I came across this earlier and thought maybe some of you had seen it before. Anyboody know anything about this? Would it be worth buying to throw in my sons pack? I don't know if he would like it or not and he's kind of rough on gear. I just don't want to get him something that will fall apart when he opens the package. Any opinions?
Here's the link

http://saratogatradingcompany.com/7_in_1_survival_whistle_with_led_light.html

To be honest it doesn't look good. You would be better off with a plastic Fox40 whistle (already as much expensive as the whole apparatus but probably for good reasons) that you put on your keychain or on a necklace. Same for the LED light. I wonder about the magnifier if it's for starting fires how big it is but I already tried to light a fire with a SAK magnifying glass to no avail. Just put a credit card size Fresnel magnifying glass in your wallet. You have probably more chances of lighting a fire with a Fresnel although I tried it on a sunny day and I only managed to create smoke. Probably it would work better not as far north as in Canada and with more dried tinder. It's not very practical. The compass is probably of poor quality too. Just my two cents.

Frankie

I'm not familiar with the magnifying glass you mentioned. I would hesitate putting anything in my wallet since most of the things in there look like they have been there forever. I would be afraid to scratch it up to the point of uselessness. Is there an alternative carrying method for items such as this that I don't want to get scratched?

I haven't had experience with that specific unit, but I did have one of the 5-in-1 Match Case, Whistle, Compass, Signal Mirror, & Flint units back when I was in Boy Scouts. Specifically, my experience was the compass drying out after about a year, the signal mirror falling out from the cap where it's stored, and the flint detaching and flying into the tinder along with a few sparks. That flint was lost since the sparks caught pretty fast (due to tinder being "enhanced" with lighter fluid). It's one of those things that may be appropriate for a child's carry, but due to the catastrophic breakdown in my experience, I'd rather get separate quality components.

Versatility is only a virtue when all the pieces work.

Good point about the versatility. I thought maybe I would teach him about the way to use them on something cheap before I spent any real money on something. I'm afraid he's rather rough on things and I don't want him tearing up a good quality piece of gear before he even learns how to use it.

That brings up another question, how do you get the kids interested in the outdoors when they don't seem to like it at all?

Fresnel lens are typically made of flexible pieces of plastic. I just checked mine in my wallet and it's still ok after maybe two years although a bit dirty. You can find them in libraries, they are dirt cheap and are a sound alternative to torturing ants ­- Cody Lundin

Frankie

Frankie

My mistake, book stores (not libraries) and office-supply stores.

I know that when I was a kid it was family that got me interested in the outdoors. Lots and lots of camping trips, relatively short hikes, and trips with the grandparents in their RV. That last one was probably the most fun of them all, combining grandparents with a weekend getaway and plenty of sugary snacks and s'mores.

It was always a blast to be able to explore new areas, sleep in, smell the breakfast cooking in the morning, stay up late with a flashlight, get sunburned at the beach, build new engineering marvels in the sand, look for shooting stars, help hold the hose at the RV dump station in 100+ degree temperatures (phew), etc...

Then there were always the bloodthirsty animals outside the tent if I was sleeping outside... in reality they were probably raccoons or squirrels. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I guess overall I'd say it wasn't just having a destination, but the journey getting there and back was just as much fun. Geez, that sounds cliche, but it's the truth.

(P.S. - that combination whistle thing looks like junk. I'll echo the others and say just buy a Fox 40 whistle.)

Is your son in the Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts? If he is in the Cubs, then I'd probably buy it knowing that he'll likely lose it or destroy it on the first outing anyway. Rather than a life-saving tool it becomes a cheap substitute for practice purposes.

If he is in the Boy Scouts, I'd suggest spending some money on quality gear (perhaps ritter PSK) and teach them how to use the tools properly. When I was a counselor at Scout Camp (good lord, it's been over 25 years ago <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />), I used to take the cheapo 5-in-one-tool and demonstrate how bad it was compared to real gear. Yes, the flint would break off, the compass was at least 60 degrees off, the mirror would fall out and the matches in the case would get soaked if it was held underwater. At the time, it was good for teenage comic relief. I imagine the 7-in-onetool is similarly bad.

Like many have said I would just get a Fox 40 and a small sqeeze light. You're talking $5 for the whistle and less than $10 for the light (and that's for a nice one, I've seen cheaper ones for $1). Both of which are pretty hard to break (unless you are really trying) and will probably be more reliable than the all-in-one tool in the link.