CAT, SOF-T, SWAT-T... And now SAM XT Tourniquet has entered the battlefield. For over 30 years, SAM Medical Products, an industry leader in the pre-hospital, trauma care market. “From the front lines to behind the lines to the sidelines, our products treat the problem at hand fast and effectively…”

Recently they’ve released a handful of new products on the market and I was lucky enough to receive a few of the XT TQs. Thankfully, I’ve not had to use one in a real world application, but I’ve tested them out extensively. I also brought it around my local shooting club that has members from all branches of the military, law enforcement, medical personnel, and regular Joes. Some of the big concerns where the plastic that SAM used in the buckle and other components, and the fact that you have to pull in a different plane than others. With those concerns, no one was able to break the plastic buckle(or other components), and after showing someone the correct way to pull(against the buckle, not perpendicular) everyone got it after the fact. Additionally, it was very intuitive to use by people who’ve never had TQ training.

What sets the SAM XT TQ apart from the rest of the herd is the Truforce Buckle. It’s a special buckle that releases forks to hold the tourniquet strap in place, and not allow it to loosen while you're securing the rest of the strap to itself. Slack in the strap is the leading cause for tourniquet failure, resulting in loss of life. With the Truforce Buckle, it secures the strap at a preset circumferential force, and allows you to use fewer windlass turns to fully tighten and cut off blood flow. Once it’s tight, you secure the windlass in the C-hooks, and lock it in the a velcro time band.

As with all tourniquets, they recommend you get one for training and one for use in your kit. As it falls in line with the price of other TQs, you should take a look at your concerns and consider this for your kit. I know I’ll be keeping one with me.