Sleep Apnea

[SemperFiGuy]

I am still really new to Hammock camping and I would love to get into backpacking soon. The problem is I have sleep apnea which requires me to be close to electricity hence my dilemma. Has anyone figured out a way around this problem?

http://www.thecpapshop.com/camping-travel-cpap-machines

Greybear,

Follow the link. I'm sure you've probably already been there, but in the off chance you haven't, see what you come up with.

I usually lug along my ResMed S9, (but leave the humidifier at home). I have a battery that gets me about 12 hours during the week-end and if I'm near my car during the day, I can plug in the DC charger and get it up to 100% again.

I got the battery kit from CPAP Battery, Inc. It is a ResMed Lithium ION Battery Pack and the whole thing weighs in at probably six lbs including the el cheapo backpack I bought to stow the whole shebang.

I too, like Rattdog, use my ridge line and it hangs just fine. The air does get cold in the winter but, hey, at least I'm out in the woods. My personal best, last year, was -11* F and I did just fine. I use a full Face mask and it does spray out some cool air, but hasn't been a problem so far. I tried the nasal pillows, but I don't breathe right so I went back to the full Quattro face mask. I also tried the hybrid face mask, but again, I couldn't get a good seal.

Anyway, just experiment and you'll find what works for you. Keep us posted and good luck.

All the best !
Gil

[cataraftgirl]

Update. I saw my sleep Dr. today for a follow-up and to talk about my pressures & camping. My reports all look great, and she was comfortable with lowering my pressure settings a little bit. Just a little......from 15/17 to 14/16. Not a big change, and probably not enough to significantly increase run time on a Li Ion battery? I asked about going without cpap for 2-3 nights and she said that was fine. She feels that I have enough reserves from consistent use of my cpap to be ok. She said to give it a try on a kayak trip and see how I feel. If I'm extra tired and not happy with how I feel, then invest in a Li Ion battery. If I don't notice a big difference and feel ok, then go without. If I car camp or raft, then I'm good to go with my 12V battery set-up. We shall see what happens with the kayak trips. In the mean time I'm saving up some money in case I want to get a Li Ion battery.

[Ratdog]

That's great to hear.

Sadly I cannot report the same.

This past weekend I "thought" my battery died after 30 minutes use. It was a horrible night's rest, nightmares of choking, waking up. Would not call what I got, 'sleep'. I left camp at 6AM drove 60-70 miles round trip to get another car battery.

Turns out the "protection circuit" kicked in, all I had to do was press and hold the power button for 10 seconds and it would have been alright.

Bottom line, it was a terrible night without a CPAP.
My pressure runs 14.5-16.5
AHI 1.5-3

Regarding purchasing a lower cost battery.

The batteries sold in the U.S. by CpapBatteryStore and others, come from China. You can buy single units direct via Alibaba. You do take a risk because returns would likely be a headache. That's why folks like the Cpapbatterystore buy them in bulk anticipating some failures and price accordingly.


What I can say is that I've had somewhere between 500-600 nights on my battery and my per use cost is waaaay down. So the battery lasted a long time with regular use. (14 months, I used it every day) I have also used it in sub freezing weather and hot and humid weather, so they do hold up well.

I like the 200+Watt Hour batteries to get 2-3 nights, no humidifier. If you are at a campground, there is usually an outlet somewhere for recharging. That or plug it into the car while you drive around exploring.

I know the batteries are expensive and for car camping there are options. (rafting too) but for hiking or paddling...it's worth to be able to get out there and be well rested.

If you are going to try going with out a cpap, you can function, but it isn't the same. Ask the crowd who watched me doze off around the fire. It was like time travel, every time I opened my eyes, the crowd had changed.

[cataraftgirl]

I might have a kayak trip later this month, and definitely have one in early May. I'll see how I feel without the cpap. Since I've gotten a dud battery from Amazon in the past, I'm hesitant to get one direct from China. With Amazon, I returned it and got my money back immediately. I'm going to use the money from my employer for completing my "Live Well" program towards a battery if I feel like I need one. My guess is that I'll feel better while kayak camping if I can use my cpap, but I'll give it a try without first.

I'm going to do a search for Ratdog's previous thread about how to suspend the cpap in a hammock. I also keep my camp chair close at hand as a "bedside table" and I could also set the cpap there as well.

[scoffman]

Hey guys I just purchased this little gem. I have a pressure setting of 12 and I can get four 7 hour nights out of it. I just used it on a recent backpacking trip last weekend and it performed flawlessly. Of course it's hit or miss with anything on Amazon.com but my battery was flawless out of the box. I charged it up and used it in the house for four night straight before having to recharge. It's a 52 watt hour batter pack with multiple voltage selections. I used it in conjunction with my Transcend EZEX on a voltage setting of 12V, 14V, and 19V. The transcend power plug is 19V, their transcend battery pack is 14.4V, so I really didn't know what to use the new battery pack set to. Hence the 12V, 14V, and 19V trials. It works on all three settings. The little multi-night battery pack (P8) that you can order for the transcend sucks. I can only get a maximum of ten hours out the that thing. Plus the price I thought was very reasonable, and it weighs less than 3 lbs. My overall weight on that trip for my cpap, mask, hose, both battery packs, and the pouch I carry them in only added 8 lbs. to my pack weight.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[cataraftgirl]

Hey guys I just purchased this little gem. I have a pressure setting of 12 and I can get four 7 hour nights out of it. I just used it on a recent backpacking trip last weekend and it performed flawlessly. Of course it's hit or miss with anything on Amazon.com but my battery was flawless out of the box. I charged it up and used it in the house for four night straight before having to recharge. It's a 52 watt hour batter pack with multiple voltage selections. I used it in conjunction with my Transcend EZEX on a voltage setting of 12V, 14V, and 19V. The transcend power plug is 19V, their transcend battery pack is 14.4V, so I really didn't know what to use the new battery pack set to. Hence the 12V, 14V, and 19V trials. It works on all three settings. The little multi-night battery pack (P8) that you can order for the transcend sucks. I can only get a maximum of ten hours out the that thing. Plus the price I thought was very reasonable, and it weighs less than 3 lbs. My overall weight on that trip for my cpap, mask, hose, both battery packs, and the pouch I carry them in only added 8 lbs. to my pack weight.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks for the heads-up. I might have to try that one out?

[cataraftgirl]

Update
I ordered the Q-Infinity battery that scoffman posted about above. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It worked! Yippee. I charged it up to 100% and used it last night. No humidifier, pressure setting of 14-16. PR System One 60 series A-Flex cpap. I slept for 8.5 hours, and have 56% power left. I think this will work for two nights, since I don't sleep quite that long while camping. I will use it again tonight and see if there is any juice left. The size and weight are doable in my kayak, and hooking it up was simple. It cost $220 vs $280 for the BPS battery. Now I need to rig up a mesh bag to my hammock ridge line for it.

[cataraftgirl]

I had 20% charge left on the battery after the second night. So I'm good to go. Depending on length of sleep time, I might be able to squeeze a third night out of this battery, but two is great. Jared at SLD makes a small boot/gear hammock, and he's making an all mesh one for me to suspend & contain my cpap gear in the hammock.

[IRONFISH45]

Great thread, thanks to all of the USEFUL information.

I gave up trying to use my autoset while Hanging. I was hoping someone would develop a Solar Power method for our device, looks like that is not going to happen in the foreseeable future.

A few points from my experience.

First I lost a lot of weight, my sleep apnea did not change. My pulmonologist told me SA frequently does not change when women loose significant weight, men yes, women no.

If a woman has SA her children likely have the same condition.

My life improved significantly when I learned I have SA.

Many people who have heart rhythm problems also have SA.

I was originally diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea back in 1999. A recent sleep study showed mixed sleep apnea, which means I have both obstructive and central (my brain does not always send the message to breathe).

I seem to live on the wild side I do not use my autoset when Hanging. I would like to however the expense weight and hassle are not currently worth it to me.

[cataraftgirl]

I was content to go without cpap for 2 nights. I had my sleep doc's ok to do that and see how I felt. Now I have a way to take my cpap and not worry about being overly tired when I need energy the most. Unlike hikers, I'm lugging the extra 5 lb. in my kayak, not in a backpack. Someone on the cpap forum is experimenting with a 28 W solar panel for backpacking, so I'll report back on how that works for them. The solar panel they are using cost $120.