Travel Cpap Machine

Hi,

Hope you are all well.

I like to travel and get away for weekend breaks etc.

I was thinking about getting a Travel Cpap machine as my Resmed is just to big and heavy to carry around with all my other luggage.

Has anyone tried a Travel Cpap machine before, are they any good? and does anyone have any comments on the one I should get?

Thanking you in advance for your help.

Pat x

Here are my thoughts based on my family experience with CPAP. My wife started on CPAP first and got a ResMed S9 Auto machine nearly 4 years ago. It has a humidifier that can be disconnected and left at home for ease of travel, while giving up the option of using the humidifier and heated hose. However the travel case does not get smaller, and there is really no savings in bulk and inconvenience. Our son got into the CPAP next with an AirSense 10 AutoSet. He had a cadillac insurance plan and got a travel machine (Z1 Auto) paid for as well. He tried it a couple of times and found it too noisy to get a good sleep with compared to the standard ResMed. He stopped using it and gave it to his mother. She tried it a couple of times and gave up on it too. Fast forward to several months ago when I got my AirSense 10 AutoSet. As part of my package I managed to get two travel cases for the A10. They are more travel friendly than the S9 case. My wife modified it slightly and now uses the A10 case for her S9 machine. The Z1 Auto stays in the cupboard. Now my wife and I both travel with our A10 machines. I consider the Z1 an emergency spare if any one of us has a machine failure, but not worth the trouble to travel with it due to the inconveniences of it.

So what are the inconveniences of a travel machine? Typically they have no humidifier, although the ResMed AirMini has sort of one that uses a replaceable filter that claims to recycle your own moisture?? The AirMini requires a special mask and I believe there are only a couple of ResMed masks that fit it -- P10 nasal pillow, and N20 nasal? Not sure. I like to collect and monitor my data with SleepyHead. The Z1 and AirMini do not collect any data to a SD card. You would have to check but if you use MyAir it may be possible to link both the A10 and AirMini to the same MyAir account. Not sure, but I doubt it because I think the AirMini only collects limited data anyway. So that are the main issues; no heated hose, no or questionable humidifier, issues collecting data, and depending on the model limited selection of masks.

So far, I have not found the AirSense 10 difficult to travel with at all. The travel case has a nice strap that holds it in place when looped over a wheeled carry on travel bag. There is no need to carry water, as tap water is fine to use for a week or two at a time. Just use vinegar to rinse out the water reservoir when you get home. I find I can pack up my A10 machine in less than 5 minutes, so it is no big deal. The CPAP is classed as a medical device so does not count against your carry on baggage allowance when flying. If I am going on a 2-4 day trip, I can fit the A10 case inside my carry on bag along with everything else. However, you do have to dig it out to get through airport security.

Just my thoughts. I have had no temptation to buy one, or even use the one we have now.

Thanks for your reply.

Pat X

I travel often and use the AirMini. I don't use a humidifier (with my AirSense 10) so lack of (or a different style of) humidifier on the AirMini is of no consequence to me. I traveled with the AirSense 10 once...never again! The AirMini fits inside my breifcase with my laptop.

This is all still new (4-5 months) to me. I was on Virgin Australia last week and they stopped me from using it because it wasn't on the passenger manifest. They had to write down my make, model & serial number and go check it out. Turns out it was fine and they let me resume.

The AirMini chamber that houses the optional humidifier disk makes it louder than the AirSense 10. I don't notice it on planes, but do in hotels. This chamber also sits right between my lower lip & jaw so can be uncomfortable.