rescue whistle

[John B]

I also carry a rescue whistle. I even keep one on my car key chain just so it will always be with me. Not as nice as this one, but effective nonetheless.

I have been laughed at and ridiculed for doing so, but I'm happy that I do.

I encourage others to think about this tool, which weighs nearly nothing (at least my plastic one does), and has a sound that can save your life by letting others know where you are.

http://www.wkyt.com/content/news/How-this-whistle-helped-rescuers-find-3-lost-hikers-in-Powell-County-475875493.html

[trailmercury]

I carry a whistle as well...attached to the backpack shoulder strap. I hope I never need to use it.

[Ankle Bone]

I carry a whistle as well...attached to the backpack shoulder strap. I hope I never need to use it.

I also do, and I've used it. Not life or death, but was glad I had it.

[Traffic Jam]

I carry a Vargo Outdoors titanium whistle on a cord around my neck. Won’t do much good if it’s in my pack when I need it.

[Traffic Jam]

I carry a Vargo Outdoors titanium whistle on a cord around my neck. Won’t do much good if it’s in my pack when I need it.

[Slo-go'en]

I might still be lost in the woods of Maine if Rafe hadn't started blowing his whistle after I had been gone looking for water way too long. I went looking after a long hard day, in the dark, with a dimming headlamp. Pretty stupid actually.

[CarlZ993]

My Fox 40 whistle goes w/ me on every hike. Never used it. Hope that continues.

[Traffic Jam]

I might still be lost in the woods of Maine if Rafe hadn't started blowing his whistle after I had been gone looking for water way too long. I went looking after a long hard day, in the dark, with a dimming headlamp. Pretty stupid actually.
I told my kids (and others) your story...it’s a good campfire story. And it’s why my whistle is carried on my body. Thank you for sharing it.

:)

[4eyedbuzzard]

I have a lanyard with whistle, mini compass and small LED key chain light. That little LED light has come in pretty handy. Thankfully, I've never needed the whistle.

[Sailor (The other one)]

My wife Mudpie and I also carry whistles, on neck lanyards with button LED lights. Both lights and whistles have come in very handy, though we have never had to use the whistles in an emergency.

The international signal for "I NEED HELP!" is three of something - three whistle blasts, three gunshots, three smokey fires. Morse code for SOS is three threes - three dots, three dashes, three dots.

What we have used the whistles for is two blasts, meaning "Where the hell are you? Are you ok?" Answered by one blast "I'm OK. I'm over here" Repeated, if need be, to find each other.

[T.S.Kobzol]

I can whistle louder with my fingers than a whistle but most of my backpacks have one built in on the sternum strap buckle

[trailmercury]

most of my backpacks have one built in on the sternum strap buckle

Let's make of a list of pack(s)/pack makers that incorporate a whistle into the sternum/shoulder strap:
Packs that I own:
Z-packs Arc Haul does not
Six Moon Designs Fusion does
Mountainsmith daypack-no
Dana Design Terraplane-no
Go-Lite Breeze and Gust- no
Cabela's Alaska external frame hunting pack- no

[Traillium]

Let's make of a list of pack(s)/pack makers that incorporate a whistle into the sternum/shoulder strap:
Packs that I own:
Z-packs Arc Haul does not
Six Moon Designs Fusion does
Mountainsmith daypack-no
Dana Design Terraplane-no
Go-Lite Breeze and Gust- no
Cabela's Alaska external frame hunting pack- no

Useless whistles in my experience … Soft, hard to control … Nearly got kicked out of Mountain Equipment Co-op store for testing four or five different brands of pack whistles — except that I went to the store right as they opened and few customers were there …

I carry a (Canadian!) Fox 40 on my pack.

[Lnj]

Osprey's do

[Sarcasm the elf]

most of my backpacks have one built in on the sternum strap buckle

I've met a good number of Osprey owners on trail who have no idea about the sternum strap whistle. I enjoy pointing it out to them, especially if they have attached an additional whistle to the pack.

[peakbagger]

I carry an ACR whistle used for boating. Practically indestructible and put out a lot of noise.

[Time Zone]

Let's make of a list of pack(s)/pack makers that incorporate a whistle into the sternum/shoulder strap:


The only one of mine that has one is my LLB Bigelow Daypack, but that's out of production, and frankly, I'm not sure if those sternum strap whistles are really good enough to count on as your go-to-whistle when one is needed. So, regardless of the pack I bring, I carry a "Tri Power" plastic REI-branded whistle (https://www.rei.com/product/761180/rei-co-op-tri-power-safety-whistle-orange). Probably shouldn't have it buried in my pack, as Traffic Jam advises.

[T.S.Kobzol]

my HMG pack, my ferrino daypack, my Lundhags waterproof pack, Gregory serrac pack they all have a whistle.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Sternum strap whistles are better than nothing. But not much better. Like when you drop your pack at the end of the day and go to get water, or answer nature's call in the night, etc. and get disoriented. And those are the times you're most likely to need one, but it's back at the shelter or your tent or hammock and then you're up $#!7$ creek without a whistle. Two of my packs (both Go-Lite's) have sternum whistles. I still take the lanyard one.

[rocketsocks]

A blade/slip of grass/plastic ground clothe placed between the side of the thumbs makes a formidable screech.

[rocketsocks]

Blade of grass, slip of plastique.

[rocketsocks]

Though you may call in some turkeys to the rescue :D

[Shooting Star]

When I section hiked with a friend we often hiked apart due to different paces but used whistles to
stay in touch. 1 toot and a response was just a "still here" signal - kind of like a network ping. 2 toots
from the trailing hiker was a signal to the lead hiker to stop and hold position. 3 toots from either hiker
was a "something's up - move to each other" signal. Of course, if you get separated by much, whistles
are hard to hear - especially on a windy day. But this still worked reasonable well for us.

[fastfoxengineering]

I've used my rescue whistle to locate SAR.

I think every hiker should carry a quality pealess whistle.

Also if your injured, it's difficult to scream. It's much easier to blow a whistle and make an effective signal.

I think my ACR signal whistle weighs .20 oz

It's an essential piece of kit in my opinion.

Same with a decent light.




Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

[Traffic Jam]

A hiking buddy and I did an impartial (maybe), side-by-side comparison of my Vargo titanium whistle and his REI Tri-Power Safety whistle.

Both whistles are loud and shrill but the Vargo whistle has more of a tonal quality while the REI whistle was more attention-getting because the pitch doesn’t stay the same throughout the “blow”. It sort of ululates which makes it very distinctive.

(However, I suspect the hiking buddy wanted to win the Best Whistle Contest and didn’t use the same amount of force when demonstrating.) :)

The Vargo whistle is lighter and comfortable to carry around the neck. The REI whistle is clipped to something, possibly making it difficult to use in certain situations.

The Vargo whistle costs $10.95, the REI whistle is $5.

[lonehiker]

I also carry a rescue whistle. I even keep one on my car key chain just so it will always be with me. Not as nice as this one, but effective nonetheless.

I have been laughed at and ridiculed for doing so, but I'm happy that I do.

I encourage others to think about this tool, which weighs nearly nothing (at least my plastic one does), and has a sound that can save your life by letting others know where you are.

http://www.wkyt.com/content/news/How-this-whistle-helped-rescuers-find-3-lost-hikers-in-Powell-County-475875493.html

I've carried a whistle with me hiking/backpacking for about 40 years. Never once thought about what others would think about it. If you feel comfortable with something, carry it.

[TexasBob]

After reading about how good the Fox 40 is I got one. Tested it against the no name whistle I have always carried, not as loud as the no name.

[Traillium]

After reading about how good the Fox 40 is I got one. Tested it against the no name whistle I have always carried, not as loud as the no name.

Interesting!

Which Fox 40 did you try? There are three models up here, each with decibel ratings. The original Classic is listed as 115dB. The flatter Micro version as 110dB. The Sharx at 120dB.

I think I can notice that the Micro is perhaps quieter than the Classic — but I’ve not tried using a decibel meter.

I’ve carried a Classic since they came out several decades ago. I’ve got one on every pack, and one in most jackets. I actually stopped using them when I taught outdoors because I worried they were harming my already-limited hearing. My ears rang after more than a couple of blasts.

(I switched to a dog whistle, a supposedly ‘silent’ thin metal thing that’s somewhat tunable. My Golden would respond to it from over half a kilometre … The 11-year-old’s I taught complained it was too loud. I found out when hiking beside whitewater rapids that its shrill sound was more perceptible above the sound of rapids than the Fox 40!)

One of the things I like about the Fox 40 is that it’s capable of voicing, producing variable pitches and slides. Very useful in communicating … The dog whistle is even more so — as you might expect.

[perrymk]

I have several whistles. A Harbor Freight special, Vargo titanium, a few survival whistles. I can't tell a difference between those rated at 110db and 120db. I even bought a cheap sound meter to compare.

On the off chance someone doesn't know, 3 sharp blasts is the generally accepted emergency signal. A simple long blast might be regarded as contacting a friend.

I keep one attached to my backpack strap. I figure if I fall and break an arm I can just about reach it with my mouth, and at worst certainly don't need more than one hand to get to it.

[TexasBob]

Interesting! Which Fox 40 did you try? There are three models up here, each with decibel ratings. The original Classic is listed as 115dB. The flatter Micro version as 110dB. The Sharx at 120dB.

I got the classic. I took both whistles out in the yard about 20 yards from the house and had my wife listen while I tested the Fox and the no name. They are both pretty loud but we agreed the no name was louder. I got the no name years ago at a sporting goods store and I think it was a referee whistle but there is no brand on it. The Fox had a higher pitched sound. Maybe that would be an advantage in the woods, I don't know. The Fox is a high quality whistle and my wife put it on her keychain to carry around in case she ever needs to call for help. My whistle does have a pea whereas the Fox doesn't so I guess that is an advantage for the Fox. I am not knocking the Fox because it is a very loud whistle no doubt about it, very much louder than the whistle on my Osprey sternum strap for sure. I guess I am just surprised how well my old whistle stacked up against it.

[Traillium]

I got the classic. I took both whistles out in the yard about 20 yards from the house and had my wife listen while I tested the Fox and the no name. They are both pretty loud but we agreed the no name was louder. I got the no name years ago at a sporting goods store and I think it was a referee whistle but there is no brand on it. The Fox had a higher pitched sound. Maybe that would be an advantage in the woods, I don't know. The Fox is a high quality whistle and my wife put it on her keychain to carry around in case she ever needs to call for help. My whistle does have a pea whereas the Fox doesn't so I guess that is an advantage for the Fox. I am not knocking the Fox because it is a very loud whistle no doubt about it, very much louder than the whistle on my Osprey sternum strap for sure. I guess I am just surprised how well my old whistle stacked up against it.

Nice test — I shall try that out in the bush with my wife!

(Around water, the pea-less whistles have a definite advantage. And plastic over metal ones in winter …)

[Odd Man Out]

I have a plastic whistle clipped to my sternum stap. Also useful if you are in the North Atlantic after the Titanic sinks.

[BuckeyeBill]

I use to be a referee in both football and basketball on the high school and college level. It seemed like everyone was using the old fashion pea style whistles which work quite well. Then the original Fox 40 came out and it seemed like everyone bought one. My football crew found that a pea style whistle worked better outdoors than the Fox 40. The change of pitch as the pea moved in the chamber made a difference. When basketball season started, we tested the Fox 40 indoors and found it to be a better choice due to the very high pitch it emitted. It cut through the noise of the the crowd better than the pea style whistle. When the Mini Fox 40 came out, we began using them as they had a higher pitch than the original. Of course every year somebody would try to get you to buy their new and improved version, which made me think was the previous version old and not worth a s**t?

[BlackCloud]

A strong whistle is a staple safety product. A solo hiker should not be in the woods w/o a signalling device, and whistles are as light, loud and indestructible as anything else. Whoever is laughing at you, consider them fools.

[BuckeyeBill]

I whole idea behind a signal/rescue whistle is it saves your voice. you will only be able to yell so much before your voice just gives out. All hikers, rangers and rescue personnel know that hearing a whistle is the universal signal that someone is in trouble. To use it for rescue purposes, blow three sharp blast, then wait 10 seconds and blow three more sharp blast. Wait 30-60 seconds and repeat. Once you hear either another hiker or rescue personnel blow sharply three times. If they hear they will tell you keep up with the three sharp blast until they find you. Hopefully you will never have to use it, but don't let that deter you from carrying one.

[Fireball76]

I carry one and my backpack has one built in the straps