View Full Version : CPAPs in Hammock
wannabhanger
03-22-2023, 21:48
Hey y'all. Been a while since I've been on here and my age is catching up with me. I now need to use a CPAP when I sleep but still want to continue using my hammock when I can.
I'm hoping there's others in similar circumstances and can provide some advice. How do y'all use your CPAP when in your hammock? Do you hang the machine from your ridgeline or do you put it on a table outside your hammock? Do you use a travel CPAP and are there any good ones?
Thanks in advance.
Kevin
Cruiser51
03-22-2023, 22:45
You should search, there are a few threads on this topic ... this one is recent https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/showthread.php/157548-CPAP-and-Hanging
I use a CPAP and have settled on CPAP inside, battery outside ... pic of my gear and you can see the CPAP hanging in there (ResMed S10, with humidity chamber removed), with the battery at the external head, found a separate line for it worked well
190455
Brian
Crazytown3
03-23-2023, 15:12
I've tried a few different setups. One of them was similar to Cruiser51's setup with the Resmed AirSense10 minus the humidity chamber (there is an end piece that closes that off), and the travel adapter power cord. This works really well with something like a car battery that you can park on the ground near you, and you can get multiple nights out of a setup like that. Great for car camping or equivalent.
I also have a ResMed AirMini with the ResMed P10 nasal pillows that I use with a Pilot-24 Lite battery; that works really well for backpacking, and REALLY well for motorcycle camping trips. For backpacking, I can get at least 2 nights, sometimes 3 if I'm lucky out of a full charge on that battery. I pack it all into a gallon ziploc bag, weighs 36.92 ounces for the pack. The AirMini is a 24v system, which makes finding a proper battery for it kind of wonky. There are way better 24v battery solutions out there now as compared to when I bought the Pilot-24 Lite, which is expensive. I'm strongly considering getting this TalentCell Pack (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SWBS55F/?coliid=I1U0AHGTOR7YTQ&colid=311MS458AVA1X&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) that supports 24v out natively.
I also have a Breas Z2, with the ResMed P10 nasal pillows, and a USC-C battery pack with PD (power delivery) with a PD 15v cable. This works REALLY well for backpacking (and motorcycle trips), packs into a gallon ziploc bag, and weighs about the same 36-ish ounces.
Because I my sleep apnea issues have been pretty well controlled now for several years, with the okay from the Sleep Therapy clinic, I had my dentist fit me for a dental appliance, which basically just helps keep my lower jaw from sliding backwards at night, and helps keep my airway open. I have only tried it at home so far, but it works great for me, and my O2 sats are actually a little bit better with it than with my cpap machines. I will use definitely keep using my cpap machines at home, but I think this will be a viable alternate FOR ME out on the trail. It weighs 0.92 ounces.
EDIT: for my travel CPAP setups, all of it fits in a mesh "organizer" that hangs from my hammock ridgeline; the machine, battery, tubes, etc.
Cruiser51
03-23-2023, 18:37
Just a note on run time, the above setup runs for about 7-8 nights with the ResMed S10, it was originally setup with a Respironics DreamStation and that would be 14 nights+ ... so the Resmed takes quite a bit more power, but given the health issues with the Respironics ... probably worth carrying the extra power.
This is used almost exclusively for interior canoe camping around Ontario, a lot of places are pretty remote, so you need to carry anything you need in with you ... but I don't typically stay out more than 7 nights ... so this works for me.
Brian
Crazytown3
03-23-2023, 21:37
That's a great setup and runtime for canoe trips. Not so bad at all.
I now use my Dreamstation 2 with this battery: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0791WDZTW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details with the 12vdc power cord for the machine. I just turn the humidifier & heated hose off. All of it fits nicely inside the hammock. I route the CPAP hose inside the top quilt and it keeps the hose warm enough so I'm not getting 30 degree air into my nose all night. I've run it 4 straight nights, 10+ hours each night and only used 1/2 the capacity of the power available. Love it!
Cruiser51
03-25-2023, 18:49
My battery is a similar size, too bad you can't really get anything over 100 WH these days after the Samsung battery fiasco, have to assume you have had the battery for quite awhile
No. Just bought it a month ago. Used it for the first time at the Yates Place hang a couple weeks ago. It's actually $30 cheaper now than when I bought it 2/8.
No. Just bought it a month ago. Used it for the first time at the Yates Place hang a couple weeks ago. It's actually $30 cheaper now than when I bought it 2/8.
Darn, found this quite interesting, but Google can't seem to find it in stock anywhere. I've got a Resmed Airmini with Pilot 24 battery. Only good for 2 nights. Electronics mystify me, but I think I should try a DC converter and 12 v battery.
Cruiser51
06-09-2023, 08:52
The battery Slugger posted wasn't been in stock since I read that post, there is a second similar one here https://www.amazon.ca/EASYLONGER-72000mAh-Portable-Generator-Emergency/dp/B0BCJX2QV2 it was available until about a week ago. If you want something that size, you will likely have to keep checking around for stock.
One point about using a battery with a CPAP unit, this is my opinion, not necessarily gospel... but each CPAP manufacturer has a cable designed to go from a 12V car port (formerly known as a cigarette lighter port) to whatever voltage your specific machine requires. They have been designed to be energy efficient and have voltage regulators to adjust for battery voltage etc. .... I would never try and use the cables and adapters included with these bigger power banks, CPAPs can be finicky about voltage and they are too pricey to mess up, the adapter cables from the manufacturers will save you a lot of potential headaches.
A 12 v battery is not usually going to be 12 v, a lead acid car battery is over 13 v (I believe) and a lithium 12 v is about 11.7 v, and a wall adapter is quite close to 12 volts. The manufacturers adapter kit will take that 11.7 - 13+ v source and delivery whatever voltage the unit requires, taking the battery source out of the equation, saves you the headache of figuring out why your unit won't work with the battery and lastly, protects whatever warranty the unit provides.
Brian
Thanks. Makes sense to stick with the manufacturer's cable.
Cruiser51
06-09-2023, 10:02
Just a bit further, I originally bought a 12V power bank for my Respironics, which takes 12 v ... with the recall I got a ResMed which takes 24 V, the ResMed cable takes the 12 v and converts it to the 24 v needed. So the 12v car adapter for your unit takes care of any adjustments needed to make your unit work.
Just a bit further, I originally bought a 12V power bank for my Respironics, which takes 12 v ... with the recall I got a ResMed which takes 24 V, the ResMed cable takes the 12 v and converts it to the 24 v needed. So the 12v car adapter for your unit takes care of any adjustments needed to make your unit work.
Thank you. Do you know if the conversion from 12v to 24v uses extra Wh? My Pilot 24 is 95Wh, gives me 2 nights, so roughly 50Wh per night. Will a 266 Wh battery give me 5 or so nights at 50Wh per night, or are additional Wh consumed in the 12/24 conversion, meaning I'll use more Wh per night?
Crazytown3
06-09-2023, 15:23
sloth, I use an AirMini with that same Pilot24 battery. In this case, I *think* the conversion is probably done by something inside the battery case so it outputs 24v instead of 12v. If you can find a 24v battery with more Wh, you will get more nights of usage, but finding a reasonably priced higher Wh 24v battery is tough. At some point you would end up lugging around a big freakin battery. That's where the 12v batteries with the round 12v "car outlet" come in to play. You can use a 12v battery with higher Wh (which are easier to find), and use the ResMed 12v-24v adapter cable to power your AirMini; I think ResMed calls that adapter the DC/DC converter.
I see you are in BC. I have the AirMini DC/DC converter cable that I have never used. It just was too bulky and heavy for what I needed. If we could figure out the logistics of it, I would just send it to you if you want it.
Cruiser51
06-09-2023, 20:44
Thank you. Do you know if the conversion from 12v to 24v uses extra Wh? My Pilot 24 is 95Wh, gives me 2 nights, so roughly 50Wh per night. Will a 266 Wh battery give me 5 or so nights at 50Wh per night, or are additional Wh consumed in the 12/24 conversion, meaning I'll use more Wh per night?
I have found using the manufacturers cable doesn't give me any noticeable loss in total run time (I am upconverting 12 V to 24 V).
I can't directly answer your question, but I will give you the numbers from my system to demonstrate the process I use to arrive at number (which work out for me)
Battery: 266 wh/22.17 AH 12 Volt Lithium battery (FYI AH is just WH divided by voltage ... I like to work in AH, but you don't have to)
CPAP: ResMed S10 @ 6 cm, no Hum chamber or heater, no ramp either (it takes extra power)
I have a RC car battery load analyzer that I can use to measure the power draw ... the S10 runs at .35 AH (4.2 WH) ... so 22.17/.35 gives 63.3 hours of operation from a full battery (for WH that is 266 /4.2 for 63.3). this gives me at least 8 nights comfortably.
The Respironics units I had were drawing ~.25 AH under the same conditions, so would run that much longer. Given the recall and safety concerns, that manufacturer isn't really viable for the foreseeable future though
If I were using your battery, for my CPAP, I would get 95/4.2 = 22.6 hours of operation ... here I would likely drop my pressure to 5 and get 3 nights from the unit, I also believe there is a cable that allows connecting 2 of these batteries together, allowing use of all the power, instead of having partials leftover.
Points to think about:
- idle power usage is not insignificant, I measure mine at 30% or 1.6 WH .... so unplug when not in use
- power consumption is proportional to pressure setting , going from 6 to 8 will draw about ~25% more power
- the majority of the power is used on inhalation, the faster your sleeping breathing rate is, the more power you will use
- the reason I break it down to hours, sleep duration is personal and even then it varies with environment
- different units draw different power, generally the smaller travel units draw more power than the home units, so you save on size and lose on needing more power
Brian
That's a super awesome offer Crazytown, thank you very much. I'll see if I can figure out how to pm you.
Great information, thank you very much Brian.
The battery I mentioned is in stock right now as of today: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0791WDZTW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
The battery I mentioned is in stock right now as of today: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0791WDZTW?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Thanks very much, great tip! Sold out by the time I got there. I'll keep checking.
Cruiser51
06-10-2023, 20:01
Sloth ... that not available is likely because you are accessing from Canada, if you have a US zip code, I think it is still there.
Sloth ... that not available is likely because you are accessing from Canada, if you have a US zip code, I think it is still there.
Thank you very much for continuing to follow up, I appreciate it. I have Amazon accounts for Canada and US, and I'm able to shop on Amazon.com. I'm still getting an unavailable notice though, maybe I'll poke around a bit more... Thanks.
Edit: I changed my shipping address and there it was. Thank you.
Thank you very much for continuing to follow up, I appreciate it. I have Amazon accounts for Canada and US, and I'm able to shop on Amazon.com. I'm still getting an unavailable notice though, maybe I'll poke around a bit more... Thanks.
Edit: I changed my shipping address and there it was. Thank you.
Good. Best purchase I've made to help support keeping me on a CPAP while hanging!
Cruiser51
06-11-2023, 20:06
Realize these batteries are going to get about 500 charges, so if you take care of them, leave them at ~50% charge when not in use and generally protect them on route ... it is basically a one time purchase, that is a lot of trips.
russelj2
10-28-2023, 08:21
I gave them up years ago for puresleep.com sleep like a baby
Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk
I found this mesh bag to be perfect for a small battery and my Z2 cpap. https://hennessyhammock.com/products/ridgeline-mesh-pocket
reshavaa
12-20-2023, 05:20
You can make one DYI also.
I have some DIY organizers but for the price and weight I really like that pocket.
Another question for the CPAP crew - how cold to you go with the cpap machines? I'm not so worried about the machine or battery as the cold air infusion. When tent camping with temps just around freezing it took me a while to warm up in the morning. Back then I was on a boat camping trip using the deep cycle battery from the boat with a full size machine. I figure the smaller machine can run in the quilt and will help the with the frozen lung syndrome. Just wondering how others deal with colder temps using cpap.
I'll leave the battery pack in the Li-Po case hanging in the gear pocket. I've never had one fry but remember all those hoverboards that were catching fire, the same can happen with these inexpensive batteries. I now charge, store and run them in one of the fireproof cases which only weight an ounce or two.
Crazytown3
12-21-2023, 13:11
Using the CPAP below freezing is a little tough. I usually use my ResMed AirMini, which i can keep warm under my topquilt, but the mask/nasal pillows that stick in my nose collect at least a little condensation, and that is subject to the cold. With the nasal pillows (ResMed P10), below about 40F I will sometimes wake up during the night with some condensation dripping out of the P10 and onto my face. I usually just shake it out and then go back to sleep.
I do use one of those insulating wraps that wrap around the tube between the machine and the mask. I don't know if it actually helps or not, but I still use it.