I've seen strobes for lifejackets, but would a tiny bike type flasher (or your headlamp set on strobe) be a good way for searchers to find you?

A good high-end flashlight with a strobe or SOS mode could be very helpful here.

Are we talking on the open ocean? Or do you mean hiking?

If you want to get the LED bike light, be sure to compare what you get with other brands. Some cheap no-name rear bike lights I have are noticeably less bright than name brand ones, like Cateye.

In a land situation, almost any kind of light will be picked up by searchers, or almost anything else out of the ordinary, for that matter. That applies to people who are out looking for a potential victim. The SOS or strobe might be slightly better to alert passersby that someone is in trouble. Those are two very different situations.

This is just my assumption, but I would think a blinking light could attract attention in situations where a steady light source may be missed.

The situation I'm thinking of is being lost or hurt in fairly thick woods on a night when the sky is clear and the moon is out. If I have a steady light on, the light I'm casting might not be enough to catch someone's eye, especially since it seems likely the light source may not come directly into the searcher's line of site. On the other hand, a blinking light, even the source is not directly observed, should stand out as being quite unnatural.

I'm just thinking of the lights I normally use, and they really aren't that bright so if the night isn't that dark I don't think the light they'd throw would be that noticeable from far away. That's just my guess though.

One great advantage of a blinking light is that it will run longer on a given battery than a steady light, thus improving your chances of being detected considerably.

Actually, my experience has been that initial contact is typically made by voice or sound, rather than directly by light. This has been in mountainous terrain, primarily. But if you are shining a light in a high spot, your light may well be seen by another search party at a distance, who would then alert the group closest to you. Making as much noise/light/commotion as possible is always a good thing.

There must be some scientific studies on this. I did a quick Google but didn't find any. My assumption is that blinking lights are more effective than solid light for getting attention which would explain why police lights flash and hazard lights atop tall structures like the Washington Monument and cell towers, blink.

Going to be hard for search planes to see the lights if you are in a forest. I'd be hesitant to burn the batteries unless I heard searchers nearby. Would rather have a campfire for warmth and signaling.

Hikermor's observation that a battery-powered light in strobe mode would last longer is bonus.

I routinely carry in my pack a Petzl e+lite and Petzl Zipka Plus - both strobe. The latter strobes in red and white (not sure if the e+lite strobes red). I also carry a strobe in my car and two LED road flares, which are quite bright and are slated to run for 50 hours.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/65534?feat=9519-GN2

On my bikes I'm partial to Planet Bike lights - front and back.

Marine Suppliers carry a small red colored flashing lights that will attach via a small key ring to a life jacket. The flashing rate can be adjusted so that individuals (new hands/old hands) can be identified while they are working at night, by the flashing rate of their lights.

That's what I was thinking too. A true multi-use tool. There are many quality ones on the market, using a variety of battery types.

I clip one to each pack. I figure it;s very little weight and can't hurt. I too think that it might be more attention getting that a constant light, there's no effort involved and the batteries should last a while.