If you have asthma, you’ve probably heard enough conflicting advice to fill an encyclopedia: Humid air helps; humid air hurts. Cold air helps; cold air hurts. Living with the condition is frustrating enough, and bringing it out into the woods on hikes and camping trips can be intimidating. Luckily, there are precautions you can take to help keep your symptoms under control in the backcountry.

Leave Your Triggers Behind This might seem like an easy piece of advice, but following it can be surprisingly difficult. Do you really know what triggers your asthma? Food allergies are an often-missed trigger, since symptoms can occur hours after ingestion. Keeping a diary beforehand to correlate foods and symptoms is vital for backpackers, who often rely on a small variety of foods for days at a time. Knowing that you’re allergic to nuts, one of the “big eight” food allergies, or dried fruits loaded with sulfites, another asthma trigger, is a fact to discover before heading into the woods with a huge Ziploc filled with that and not much else.

Take it Easy It may be possible to get lost, but beyond that, nobody loses in hiking. Try to keep your own pace, avoid overexertion, and enjoy a break whenever necessary. Don’t take off from the trailhead like a racehorse; ease into your hike and let your body and your lungs warm to the exercise. If a non-asthmatic friend wants to hike at an asthma-inducing pace, say you’ll meet at the next junction. Hiking can be relaxing, and leaving your stress at the trailhead is a great way to beat your condition.

What’s the Forecast? Hiking in the cold and rain can be unpleasant even without asthma, which can worsen in these conditions, especially if your gear gets damp or moldy. Wait for a dry day, or at least let a cold, wet morning warm up before hitting the trails with severe asthma. If pollen or pollution is your trigger, checking an appropriate forecast might be in your future.

Shut Your Mouth Do you tend to hike with your mouth open, drawing in big gasps of air and breathing heavily? This could be exacerbating your asthma. Breathing through your nose filters allergens from the air, warms the air before it hits your lungs, and, most importantly—believe it or not—limits the loss of CO2 that may be an underlying cause of asthma.

DID YOU KNOW?
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease in America, affecting more than one in 20 children under the age of 18.

This method of breathing only through your nose while awake or asleep, sleeping on your left side with your head elevated, and training yourself to breathe lightly is known as Buteyko, named after the Russian doctor who discovered it in the 1950s. Make the most of this in the backcountry by choosing campsites where your head will be slightly elevated, and by breathing through the organ designed for the task.

Under Attack If you do suffer an attack, stop hiking and remove your pack. Sit or stand, whichever feels more comfortable, but maintain good posture. Try to relax and slow your breathing, and take your medication if required. Notify your companions about your situation, and don’t resume hiking until your breathing is back under control.

Just One More Thing Backpackers aren’t keen on carrying duplicate items, but asthmatics can’t afford the risk of a broken or clogged inhaler. If you can’t bear to bring two inhalers, at least bring an extra canister. The new CFC-free inhalers may be eco-friendly, but they clog much more easily and must be primed, making them harder to maintain in the backcountry than the older model. Always use clean, filtered water to rinse out dirt and residue, and remember that your inhaler will need to be kept warm in very cold weather in order to work properly.