The Safariland TQ Pouch is a holster-mounted tourniquet carrier that keeps lifesaving medical gear secure, accessible, and ready when seconds matter. Unlike traditional belt-mounted pouches, it positions your tourniquet alongside your holster for faster access without adding bulk to your duty belt.
If you can make holes, you need to be able to patch them up. IFAKs are nothing new, and I love that tourniquets have moved from the battlefield into the mainstream. They’re now a regular fixture on duty belts, range gear, and even everyday carry kits.
The tourniquet (TQ) is a lifesaving device, and addressing massive hemorrhage is the first step in the first aid acronym M.A.R.C.H. for a reason. You have to stop the bleed, and that’s exactly what a TQ can do. Carrying a TQ is a must, and Safariland’s holster-mounted TQ pouch makes carrying one easier than ever—and in a fight for your life, that accessibility can make all the difference.
Five Reasons Why You Need a TQ Pouch
I’ve been running and gunning with a holster-mounted TQ pouch for several months. I also keep one on me when I shoot competitively because stuff happens, and I want it within reach if I need it. After practicing access and deployment, here are five reasons why the Safariland TQ Pouch is one of the best ways to carry a tourniquet.
1. Fast Access When Seconds Matter
If you need a tourniquet, you need it fast. Time is blood, and while I’m not a doctor, prevailing medical wisdom is that the more blood you keep in your body, the better. The main job of a tourniquet is to keep your blood inside your body where it’s supposed to be.
The Safariland TQ Pouch makes it easy to access your tourniquet with no retention device to defeat. Just grip and rip. The friction-fit design ensures anyone can grab the TQ and deploy it quickly, whether it’s you, a teammate, or a friend. Mounted to your holster, it’s as accessible as your firearm.
If you have to grab a friend’s TQ, or a friend has to grab yours, it’s easily accessible. Safariland is all about retention, but a tourniquet doesn’t require the same retention as a gun needs.
For just a second, think about how you position your gun. I bet the general idea is to place it in a manner that makes it easily accessible for a quick draw. Lock a tourniquet pouch on your holster, and you’ve made your tourniquet as easily accessible as your firearm.
2. Secure Retention Without Slowing You Down
Violent or high-stress situations demand movement—running, fighting, climbing, or working. The last thing you want is to reach for your tourniquet and find it gone. Safariland solved this with a pouch that combines ease of access with a deep, secure friction fit
The pouch itself swallows almost all of the tourniquet. It sits nice and deep in the pouch, and while gripping and ripping with your hand is easy, it’s not likely to find its way free any other way. Removing the tourniquet requires a deliberate pull. It won’t just flop out on its own.
3. Compatible With CoTCCC-Approved Tourniquets
The Safariland TQ Pouch is designed to fit tourniquets approved by the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care (CoTCCC). The CoTCCC was established in 2002, initially as a part of SOCOM, but it evolved and became a part of the Defense Health Board. They set the standard for battlefield trauma across the military.
They serve the DoD and the United States Military as the premier advisors on traumatic medicine and care at the unit level. The CoTCCC includes physicians, providers, and enlisted medical specialties from the Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
This group gets together and figures out what works—that’s the easiest way to describe them. This includes techniques to save lives and the gear necessary to save those lives. Tourniquets are a big part of their work.
You can’t buy the CoTCCC endorsement; they aren’t open to submissions. It takes a lot to get their approval, and the Safariland TQ pouch is designed to work with tourniquets they’ve approved.
4. Reduced Bulk on your Duty Belt
Duty belts get crowded fast—magazines, cuffs, gloves, less-lethal options, and maybe even a full IFAK. Mounting your tourniquet on your holster instead of your belt frees up space without compromising access.
Not only is your belt a little emptier, but you’re not compromising access to your tourniquet or any other piece of gear. You might already have a tourniquet pouch on your belt, which is fantastic, but what if you could have another?
How many limbs do you have? It’s likely somewhere in the neighborhood of four, right? That’s four opportunities for massive hemorrhage. Having an extra tourniquet in a handy place that leaves you unencumbered can be life-saving.
Carrying multiple tourniquets is recommended by many trainers, and the Safariland pouch makes that possible without crowding your belt. The Safariland pouch gives you flexibility to mount TQs on belts, holsters, or MOLLE systems, so you’re never short when it counts.
5. Safe, No-Interference Holster Mounting
If you are attaching anything to your holster, you have the rightful expectation that it doesn’t interfere with your holster’s function. That means your ability to access your firearm, to draw safely, and to re-holster.
With Safariland holsters, this also means the ability to retain proper retention. The holster-mounted tourniquet pouch doesn’t interfere with the ALS or SLS or the holster’s ability to stay connected to the mount and the belt. It remains safely out of the way and is a non-issue for the end user.
Why the Safariland TQ Pouch Belongs on Your Gear
Thousands of lives have been saved since tourniquets became standard in tactical medicine. They’re affordable, simple, and easy to carry — especially with a pouch designed to keep them secure and accessible.
The Safariland TQ Pouch keeps a lifesaving tourniquet exactly where you need it: secure, accessible, and ready when seconds matter. Whether you’re on duty, at the range, or carrying daily, this holster-mounted pouch gives you confidence that you’re prepared to stop the bleed.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Safariland TQ Pouch
What tourniquets fit in the Safariland TQ Pouch?
The pouch is designed to work with CoTCCC-approved tourniquets, including the CAT Gen 7, SOF-T, and SWAT-T. These have been tested and proven effective in real-world trauma care.
Does the Safariland TQ Pouch interfere with holster access?
No. The pouch mounts securely without affecting firearm access, holster retention, or safe reholstering. It’s built to complement Safariland’s ALS and SLS holster systems.
Can the Safariland TQ Pouch be mounted to more than a holster?
Yes. While it’s most popular as a holster-mounted pouch, it can also be mounted to belts, MOLLE gear, or plate carriers, giving flexibility for duty, training, or everyday carry.
Why carry a tourniquet on your holster instead of your belt?
Mounting a tourniquet to your holster reduces bulk on the duty belt while keeping lifesaving gear instantly accessible with either hand. It also allows you to carry a backup TQ without sacrificing space.
