Travel with CPAP - bags, etc

CyndiLooWho wrote: ↑

Mon May 31, 2021 9:28 am

The bag that came with my Dreamstation is stuffed full, before adding a 16 oz bottle of distilled water, which I will need for our December flight and our international trip. It also doesn't have a lot of padding. I traveled with the machine, hose, mask/headgear, travel wipes, lip balm, hose cozy, and the the folding arm that elevates the hose above my head, and I would not have been able to add anything else bigger than a few sheets of paper. I realize that I can buy distilled water most places, but for a quick weekend flight I don't want to have to seek out a grocery for CPAP water. Viking will provide distilled water for our cruise, but I don't know about the 2 nights pre and 2 nights post in our start / end cities.

There has to be a better travel solution! Is there a better bag that will hold all of my stuff plus the 16 oz travel water?

Is there a place to buy a travel CPAP with humidifier that won't cost close to $1000? And if I were to buy one of those, how would that affect my insurance paying for the big one since I wouldn't be using it for these travels? Our long car trip this summer will be about 11 days and cruise will be 15 days.

I know I can't be the only one traveling with these machines; just trying to work out how to travel the best way with one.

I've been using the Dreamstation for 4 years. The standard bag it came with is not a great travel option. I personally found the Dremstation too cumbersome to travel with, especially for business travel when I need to travel light (22' rollerboard + briefcase or backpack and have to pack a laptop and other medical supplies related to my insulin pump). The Dreamstation even without the humidifier requires you to pack a dedicated power brick. Philips sells a more compact travel case so you can take the main unit w/o the humidifier, and it comes with a "smaller" power brick, but it didnt interest me since it was another bag to haul:

https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/ ... -accessory



My preference was to find a travel machine that could fit into my existing backpack/duffel/briefcase. I purchased the Dreamstation Go (DSG) travel machine about 3-years ago and has been great; I cross-shopped it against the Resmed AirMini at the time. The DSG doesn't need it's own dedicated travel brick, just a regular power cord. I found this to be a major benefit which is a consideration when you're trying to balance bulk and weight especially on shorter trips. I zip up the Dreamstation Go in its "small travel kit". My mask, power cord, and the micro 12mm hose go into the soft washable pouch. I toss the travel kit and the soft pouch that came with the kit into my backpack, briefcase, or duffel bag. You can purchase the DSG from CPAP.com for ~$500, which is a great price, this may mean a new unit is coming from Philips, but who knows. I paid around $720 for it at the time. The heated humidifier I've seen for sale as low as $200, but there is no heated hose for the DSG. I don't have the humidifier, I'm half tempted to get it but thus far it hasn't been an issue for me without humidification. YMMV.


Small DSG travel kit:


Washable bag for mask, hose, and power cord:


Medium DSG travel kit which can accommodate the DSG and either the humidifier or the dedicated DSG battery:



I hope this helps.

I've traveled many times with my CPAP and never had a problem. I use a Platypus water bottle see link below which is almost unbreakable as I have stood on one and it didn't pop a seam. I fill it with distilled water put it in a one gallon freezer bag for safety and pack it in in my checked on baggage and have not had a problem. However the airline can lose baggage and in that case I would use bottled water as mentioned before and then clean the humidifier with vinegar when I get home. I've done my share of cruising and they always supply me with distilled water and an extension cord (let them know you use a CPAP) if I need it (I also carry a 12 foot extension cord with me). Also remember to take a converter plug for what ever country you will visit. My machine runs on on 120v or 220v so I don't need a converter (220v to 120v). Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/Platypus-SoftBot ... 5328&psc=1

FYI: Regular cpaps have not been "huge" for at least a decade or two.
Size is relative.
Compare to the early machines--team lift only.