The short answer
A Gamow bag is a portable pressurised chamber that can be inflated around a person with serious altitude illness. Raising the pressure inside the bag has an effect like going to a lower altitude for a short while. Some clinics and guide teams on popular high routes keep one, and it is used as a temporary measure while descent is arranged.
It is not a cure and it is not a reason to climb higher. The real treatment for serious altitude illness is to descend, and medical staff decide when and how to use any equipment. Ask your operator what safety equipment travels with the group and where the nearest clinic is on your route.
Key facts
- What it is
- Portable pressurised chamber
- Role
- Temporary help before descent
- Real treatment
- Going down
- Ask your operator
- What equipment and clinics are on the route
How it works
- Know the warning signsWorsening headache, confusion, breathlessness at rest.
- Tell your guide at onceEarly reporting gives more choices.
- Descend as advisedGoing lower is the main treatment.
- Let medical staff decide on equipmentThey choose what to use.
Insider tip
Ask about the group's safety plan before you book, not on the trail.
Avoid this
Do not treat availability of a bag as permission to push higher.
Related questions
Will the group carry a bag?
It depends on the operator and route, so ask before you book.
Can it replace descent?
No, it is only a short-term measure.
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