Staging a CAT Tourniquet

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

David talked about the importance of having an authentic CAT tourniquet. I have a follow-up to that post, and it's one of the laziest posts I've made in that it's just a video, but the topic of that video is of utmost importance: Is your CAT tourniquet staged properly? 

If it isn't, you could lose valuable seconds when deploying it which might mean the difference between life and death. Take the time now to ensure it's ready to go. 

Prudent Prepping: TQ, or Not TQ

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping. 

I carry at least one tourniquet in various bags and first aid kits, and with a second set of bags to fill, I ordered two more CAT tourniquets directly from North American Rescue after having previously bought them through Amazon, which resulted in some discussion among BCP authors and others about whether or not I was getting the 'Real Deal' when buying from Amazon sellers. 

So I looked up one of my earlier Amazon purchases and found a YouTube video in the post discussing how to detect a counterfeit North American Rescue CAT goods. I recommend watching the video if you have ANY doubts of the authenticity of your tourniquets. I'll wait.

 

You're back? Good, because I needed to watch the video again myself, just as a refresher on to how a phony looks compared to the real thing. It appears to my amateur eye that my tourniquet bought back in 2018 is a genuine NAR CAT when compared to the two purchased directly from North American Rescue a bit over one month ago. Take a look:

North American Rescue CAT

The top is my 2018 purchase and the bottom is my latest buy. The things specifically mentioned in the video linked above are:

1. Printed information on the band. You can see the labels on both and the serial/batch/mfg run are easy to read, plus there is a very big difference shown between the two.

2. The red tip and how it is attached to the black band. Both are deeply bonded into each other and match.

3. The printed TIME on the hold down strap. Check.

4. Embossed printing on the black plastic panel, which I can't seem to get a good shot of with my phone. Also a check.

So, while there certainly are counterfeit North American Rescue CAT's out there, at least the two different samples I can get my hands on appear to be genuine. 

One last thing I want to mention is North American Rescue's 25% discount on Community Preparedness supplies!  May is Stop The Bleed month and everything the average person might need is on sale.

Recap and Takeaway

• Two CAT tourniquets purchased directly from North American Rescue, $29.99. 
• While that is more than what you can find them selling for on Amazon, with NAR having a big sale all May the discounts bring everything in line with online prices.
• I'm still behind my self-imposed posting schedule and hope to catch up and possibly get ahead in case I have more excitement in my daily grind.

* * *

Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

 

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