Ever used a canned oxygen Inhaler
 

Has anyone ever used any of the Canned Oxygen Inhalers?
A couple of examples,
https://www.amazon.com/Oxygen-Supple...doorlife_os-20

https://www.amazon.com/Boost-Oxygen-...doorlife_os-20

I have an upcoming, probable, trip to altitudes that would be very difficult for me and I am being told that these should be able to get me through the trip without an issue.

What altitudes?

I didn't, but my mother did. It was worthless, but she had a problem that needed medical attention.

ETA - I flew for years in the Air Force and if you're going up to altitudes below 10,000 feet, you should be ok unless you have a medical condition. Above 10,000 feet gets tricky. If you go higher and encounter breathing problems a can like that is unlikely to help for long and unless you can get down below 10,000 feet fairly quickly, it won't be of much use. However, if you're thinking of using it due to medical issues, you definitely should consult a doctor first.

They'll do in a pinch, but they don't last very long. If you're worried about altitude sickness, I wouldn't count on it being a life saver, but it could help a little.

We are going through Canada to Alaska. We will be hitting several that range from 14K to 19K according to the agency.

My dad is 77 but has no breathing or heart issues. I am 50 and have COPD. I don't need oxygen but I have my worries and my doctor told me to get a portable concentrater and to get some of these. This is a bucket list trip for him and Alaska is on my bucket list.

On foot?

Definitely grab a few of them then. Like I said, they do work, but they go pretty fast if you're using them a lot.

If you're going up to 19,000 feet, that is problematic. That is extremely high. It's not just the lack of oxygen at higher altitudes like that. The air pressure is much reduced and the bottoms of your lungs become filled with fluid and therefore inoperable for transferring oxygen to your bloodstream. Your lungs will have a reduced capacity. That works against you along with the lower levels of oxygen. Pilots flying with oxygen masks at high altitude have the oxygen under pressure which helps to alleviate the problem in the lungs, but doesn't eliminate it. Those cans are unlikely to give oxygen under pressure.

If a doctor is telling you that you'll be ok with those cans, his word is far better than mine, but 19,000 feet is extreme.

Are you just going up to those altitudes by car or something, or will you be hiking?

Well some of it will be on foot but we will mostly be taking helicopters to the peaks from the Resorts and especially to the Denali crest.

Also, be sure to drink plenty of water when you are up that high. That's one part of altitude sickness that people don't think about a lot.

If you're on foot above 12-13,000 feet you'll tire quickly. If you're climbing, it will be very hard work. If you're climbing at higher altitudes than that, you better be in very good condition.

Okay.

How often have you been above 14,000 feet without supplemental oxygen, with exertion and not?

I've done some high altitude races that have gone as high as 14,000 (Pikes Peak), and 12,000 is where things suddenly start to get hard for me. Under that level I'm just slow but I'm fine, but above that it's just hard to breathe if you're exerting yourself at all.

It makes me wonder what 19,000 feels like. I'm curious. I've seen a few of those high mountain climbing documentaries, and I think the altitude is massively underappreciated by the casual observer. Those guys are doing hard stuff and they're doing it in a very oxygen-starved state. In my very mild experience, that's the big difference maker.

I've never tried the canned oxygen, but I'd definitely bring something if you've got breathing troubles. I'm fine at 14,000 if I'm doing nothing strenuous (e.g., just walking on a flat surface), but anything beyond that gets hard and I'm in pretty good shape.