There are a few key items that belong in every emergency kit, and by that reasoning in an everyday carry. There might be times when you need to draw attention to yourself, for aid or for warning, for organization; the list goes on and on.

Therefore it is an imperative that you include a very loud whistle into your emergency kit. The options are limitless, but we have decided that the UST Jetscream whistle is the right one for our Bug Out Bags.

Lets look at why they should be in your emergency kit:

Lets start with the most important thing, the amount of noise the UST Jetscream Whistle can generate.

According to the manufacturer, its 122db. A loud rock concert is 115db. Hearing damage begins at 125db.

And although we don't have a meter to confirm, I have blasted this thing at top volume (much to my neighbors dismay) and it is straight-up loud. So i'm taking their word for it on the specific measurement.

The UST Jetscream Whistle doesn't use a "pea" to make sound (like your old gym coaches whistle) so water and ice should not stop the whistle from functioning.

The whistle also floats so if  it drops in the water somewhere it won't sink on you.

For that reason I suggest having a whistle that is a bright color, easy to find in a bag, or if dropped in the woods or in a field. We chose the orange color for ours.

The size is nice too. These are small, and they are flattened, so they fit nicely almost anywhere.

It's a very good idea to keep this handy during an emergency, around your neck or in a pants pocket. Add some lanyard to the whistle for this reason.

And although I tend to steer away from plastic items for durability reasons, in this case I believe that it's the best material for a whistle. It won't rust, and it is very light.

Whistle Signal Codes

There are 3 types of codes to use for communication purposes.

• 3 blasts in a set is similar to SOS, and should be used when Aid is required. Wait a few seconds between each set of 3 and go for as long as you can.
• 2 blasts means "Come Here" in a call-and-response manner.
• 1 blast means "Where are you" or "Come Back" to keep tabs on your team.

Final Note: If you have gotten this far then you are obviously serious about backup emergency communications - let me also suggest getting a military style signal mirror.

They can be seen up to hundreds of miles away in some cases, and have saved many people from certain doom by allowing them to signal aircraft, from the tops of mountains down to the valleys below, and even send messages via morse code.

BTW If you buy anything with the links we provide on this page we might get a small percentage of the sale. For more info click here.

UST Jetscream Whistle

Typical Price: $10

Made of durable ABS plastic, the pea-less and powerful UST JetScream Floating Whistle is an ideal wilderness signaling device with an ear-piercing 122 decibel (dB) shriek — making it one of the loudest of its kind.

It can easily be heard over most natural and man-made noises. Compact, flat, and buoyant, the JetScream’s pea-less construction won’t freeze, clog or rust and is just as effective wet.

$10Amazon