Sleep Apnea

[Greybear077]

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?

[SilvrSurfr]

There are battery-operated units. Plenty of big boys with sleep apnea here - Ratdog comes to mind.

[mudsocks]

Search HF for sleep apnea or CPAP.

[Ratdog]

Don't let sleep apnea slow you down. Search the forum, plenty posted.

There are battery solutions for power and several ways to rig your CPAP off the ridgeline to make it comfortable and easy to use. I stopped counting a while back but Inhave well over 500 nights in a hammock, all using a CPAP.

Battery life will be related to pressure settings on the CPAP itself.

Post up if you have specific questions.

[Bubba]

My friend ggreaves uses a battery pack. Maybe shoot him a PM. I have sleep apnea but I find I'm fine without my machine for short trips. You're never really flat in a hammock and the slight incline of my head and chest is just enough to help me not obstruct as much as when I'm in a bed.

[TNhunter]

I have a lithium ion battery pack I use with my cpap. I also ordered a 3' long hose and carry a low profile nasal pillow mask. Total weight for cpap and battery is just above 3 pounds. Going this route allowed me to be mobile and not locked into campgrounds. Cold weather hammocking is a challenge with a cpap - but not impossible. When in the mid-20s and below I put my cpap under my top quilt to catch pre-warmed air. Otherwise you're breathing air all night at whatever the ambient temp is and it SUCKS.

[cataraftgirl]

What are you folks doing for battery power? The Li Ion are pricey, and at my pressure (15) their calculator says I'll only get 12 hours off one battery. At $200 - $250 per battery, that's a tough sell for me. On my week long rafting trips, I carry 12V 20A marine batteries that give me 2-3 nights per battery. Not real large/bulky batteries, but they weigh 13 lb. each and cost $60 each. Not a problem in a raft, but won't work well in my touring kayak on 2-4 night trips. I have also investigated the solar option up one side and down the other, and the bottom line is that I'd need a rather large and $$$ solar panel to recharge the Li Ion battery. At present, I'm planning to go without my cpap for 2-4 night kayak trips. I'd much rather bring it, but I haven't found a battery system that makes sense yet.

Ratdog.....what battery are you using????

[cataraftgirl]

I have a lithium ion battery pack I use with my cpap. I also ordered a 3' long hose and carry a low profile nasal pillow mask. Total weight for cpap and battery is just above 3 pounds. Going this route allowed me to be mobile and not locked into campgrounds. Cold weather hammocking is a challenge with a cpap - but not impossible. When in the mid-20s and below I put my cpap under my top quilt to catch pre-warmed air. Otherwise you're breathing air all night at whatever the ambient temp is and it SUCKS.

I've taken mine into the 30s without a total nose freeze, but it's not optimal. I just got a WL camp chair UQ for my Joey chair, and I'm trying to figure out how to use that to insulate my cpap machine at night. I'm hoping it will help a little bit?????

[Ratdog]

At about 10 degrees the air blowing on you is cold and that's about when I throw it under the top quilt but Inhave used it a number of times at or below 0 without being under the topquilt. It's only annoying until you fall asleep, for me, max 15 mins. When you wake up, it's fine.

I am working on pre-heated air ideas involving a warm water bottle.

The battery I use is no longer distributed in the U.S. Likely because of FAA/TCA travel restrictions which have since been modified. There are limits to the amount of Lithium allowed on a flight per passenger. I get 2-3 days out of mine at pressures between 14-16.5

Have spent a bunch of time researching and even working on component built systems to get something to market at a substantially lower price point. Almost there, currently 25% lower than competitive offerings.

[Frank1960]

Wow I figured I would just go without my cpap never thought about a battery operated one. When I go my friends cabin for a week hunting I just go without it