Building onto our series on the rule of 3’s, the next rule is 3 minutes without air.

Now I know that some people can hold their breath for a lot longer than three minutes, just as some of us have health conditions and need constant oxygen to stay alive. The rule of 3’s is not to give a definitive time frame of when you will die, but a helpful tool to help put your priorities in order. I think we can all agree we will live longer without a drink of water then if what we would if we were under water with no air.

In a survival situation there is not much we can really do to ensure we have good clean breathable air. We cannot hike everywhere with an oxygen cylinder. Having said this the things that, we can do we should do!

If you are asthmatic you should ensure you have enough preventive medication and or enough reactive medication such as Ventolin with you. It is probably a good idea to take a full asthma puffer with you rather than a used one. The last thing you want when the closest shop is an hour away is to run out when you are having an asthma attack.

If you suffer hay fever or any other allergies, make sure you have suitable medication with you. This could range from an EpiPen to antihistamine tablets. The last thing you want is an allergy making it harder to breath if you are already in a reduced oxygen area such as hiking the high country.

And finally, some form of face mask or respirator would go into my survival kit in the case of a dust storm or other pollutant being in the air.

As always tell someone where you are going and when they can expect you back.