I’ve decided to get a pocket whistle andd I want to look at all my choices. I know that there’s the O’Brien Rover and Park’s Walkabout. Are there others to consider? Thanks
Here is a link to another one. https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/commercial-post-whistles-of-wood-irvine-pocket-whi/54875/1
I guess it depends on your pocket, doesn’t it? Personally I have never had a problem carrying any whistle with me. I’d suggest carrying the whistle you most like and make your fashion choices based on the size of that whistle. 
But since you asked - most any two piece whistle is good to go. Yep, Tommy makes a three piece model. I make my own three piece CPVCs, fun excercise. The Clare two piece is convenient. The collapsible Laughing Whistle may be hard to find but it is a small package. And Mr. O’Brien has a new model just revealed here : https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/may-cp-obrien-whistles/70858/1
Feadoggie
The reason I’m looking for a take-apart whistle is because I go on geology field trips and I don’t want to put a whistle in my pack with my gear and rocks. I think I’d cry if my Hudson or Thornton got damaged. I’m thinking a PVC would hold up the best, so I guess it’s a Every Walkabout or Tommy’s. Now comes the hard part, deciding 
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I have done the same for years. And polymer whistles are a good choice. I carried a Water Weasel for a while, then moved to a couple of Dixon polymers in the pack for a number of years. They get wrapped in their own cloth bag in the pack and I’ve had no problems. They are light, fairly durable and compact. I’ve been carrying a few of my home made CPVC whistles lately in their own pocket with no damage. Done the same for cycle tours too. I sometimes carry a polymer flute too, either a Dixon 3 piece delrin or an older M&E. As long as the instruments are wrapped seperately, they don’t get abused. And you’re right I would not carry a Copeland, Thin Weasel or similar top-shelf whistle out into the field.
The best protection I’ve used is to place the whistle, any size whistle really, in an appropriately sized PVC tube lined with padding and sealed with matching PVC end caps. So if you are going out and expect to do some rough stuff, that’ll save the whistles. Good luck!
Feadoggie
My two favorites that I’ve tried are the O’Brien Rover and a wonderful two-part whistle made by Mack Hoover.
Both are excellent. The Hoover also has a C-natural thumb hole. That’s my only whistle that has one of those, and I must admit, when I play that whistle, I find myself using it without any special thought…probably from years of Boehm-flute playing, where the left thumb key is quite similar in that you push it to play B and let it up to play C.
–James
Don’t overlook the O’Brien Stowaway either. I’ve not tried the newer three-piece version, but the two-piece version rivals my Sindt as my favorite whistle, period. It has a beautiful, sweet voice although not a lot of volume. The Parks Walkabout is also a nice whistle and the tone ring mute is very handy for traveling. The two I’ve tried had one quirk (perhaps too strong a word); the xxx xxx second octave D was noticeably flatter than the oxx xxx D, which was on pitch. The Parks is probably indestructible. I have not treated my Stowaway gently, though, and it has held up just fine.
I have a two-piece stowaway that I really like. I often carry it in my purse just in case I have time to play a tune. I’m just worried that the tube will get bent with the stuff in my bag. I have a pocket on the outside that I can keep a whistle in, but then I worry about it getting banged around, especially when I loose my footing (which seems to happen a lot 
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I think a Parks is the way to go. I like the idea of being able to play really quiet when I’m camping with other people. Although the cost of Tommy’s is pretty tempting.
Feadoggie, It sounds like you are in a geology field. Can I ask what you do?
From one cost end to the other - I believe Clare made the “Eagle” (I have one around here somewhere) and Paul Busman makes a heck of a one with dandy little cases sewn by his better half.
Philo
‘‘Big Whistle’’ has the Clare two piece https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/commercial-post-whistles-of-wood-irvine-pocket-whi/54875/1
I’m just a longtime hobbyist. You are likely a more serious geologist than I. I just have rocks in my head according to the wife! I’ve been an avid hiker and backpacker all my life. Some people watch birds or catalogue plants as they walk. I look at rocks. I don’t trip as much as they do. I had no formal education in geology just a passing interest. Then, when one of my kids was little, I went on a fossil hunt with him. The guide was a professor at a local university. We hit it off. I was hooked. And there are rocks all around the house and yard now.
When you are driving out in the field laden with five gallon buckets and an arm full of tools, you can probably take any whistle you like since the rocks, tools and whistles won’t be tossing about with each other. If you’re out in the field for weeks and you carry a lot of equipment, look into something like a pelican cases or a hard plastic gun case for your instruments.
But when you have to trek on foot a ways to get to your destination, and travel light with everything in one pack, the whistle needs some protection. Polymer whistles wrapped in a sock work just fine usually. Worst case, or maybe best case, is to select your whistle and make a hard case from an appropriately sized piece of PVC pipe lined with padding and closed on each end with matching PVC end caps. That should withstand just about anything you can throw at it. Then you’ll be ready with your whistle for the evenings campfire.
Besides their compact size, three piece whistles have another advantage which I will mention. They allow you to position the left and right hand sections to the side of each hand. For someone having trouble covering holes or someone with arthritis this can be a big help, especially with lower key whistle.
Feadoggie
Delrin flute through the top bungee cord,
it will whistle on its own if the wind is right.
I can always reach it.
It is an effective communication tool when asking the grouse hawk to back off!
[quote="Feadoggie] I look at rocks. I don’t trip as much as they do. I had no formal education in geology just a passing interest. Then, when one of my kids was little, I went on a fossil hunt with him. The guide was a professor at a local university. We hit it off. I was hooked. And there are rocks all around the house and yard now.
Feadoggie[/quote]
It’s the rocks that got me, too. I’m bringing them home all the time, much to my husband’s annoyance 
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I had my WhOA under control and now it just seems to have mutated. How can I decide between them? Cost is a big deal right now, so it’s a Park’s or one of Tommy’s. And I’ve always wanted a Clare two-piece. Oh, the confusion!!
Thanks everyone for all your input.
A 3-piece whistle that can fit in a shirt pocket does sound very nice. Maybe some day I will own one. I do think that a good whistle deserves a very protective case if it rides inside your pack even part of the time. I use virtually indestructible PVC pipe cases, but that would not take advantage of the compact 3-piece design. You might want to consider a stiff, padded compact camera case. I have a LowePro camera case that looks like it would be a perfect fit for a Parks Walkabout.
As an ex-geologist - several jobs back - I appreciate your situation. Always hard to convince your spouse that you really NEED all those boxes of rocks when you move.
That is a great idea 
Gosh, I hope I never have to move. Actually, my husband has been pretty good about it. He even bought me two metal cabinets (the kind that are used for blueprints) to organize my rocks and minerals. He’s more understanding about the rocks than the whistles. If I could play music with a rock, he’d probably be a little less understanding about them.
Besides carrying the normal Clare 2 piece, Bigwhistle also has the “Shush” version which has been tweaked to play VERY quietly, and the SSPT (standard performance tweak) version which has been tweaked to improve the playability (I believe they do a blue tack tweak and underside blade lamination).
[quote="Tucson WhistlerGosh, I hope I never have to move. Actually, my husband has been pretty good about it. He even bought me two metal cabinets (the kind that are used for blueprints) to organize my rocks and minerals. He’s more understanding about the rocks than the whistles. If I could play music with a rock, he’d probably be a little less understanding about them.[/quote]
I used to work with a guy who spent all of his vacation time every year traveling around the country to visit cemeteries and photograph tombstones. He had all of these albums and boxes full of pictures… would document his excursions like they were trips to foreign lands…
Now that’s an obsession. Whistles? Rocks? Quite a little bit more sane, IMO.
Same guy also walked out of a McDonalds through the opposite side of the restaurant he went in, took a look around the parking lot on that side, and called 911 to report his car stolen…
See what I mean?
Hmmmmm… I am not a rock hound, However, Have found a few fossils, And after researching, found them to be fascinating. What I found were crinoid’s, geode’s, and one crustation. OK, so I misspelled crusation. (expect that fearfarion will bring that up LOL). The rock hound I showed it to told me the only way to find out what it is, was to break it open. No way.
So I went with Tommy’s pocket whistle and he’s even going to send me a crinoid. How cool is that?! I can’t wait to try it out. I have a feeling that I’m also going to end up with a Clare two-piece and an Every Walkabout, but that will have to wait.
What key crinoid?