Product Description

This is an orange pealess whistle. It has a standard whistle shape, though it is a bit smaller than whistles commonly used by sports officials (which is why this model is called the "Mini"). Additionally, there is a small flare at the end of the mouth piece designed to reduce the chance of blowing the whistle out of the mouth.

Field Information

I've worn this whistle on trips in Zion National Park, the northern portions of the Sierra Nevada, the Santa Ynez mountains on the California coast and Santa Cruz mountains. Elevations have ranged from sea level up to 10,000 ft (3000 m) and temperatures in the general range of 40 to 100 degrees F (5 to 40 degrees C) with occasional extremes to 20 and 110 degrees F (-5 and 45 degrees C). Precipitation has included heavy rain, snow and hail.

Remarks

When I hit the trail, I usually carry this whistle. For years, I refereed soccer and occasionally suffered from a quiet or silent whistle due to the pea getting stuck. I can blow this whistle easily, producing a loud sound. Due to the pealess design, I can blow as hard as I need without fear of jamming the whistle. The sound is louder and higher pitched than the large referee whistles that I have used. I also find the Fox 40 Mini easier to blow than the referee whistles. The design of the holes allows me to easily clear water from the whistle by either blowing though the mouthpiece or shaking it. The small size makes it easy to wear under my shirt, and the ridges on the mouthpiece let me blow the whistle hands-free (look ma!). Occasionally, I remove the whistle for comfort if I am going to be hugging rocks or friends, and the highly contrasting orange plastic makes it easy to find when dropped or when I've forgotten where I've placed it.

This whistle is bomb-proof: I've stepped on it, dropped it more often than I should have, frozen it (never burned it thank goodness) and hugged rocks and people too hard while wearing it. I've never had a problem operating it after such incidents.The only maintenance I have performed is a quick wash when I have gotten the whistle disgustingly muddy or sweaty. As for recommendations, I would prefer a smaller attachment point. There is a large plastic post protruding from the end of the whistle to which a split ring attaches – I'm sure this assembly could be smaller to make the whistle even more compact overall.

I do not have a good estimate of how far the sound carries, since I have not had to use it that often, fortunately. I can confidently say that I can alert people from a distance twice as far as the best shout I can muster – which is enough for me to carry the whistle. Even if people are within shouting distance, I have found that it is often easier to alert them using a whistle. I've used the Fox 40 Mini to find lost companions, signal that I needed help and prevent friends from straying into danger. Those who taught me how to live in the wilderness considered this an essential piece of safety equipment. Now, as someone who is beginning to teach others, I impart the same message. This is the whistle that I carry and use.