Part 6 in an ongoing series highlighting Northeast-based gear companies. If you want to be seen or heard in the event of a backcountry emergency, consider the wilderness signal and survival products produced by Maryland-based Orion.
The world's largest manufacturer of emergency flares, Orion specializes in a range of signal products designed for commercial and recreational use, including an entire category dedicated to wilderness safety and rescue. (They also make emergency roadside flares, marine signal devices, "railway torpedos" for signaling other trains, and backfire torches for wildfire management, among other things.)
Any backcountry survival kit should always include some way to signal would-be rescuers. One of the best (and lightest) combinations is a whistle and signal mirror, which are widely available. (Orion offers a one-ounce whistle-and-mirror kit.) For serious visibility, Orion also offers a three-ounce orange smoke signal; a 3.6-ounce aerial flare; and a 1.8-ounce Fluorescein Dye Marker that turns snow or water into a bright fluorescent green signal (specs say it's environmentally friendly). Click here to check out all their wilderness signals.