Camping with a CPAP

[Bojib]

I have pretty bad sleep apnea, so I have to carry a CPAP machine around with me when I go camping.

If I stay at a site with electric, it's a non issue, but I prefer primitive camping.

So far, I've been using a battery pack with an inverter built in to it. It works good, but only for one night. I'd like to get back into being able to extend my camping trips for more than a night at a time without having to worry about charging my battery pack back up.

I was wondering if anyone else has had any experience with camping and using a CPAP machine, and if you could throw some advice my way. I've only had this thing for about a year now, so I'm still figuring some things out with it. I still haven't settled on any specific mask yet, I'm trying them out as I can.

It would be great to figure something out where I could use the humidifier with it on camping trips too, but I'm happy with just being able to use the machine for now.

 

[ejdixon]

One of my good friends also uses one. Noticed that he uses a 12 volt converter along with a female cig adapter and a couple of gator clips to recharge the batteries of the machine. The longest time that we've gone camping that I've seen him use it was 3 days, and I've seen that it's able to survive that long. Not sure if it can last longer than that.

Hope this helps.

 

[TroyS]

I know that you can get one of those 12v adapters that you can attach to your car and use that to power your CPAP machine.

 

[carmen]

My uncle has one as well and at least for his its about a 2-3 day at max trip also. Do you know which model you have or how old is it now? I know my uncle had to get a new one recently since the last model was "crapping out", his words.

 

[ppine]

Bojib,
Logic says you have a few options. You could try camping without the device. You can charge your battery with your vehicle, or you could buy additional batteries. Just remember that it is worth it to have the right stuff when your are camping so that you can stay out there without jeopardizing your health and safety.

 

[Backroad Joe]

Like you, I use my CPAP while camping. Have been for about eight years now. I'm always primitive camping so I rely on my vehicle. Primarily that would be my jeep. It has two batteries so running the inverter overnight has never been a problem. Occasionally I take my truck (single battery) and would only use that battery if another vehicle is nearby in case I need a jump. Of course I always have jumper cables.

Your method of using a dedicated battery is fine. You could charge it by using some inexpensive jumper cables to connect it to your car battery. With the engine running, connect it in parallel, that is positive to positive, negative to negative. About half an hour... while your making breakfast. If you find this works well for you buy a cheap voltmeter (aka multimeter) to check the voltage before and after. With some practice you'll soon know how to determine the batteries charge condition and how much charging time is needed.

 

[Bojib]

I wonder how a batter the size of a motorcycle or lawn mower size battery would work with one of these.

I might have to try it out in the bedroom a night or two and see.

Still, a good way to charge is needed. Charging from the vehicle during the day may be the only good option.

Sleeping without it is pretty much out of the question. I don't have apnea so bad that I HAVE to use it, but I attempted a camping trip in the yard without it and was pretty miserable. I woke myself up every half our or so.

 

[AK Hunter]

I have used a lawn mower size battery to run my CPAP over night then recharge it off of the car the next morning while eating breakfast.
I have been on one for about 18years, I have to have it to sleep or I'll wake up choking every half hour. And no one else in camp will get to sleep from my snoring & choking sounds.
The lawn mower battery will only run it for one night so don't forget to recharge it, it only takes about 20min. at idle for your car to recharge it.

 

[slim jim]

I have pretty bad sleep apnea (done the sleep studies and such), but I've discovered that if I sleep on my stomach, I can get through the night without the machine. It's hard not to roll over unconsciously during the night, but I've sort of trained myself to stay on my stomach at this point. I also heard that you can somehow attach a tennis ball to your back to keep you from rolling over onto your back (like tape it to the back of your shirt?).

I'm looking into getting a Tap3 device that is a mouth guard to stop sleep apnea. It holds your lower jaw outward so that your throat doesn't collapse at night. I've heard mixed things about it (could cause TMJ), but it doesn't take electricity and you don't sound like you're on life support!

-Jim

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi, Slim...


You're looking fine today. Welcome aboard.

 

[oldsarge]

Hello Slim, welcome to OBC!

 

[Backroad Joe]

Hey Slim. Yea the tennis ball trick. Get a t-shirt with a pocket, put it on backwards and put the tennis ball in the pocket. Even half asleep you'll roll back onto your stomach.

What I have experienced with my sleep apnea seems to depend on where I am, elevation wise. When sailing offshore I can go several night without it (of course watch rotation and shipboard accommodations will ruin any plans for a good nights sleep). Plenty of air at sea level. Last summer I was jeeping in the mountains. Decided I could do without my machine. Two miserable nights, kept waking up short of breath. Well yea, I was camping at 8600'. I haven't done that again!

 

[Birddog]

respironics makes a machine that runs on 12 volts without a converter.you can buy the plugs for a cigarette lighter setup at radio shack,look at the large converter made for the home use and it has the amperage at 12 volts that it needs just make sure you put together a cord that handles at least that much.They have tips to fit your machine,and you can set them positve or negative tip.I setup a plug like that to run in the car for my wife when we made a trip to WV so she could use it sleeping in the passenger seat while we traveled( I always drive straight through 16hrs) our setup worked good and I had a deep cycle battery in the back if we stopped that I could hook it to if stopping in a rest area.Resmed S8 machine,you have to buy the converter through Resmed,but not respironics on the older machines.

 

[ChadTower]

It could be done even easier than that, probably. If you installed an inverter in the vehicle you'd be able to use any 110v cpap given a sufficient power source (running vehicle or deep cycle battery as you said). Or you could take the 12v and run it right off of a marine battery inside the tent.