Survival Whistles

Click pictures to enlarge.
I have written about the Stowmaster marine signal horn and the utility of such a device on the water. Certainly, smaller signal whistles are no less important, on land or water, and I count them among the "essentials" that people should carry while trekking in the outdoors. Whistles fit into the vein of communicative gear that could be valuable in case of emergency—a category that also includes phones, two-way radios, signal mirrors, or even flare guns.

Today, while putting together a small collection of gear for a hiking kit, I started thinking about the survival whistles stashed in various packs around our place. So I rounded up the whistles, took some pictures, and recorded .mp3 files of the various pitches. The resulting information is organized below. Clicking the model name under each picture pair will pull up the manufacturer's page, if available.

Click pictures to enlarge.

Fox 40 Mini Safety. The Fox 40 Mini Safety whistle is a smaller version of the Fox 40 Classic Safety whistle. It has three-chamber design capable of producing 109 dB. Minis currently reside in my dry bag full of kayaking essentials and in my wife's day pack.


Acme Tornado Slimline. This whistle, the "No. 636" model, hails from England. Like Fox 40, Acme offers a variety of safety and sport whistles in numerous sizes and colors. A Slimline, one of the compact models, has been on my keychain for several years now.


Fox 40 Micro Safety. The Fox 40 Micro Safety is another three-chamber whistle which can produce 110 dB. Like the Tornado Slimline, the Micro is a flat, compact design. I have Micros in both of my kayaking PFDs as well as in my mountain biking pack.


Ultimate Survival Technologies JetScream. As the name suggests, Ultimate Survival Technologies makes a range of products geared toward survival, and the JetScream, at 122 dB, is the loudest whistle in this group. I carry the JetScream in my day pack.


NATO Marine Survival Whistle. This whistle can be found under different names. Some variations are: NATO Marine Survival Whistle, NATO Distress Whistle, and simply S.O.S. Whistle. The whistle comes in the two styles pictured above—one with a flat top and the other with concave recesses intended to improve grip.


Coghlan's Four Function Whistle. This whistle is the multi-tasker among the group. It features a whistle, a decent button compass, a magnifying glass, and a thermometer. My son carries the Coghlan's 4-in-1 in his day pack—partly because of its multiple functions, but mainly because it's an easier whistle to blow than the others shown here.

Click to enlarge.

The picture above provides some sense of relative size. Click each cross-referenced name below to hear an .mp3 file of that whistle.
(1) Fox 40 Mini Safety, (2) Acme Tornado Slimline, (3) Fox 40 Micro Safety, (4) Ultimate Survival Technologies JetScream, (5) NATO Marine Survival Whistle, (6) Coghlan's Four Function Whistle

All the models listed above share a pealess design, meaning that the whistles do not have an internal ball like a traditional coach's whistle. This feature is desirable since pealess whistles are operational even when wet, and they are much easier to clear if submerged or clogged.

As a signaling device, a whistle provides considerable advantage over shouting in at least a few ways: (1) blowing a whistle is easier and does not expend as much energy, (2) your voice will eventually wear out whereas a whistle will not, and (3) the effective range of a whistle blast is much greater than that of the human voice.

In the United States, signaling for help with a whistle involves a condensed version of the traditional Morse Code S.O.S. The convention is three short whistle blasts followed by a a minute's pause, repeated until a response occurs. This type of tripartite distress call can be emulated with other media—such as three flashes of light, or even three fires or piles of rocks arranged in a triangle.

Updated March 2011:
I have added the following whistles to my apparently growing collection:


Coghlan's Safety Whistle. An inexpensive choice compared to some of the whistles above, this version is, according to a recent press release, "molded in a bright and highly visible orange body, featuring a pealess design that works even when wet – it won’t freeze or clog. The whistle includes a lanyard with a breakaway snap closure." An .mp3 of the whistle can be found here.


ACR Survival Res-Q Whistle. Developed for the U.S. Navy and used by NASA, this whistle offers a flat design that prevents holding water. It meets both United States Coast Guard (USCG) and Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirements. An .mp3 of the whistle can be found here.


REI Tri-Power Safety Whistle. Of the whistles shown here, the REI Tri-Power is the only one with a pea, which sits in its large main chamber. Two smaller, pealess side-chambers allow a user to shape different pitches. Offering a hands-free mouth grip and a non-slip inlay on the rear portion, this whistle is loud, producing blasts up to 120 dB and meeting USCG and SOLAS requirements. A larger whistle, it also meets anti-choking standards for children. An .mp3 of the whistle can be found here.


AeroWave Zipper Pull Whistle. Made by ITW Nexus Global, the AeroWave is a whistle whose "zipper pull design incorporates a whistle and is designed for use in a zipperpull applications using a 3mm cord." An .mp3 of the whistle can be found here.


Light My Fire Striker Whistle. Sold as part of the Light My Fire Swedish FireSteel 2.0, this innovative design combines a firesteel striker with an emergency whistle. An .mp3 of the whistle can be found here.


REI Small Keychain Whistle. This common whistle design comes in a large and small version at REI. Made from aluminum, it offers a compact package that is only 2" long. An .mp3 of the whistle can be found here.


UST JetScream Whistle 2.0. This newer version of the JetScream by Ultimate Survival Technologies features a sleaker exterior but the same basic design of the first model (pictured above). Like its predecessor, this JetScream still offers a shrill 122 dB blast discernible over most man-made and natural sounds.