CPAP while hammock camping in cold temps?

[TNhunter]

I've been using a CPAP since 1998. This year I have finally got a battery and cpap combo that is small enough and light enough to untether myself from campgrounds and the grid electrical supply. I was out camping a couple of weeks ago when the temps got down into the low 20s. My UQ worked wonders and stayed comfy all night long. BUT - I just about froze my face off with the cpap mask and the cold air it was blowing into my nose all night long. I actually had to take it off for a short period of time. Anyone got any good setups for insulating the hose and possibly the cpap unit itself that would allow me to use it more comfortably in very cold temps?

[Vulture]

All my imagination can muster is getting an extra long tubing between the unit and your face, and looping it close to your body for heat.

[Sidewinder]

Hammock sock or peapod. That's what use with my CPAP on the winter.

S

[zukiguy]

Insulate the hose with perhaps some foam tape from the home improvement store. If you can stand your own smell, can you configure an intake that pulls air from under your quilt? Your body heat will pre-heat the incoming air. You might also be able to rig up some kind of "re-breather" setup. Maybe have your outgoing breath blow across the incoming tubing (think of it like a heat exchanger).

I'm not sure how it works but maybe something like this:
http://www.directhomemedical.com/TR-...avel-cpap.html

[grannypat]

Please post a link to the kind of machine you got. I'm sure lots of others are interested.

[mbiraman]

If insulating the hose is an option how about plumbing pipe insulation. Comes in 3-4' lengths , open along the side so you could slide it on and off and you can cut it to length.

bill

[dammfast]

I think the foam insulation for pipes would probably be too stiff. I would bet that a fleece cover would greatly reduce the heat loss. Where is you intake? Do you have the machine in the hammock with you? If you are pulling in 20 degree air all the insulating will be for nothing. You need to be pulling in preheated air and then keep in warm.

[GroundHog]

TNhunter I ran into the same problem at the last Yates Hang..I even tried routing my hose down inside the hammock to try and warm the air first. I ended up just jerking my mask off, so I could get feeling back in my nose....They do make light weight fleece tube socks for the tubing, but I think it's more for condensation than warmth. I'm thinking next time I'll add an extra length of hose on and try to get more of it inside the hammock/underquilt. Sort of the idea of keeping you alcohol fuel/water filter element inside your coat to keep it warm.

http://www.amazon.com/Snuggle-Skins-.../dp/B006VLOQI4

http://www.cpap-supply.com/CPAP-Tubing-Wrap-p/33963.htm

http://www.cpap.com/productpage/resp...foot-hose.html

And depending on your machine (and portable power source) there are heated hoses.

http://www.cpap.com/productpage/Hybe...hing-Tube.html

[Harstad]

You can insulate the hose to withstand Ragnarok, but as long the air intake is on the high flow cpap Machine itself it will do you no good.

A HME filter like: http://www.deasnet.it/product-catalo...ters-and-hmes/
might work. But it requires that you exhale thought the filter. Some CPAP mask have to much leak around the mask that most the air and heat is lost there.

A heated hose might be an option, but it will require a lot of electrical energy and it is not designed to heat large masses of air anyway. In a heated hospital room it can prevent hypothermia in patients, in the outdoors not so much.

I would go the HME way. If your CPAP setup permits.



Harstad

[nomoore]

What kind of mask are you using? If you are using a full face or nasal mask then you might consider switching to nasal pillows, at least while camping. I've camped down into the 30s with mine and nasal pillows don't feel near as cold as with a full face or even a nasal mask.

If you can't normally use nasal pillows because you are a mouth breather and leak air out of your mouth you might consider taping your mouth shut (I know it sounds a little crazy, but trust me it works). I've heard of using blue painters tape but it just doesn't stick well enough to my face. I use 2" wide Kendall Curasilk cloth medical tape and it sticks really well. In fact if I don't wet it for a minute before removing it I will lose some skin when I take it off.

Also, maybe you could design a case for the machine that sucks incoming air past a few hand warmers (the chemical kind that lasts a few hours). That combined with a couple of "snuggle hose" type fleece hose covers might warm the air a few degrees before it comes into your nose. Also, routing the hose under the blanket might work better for warming than using the fleece hose cover.

I use a fleece hose cover on mine and I don't run it under my blanket. I suck in the outside air too. I guess my nose is pretty tough.

P.S. Not only does a full face mask or nasal mask expose more of your face to moving air than a nasal pillows mask, it usually vents air faster so it is like putting a fan blowing on you on high instead of low or medium. This uses a little more of your precious battery power too because the pump has to work harder to keep the air pressure.