Whistles are in the news a lot lately. The small accessories are often overlooked in planning travel or outdoor adventures, but I’m a huge advocate for them, because I don’t have a great, loud whistle like my husband does when he puts two fingers to his lips.
Why might you need a whistle in your travels? To be heard. What if you’re hiking and take a wrong turn? How about if you’ve encountered someone who’s hurt and you need additional people to help? Whistles are even good if you’re alone and need to get someone’s attention.
While some brands, like Osprey and Dakine, often integrate whistles into their backpack chest straps, you can’t always rely on gear to have them. That’s why I have a Whistles for LIFE Tri-Power Whistle when I travel.
The ABS plastic whistle has a main chamber with a waterproof pea that creates a loud, 120-decibel sound that’s essential for being heard above the sounds of roaring wind, crashing waves, public transit, and emergency vehicles. There are two secondary chambers that create different, omnidirectional high-pitched sounds.
The mouth grip allows you keep your hands free to do other things, and there are sure-grip ridges for wet, cold, or gloved hands. Better than whistles that are integrated into gear, this whistle has a universal locking safety clip, so you can take it with you wherever you go—and you don’t have to rely on using the same gear. Attach it to your jacket’s zipper pull, your pack, your keys, string it around your neck, whatever works best for access depending on your activity.
The Tri-Power Whistle comes in neon green (pictured), safety orange, and fire red, and lists for $8.95 at REI. You won’t need to worry about it taking up too much room in your bag.