SEE/RESCUE
Any Search-and-Rescue veteran will tell you that it can be impossible to spot a lost or injured soul from the air. Smoke bombs and flares are commonly flashy ways to get noticed by the higher-ups, but they tend to fizzle quickly. So forget the pyrotechnics and go with something low-tech enough to work with certitude: the SEE/RESCUE ($68-$98; www.SeeRescueStreamer.com ). It’s an unmistakably orange polyethylene streamer that turns a capsized boater or stranded hiker into a 40-foot neon exclamation point. It has decidedly few other features, but it does float, and plastic struts keep it up from tangling – and thus becoming less visible. Packed in a handy reflective silver pouch, the boating oriented unit clips to a life vest and comes in various widths weighing from 6 to 14 ounces, depending on how risky you’re feeling. The pocket version, which is smaller at 6 inches by 25 feet and 6 ounces, suits land use and comes rolled tight in a either a holster or pouch. In either case, it’s an easy way to get noticed. –DOUGLAS GANTENBEIN