If the player chooses to put the Distress Pistol Kit in the plane's hatch, it will break open once the plane crashes and following items can be recovered for use:
The Distress Pistol is the only weapon available in Episode 1, yet another one (along with the same amount of Flare Shells) can be obtained from the Highway Robbery stash. It's only useful to scare off or kill the Wolves in the area, though the torch-and-rock method is a far cheaper way of scaring them and the extra meat is unnecessary given the abundance of food in Episode 1. It's also less useful on Green Survivor, as Wolves always flee from the player on sight.
