Reviews > Health & Safety > Emergency and Survival Gear > Coghlan Four Function Whistle > Owner Review by Jamie DeBenedetto

Coghlan's Four Function Whistle

Owner Review - July 19th, 2006

Reviewer's Information

Background/Experience

I began backpacking eighteen years ago after a youth spent tagging along with my dad to various wild places in Arizona and California. At present I hike in some capacity about fifteen times a month, mostly in Arizona with either the Canine Hiking Club of AZ or with my family. I prefer to sleep in a hammock and I gravitate toward multifunctional gear that will enhance my comfort level for minimal weight. I consider myself to be a lightweight packer. My total pack weight year round is rarely above 25 lbs (11 kg) for outings of two to three days.

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Product Information

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Product Description

The Coghlan's Four Function Whistle is a plastic pealess whistle that is uniquely shaped so it can house three additional accessories; a thermometer with both Fahrenheit and Celsius readings, a fold out magnifying lens and a dial style compass. Above the compass there is a little direction arrow. Attached to the whistle is a key ring with a small spring loaded metal clip.

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Field Use and Conditions

I purchased the Coghlan's Four Function Whistle in April of 2005. Since then I have carried it on at least sixty hikes. This includes day hikes and backpacking trips, all of which have taken place in Arizona in various locations around the state. I have used it at a top elevation of 11,420 ft (3,481 m) while on Mt. Baldy down to as low as 1,400 ft (430 m) while on some Sonoran Desert trails near my home. The whistle has been exposed to rain, hours of direct sunlight, and temperatures above 110 F (43 C) down to as low as 38 F (3 C). Depending on which pack I was wearing, it was either clipped to my sternum strap or placed in some sort of accessory pocket like the UnSlack Pack.

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Review

I initially bought a Coghlan's Four Function Whistle for my oldest son to wear as part of his emergency gear but after closer inspection of the little whistle it looked like something I could benefit from carrying too. Up to that point I had been looking for a small whistle and a lightweight thermometer (not necessarily joined as one item) to carry on my person for emergencies and for collecting data for Backpackgeartest.org reports. Finding an item that had both in one compact package was a bonus, the price was reasonable too so I bought one. This report is based on my experience with both my son's Four Function Whistle and with my own. I replaced the metal clip on my whistle with a lighter retractable I.D. reel and a thin leather lanyard on my son's so I will not be commenting on this part of the whistle.

Function 1. Emergency Whistle

Thankfully, I have not had to use the whistle in a true emergency situation so far. I have used it several times practicing the "blow three times then wait" concept with my son, however, and the whistle does work. I found it a little difficult to get a true whistle noise to come out of it at first but that's because I was trying to blow it softly. This is not like a coach's whistle; it doesn't do the short tweet sound very well, which is understandable since that's not what it's designed to do. It takes a larger breath and a real intention to get a big blast out of the thing but that doesn't mean it's not user friendly. My two year old son, when he doesn't cover the air hole with his mouth, can do some serious damage to the peace and quiet of a serene trail with this little whistle.

The whistle is fairly compact and fits nicely in my hand. The mouthpiece feels comfortable and of a useful length. It's long enough so I can hold it in my teeth between blows if I choose. The only issue I have with the design is on the underside of the mouthpiece. There are five little grooves cut into the plastic, which coincides with the place my bottom lip rests when I'm using the whistle. I have noticed after blowing it over a period of several minutes inevitably this area gets slightly wet from saliva, which then attracts and captures dust. Because the grooves are small, they are hard to clean. I'm not sure if there is a reason for the slits but if there is not, I'd just as soon have this part smooth like the top of the mouthpiece to avoid collecting gunk in these spaces.

Function 2. Thermometer

The thermometer takes up almost the entire underside of the whistle body. It's basic, the standard liquid filled style with one side listing centigrade readings and the other Fahrenheit. The lowest marking is -20 F or -30 C, the highest is 120 F or 50 C with marks at five degree intervals for the Fahrenheit side and two degree intervals for the Celsius side. I use the thermometer feature all the time. More often than not when I'm hiking I'm also gear testing one item or another for Backpackgeartest.org so I need to pay attention to the highs and lows for my reports. The thermometer gives fairly accurate readings, typically within about three to six degrees of other thermometers carried by my companions. The one exception to this is when the whistle has been hanging or sitting in direct sunlight. When this has happened, the red line is generally so far above the real number it is useless as a valid gage.

There is a clear plastic covering that protects the thermometer parts. It has held up well to some mild abuse, primarily from my kids. My son has been a bit rougher on his whistle than have I but despite this, it has remained intact and functional. His covering has several scratches and is banged up from being dropped on the ground a few times but the cover has not cracked, chipped or fallen off despite this treatment.

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Function 3. Magnifying Lens

The "magnifier" as Coghlan's refers to it, is also plastic and folds out from a slender compartment at the end of the whistle opposite the mouthpiece section. (Illustrated in the picture on the right.) The actual part with the capacity to enlarge objects is only a 0.8 in (2 cm) diameter circle in the middle of the larger piece that unfolds. Initially I did not think I would use this feature of the Four Function Whistle very often. I even considered cutting it off to shave a little weight, I'm glad I didn't. I have used the magnifier to aid in splinter and minute cactus spine removal on several occasions. I have also used it to more clearly see ambiguous trail numbers and mileage markers on various maps I had the misfortune of using at the time. On the fun side it also works great to check out ants, spiders, and crawdad parts when hiking with little ones who have already realized everything looks more interesting when it's bigger.

On the down side, I have attempted to use the magnifier as an emergency fire starting option. This is did not work despite favorable weather conditions, quality tinder and a patient pyromaniac holding the lens. In a way I guess this is a positive because if it really worked and my sons found out, the burn unit of our local ant colony would need to be put on high alert right away.

Function 4. Compass

Coghlan's has kept things simple with this product and the final feature is no exception. The compass is not much more than a black dial with the four cardinal and four in-between directional choices painted on it. The four main letters, N, E, S, and W, glow in the dark, which I think is a nice little extra. The dial is located on the topside of the whistle near the window and is only about 0.8 in (2 cm) in diameter. Despite its minimalism the compass has proved functional most of the time and useful every time I've needed it.

I have had a few situations where the dial did not spin properly resulting in a misalignment of the N arrow. Since that time I try to always jiggle the compass quickly before trying to take a reading. I'm not sure if this actually helps but it makes me feel better. I also found it works best when the whistle is held very flat in my palm. This allows the dial to spin more fluidly and seems to reduce sticking. I take more than one crack at the bearing before trusting it too. If it shows the same direction two or three times in a row I feel a bit more confident it is working properly and I'm on the right heading. It's certainly not a replacement for a good orienteering type compass but I have used it several times to affirm my direction before looking at a map or taking off at trail junctions. It has certainly performed well enough for these duties.

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Likes and Dislikes

Likes

Highly visible color
Combines useful features in one compact package
Plastic has held up to abuse
Inexpensive

Dislikes

Thermometer is a bit sensitive
Compass sticks on occasion
Magnifier does not work as a fire starting option
Grooves on the underside of the mouthpiece collect dirt

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Jamie J. DeBenedetto
July 18th, 2006

Reviews > Health & Safety > Emergency and Survival Gear > Coghlan Four Function Whistle > Owner Review by Jamie DeBenedetto