Great points, Robert_McCall. A TQ is kind of like a parachute- if you ever need one and don't have one you'll probably never need one again. However rare their application they do save lives, and they're not always easy to improvise. Some of you may recall the logger in Wisconsin that had his leg amputated by a tree; he tried to TQ the stump with his belt but his belt broke! He hobbled to his truck and called 911, then drove as far as he could go before losing consciousness. By a miracle EMS met him halfway and he was saved but the amount of blood he lost was staggering, and there's no way he should have survived. So yeah, he survived without the TQ but I think it was more luck than anything.

In another case I can recall a guy at a public range was blasted through both legs with a .30/06 and survived. There were several guys there to help and improvised TQs were applied (leather belts, natch) and neither was adequate to stop the bleeding.

I carry a lot of things that I have never needed to use: Full coverage insurance on my car, a sidearm and spare mag, etc. Still I know that the fact I haven't used them yet doesn't mean I won't need them in the future.