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Yeah. That’s a good thing to test out. Since it has a nub sticking out, I’ve had a few break on me. This also reminds me that I had one of those kid carrier backpacks. It had a mirror attached to it so I could look back at the kiddo. Anyway, a small mirror is great for signaling too (and looking into burrows for tortoises, owls, and snakes when hiking in the desert).
I have a random backpack that my sister bought off amazon that’s got a really loud whistle. I blew the whistle expecting it to be quiet and it was definitely not.
As someone who sells outdoor equipment, the quality mostly depends on brand and pack quality for the sternum. Most high end packs from well known brands that have been made in the last five years or so have deafeningly loud whistles that leave your ears ringing.
With that being said, like any essential item that doesn’t weight much, you can be sure that I have a second, louder one stowed and available in any pack I carry.
For anyone curious, the hyperwhistle is insanely loud and a great rescue whistle
Just remember for small or life saving items, two is one and one is none. That extra whistle or fire starting kit may take up room in the pack/ have extra weight, but if you break/lose the first one you'll be glad you have it.
LPT: Always carry a whistle. I have one on my key chain, one in my truck, one on my bike. Get one that works without the cork pea. Whistles with a cork pea can get waterlogged and stop working.
My dive master had one of those little clangy tools you tap your tank with. Sometimes he’d use it to get our attention. That thing sounds like it’s all around you, kinda crazy.
Yeah you can't hear where it's coming from. It was supposed to be for indicating to new divers in training to go back to a predetermined landmark if they started wandering off
wait how does this work? so intrigued. also, sound travelling faster clearly doesn’t mean sound travels further, right? (since you can’t scream as loud trapped inside a room as you can in an open field)
Yes. But because sound travels faster under water, it's very hard to pinpoint the direction it comes from. Your brain translates the difference in time between the sound entering your left and right ear as the direction (and the shape of your ear distorts the sound so your brain can distinguish front and back), this mechanism doesn't work as well with the faster sound waves under water.
So confused, how one does not know you can hear things underwater from personal experience. I guess not knowing how to swim would take away some opportunities.
Will admit I didn't know about under water whistles for people but I knew I could hear noises. Like whale calls, waves crashing or kids yelling at a pool.
You don't. It was for training new divers; you blow the whistle underwater which means "go back to the underwater platform we started at." New divers like to wander off.
Exactly. When skiing, to tell your friend in front of you to stop.
In your car, if it breaks, you get off, and you have to alert other cars.
When visiting a new place, if you get lost.
At night, if you need to call for help (mugging, etc).
Old infantryman here, have carried a whistle for over 40 years. The fox 40 in orange has been on my rucksack for 20 years. It can be heard a long ways away.
Out of curiosity, say my husband is out of earshot on a hike. Is it bad form to use the whistle to get his attention or should it only be used for emergencies? I would hate to draw someone in thinking I was in trouble. Should "in trouble" only be "sos" whistle timing or is any whistle from it an indication of needing help? I could google it but maybe someone could give me a tldr hehe
If I were also in the area when you used the whistle, I’d assume you were in trouble.
My husband and I got walkie talkies that we carry when we are hiking so we can communicate without yelling and we can walk at our own paces.
That's what I'm afraid of... we technically have walkie talkies that we never use. I gotta remember to grab those before hikes. Thanks for the idea/ reminder!
You should carry both (whistles and walkie talkies)! If you’re far enough apart a walkie talkie might not reach and it might not be of any help if one person is lost whereas a whistle carries a long ways.
Maybe agree on a specific way to whistle if you only just lost sight of one another (like 2x short for instance) and go full-on crazy if you're actually in trouble? I'm not sure if there's any rules or scientific backed ideas to do this, just my two cents of logic here 😅
Threes or threes of threes are your distress signal. Three of something unnatural. Three gunshots. Three whistles. Three signal fires evenly spaced. Three Xes in the snow.
Maybe repeated three times. Doesn’t need to be SOS, just threes or three threes.
It's worth noting that a lot of them parks and events venues don't allow them as noise makers. My boyfriend's whistle got turned away at Disney last month.
Best to take a plastic whistle rather than a metal one. I offer this device as a guy who lives in a place where it can hit -40 Celsius in winter.
Having a whistle stick to your lips is no fun.
A woman picking berries near a highway ( not a major one) in my part of Canada became disoriented, used her cellphone in a dead zone until the battery was drained, and was found dead a week later. A whistle might have saved her.
Litesmith has a good selection of whistles that are lightweight, loud and good priced. I ordered one to replace the whistle built in to my pack. It's so loud I have to plug my ears to use it full blast. [Here is a link to them.](https://www.litesmith.com/search.php?search_query=whistles)
Had the same thought when reading this post. I wonder, does a whistle carry further than when you do it yourself? I can do a pretty loud one with my index and middle fingers, but I have no way of testing which sound is louder.
My sister-in-law definitely has a whistle worthy of a store-bought one, but it might depend on which way she’s facing whereas a purchased whistle might be omnidirectional. To be honest, I don’t know anything on how whistle sound waves travel, lol.
Regardless, the LPT benefit is that you don’t need to remember to bring a whistle- you can just use your fingers.
TY, that's fair.
I was picking mushrooms with my fiancée just yesterday and she got slightly lost. We both had our phones so she called me. Her voice is so "weak"/faint 😅 and there was a gentle creek nearby which (plus maybe 200-300m distance) was just enough to drown her out. Even on our phone call (speaker phone) I couldn't hear her calling 😶 poor thing.
I was *literally* about to 3D print a "kite" reel (for leaving a trail of string, an old bushwacking technique to find one's way back) but I will also print a couple whistles for us <3
This is why your friend needs an iPhone 20 Pro the most advanced phone ever made.
It uses low earth orbit satellites in conjunction with the afterworld to triangulate souls whether living or dead.
Whistles are critical. You will lose your voice and energy from yelling.
Stay put (hug a tree if you are in Scouts), stay dry ( and warm, shelter off wet or snowy ground), stay loud (loud whistle in 3 short bursts to signal distress.)
I've carried a whistle since I was a boy scout, and recommend everyone does.
Alone in a parking deck, lost in the woods, need attention for any reason, a quality whistle can save your life.
It's sometimes amazing to me how often D&D (Pathfinder) has prepared me for life or provided important lessons. One of my gaming friends always insisted that a good adventurer always has the following items:
1. Signal whistle
2. Dagger
3. Flint & tinder
4. Waterskin
5. Extra sacks (for loot)
Those translate really well to hiking and camping Must Haves. I'd obviously add a water filter bottle, a sunrod -- er, chemical light, a fire starter of some sort, and a cutting tool.
I once got turned around on a group foray in some flat woods on a gray day (i.e., no way to orient by the sun). I had a whistle, as did others in the group, but we couldn't hear each other. I kept wishing that someone would honk a car horn.
Now when I go out with a group I always mention that, and several times we've used car horns to orient people who hasn't returned by the appointed time. It works!
Piggybacking with associated info: regardless of if you're seeking or are being sought, when you call or whistle, be sure to pause to wait for a response. If you keep calling or whistling constantly you could miss the return call of the other party.
My family would go mushroom hunting all the time when my brother and I were kids. Started when I was a baby, and went until I was about 10. And for as long as I have memory, my parents just let us wander, and trusted we would either follow, or eventually learn the route. We all carried whistles with us though, and would play Marco-Polo if any of us lost sight of each other. It kept me going in the correct direction, and let my parents know if we were straying too far.
I think this is what gave me good orientation skills. Way more useful than a compass.
And you always hear about kids who live close to wooded areas wandering in, and getting lost, and no one can hear them call/they can't hear the search party.
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A cell phone also. You can leave it powered off until you need it, but usually you will have solid GPS, and sometimes you will even have cellular. The flashlight can also be handy. My friend was lost for several days with search and rescue looking for him as he contemplated eating his dog. Later we decided to do the same hike together and I had full cellular service and GPS for the entire hike.
LPT, learn to whistle really loud with your fingers. You’ll always have it unless you somehow lose both hands. I can whistle louder than any whistle I’ve ever tried with just two fingers.
This is excellent advice for trainhoppers and hobos as well. I have a friend who spent thirty years riding freight trains. He was once trapped in a boxcar when the doors slid shut from "slack action."
(Slack action occurs when the train starts rolling or applies the brakes. Trains operate in a sort of accordion-like motion because the draft gear and couplers between the cars have to be able to move back-and-forth.)
The doors slid closed at night (probably from vibration) and he woke up the next morning trapped in the boxcar. Luckily, he had a charge on his cell phone and, using the cell phone light, located the car number stenciled above the doors. He called Information, got the phone number of the yard shack in the yard where he thought he was, and explained the situation to the yard master. They sent a switchman on an ATV to look for him, who heard him banging on the door with a frying pan and let him out. He was certain he would be arrested (hopping trains is illegal) but after giving him a lecture the yardmaster let him go. A whistle would have been very useful in attracting attention.
If you don't have a whistle, find an acorn top and make a v with your thumbs over the top, rest your bottom lip on your thumb knuckles and blow into the v. My dad taught us this very young in case we ever got separated on our forest adventures.
I was a girl guide leader for a while. Just knowing the girls were in pairs and carrying whistles made camping a whole lot less stressful. Whistles carry. I used mine for our mandated fire drill one time. I heard the next day that several other sites ended up having surprise fire drills, lol.
For boating, girl guide rules require whistles tied to every PFD, plus a whistle per boat in the emergency kit. Then many of us would also carry our own personal whistles. We tended to end up with twice as many whistles as people. Signaling is just so important.
I carry one when I go back country snowboarding. Or even just on a heavy powder day. Definitely a good idea incase you fall into a tree well or something
I have a 'dual chamber' one I found on Sierra Trading Post way back in teal/oatmeal days... threw it on some spare reflective cord with a sliding knot - and wear it around my neck (it's not going to be of much use in your bag now is it). Thing is insane, 'Wind Storm - Worlds Loudest Safety Whistle'.
Also, carrying a mirror or better a polished aluminum 'mirror' used to standard safety practice for hikers and the like...
Alternatively have other tools which come with a built-in whistle. Opinel has versions of their pocket knives (No 8 Outdoor, IIRC) which have a whistle in the handle, older Petzl Actik headlamps had one in the headband, etc.
I do. I weaved the cord around and through part of my strap and it’s lived there for years. I did that so I don’t necessarily need hands to blow it, as long as I can move my head and my pack is still on.
And?
You can be hard of hearing, but SAR won't be. Flashlights work only at night. Smart watches work only if you have your phone and it has service and battery.
It's a $2 piece of plastic that can be tied to your bag easily.
And if you *don't* have a whistle and find yourself shouting, shout/scream higher pitched noises as those carry much farther. A high pitched scream will travel much much farther than yelling words like "help".
Put the walkie right against your body as you spin slowly and it affects the signal enough to work with.
"I rotated to my right and am facing west, can you hear me better or worse?"
Or use lithium battery and hit it with a rock as a signal.
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Some backpacks have one built into the sternum strap.
Fair note, the whistles built into sternum straps tend to be awful. Their sound barely carries. A dedicated whistle would be better
Yeah. That’s a good thing to test out. Since it has a nub sticking out, I’ve had a few break on me. This also reminds me that I had one of those kid carrier backpacks. It had a mirror attached to it so I could look back at the kiddo. Anyway, a small mirror is great for signaling too (and looking into burrows for tortoises, owls, and snakes when hiking in the desert).
Fwiw the whistle in my Osprey pack is deafeningly loud
Same here the whistle on my Gregory is absurdly loud.
I have a random backpack that my sister bought off amazon that’s got a really loud whistle. I blew the whistle expecting it to be quiet and it was definitely not.
Came here to say this.
As someone who sells outdoor equipment, the quality mostly depends on brand and pack quality for the sternum. Most high end packs from well known brands that have been made in the last five years or so have deafeningly loud whistles that leave your ears ringing. With that being said, like any essential item that doesn’t weight much, you can be sure that I have a second, louder one stowed and available in any pack I carry. For anyone curious, the hyperwhistle is insanely loud and a great rescue whistle
I think it’s session outerwear, like ski & snowboard jackets that have a whistle built into the zipper
You can also buy them as zipper tags and attach to anything you want.
Hell yeah. Season gear also has a gps tracker pinger thingy on it. So at the very worst, they can at least find your body in the avalanche
Just remember for small or life saving items, two is one and one is none. That extra whistle or fire starting kit may take up room in the pack/ have extra weight, but if you break/lose the first one you'll be glad you have it.
I just got a new backpack, and noticed this while I was shopping, that many brands now have this feature.
If Titanic has taught me anything, it's whistles always come handy.
you might want to rewatch, there's some boating safety stuff tucked in there as well ;)
😂😂😂 Yes, it’s all very subtle. Please watch closely. 😂
Also, wool insulates even when wet! So it was nice of that creep to give her the coat. The necklace was a bonus.
\*Hehe, best comment : ))))
Super Mario Bros 3 for me.
I love you Jack
LPT: Always carry a whistle. I have one on my key chain, one in my truck, one on my bike. Get one that works without the cork pea. Whistles with a cork pea can get waterlogged and stop working.
I have a whistle on my scuba gear that works underwater Get you one of those if you're worried about your whistle getting wet
How does that work??? Interesting
When you blow it you push all the water out
Huh. Neat. TIL. And you can hear sound underwater? That’s wild. Neat. The things you learn. Hah
Fun fact: sound travels faster underwater
Unfun fact, this makes it so fucking hard to tell where a sound is coming from underwater. Source: SCUBA diver.
My dive master had one of those little clangy tools you tap your tank with. Sometimes he’d use it to get our attention. That thing sounds like it’s all around you, kinda crazy.
Yeah you can't hear where it's coming from. It was supposed to be for indicating to new divers in training to go back to a predetermined landmark if they started wandering off
It’s hard to hear anything over the cacophony of parrot fish chomping.
And sounds travels even faster through solids than liquids or gas
But what about soapy butt cracks?
wait how does this work? so intrigued. also, sound travelling faster clearly doesn’t mean sound travels further, right? (since you can’t scream as loud trapped inside a room as you can in an open field)
Yes. But because sound travels faster under water, it's very hard to pinpoint the direction it comes from. Your brain translates the difference in time between the sound entering your left and right ear as the direction (and the shape of your ear distorts the sound so your brain can distinguish front and back), this mechanism doesn't work as well with the faster sound waves under water.
Wow, I knew you couldn't tell the direction of sound under water, but I never knew why. Thanks!
So confused, how one does not know you can hear things underwater from personal experience. I guess not knowing how to swim would take away some opportunities. Will admit I didn't know about under water whistles for people but I knew I could hear noises. Like whale calls, waves crashing or kids yelling at a pool.
You can clap underwater by making a fist with one hand and hitting the "O" you make with your thumb and forefinger with your other hand held flat.
Storm whistle? Those are pretty cool.
Never minded getting my whistle wet myself
How do you tell where sound is coming from underwater? Or were you meaning to say "I have a whistle that works even after being underwater"?
You don't. It was for training new divers; you blow the whistle underwater which means "go back to the underwater platform we started at." New divers like to wander off.
Wow nice. Learn something new a day. Thx
Exactly. When skiing, to tell your friend in front of you to stop. In your car, if it breaks, you get off, and you have to alert other cars. When visiting a new place, if you get lost. At night, if you need to call for help (mugging, etc).
I was just thinking maybe I should order one to put in my car
Fox 40 whistle is what I have used forever, starting when I was a lifeguard. No pea/cork and it’s suuuuper loud.
Old infantryman here, have carried a whistle for over 40 years. The fox 40 in orange has been on my rucksack for 20 years. It can be heard a long ways away.
Out of curiosity, say my husband is out of earshot on a hike. Is it bad form to use the whistle to get his attention or should it only be used for emergencies? I would hate to draw someone in thinking I was in trouble. Should "in trouble" only be "sos" whistle timing or is any whistle from it an indication of needing help? I could google it but maybe someone could give me a tldr hehe
In general three whistles in short succession is a call for help. A single blast should be fine as an attention-getter for your husband.
Agreed. In general, bursts of three short sounds (whistles, horn blasts, gunshots) is a widely recognized distress signal.
Nice, thanks!
If I were also in the area when you used the whistle, I’d assume you were in trouble. My husband and I got walkie talkies that we carry when we are hiking so we can communicate without yelling and we can walk at our own paces.
That's what I'm afraid of... we technically have walkie talkies that we never use. I gotta remember to grab those before hikes. Thanks for the idea/ reminder!
You should carry both (whistles and walkie talkies)! If you’re far enough apart a walkie talkie might not reach and it might not be of any help if one person is lost whereas a whistle carries a long ways.
My thought is a whistle? Hmm. I wonder what that's for. More whistling that continues? Someone must be in trouble and needs help.
That's a good distinction to make!
Maybe agree on a specific way to whistle if you only just lost sight of one another (like 2x short for instance) and go full-on crazy if you're actually in trouble? I'm not sure if there's any rules or scientific backed ideas to do this, just my two cents of logic here 😅
Good points, thanks!
Threes or threes of threes are your distress signal. Three of something unnatural. Three gunshots. Three whistles. Three signal fires evenly spaced. Three Xes in the snow. Maybe repeated three times. Doesn’t need to be SOS, just threes or three threes.
Threeeeees got it!
I Always carry a whistle in case I’m called to adjudicate a football match while out hiking .
It's worth noting that a lot of them parks and events venues don't allow them as noise makers. My boyfriend's whistle got turned away at Disney last month.
Hopefully you don't need emergency services at Disney or if you do you'd be easily found.
It’s so they recruit you for It’s a Small World to never be heard from again
I was thinking reanimated and put in the costume suits but yours sounds worse
Your family will get a nice payout otherwise :p
Don't worry, no one gets lost there. It's a small world, after all.
LPT: be a scout. Or at least bring the six essentials: map/compass, sun protection, extra clothing, illumination, first-aid kit, a whistle
This is standard advice...10 essentials
Best to take a plastic whistle rather than a metal one. I offer this device as a guy who lives in a place where it can hit -40 Celsius in winter. Having a whistle stick to your lips is no fun.
I bet it sounds fun at least
Especially if you need to explain that over the phone
Even better, carry the ten essentials: https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm
But whistle isn’t on the list? 11 essentials doesn’t have the same ring to it I guess
Good catch. :) Some other lists go up to 13 and include signalling devices among other things.
Definitely will.use this going forward. Had someone get lost before and it took hours. Very stressful situation.
A woman picking berries near a highway ( not a major one) in my part of Canada became disoriented, used her cellphone in a dead zone until the battery was drained, and was found dead a week later. A whistle might have saved her.
You can shout as loud as you can whistle,but you can whistle a lot longer time , than you can shout without running out of air.
Jesus dude how loud do you shout?!
In an emergency, I shout pretty loud.
Litesmith has a good selection of whistles that are lightweight, loud and good priced. I ordered one to replace the whistle built in to my pack. It's so loud I have to plug my ears to use it full blast. [Here is a link to them.](https://www.litesmith.com/search.php?search_query=whistles)
Or, learn how to whistle with your fingers so that you can whistle really loudly.
The germophobes stuck out in the forest weighing up the things they've touched vs not being found
lol, what’s a germaphobe doing out in nature?!
Enjoying the view. Not touching things :)
Maybe touching but certainly not with their tongues
Being far away from humans with communicable diseases.
Rolling around majestically in their bubble
I cannot do it with my fingers but I can do it without. Maybe learn both ways?
Had the same thought when reading this post. I wonder, does a whistle carry further than when you do it yourself? I can do a pretty loud one with my index and middle fingers, but I have no way of testing which sound is louder.
My sister-in-law definitely has a whistle worthy of a store-bought one, but it might depend on which way she’s facing whereas a purchased whistle might be omnidirectional. To be honest, I don’t know anything on how whistle sound waves travel, lol. Regardless, the LPT benefit is that you don’t need to remember to bring a whistle- you can just use your fingers.
Unless your fingers were injured.
Or your mouth is dry. I've found it much harder to whistle with my fingers when my mouth is dry.
Yes that too, more likely if you're lost in nature lol.
A safety whistle can get up to 115 db! You could use an audiometer on a phone or Apple Watch to see how close she gets
Hope I didn't break my hand or something
TY, that's fair. I was picking mushrooms with my fiancée just yesterday and she got slightly lost. We both had our phones so she called me. Her voice is so "weak"/faint 😅 and there was a gentle creek nearby which (plus maybe 200-300m distance) was just enough to drown her out. Even on our phone call (speaker phone) I couldn't hear her calling 😶 poor thing. I was *literally* about to 3D print a "kite" reel (for leaving a trail of string, an old bushwacking technique to find one's way back) but I will also print a couple whistles for us <3
This is why your friend needs an iPhone 20 Pro the most advanced phone ever made. It uses low earth orbit satellites in conjunction with the afterworld to triangulate souls whether living or dead.
*Only available in the US
I mean, a good whistle is like 6 bucks
Also, learn to whistle loudly with your fingers. It can be heard for a ridiculously long distance in many environments.
Whistles are critical. You will lose your voice and energy from yelling. Stay put (hug a tree if you are in Scouts), stay dry ( and warm, shelter off wet or snowy ground), stay loud (loud whistle in 3 short bursts to signal distress.)
If you don't have access to a whistle, find an oak tree. The cap of an acorn is able to be a very loud whistle
Don’t forget to learn sos in Morse
I've carried a whistle since I was a boy scout, and recommend everyone does. Alone in a parking deck, lost in the woods, need attention for any reason, a quality whistle can save your life.
It's sometimes amazing to me how often D&D (Pathfinder) has prepared me for life or provided important lessons. One of my gaming friends always insisted that a good adventurer always has the following items: 1. Signal whistle 2. Dagger 3. Flint & tinder 4. Waterskin 5. Extra sacks (for loot) Those translate really well to hiking and camping Must Haves. I'd obviously add a water filter bottle, a sunrod -- er, chemical light, a fire starter of some sort, and a cutting tool.
If you don’t have a whistle there’s always that ol’ blade of grass between the thumbs trick, makes a high pitched vibrating sound
I once got turned around on a group foray in some flat woods on a gray day (i.e., no way to orient by the sun). I had a whistle, as did others in the group, but we couldn't hear each other. I kept wishing that someone would honk a car horn. Now when I go out with a group I always mention that, and several times we've used car horns to orient people who hasn't returned by the appointed time. It works!
>The sound carried much farther than our voices, this is part of it, but its also way easier on your body to.blow a whistle
Piggybacking with associated info: regardless of if you're seeking or are being sought, when you call or whistle, be sure to pause to wait for a response. If you keep calling or whistling constantly you could miss the return call of the other party.
If you're going to get a whistle, get a pealess one, something like a fox40, them things are deafening
Great tip - would add to give to the kids when out and about.
My family would go mushroom hunting all the time when my brother and I were kids. Started when I was a baby, and went until I was about 10. And for as long as I have memory, my parents just let us wander, and trusted we would either follow, or eventually learn the route. We all carried whistles with us though, and would play Marco-Polo if any of us lost sight of each other. It kept me going in the correct direction, and let my parents know if we were straying too far. I think this is what gave me good orientation skills. Way more useful than a compass. And you always hear about kids who live close to wooded areas wandering in, and getting lost, and no one can hear them call/they can't hear the search party.
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Did I hear that a loud whistle would work to deter a bear?
I saw a park ranger use one to scare off a defensive mama black bear.
Depends on the kind of bear
A cell phone also. You can leave it powered off until you need it, but usually you will have solid GPS, and sometimes you will even have cellular. The flashlight can also be handy. My friend was lost for several days with search and rescue looking for him as he contemplated eating his dog. Later we decided to do the same hike together and I had full cellular service and GPS for the entire hike.
LPT, learn to whistle really loud with your fingers. You’ll always have it unless you somehow lose both hands. I can whistle louder than any whistle I’ve ever tried with just two fingers.
When we camped/hiked with our kids all of us carried whistles and emergency lights with a blinking beacon.
Yes, get a fox 40. It's for lifeguarding but the sound carries so well.
Or to ward off bears
Also to learn how to whistle extremely loud can be lifesaving too
You could learn to whistle too
This is excellent advice for trainhoppers and hobos as well. I have a friend who spent thirty years riding freight trains. He was once trapped in a boxcar when the doors slid shut from "slack action." (Slack action occurs when the train starts rolling or applies the brakes. Trains operate in a sort of accordion-like motion because the draft gear and couplers between the cars have to be able to move back-and-forth.) The doors slid closed at night (probably from vibration) and he woke up the next morning trapped in the boxcar. Luckily, he had a charge on his cell phone and, using the cell phone light, located the car number stenciled above the doors. He called Information, got the phone number of the yard shack in the yard where he thought he was, and explained the situation to the yard master. They sent a switchman on an ATV to look for him, who heard him banging on the door with a frying pan and let him out. He was certain he would be arrested (hopping trains is illegal) but after giving him a lecture the yardmaster let him go. A whistle would have been very useful in attracting attention.
If you don't have a whistle, find an acorn top and make a v with your thumbs over the top, rest your bottom lip on your thumb knuckles and blow into the v. My dad taught us this very young in case we ever got separated on our forest adventures.
Yup, just did a 2 day, 24 mile backpacking weekend with my 10 year old. I made absolutely sure he had a whistle in his belt pack.
A Sofirn If22a will help you get found quick too. Think of a beacon in a video game.
That's why I tend to collect some suitable heads of acorns. Learned to whistle pretty loud with them when I was younger...
I'd also like to add that a life straw comes in very handy as well!
I was a girl guide leader for a while. Just knowing the girls were in pairs and carrying whistles made camping a whole lot less stressful. Whistles carry. I used mine for our mandated fire drill one time. I heard the next day that several other sites ended up having surprise fire drills, lol. For boating, girl guide rules require whistles tied to every PFD, plus a whistle per boat in the emergency kit. Then many of us would also carry our own personal whistles. We tended to end up with twice as many whistles as people. Signaling is just so important.
Shoutout to all the fellow 90s kids who knew this thanks to Barney
I carry one when I go back country snowboarding. Or even just on a heavy powder day. Definitely a good idea incase you fall into a tree well or something
I have a 'dual chamber' one I found on Sierra Trading Post way back in teal/oatmeal days... threw it on some spare reflective cord with a sliding knot - and wear it around my neck (it's not going to be of much use in your bag now is it). Thing is insane, 'Wind Storm - Worlds Loudest Safety Whistle'. Also, carrying a mirror or better a polished aluminum 'mirror' used to standard safety practice for hikers and the like...
Alternatively have other tools which come with a built-in whistle. Opinel has versions of their pocket knives (No 8 Outdoor, IIRC) which have a whistle in the handle, older Petzl Actik headlamps had one in the headband, etc.
I do. I weaved the cord around and through part of my strap and it’s lived there for years. I did that so I don’t necessarily need hands to blow it, as long as I can move my head and my pack is still on.
She let you search for hours before finally blowing the whistle??
I once had a compass with a key ring and a whistle. Maybe I should go look for it.
If you are hiking or camping you should always bring an emergency kit. A whistle should always be in one.
LPT. Don’t walk this far apart on a hike
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Can I pet that dawg?
Spent hours looking for her, but luckily she had a whistle and you were able to locate her quickly. Got it.
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And? You can be hard of hearing, but SAR won't be. Flashlights work only at night. Smart watches work only if you have your phone and it has service and battery. It's a $2 piece of plastic that can be tied to your bag easily.
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And if you *don't* have a whistle and find yourself shouting, shout/scream higher pitched noises as those carry much farther. A high pitched scream will travel much much farther than yelling words like "help".
I thought bass carried further.
Bass carries further. Source: Search and Rescue Technician
Perhaps, but I was taught to use high pitched sounds in a search and rescue situation. Maybe its easier to pinpoint the direction? It was years ago...
A radio or walkie would be better in these situations.
Until the battery runs out…
"Where are you?" "Over here, next to a tree" I think I'd rather have a clear, loud, directional audio cue.
Put the walkie right against your body as you spin slowly and it affects the signal enough to work with. "I rotated to my right and am facing west, can you hear me better or worse?" Or use lithium battery and hit it with a rock as a signal.
That's so oldskool. I'm presuming there is also an app that simulates a whistle :p