first thing your fingers find. A tourniquet that has been unrolled and stuffed back in loose is slower to deploy.

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  Turniket TERAZ! Popruhový držiak na turniket

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  Turniket TERAZ! Vrecúško

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  Micro Trauma Kit TERAZ! - Kompletné súpravy

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What goes with a tourniquet

A tourniquet only deals with bleeding from an arm or a leg. Wounds to the neck, armpit or groin, and wounds to the chest, need other tools. A minimal personal kit that we would build around a C-A-T, using items from our medical items and trauma kits:

• A second tourniquet, for a large limb or a second casualty.
• Haemostatic gauze or plain compressed gauze for packing wounds where a tourniquet cannot go.
• A pressure dressing to hold the packing in place.
• A chest seal, if you work where chest wounds are a realistic risk.
• Trauma gloves and medical shears to get to the wound through clothing.

Buying the kit is the easy part. Packing a wound or applying a chest seal correctly needs training, and so does deciding when a tourniquet is needed at all. If you want all of this in one pouch, our IFAK guide covers what goes in an individual first aid kit and which size to carry.

Common mistakes with tourniquets

• Not removing the slack. The most common error in training. The windlass is for the last bit of pressure, not for taking up a loose band.
• Putting it over a joint. The bone and tendons at the elbow and knee stop it closing the artery. Go above the joint.
• Stopping when the bleeding slows. Arterial bleeding has to stop, not slow down. A tourniquet that is only partly tight can make venous bleeding worse.
• Loosening it because it hurts. It is supposed to hurt.
• Carrying a training tourniquet. Keep the trainer blue and keep it out of your working kit.
• Buying the cheapest C-A-T online. If the price looks too good, assume it is a fake.
• Never practising. Owning a tourniquet is not the same as being able to use one in 30 seconds with shaking hands.

Frequently asked questions

A note on safety and training

This article is general information, not medical training. Tourniquets are for life-threatening bleeding from a limb, and the decision to use one, and the skill to do it quickly, come from practice. Look for a Stop the Bleed course, a first aid course with a bleeding control module, or your agency's TCCC or TECC training. In an emergency, call the local emergency number first or have someone else call while you act.

About the authors

This guide was written by Matúš Koleják and Braňo Hrivňák of Combat Defender in Bratislava, Slovakia. We sell the C-A-T, the SOF Tactical Tourniquet Wide and Blue Force Gear medical pouches and supply them to police, military and security customers in Europe. We are not medical professionals.

The product details, Gen 7 changes, colours and counterfeit information come from North American Rescue and the U.S. Army. The application steps follow North American Rescue's instructions, the TCCC skill sheet and Stop the Bleed material. The counterfeit tells and typical turn counts come from published retailer and instructor guides. The thigh occlusion figures come from the two studies named in the text. The illustrations were generated with an AI image model from our own product photos and checked by us for correct placement and parts; they are not photographs. The carry and purchase suggestions are our own judgement. If something here is wrong or unclear, tell us and we will correct it.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

Sources

• North American Rescue: C-A-T resources
• North American Rescue: C-A-T Gen 7 (specifications)
• North American Rescue: The difference between the C-A-T colours
• North American Rescue: General Exclusion Order blocks counterfeit tourniquets
• U.S. Army: Here are the details on the new combat tourniquet (2016)
• NAEMT: TCCC C-A-T skill sheet
• Los Angeles Fire Department: Stop the Bleed, tourniquet
• CoTCCC: Recommended devices and adjuncts (2021)
• True Rescue: How to spot a fake CAT tourniquet
• North American Rescue: Do C-A-T tourniquets expire?
• Crisis Medicine: Tourniquets, one may not be enough (summarising Kragh et al., J Trauma 2008, and Benov et al., J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2019)