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
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
