not many people know that.......

annakappa said:

I used my Osprey on our last 2 Camino's in total ignorance!

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Magwood said:

I was told recently, by a very experienced pilgrim, that most modern backpacks have a whistle secreted in the chest strap clasp. Having walked the Frances route last year with a separately purchased whistle attached very close to my chest strap, I thought I would go and check it out. Nope! - no whistle on my osprey pack. I mailed back to my informant and told him the result of my examination, whereupon he looked up the technical spec for my pack (osprey atmos 35L) and replied that, yes, it was included and he explained in words of few syllables exactly how I should identify it. Lo and behold, it was there all the time, masquerading as a clasp, when all along it was sneakily a whistle, that makes a good shrill call.

On reflection, maybe everyone except me was in on the secret.

And incidentally, having just checked out the phrase 'not many people know that' I was informed by google that Michael Caine never uttered those words: ‘I have never said “Not Many People Know That”,’ Caine, 78, wrote on ICorrect.com. ‘Peter Sellers said it when he impersonated my voice on his telephone answering machine. ‘His impersonation was “This is Michael Caine, Peter Sellers is out. Not many people know that.’’ He also repeated this on the Michael Parkinson show.’ The actor added: ‘I do not mind something clever being attributed to me but I do mind something stupid that I did not say or do.’

......and that's something else that I didn't know!

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fraluchi said:

.... that it had a whistle attached ....
Now we all can become Camino whistle blowers

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Albertinho said:

We could raise the Saint James whistle band with all Osprey owners

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Diogo92 said:

Having a whistle with you, when you're walking in the woods, or tracks that you don't know, it's very important. A whistle it's a way for you to warn everybody that it's passing by, that you are there, in case of some thing happen. "But I could shout/scream". You will likely lose your voice if you scream or shout for 2 hours in a row. A whistle requires no energy, compared with screaming, and it could be heard in some meters or even 1 or 2km (depending of the whistle, and the conditions).

I think that, this kind of whistle that it's delivered with backpacks it's good, but not so good has that. They usually delivery a very weak sound, and I've seen some of them break (since they are included on the strap). I usually advise people to buy a Fox 40 whistle http://www.fox40whistles.co.uk/Fox-40/Safety/Fox-40-Classic-FOX-CLASS

It's one of the best whistles in the world for outdoor activities, and it's so powerful, that it's even used by women has an anti-rape whistle.

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Albertinho said:

The Osprey whistle I tried out a moment ago is so loud and screaming that if , my good friend , you blow it in Castanheira do Ribatejo, all inhabitants of Lisbon think by hearing the sound that the dustman's truck is arriving to collect the garbage so they put the dustbin outside

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Diogo92 said:

The trash cans in here are only collected at night. So no whistles

I will search for my FOX 40 to show it to you, when we meet each other

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Magwood said:

I was told recently, by a very experienced pilgrim, that most modern backpacks have a whistle secreted in the chest strap clasp. Having walked the Frances route last year with a separately purchased whistle attached very close to my chest strap, I thought I would go and check it out. Nope! - no whistle on my osprey pack. I mailed back to my informant and told him the result of my examination, whereupon he looked up the technical spec for my pack (osprey atmos 35L) and replied that, yes, it was included and he explained in words of few syllables exactly how I should identify it. Lo and behold, it was there all the time, masquerading as a clasp, when all along it was sneakily a whistle, that makes a good shrill call.

On reflection, maybe everyone except me was in on the secret.

And incidentally, having just checked out the phrase 'not many people know that' I was informed by google that Michael Caine never uttered those words: ‘I have never said “Not Many People Know That”,’ Caine, 78, wrote on ICorrect.com. ‘Peter Sellers said it when he impersonated my voice on his telephone answering machine. ‘His impersonation was “This is Michael Caine, Peter Sellers is out. Not many people know that.’’ He also repeated this on the Michael Parkinson show.’ The actor added: ‘I do not mind something clever being attributed to me but I do mind something stupid that I did not say or do.’

......and that's something else that I didn't know!

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Stephen Nicholls said:

This afternoon I bought a Mountain Warehouse Ventura 40L ...... I WAS very pleased with it, until I read all this about whistles. It hasn't got one.
Should I return it to the store?!

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Magwood said:

I was told recently, by a very experienced pilgrim, that most modern backpacks have a whistle secreted in the chest strap clasp. Having walked the Frances route last year with a separately purchased whistle attached very close to my chest strap, I thought I would go and check it out. Nope! - no whistle on my osprey pack. I mailed back to my informant and told him the result of my examination, whereupon he looked up the technical spec for my pack (osprey atmos 35L) and replied that, yes, it was included and he explained in words of few syllables exactly how I should identify it. Lo and behold, it was there all the time, masquerading as a clasp, when all along it was sneakily a whistle, that makes a good shrill call.

On reflection, maybe everyone except me was in on the secret.

And incidentally, having just checked out the phrase 'not many people know that' I was informed by google that Michael Caine never uttered those words: ‘I have never said “Not Many People Know That”,’ Caine, 78, wrote on ICorrect.com. ‘Peter Sellers said it when he impersonated my voice on his telephone answering machine. ‘His impersonation was “This is Michael Caine, Peter Sellers is out. Not many people know that.’’ He also repeated this on the Michael Parkinson show.’ The actor added: ‘I do not mind something clever being attributed to me but I do mind something stupid that I did not say or do.’

......and that's something else that I didn't know!

View attachment 9164

Click to expand...

Magwood said:

I was told recently, by a very experienced pilgrim, that most modern backpacks have a whistle secreted in the chest strap clasp. Having walked the Frances route last year with a separately purchased whistle attached very close to my chest strap, I thought I would go and check it out. Nope! - no whistle on my osprey pack. I mailed back to my informant and told him the result of my examination, whereupon he looked up the technical spec for my pack (osprey atmos 35L) and replied that, yes, it was included and he explained in words of few syllables exactly how I should identify it. Lo and behold, it was there all the time, masquerading as a clasp, when all along it was sneakily a whistle, that makes a good shrill call.

On reflection, maybe everyone except me was in on the secret.

And incidentally, having just checked out the phrase 'not many people know that' I was informed by google that Michael Caine never uttered those words: ‘I have never said “Not Many People Know That”,’ Caine, 78, wrote on ICorrect.com. ‘Peter Sellers said it when he impersonated my voice on his telephone answering machine. ‘His impersonation was “This is Michael Caine, Peter Sellers is out. Not many people know that.’’ He also repeated this on the Michael Parkinson show.’ The actor added: ‘I do not mind something clever being attributed to me but I do mind something stupid that I did not say or do.’

......and that's something else that I didn't know!

View attachment 9164

Click to expand...

Magwood said:

I was told recently, by a very experienced pilgrim, that most modern backpacks have a whistle secreted in the chest strap clasp. Having walked the Frances route last year with a separately purchased whistle attached very close to my chest strap, I thought I would go and check it out. Nope! - no whistle on my osprey pack. I mailed back to my informant and told him the result of my examination, whereupon he looked up the technical spec for my pack (osprey atmos 35L) and replied that, yes, it was included and he explained in words of few syllables exactly how I should identify it. Lo and behold, it was there all the time, masquerading as a clasp, when all along it was sneakily a whistle, that makes a good shrill call.

On reflection, maybe everyone except me was in on the secret.

And incidentally, having just checked out the phrase 'not many people know that' I was informed by google that Michael Caine never uttered those words: ‘I have never said “Not Many People Know That”,’ Caine, 78, wrote on ICorrect.com. ‘Peter Sellers said it when he impersonated my voice on his telephone answering machine. ‘His impersonation was “This is Michael Caine, Peter Sellers is out. Not many people know that.’’ He also repeated this on the Michael Parkinson show.’ The actor added: ‘I do not mind something clever being attributed to me but I do mind something stupid that I did not say or do.’

......and that's something else that I didn't know!

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Magwood said:

[...]I love the idea of a pilgrim whistling band.[...] I'm sure there might be other suggestions.......

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jeffnd said:

I was surprised that people didn't know that.

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Magwood said:

I was told recently, by a very experienced pilgrim, that most modern backpacks have a whistle secreted in the chest strap clasp. Having walked the Frances route last year with a separately purchased whistle attached very close to my chest strap, I thought I would go and check it out. Nope! - no whistle on my osprey pack. I mailed back to my informant and told him the result of my examination, whereupon he looked up the technical spec for my pack (osprey atmos 35L) and replied that, yes, it was included and he explained in words of few syllables exactly how I should identify it. Lo and behold, it was there all the time, masquerading as a clasp, when all along it was sneakily a whistle, that makes a good shrill call.

On reflection, maybe everyone except me was in on the secret.
View attachment 9164

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Alyssa said:

Magwood, I read this post a couple months ago, then looked for the whistle but couldn't find it. Then I took my packed backpack to work to share with my 10-year-old students and within a minute, one of them pointed out the whistle! : )

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Al the optimist said:

What do your students think of "Miss" walking so far?

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Magwood said:

I was told recently, by a very experienced pilgrim, that most modern backpacks have a whistle secreted in the chest strap clasp. Having walked the Frances route last year with a separately purchased whistle attached very close to my chest strap, I thought I would go and check it out. Nope! - no whistle on my osprey pack. I mailed back to my informant and told him the result of my examination, whereupon he looked up the technical spec for my pack (osprey atmos 35L) and replied that, yes, it was included and he explained in words of few syllables exactly how I should identify it. Lo and behold, it was there all the time, masquerading as a clasp, when all along it was sneakily a whistle, that makes a good shrill call.

On reflection, maybe everyone except me was in on the secret.

And incidentally, having just checked out the phrase 'not many people know that' I was informed by google that Michael Caine never uttered those words: ‘I have never said “Not Many People Know That”,’ Caine, 78, wrote on ICorrect.com. ‘Peter Sellers said it when he impersonated my voice on his telephone answering machine. ‘His impersonation was “This is Michael Caine, Peter Sellers is out. Not many people know that.’’ He also repeated this on the Michael Parkinson show.’ The actor added: ‘I do not mind something clever being attributed to me but I do mind something stupid that I did not say or do.’

......and that's something else that I didn't know!

View attachment 9164

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Magwood said:

Well, thanks for all the input. It seems that I wasn't, after all, the only one not in on the secret!

I love the idea of a pilgrim whistling band. Perhaps we should start practising - I guess we could start with 'To Be a Pilgrim'. I'm sure there might be other suggestions.......

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