The new CAT Gen 7 tourniquet’s single-routing buckle system allows for simpler and faster application with more efficient slack removal resulting in decreased blood loss with fewer windlass turns. In a world where bleeding out in 1-3 minutes means lights out permanently, speed and simplicity are invaluable.
The new CAT Gen 7 tourniquet is fast and easily self-applied. And that’s why it’s the military’s number one choice when it comes to tourniquets.
In fact, the new CAT Gen 7 tourniquet has six new features that have improved it over its older generation counterparts.
- SINGLE ROUTING BUCKLE: This feature provides fewer windlass turns which means decreased blood loss, effective slack removal, and easier to train with.
- WINDLASS ROD: They beefed up the windlass rod by giving it more diameter for strength when your cranking down on it. And they gave it some serious ribbing to be able to grip it when your hands are bloody or wet.
- WINDLASS CLIP: A new bilateral beveled entry for the rod to get to that secure locking place faster. And it seems to have a little more meat on it for overall strength.
- WINDLASS STRAP: The new windlass strap seems less likely to fray with its new reinforced feature and finally they darkened the strap on the black model.
- STABILIZATION PLATE: When your bleeding out you may not think comfort matters. Till you are tightening a tourniquet on yourself or someone who is screaming their head off. The stabilization plate gives a bit more comfort by leveling out the pressure points where it contacts skin.
- FREE-MOVING INTERNAL BAND: When all that is said and done an even distribution of circumferential pressure is added to this generation by adding a free moving internal band. This secures the best chance of reaching that sweet spot of full occlusion.
This tourniquet is a true one-handed tourniquet and has an impressive record of accomplishment of decreasing the mortality rate due to extreme exsanguination by 85%. The U.S. Army Institute of Research deemed it to be 100% effective.
Is it the end all solution? No matter what you think, every soldier, law enforcement officer, firefighter, or victim of an active shooter that needed to stop the bleed that used a CAT Gen 7 Tourniquet and lived is grateful for this piece of gear. At Grit Born we love seeing gear that continues to move forward and strives for excellency. If you haven’t gotten your hands on this tourniquet. Get one, and train! Train like your life depends on it, because one day it just might!
