Who needs a signal mirror or whistle?

[Don Rearic]

Yeah, CD-ROM can be a signal mirror, has been used. Ditto foil drink bag.

I guess if they don't spot the Timex-like green glow from the Phillips MP3 Player, they can just follow the sound of Black Sabbath...

Now, check this out:

A pair of French tourists on a ski trip in Switzerland found themselves lost in the woods late Friday. They called rescue officials who began a search, but the pair's cell phone batteries died before they could be reached.

Amazingly, the helicopter rescue team was able to spot the light from their MP3 player on the steep hillside as they flew over and saved the two before severe hypothermia set in.

So now there is a legitimate reason to have an iPod in your emergency survival kit.

Source.

 

[Noshtero]

HA! That just goes to show that every PSK should include a good dose of old fashioned LUCK.

 

[Don Rearic]

Hard work and preparation for survival is just like employment and life in general, there is a certain, random amount of luck one has to possess in order to be successful.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I've been brushing my teeth with that whitening toothpaste....for the same reason.

Of course that might be bad if I am caught in the snow, but I figure the reflective properties should more than compensate.

My teeth are so bright at this point, I'll prolly cause the chopper to crash due to the glare!

 

[Don Rearic]

That's why god invented helmet visors.

 

[pict]

I carry a Starflash signal mirror in my Altoids tin. You just can beat them. I also have a reflector on the reverse of my back-up compass. As long as I have fingers I can whistle but I carry an ACR whistle as well as a Fox 40. Signals are not talked about as much as they should mainly because they aren't glamorous IMO and remind us of our need for others. I think many people tend to glamorize the "RLSS" as something that we conquer on our own. Carry signals that will work day and night. Broken knees are a pain. Mac

 

[mete]

CD ? Just plug your computer into that outlet over in that tree and get help !

 

[Don Rearic]

Signals are not talked about as much as they should mainly because they aren't glamorous IMO and remind us of our need for others.

That's very true. That's why I was quite surprised to find a couple people calling both of them "useless." I carried an ACR Firefly Strobe in the 80s and because I didn't dummy cord everything back then, or because I let someone else screw around with it, I lost it up in/on Green Ridge in Western Maryland. My Brother gave me one which has a simple modification so you don't have to use the rare and expensive (original) Mercury Battery. It runs on 2 CR123As.

It's easy to forget that the best of us can twist an ankle or break a leg while out in the woods and whistles and strobe-type lights are very important items for the prepared individual.