Coleman 5-in-1 Whistle

Well, all good things must come to an end. This is my first Average rating being given to one of my favorite manufacturers, Coleman.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. No wonder Coleman no longer is advertising this 5 in 1 Whistle on their website.

Due to the bulky whistle, I do not advise using this for camping, but I do suggest using it for paddling. Having a water tight compartment for matches, and bearing a compass, signal mirror, flint, whistle, and lanyard this is the perfect emergency whistle for paddlers.

                                     Coleman 5 in 1 Emergency Whistle

Well nothing lasts forever, and Coleman had a great track record until now.  This is my first time of giving such a low review to the Coleman brand. I have been using Coleman products since I was probably 10 years of age. I own practically everything from Coleman: coolers, sleeping bags and pads, cots, stoves, lanterns and their camping accessories. Not to mention I own at least  two of each of the above listed items (stoves and lanterns even more so).

This is my second combination whistle from Coleman. The first one is still in my kayak. For the purpose of this review I took out the other 5 in 1 whistle that was given to me for camping out of its packaging to take photos (too bulky to use for camping trips). As soon as I took this whistle out of the packaging the compass portion fell out of the top and rolled behind my office computer table. RIP, compass. 

The inner sealed compartment for matches really is water tight. The signal mirror is rather small and would be tricky to use adequately due to its small size and being housed so deep inside the cap. The compass was on the other side of this cap and now lies somewhere beneath my office computer table. One couldn't pay me enough to get on my hands and knees to look for it now.

A nice plus is the raised flint so one doesn't accidentally shave the plastic off the whistle housing. Also, the lanyard has ample room to place over your hat and hang from your neck. The whistle itself is quite loud as my ears are still ringing from testing it two minutes ago. Is someone going to answer that phone?

                                                 Conclusion 

As a camping whistle this is a fail. The signal mirror is rather small and will be hard to use in the forest and cannot be used for grooming purposes. As I mentioned the compass itself fell off (realize it has been sitting in my camp drawer for about 10 years now). I suggest getting some super glue and applying it around the compass housing as it is attached using double sided sticky tape. I use a very small and loud titanium whistle for camping.

Although I do not recommend this whistle for camping, I do use it for kayaking. Having a lanyard means an emergency whistle will always be at your fingertips and on the open water the signal mirror will be adequate to signal for help. As for the water tight compartment, it will definitely keep your matches dry. Just don't forget to super glue the compass as double-sided sticky tape is not waterproof and may fall off the cap.

                                                Specifications

• Whistle
• Lanyard
• Signal mirror
• Compass
• Flint
• Lanyard
• Length:  4 1/2 inches
• Width: 1 inch
• Weight:  34 grams

Background

This product is a mystery with many questions unanswered. I have dealt with Coleman my whole adult life and during adolescence. On the internet it says that this product weighs 200 grams. I compared the weight of this to my edc knife which is 4 oz. and the whistle was much lighter.

I called Coleman ( have them on speed dial) and sure enough their data base also has this item listed weighing 200 grams. A quick trip to CVS to buy AAA batteries for my digital scale resulted in discovering that it weighs a mere 34 grams. I am not sure why all of the internet is saying it weighs 200 grams thus the mystery.

On the water this is the perfect 5 in 1 whistle. For camping I prefer my really tiny really loud whistle that I have clipped on to my jackets keychain loop. For me a product needs to have multiple uses. The signal mirror for example needs to be large enough to also be used for grooming which this one is clearly too small to do