CPAP and Cold Weather Camping

I have been using CPAP for quite a few years. I am also a camper, recently doing some winter camping. I have good camping gear, but wondering if using a CPAP in cold weather can add to waking up shivering in the middle of the night. Can breathing in cold air 32 degrees and colder through the CPAP cause this problem, or at least add to it?

I was wondering how I could do this also. Haven't put much thought into it since I haven't been doing much camping lately. Having a bunch of cold air pumped in will definitely be a problem, but I'm sure can be worked around. Condensation, especially frozen condensation, just won't work. Sounds like a nightmare. The best option would be to have a heated camper if you have the money. If you have the money to own and operate a camper you have money to rent a room or place. I tend to go places where campers are a burden or they just can't be taken. I do prefer to tent camp. Summer is no problem as long as you can haul enough batteries. Definitely limited on how far you can go from the vehicle. Wish battery technology was further along than it is. Near or below freezing temps is an entirely new challenge. Now I have anxiety about being on the machine again. lol Would be great to make those cold weather camps again without the hassle.

If the machine can work well in those conditions, I don't see a problem. I have slept in a sleeping bag at -30 deg C in Manitoba, Canada. That was 20 years ago, pre-diagnosis.

Two problems...cold feet and condensation inside the mask and it's outlet orifices...those tiny apertures will freeze over in seconds...guaranteed.
For cold feet, purchase those charcoal pocket warmers, the kind you open like a book and insert a previously lit charcoal 'cigar'. They do a fine job and will last almost the whole night. You can light both ends for extra comfort, but you'll get half the warming time.

You might be tempted to cover your face and mask inside of your sleeping bag. That will be just dandy the first night. After that...with a frozen or soggy sleeping bag upper, you'll be pleading to return to your home. Never, ever, cover your head by burying it inside the sleeping bag. Apart from defeating the therapy you desire, more oxygen, you'll also dampen the insulation in the sleeping bag and reduce its efficacy by about 70% or more.

In more moderate temperatures, say between 2 deg C and -10, I don't think you'd have much of a problem with freeze-up, but I'd have to see it.

I'm new at this but isn't it the same cold air you would normally breath?

But maybe you could makeup an extra long hose and have it snake down into your sleeping bag.

Or just build a little fire near your air intake.

Cold weather camping.
I knew campsite reservations were hard to get, but snow cone smores?
Ridiculous.

I don't know how to explain it technically, but I just feel strongly that it would be a bad idea... the condensation only the beginning unless you cuold use e.g. a heated hose or something. I don't know who'd be worse off, the machine or you.

According to these specifications...

https://www.respshop.com/manuals/ResMed ... %20her.pdf

page 38 states Environmental conditions with operating temperatures as 41 - 95 F.

Thanks for all the comments. I only do tent camping a few weekends in winter. My sleeping bag is rated at 20 degrees and I also use a liner which is supposed to give you another 10 degrees. It got down to +25F and I woke up freezing, pretty much my torso, not my feet. I have a mummy bag and always sleep with my head out and the bag and liner cinched close to my neck and careful not to exhale into my bag. The second night I slept without the CPAP and woke up with minor headache, and less chilled. I was curious if the CPAP added to the problem. Looking at the specs provided, i guess I was operating out of the normal operating range in temps. Thanks again.

I'm interested in what you discover as I camp year round. The last time I camped was in January, in my hammock, before I started CPAP. The lowest temperatures I encounter are around freezing or a few degrees below. Obviously colder temperatures affect battery performance but I hadn't thought about condensation or vents freezing!

There are things that you can do to insulate your cpap tubing to prevent condensation. We camped up at Glacier Park a few years ago, and then went up to Banff and Jasper, camping along the Icefields Parkway. Got down to freezing (32 degrees) at night several nights, no problems. I used a "snuggly" on the cpap tubing for insulation, and had no rainout/condensation problems. Also, the cooler air coming through the tubing wasn't a problem for sleeping, it was just a little different. I did have the humidifier, and used in a passive mode, turned off, just had water in it. And that worked fine as well. While this wasn't extremely cold, it was at or just below freezing temperature...

Hi Guys,
I've been experimenting with my resmed s9 in the cooler weather and certainly running the tube through your sleeping bag to pick up heat from your body helps. Still pretty cold on the face though. Because we use an off-road camper trailer, we have a little extra space, so I've been thinking about this :
A length of 100mm PVC drain pipe sealed at the bottom and at the top with a screw - on cap.
Insulate the tube externally, and make an air inlet hole at the bottom(as it stands up ) then an outlet hole at the top, with a "spout" to attach a hose leading to the air inlet of my cpap machine.
Before going to bed, boil water on my gas stove, fill a couple of plastic bottles and slide them into the pipe.
The cpap then has to draw though my pipe "heat bank" before sending the (hopefully) warm air on to me.
The cpap machine uses almost no battery if the heating and humidifier isn't used.
Whaddayareckon ?

Part foray wrote: ↑

Tue May 29, 2018 4:41 am

Hi Guys,
I've been experimenting with my resmed s9 in the cooler weather and certainly running the tube through your sleeping bag to pick up heat from your body helps. Still pretty cold on the face though. Because we use an off-road camper trailer, we have a little extra space, so I've been thinking about this :
A length of 100mm PVC drain pipe sealed at the bottom and at the top with a screw - on cap.
Insulate the tube externally, and make an air inlet hole at the bottom(as it stands up ) then an outlet hole at the top, with a "spout" to attach a hose leading to the air inlet of my cpap machine.
Before going to bed, boil water on my gas stove, fill a couple of plastic bottles and slide them into the pipe.
The cpap then has to draw though my pipe "heat bank" before sending the (hopefully) warm air on to me.
The cpap machine uses almost no battery if the heating and humidifier isn't used.
Whaddayareckon ?

Not sure how much heat would transfer from the water bottles and if it did you would get maybe too much heat in the beginning and not enough at the end. There is no way to meter the heat transfer.

I would add more tubing in your sleeping bag to pick up the lower heat your body puts out. Sort of like a a radiator. But then you would be cooling off faster.

Icicle nose is very uncomfortable - if you have enough power in your cpap supply to run a hose heater, you'll be fine, otherwise - brrrrr.

Just got back from a 9 night camping trip. Lows were mostly in the 40's with one night in the upper 30's. These are the coldest temps thus far using my xpap.

I'm always amazed at how much heat a small tent will retain. Wish I would have taken an inside and an outside temp. Something I've never bothered to do, but would be interesting to know.

On a side note; to save battery power I used my P10 mask to minimize leakage, left the humidifier home, set machine to cpap mode with a single pressure, reduced the pressure while maintaining good ahi numbers, turned off as many features as possible, did not use the heated hose, unplugged machine while not in use. Ended up using about 50% of the charge on my 79ah agm battery.

With temps in the 40's I did not have any problems at all. Just a small amount of condensation in the nasal pillows at the end of the night. A little more so with temps in the 30's. Not enough to even be annoyed with. We didn't have any rain, but were camped on Lake Michigan. Would have been interesting to know the humidity levels and how it contributed to the condensation.

Here's a few things I noticed when using the xpap in the cold.
You will need more clothes, sleeping bags, blankets than normal and don't forget a warm hat. Having cold air pumped in at a higher rate cools your body faster. Extra insulation can make up for the heat loss from what I found.

Another thing I found is that if you run the hose through your sleeping bag to try and warm the air going through the hose, it is actually quite cold and pulls heat from your body. I was warmer with the hose left outside the bag. Maybe insulate the hose in some way, but then your defeating the purpose of warming the air with your body heat. Need to experiment with this more. It's likely the air moves to fast through the hose to make a difference.

The best thing about xpap I found is that you can sleep with your head covered since your breathing fresh air from the machine. This helps retain a lot of heat. Luckily my sleeping bag was only a touch more damp in the morning; it wasn't bothersome. I used this technique on a couple of the coldest nights and fared well.

I can say temps in the 40's wasn't a problem. The 30's will have a little more condensation to deal with. It may or may not be a problem. Below freezing I imagine you could sleep with your head in the bag to avoid vent freezing. Even with your face sticking out there may be enough body heat and heat from your breath to keep the mask from freezing. Especially when using a very small mask like the P10. The P10 has very small vent holes so it's feasible those may freeze up. Something else to experiment with. Will be avoiding below freezing temps for now.

Just completed two nights of cold weather camping with my CPAP. I used a Resmed Air Mini. The first night was a little warmer 33-34F and I did get some condensation in the mask. The second night temps went down to 29F and I choose to sleep with my face inside the bag. I purchased a XXL winter bag and there plenty of room inside the bag from my Resmed Air Mini, hose and batteries. My head inside the bag seemed to work a bit better than outside. I believe I was below the official operating temperatures for CPAP and batteries, but had no significant issue. I used a Medistorm Pilot 24 + Co-Pilot battery. I finished the weekend with a dead Co-Pilot and almost completed charged Pilot 24.