At times I find myself alone on a trail - in fact, I rather like it that way. I meanderhike and solocamp to be in nature, not in community. But it's just smart to always have an awareness of your surroundings, and to have some tools for safety and security available. That's where Birdie comes in.
Shop: shesbirdie.com
Pictured: Comes in lots of colors - I like to be able to find mine QUICKLY so opted for bright
I think of it as a multi-use tool, for safety. I have never had to use mine - but I feel better having it along. It comes with a long screw-closed slim carabiner as well as a keychain circle. You want to keep it handy - lanyard around your neck as you hike is my suggestion. No fumbling in pockets or in your pack!
Birdie works quickly and easily - you pull the bottom from the top, and it emits a VERY loud piercing scream as well as a flashing light from the portal you see pictured. You bring the two pieces back together to stop.
While She's Birdie envisions a world where women's safety is a given, and is of course a GREAT urban tool to have, I can see using it in several solocamp situations:
When you encounter someone who makes you uncomfortable on the trail. Pulling the Birdie alarm should both scare them off, and alert others in the vicinity that someone may need assistance.
When you encounter an animal that makes you feel threatened. The startle of this loud sound may halt and encounter and send them running. My sister encountered some VERY aggressive large tom turkeys on a hike in her local state park that followed her, rushing her, for quite some time. This kind of situation might well benefit from a blast of Birdie.
If you became lost or disoriented. Blasts of your birdie will carry farther than your voice, and alert others to your position.
In camp, I take Birdie from the picnic table or my keyring on my jeans into the tent with me, and she's within arm's reach at night.
Pictured: You do not know for certain what a trail holds. It adds to your comfort and ability to enjoy it when, as you remain alert in your surroundings, you have an easy, loud alarm tool.
Pictured: When I am the only one in the lot as I set out, I feel safer knowing Birdie's alarm sound carries quite a distance
$29.95 for one, with multiples discounts (makes a great gift for any woman you know, regardless of age, so it's easy to take advantage of the multiples discounts.) Worth it for safety and peace of mind.