Whistles

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Morgan101

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Call this a spinoff from Caribou's thread Mom Fell. Many people recommended whistles, and that definitely is sound advice. Everybody should have one 24/7. I will pass this along, and hope it is helpful. The sound of a whistle can travel much farther than the human voice. Your stamina will last much longer blowing a whistle rather than using your voice, Just some rough figures the human voice will carry about 600 feet. A whistle will carry about 600 meters.

You want a whistle that is plastic, and you want a whistle that does not have a pea. ALWAYS get a lanyard with the whistle. If you don't have a lanyard have a method to attach it to you. When you blow a whistle you should hold it in your teeth; not in your lips. If you hold the whistle in your lips first your cheeks will blow up like a balloon, and you will get tired very quickly. Second, you can blow the whistle out of your mouth and lose it, ergo the lanyard. When you hold the whistle in your teeth, you put your tongue over the open end. It is very much like spitting, or if you have taken music lessons, I believe they call it tongue blowing. This will produce a much stronger blast of air which will help the volume. It is much easier to hold a plastic whistle in your teeth. Holding a metal whistle, especially if it doesn't have a mouth guard, will hurt if you have to use it for a while. If you have a whistle with a pea if you lose the pea, or blow it out, the whistle is useless.

Personally, I have whistles in every BOB, and I keep one on my keyring. If you are lost or trapped God forbid, from a natural disaster three blasts from a whistle are a signal for an emergency. I have used the Fox 40 Classic professionally for over thirty years. It is plastic, and pealess, and I have never broken one or worn one out. This would include getting hit in the face so hard teeth were broken, but not the whistle. It is probably the best $5.00 life saving device you will ever buy. Here is a little more info:

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/whistles.html
 
The pea can get lost of fail; then the whistle is useless. Here is another tutorial for those that are more visual learners. This information is good, but I don't think he blows them properly.

 
Many people recommended whistles, and that definitely is sound advice.

Sound advice, really Morg that's a good one.

Back in the days when I taught survival I recommended whistles on every lifejacket or survival suit. As you mentioned you can make a lot more noise for far less energy than yelling. Signal mirrors work well in the day, if you are in line of sight. Smoke works in the day, if it is not too windy or dispersed by heavy foliage. All signals have their advantage, for example I'd prefer a mirror over a whistle to signal a plane. Whistles are a good addition to any prepping, I'll be picking up a few.
 
I have a couple that I've never used, sitting in a box of miscellaneous outdoors gear. I've been meaning to put one in my pack and in my tackle box but I've always forgotten. Thanks for the reminder.

Pealess whistles are definitely the way to go. The biggest problem I've had with the pea is in cold weather. If you blow any spit into the whistle the pea can freeze and then you're SOL...
 
They are loud enough that I recommend covering your ears then you give the 3 blasts. Preserves your hearing to listen for a response.

An old trick: put the whistle in your mouth upside down. It will not diminish the volume, but it will direct the sound down, and not up into your ears. It works. I promise.
 
Call this a spinoff from Caribou's thread Mom Fell. Many people recommended whistles, and that definitely is sound advice. Everybody should have one 24/7. I will pass this along, and hope it is helpful. The sound of a whistle can travel much farther than the human voice. Your stamina will last much longer blowing a whistle rather than using your voice, Just some rough figures the human voice will carry about 600 feet. A whistle will carry about 600 meters.

You want a whistle that is plastic, and you want a whistle that does not have a pea. ALWAYS get a lanyard with the whistle. If you don't have a lanyard have a method to attach it to you. When you blow a whistle you should hold it in your teeth; not in your lips. If you hold the whistle in your lips first your cheeks will blow up like a balloon, and you will get tired very quickly. Second, you can blow the whistle out of your mouth and lose it, ergo the lanyard. When you hold the whistle in your teeth, you put your tongue over the open end. It is very much like spitting, or if you have taken music lessons, I believe they call it tongue blowing. This will produce a much stronger blast of air which will help the volume. It is much easier to hold a plastic whistle in your teeth. Holding a metal whistle, especially if it doesn't have a mouth guard, will hurt if you have to use it for a while. If you have a whistle with a pea if you lose the pea, or blow it out, the whistle is useless.

Personally, I have whistles in every BOB, and I keep one on my keyring. If you are lost or trapped God forbid, from a natural disaster three blasts from a whistle are a signal for an emergency. I have used the Fox 40 Classic professionally for over thirty years. It is plastic, and pealess, and I have never broken one or worn one out. This would include getting hit in the face so hard teeth were broken, but not the whistle. It is probably the best $5.00 life saving device you will ever buy. Here is a little more info:

http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/whistles.html
Hmmmm...

Pretend one doesn't have any teeth.

Do dentures become an adjunct requirement for using a whistle?

Just asking for a friend.

:rolleyes:


Ben
 
I always carried a whistle with me when I was hiking. I used to joke that it was more for traffic control, so if you tripped in the trail you could redirect all the others hiking up there in Rocky Mountain National Park from running you over. Never hike in RMNP during the summer unless you like that packed rock concert vibe. But if you wait until fall when all the kids are back in school and the family vacations are over, it can be wonderful.

p.s. Now you even need a RESERVATION to enter RMNP!
 
In this day & time I would add a cell phone, to call 911.
 
For an emergency whistle, a rifle cartridge like a .223, .308, 30/06, etc make very good whistles. Not as handy as a standard whistle but they are loud.


Far louder than a whistle, and the same emergency rules would apply; three shots indicate an emergency or distress. The downside is you probably have a limited supply, and you want to keep ammo for its intended purpose. If you run out of air you won't need a whistle. Oh yeah, the whistle is a lot cheaper.
 
A family friend would make whistles out of a poker chip.
He would drill a hole in the center then heat it then bend it in half.
You put it in your mouth and blew. The sound was incredibly loud.
I have no idea how he made them but I do know the shape had to be just right or they didn't work.
Unfortunately, mine was confiscated by my 3rd-grade teacher.
 

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