T
tommy11
Guest
I now have a whistle on my keyring it's quite loud too....
I wonder if anyone else does this incase of an emergency?
I wonder if anyone else does this incase of an emergency?
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A lot of people carry one, but thesedays I think the mobile 'phone is more common. It's not clear to me that most people would have any clue what to do if they heard a whistle. Mobiles have a better range and are generally more useful, even though they're delicate, prone to flat batteries and easily lost. I don't usually carry either, but then I'm not usually in places where either would do me much good. You can make a whistle or some other noise-making device fairly easily from foraged materials. If push came to shove I'd go for lighting three fires.
Just spent 2 nights in the Black Mountains.No mobile signal, and the cold killed the battery anyway, from bing fully charged before I set out.
There's a whislte built into a pocket of my goretex coat, and t be honest, it was a lot more reassuring than the mobile.
There's a whislte built into a pocket of my goretex coat, and t be honest, it was a lot more reassuring than the mobile.
resnikov
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Yeah I carry one to, whenever out walking. Make my kids 6 & 4 carry them as well. They know how and when to use them. We did have a mental and noisy first hour at home when they got them but they are sensible with them now.
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Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
I have a whistle on my keys, on and in every pack and bag i use outside and one on my belt clip, they cost little, weigh little, don't need batteries, need no skill to use and will always work when you are in a pinch, i was bought up to always have a whistle on my person 'just in case' when out and about, even if you are in an area with high foot traffic, you only need to slip and fall in a ditch or down a slope and you are instantly more difficult to find, sure you could climb back up, but that's assuming you are not injured in some way.
I've once had to use my whistle when i heard six whistle blasts on a trip to the woods, i responded with three and then followed the sound of the other persons whistle blasts until i found the person in the woods, they were on their own and had tripped and twisted their ankle, not badly, but enough to render them all but immobile without help.
If it wasn't for them having a whistle and me being able to follow the sound to them, the simple £1.00 whistle probably saved them from exposure at the very least and blind panic, shock and possibly worse if they had not been found, i also know that when you do call for help using a whistle, the psychological boost you get from hearing three blasts in reply, is massive.
Stuff like three fires is ok if you are in the open and not immobilised and can therefore make the fires, assuming of course there are materials around to enable you to do this,
Yes, you could make a whistle or similar device, but many people dont know how to make a whistle from naturally occuring materials, and really, why bother when they are so cheap and readily available? and tbh, i doubt if you could make a whistle while suffering from shock or exposure and certainly not one as loud as a pukka orange survival whistle.
So to answer the question, in my mind and from my experience, yes, it is wise to carry a whistle, sure i also carry a mobile phone and where i live it's never out of signal range, but it relies on a battery and as Harvestman stated, in cold weather even a fully charged battery doesnt last long.
Just my experience and thoughts
I've once had to use my whistle when i heard six whistle blasts on a trip to the woods, i responded with three and then followed the sound of the other persons whistle blasts until i found the person in the woods, they were on their own and had tripped and twisted their ankle, not badly, but enough to render them all but immobile without help.
If it wasn't for them having a whistle and me being able to follow the sound to them, the simple £1.00 whistle probably saved them from exposure at the very least and blind panic, shock and possibly worse if they had not been found, i also know that when you do call for help using a whistle, the psychological boost you get from hearing three blasts in reply, is massive.
Stuff like three fires is ok if you are in the open and not immobilised and can therefore make the fires, assuming of course there are materials around to enable you to do this,
Yes, you could make a whistle or similar device, but many people dont know how to make a whistle from naturally occuring materials, and really, why bother when they are so cheap and readily available? and tbh, i doubt if you could make a whistle while suffering from shock or exposure and certainly not one as loud as a pukka orange survival whistle.
So to answer the question, in my mind and from my experience, yes, it is wise to carry a whistle, sure i also carry a mobile phone and where i live it's never out of signal range, but it relies on a battery and as Harvestman stated, in cold weather even a fully charged battery doesnt last long.
Just my experience and thoughts
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Now you mention it, I do recall EmmaD refering to your "little whistle" on another thread.
No I don't carry one, never have.....................If I get into difficulties, it's up to me to get out of them.
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Whenever I'm out and about I carry a whistle - second nature to me.
In the past I have located people we were looking for in 5 Finger Gully - because they had a whistle and were using it.
Equally, I was on a search in the Lake District - the missing people had a phone but no whistle - took us ages to find them, even though the Search HQ was talking to them, I eventually heard shouting and we located them from that.
In the past I have located people we were looking for in 5 Finger Gully - because they had a whistle and were using it.
Equally, I was on a search in the Lake District - the missing people had a phone but no whistle - took us ages to find them, even though the Search HQ was talking to them, I eventually heard shouting and we located them from that.
Its not just about the one in trouble, if tour the one helping then why would a weaknd person start to use thier whistle if they don't your there.
Now you mention it, I do recall EmmaD refering to your "little whistle" on another thread.
No I don't carry one, never have.....................If I get into difficulties, it's up to me to get out of them.
always carry one , the mountain distress signal is 3 blasts on a whistle or 6 blasts in a minute then a one min break then signal again and keep repeating, ist the same with a torch if you have one and its dark
Quick edit to correct an error
Quick edit to correct an error
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I absolutely agree with everything Kepis said.
I'll also add that it is a good idea to carry TWO whistles. This is in the scenario if you're out with a companion who becomes disabled and cannot travel. If you need to leave him/her for a bit to scout around, give them a whistle to signal you. This provides them with the assurance that you will not get lost and abandon them unintentionally. You can both whistle back and forth (one or two blasts) to keep in touch.
Recall also that you can use a whistle as long as you can breathe, whereas you will grow hoarse shouting very quickly in an emergency situation. Remember that last scene in the "Titanic" movie when Rose couldn't shout and swam to retrieve a whistle that attracted her rescuers.
Jim
http://stuckinthewoods.info
I'll also add that it is a good idea to carry TWO whistles. This is in the scenario if you're out with a companion who becomes disabled and cannot travel. If you need to leave him/her for a bit to scout around, give them a whistle to signal you. This provides them with the assurance that you will not get lost and abandon them unintentionally. You can both whistle back and forth (one or two blasts) to keep in touch.
Recall also that you can use a whistle as long as you can breathe, whereas you will grow hoarse shouting very quickly in an emergency situation. Remember that last scene in the "Titanic" movie when Rose couldn't shout and swam to retrieve a whistle that attracted her rescuers.
Jim
http://stuckinthewoods.info
