How-To – Signal for Help Without Electronics

GoBag.One™ | GoBag or Stay Home™

When tech fails, attention is survival. If rescuers can’t find you, nothing else matters. Signals must be visible, audible, and repeated.

GoBag or Stay Home™ means you can get seen and heard—with or without electronics. Always Be Ready to Go Camping™: practice your signals before you need them.

📐 Signaling Basics

• Rule of 3: Three of anything = distress (3 whistle blasts, 3 mirror flashes, 3 fires).
• Contrast & Size: Big, bright, and different from the environment.
• Location: High ground or open space; think lines-of-sight to roads/air.
• Repeat & Pause: Signal in bursts, pause to listen, then repeat.

🔧 Core Non-Electronic Methods

• Whistle: Three sharp blasts; repeat every minute. Carry a loud, pea-less whistle on your GoBag strap.
• Signal Mirror: Aim bright flashes at aircraft, vehicles, or distant searchers. Use a “V” with your fingers to sight the target and flick the sun’s spot through the V.
• Ground-to-Air Symbols: Build SOS, X (need help), → (direction of travel), or V (need assistance) with rocks, logs, or tarps. Each symbol should be at least 6–10 feet wide.
• Signal Fire / Smoke: Three fires in a triangle or line. Day: damp greens for smoke. Night: dry fuel for flame. Keep an ignition bundle ready.
• Panels / High-Vis Cloth: Lay out an orange tarp, survival blanket, or bright bandanna; wave slowly for movement contrast.

🛠 Improvised Options

• Use a CD/DVD, polished can bottom, or shiny foil as a mirror.
• Trample patterns in snow/sand or scrape dirt to expose lighter soil for contrast.
• Bang metal on metal (pot, car body) at steady intervals when voice won’t carry.

🔥 Field Tips

• Stay put once you’ve signaled unless the location is unsafe—moving makes you harder to find.
• Create a clear landing zone or pull-off if possible; mark wind direction with a streamer.
• Pair methods: whistle + mirror + ground symbols. Redundancy gets results.

✅ Pro Tip

Practice mirror flashes at 50–100 yards. Use your fingers to “sight” the target and sweep a controlled flash onto it. Cache a whistle and a high-vis panel on the outside of every GoBag so they’re usable in seconds.

If you want to keep learning, go here → Advanced Survival Skills

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