The Mini Fox 40 Safety Whistle weighs just 0.1 oz, but it is one of the most important pieces of safety gear that I own.

Every one of my backpacks has a whistle attached to it. If you need to be found or alert someone, a blast on a whistle can far out power your ability to get their attention by shouting or overcome other noise like the wind or the sound of flowing water. Plus blowing on your whistle is also a lot less tiring.

I bushwack on trailess peaks with other people and it is remarkably easy to lose sight of them or get lost. But a blast on my whistle always gets my friends’ attention and repeated blasts help us find each other again.

If you think there are bears around. You can blow your whistle to frighten them off. It’s a lot easier than making up songs all day and shouting them everytime you approach a berry patch. 

Plastic whistles are definitely preferred over metal ones because they are more weatherproof and resist corrosion.  Pealess whistles won’t freeze up, drain quickly, and are more reliable in mountains or winter. Finally, loud standalone whistles are preferred over the cheap ones you sometimes find built into backpacking sternum straps.

For a MSRP of $5.50 at REI, this is one piece of backpacking gear you can’t afford to be without.

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4. Adding Pockets to Ultralight Backpacks
5. Long Trail Gear List: Section Six