Best Travel machines

lynninnj · Post by **lynninnj** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 12:28 pm

Gday! Rob suggested I start a new thread on this so I shall. I did search to see what was discussed and went back pretty far thru some cloudy mishmosh of stuff but nothing concrete.

That said, I am hoping to get a backup machine and was going to make it a travel machine. Which hopefully means it will sit in the box for a while because I don't need it, but when I do I want it to be ready to travel and preferably use on a battery backup.

The names I know at this point are the air mini and the Z2. I don't know if there are others or if these are the top two?

I don't want to pay for something that isn't going to work when I need it and as I understand the Z1s are outdated and in that category.

With that in mind, does anyone have experience with any of the travel machines, good or bad?

Iamstumped · Post by **Iamstumped** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 1:09 pm

lynninnj wrote: ↑
Fri Sep 02, 2022 12:28 pm
Gday! Rob suggested I start a new thread on this so I shall. I did search to see what was discussed and went back pretty far thru some cloudy mishmosh of stuff but nothing concrete.

That said, I am hoping to get a backup machine and was going to make it a travel machine. Which hopefully means it will sit in the box for a while because I don't need it, but when I do I want it to be ready to travel and preferably use on a battery backup.

The names I know at this point are the air mini and the Z2. I don't know if there are others or if these are the top two?

I don't want to pay for something that isn't going to work when I need it and as I understand the Z1s are outdated and in that category.

With that in mind, does anyone have experience with any of the travel machines, good or bad?

Personally, I prefer to use my "home" machine, an AS11, when I travel. Which is not often.
I do have a backup machine, an AS10.

amenite · Post by **amenite** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 1:59 pm

My travel machine is my "daily driver". Don't travel enough to need anything compact or lightweight. And in my experience the best travel machine is any machine for which you remembered to bring all the power cords, hoses, mask, etc that go along with it (there was this one time ...).

lynninnj · Post by **lynninnj** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 4:36 pm

Iamstumped wrote: ↑
Fri Sep 02, 2022 1:09 pm

lynninnj wrote: ↑
Fri Sep 02, 2022 12:28 pm
Gday! Rob suggested I start a new thread on this so I shall. I did search to see what was discussed and went back pretty far thru some cloudy mishmosh of stuff but nothing concrete.

That said, I am hoping to get a backup machine and was going to make it a travel machine. Which hopefully means it will sit in the box for a while because I don't need it, but when I do I want it to be ready to travel and preferably use on a battery backup.

The names I know at this point are the air mini and the Z2. I don't know if there are others or if these are the top two?

I don't want to pay for something that isn't going to work when I need it and as I understand the Z1s are outdated and in that category.

With that in mind, does anyone have experience with any of the travel machines, good or bad?
Personally, I prefer to use my "home" machine, an AS11, when I travel. Which is not often.
I do have a backup machine, an AS10.

I hear you.

Chances of me getting another AS11 is pretty much slim to none.

I do want to be able to travel and it seems like the travel ones are more equipped for battery use.

Plus we’re supposed to be downsizing soon.

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 4:55 pm

Be aware that when you downsize you have to give up something.

Travel machines are historically more noisy and most don't have any (or very much) added humidification available.

So you give up super quiet motors and air blowing and you give up having much added moisture in the air you are breathing.
Now if you can turn off the humidifier or set it to maybe 1...and your nose is okay with it then maybe you could get by with less moisture.
Me...I could never get by without my lots of moisture so I haven't ever considered a travel machine.

Jlfinkels · Post by **Jlfinkels** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 6:12 pm

I bought a well used ResMed for travel, same as what I use at home but with a few thousand hours on it. In the past year it’s been to 8 different countries with no issues getting through customs or airport security as it was recognized as a medical device. The only question I have been asked is whether it has a battery. I only use a plug adapter when traveling outside the US as the power supply adapts to the local power.

If I can drink tap water in a country I use it in the machine. On my recent trip I went places I did not feel safe with tap water, so just used the bottled water the hotels provide. The hotels were happy to provide extra bottled water for use in the machine.

lynninnj · Post by **lynninnj** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 6:25 pm

Pugsy wrote: ↑
Fri Sep 02, 2022 4:55 pm
Be aware that when you downsize you have to give up something.

Travel machines are historically more noisy and most don't have any (or very much) added humidification available.

So you give up super quiet motors and air blowing and you give up having much added moisture in the air you are breathing.
Now if you can turn off the humidifier or set it to maybe 1...and your nose is okay with it then maybe you could get by with less moisture.
Me...I could never get by without my lots of moisture so I haven't ever considered a travel machine.

Maybe I will try it for a night.

See how it feels.

Edit: Are all of the machines lacking humidity?

Pugsy · Post by **Pugsy** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 7:25 pm

lynninnj wrote: ↑
Fri Sep 02, 2022 6:25 pm
Are all of the machines lacking humidity?

I don't know. I haven't kept up with what travel size machines are offering.
All I know is what I see here posted by people and the number one complaint has been "noise" with second being the lack of adequate moisture in the air.

The only travel machine that I know of with for sure added moisture like a regular machine is the Respironics DreamStation Go and I have no faith in Respironics now after the foamgate thing. I wouldn't have one myself. No trust.

The others mainly use some sort of disc that collects moisture from your own exhaled breath and attempt to add back moisture when the air goes back through the disc in hopes of putting some of that moisture into the air going to the mask.

You can check out the "travel size" machines offered at cpap.com and see how they solve...or try to solve...the moisture problem. Some people it doesn't matter but others like myself it would be a deal breaker for sure.

Since I have known for years that I couldn't get by with that much less moisture I just haven't studied up on the travel machines. Sorry. Since I haven't needed or wanted one I didn't bother to study up on them. Is there something available now....I don't know. I am happy using what I use at home and don't need a battery back up at home since I have a whole house generator and my traveling is extremely limited. Maybe once a year I fly to Vegas to see my daughter and that's about it. Can't go many places because I can't find a way to travel and take care of my animals at the same time. When I go to Vegas hubby stays home to feed and care for my animals.

Rob K · Post by **Rob K** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:05 pm

Others that posted probably don't know that you don't have a back up machine and that's why you were looking at getting a travel unit as a secondary option.

Ditto on what Pugsy said, more noise and no humidifier. Plus I think with most you won't be able to view data with Oscar software.

I bought the Z2 mainly for camping, but use it for travel during the humid times. I suspect I won't be using it at all during the winter months. I'm in Wisconsin, the Great Lakes region is pretty humid but buildings can get pretty dry during the winter due to furnaces running a lot and removing the humidity from the air. During the winter I'll be packing my daily Resmed machine when I go places.

I wear ear plugs so I don't have to listen to any of my machines. I found there are ways you can circumvent the noise. You can put the machine inside something as long as the airflow is not blocked. When I'm traveling I often just set my pap bag next the bed and leave the machine inside of it. That reduces the machine noise a lot. The hose and mask you choose can make a big difference also. The 4ft hose that came with my Z2 was very noisy, I tried a 6ft and it was quieter. I found a 6ft travel hose that packs down real small and that hose is much quieter, although it is not going to be as durable. For the little that I will use it it will be good enough. I have a Remed P10 nasal mask which I think is one of the quietest masks on the market. That one helps a lot but I tend to just use my old Resmed N10 which is my go to for many years, not as quiet as the P10 though. Now that I think about there's newer versions of the P10 which I have not tried.

As far as machines go there are several options, just take a look at travel machines on the cpap.com website. The more popular ones are:
Resmed Air Mini
Breas Z2
Transcend Mini
Phillips Dreamstation Go

Not sure what the status is with the Phillips machines, many people turning away from the brand. I forgot the Dreamstaion Go has a humidifier that can be attached to the machine. At that point you might as well just use your Resmed Airsense 11.

I wanted something compact, lightweight and minimalist for camping. I narrowed it down to AirMini and the Z2. Honestly I would have bought the AirMini if it had a display. I despise having to use another electronic device in order to make adjustments to my pap.

Boooo!

Do not be deterred by running a full size machine on battery, it's been done since the beginning of time.

The bigger machines just use a little more power and you need a bigger battery or more batteries for the same run time compared to the more efficient mini machines. The trick is to get a battery that matches the voltage requirement to run your machine. This will be the most efficient way to do it and require the least amount of battery capacity. Once you start using batteries with different voltages and dc converters to change the voltage to what you need you are losing some of the available battery capacity. This can be significant at times depending on the efficiency of the converter.

lynninnj · Post by **lynninnj** » Sat Sep 03, 2022 5:47 am

Rob K wrote: ↑
Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:05 pm
Others that posted probably don't know that you don't have a back up machine and that's why you were looking at getting a travel unit as a secondary option.

Ditto on what Pugsy said, more noise and no humidifier. Plus I think with most you won't be able to view data with Oscar software.

I bought the Z2 mainly for camping, but use it for travel during the humid times. I suspect I won't be using it at all during the winter months. I'm in Wisconsin, the Great Lakes region is pretty humid but buildings can get pretty dry during the winter due to furnaces running a lot and removing the humidity from the air. During the winter I'll be packing my daily Resmed machine when I go places.

I wear ear plugs so I don't have to listen to any of my machines. I found there are ways you can circumvent the noise. You can put the machine inside something as long as the airflow is not blocked. When I'm traveling I often just set my pap bag next the bed and leave the machine inside of it. That reduces the machine noise a lot. The hose and mask you choose can make a big difference also. The 4ft hose that came with my Z2 was very noisy, I tried a 6ft and it was quieter. I found a 6ft travel hose that packs down real small and that hose is much quieter, although it is not going to be as durable. For the little that I will use it it will be good enough. I have a Remed P10 nasal mask which I think is one of the quietest masks on the market. That one helps a lot but I tend to just use my old Resmed N10 which is my go to for many years, not as quiet as the P10 though. Now that I think about there's newer versions of the P10 which I have not tried.

As far as machines go there are several options, just take a look at travel machines on the cpap.com website. The more popular ones are:
Resmed Air Mini
Breas Z2
Transcend Mini
Phillips Dreamstation Go

Not sure what the status is with the Phillips machines, many people turning away from the brand. I forgot the Dreamstaion Go has a humidifier that can be attached to the machine. At that point you might as well just use your Resmed Airsense 11.

I wanted something compact, lightweight and minimalist for camping. I narrowed it down to AirMini and the Z2. Honestly I would have bought the AirMini if it had a display. I despise having to use another electronic device in order to make adjustments to my pap. Boooo!

Do not be deterred by running a full size machine on battery, it's been done since the beginning of time. The bigger machines just use a little more power and you need a bigger battery or more batteries for the same run time compared to the more efficient mini machines. The trick is to get a battery that matches the voltage requirement to run your machine. This will be the most efficient way to do it and require the least amount of battery capacity. Once you start using batteries with different voltages and dc converters to change the voltage to what you need you are losing some of the available battery capacity. This can be significant at times depending on the efficiency of the converter.

I’ve heard nothing on the Transcend. Only z2 and mini. I didn’t know you needed an app or whatever for mini settings.

Hopefully more folks chime in. I am still open to full sized backup but i think i need to ask LSAT some questions.

thanks

SleepyDwarf123 · Post by **SleepyDwarf123** » Sat Sep 03, 2022 3:33 pm

I've recently started looking for a travel machine also. We've traveled enough times with our regular machines (Airsense 11 and AirCurve 10) to know that we'd really like to have a smaller option for longer trips when we try to travel light (we travel with carry-on and backpack only -regardless of trip length)

Many of the manufacturers will give you a 30-day trial and refund your $$'s if you return the unit in good shape. Over the past few weeks, I have tried both the AirMini and the new Transcend Micro. I was impressed with the small size of both but wound up returning the Transcend Micro as I did not like the way the pressure relief felt. I've used the AirMini for four nights and find it to be a decent alternative to my everyday machine. I will try it a few more times as I still have about two weeks to return under the 30-day trial.

I've tried the AirMini with both the 'official' AirMini version of the P10 and N20 as well as the Bleep using the Zephair adapter. I found that the AirMini is definitely noisier than the AirCurve or AirSense. When using the 'AirMini' masks, there's a bit more noise from the housing for the HumidX cartridge (regardless of whether the cartridge is used or not). I found that using the Zephair and Bleep was not too bad. I then purchased a Q-Lite muffler and tried that with the Bleep and found that to be the quietest. Still noisier than normal, but I think it will be acceptable for trips. When using the Zephair adapter, you cannot use the HumidX and basically do not get any benefit of humidity and/or heat, but I found that it does not bother me.

If all goes well with a few more nights of trial, I am going to keep the AirMini and use it with the Zephair adapter, Q-lite muffler, and Bleep. Note that the AirMini is not a BiPap (like my Aircurve), but I have become used to using the AirCurve with a PS of 3, which is very similar to EPR 3 on the AirMini. (not exact, but close enough for me!).

Hope this helps... Let me know if you have any questions....

MizLizzie · Post by **MizLizzie** » Sat Sep 03, 2022 4:10 pm

I have had the the Air Mini for about five years and I love it. No matter trip length, I travel light, carry-on only, and hauling my beloved but big machine was definitely slowin’ my roll. I have used the humidifier pods that Resmed makes but they are expensive and I don’t seem to need much humidification. I did try some off brand pods with good reviews but I couldn’t get the humidifier compartment to screw snuggly shut. YMMV, but for me, the Mini was money very well spent. Good luck.

lynninnj · Post by **lynninnj** » Sat Sep 03, 2022 4:38 pm

SleepyDwarf123 wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 03, 2022 3:33 pm
I've recently started looking for a travel machine also. We've traveled enough times with our regular machines (Airsense 11 and AirCurve 10) to know that we'd really like to have a smaller option for longer trips when we try to travel light (we travel with carry-on and backpack only -regardless of trip length)

Many of the manufacturers will give you a 30-day trial and refund your $$'s if you return the unit in good shape. Over the past few weeks, I have tried both the AirMini and the new Transcend Micro. I was impressed with the small size of both but wound up returning the Transcend Micro as I did not like the way the pressure relief felt. I've used the AirMini for four nights and find it to be a decent alternative to my everyday machine. I will try it a few more times as I still have about two weeks to return under the 30-day trial.

I've tried the AirMini with both the 'official' AirMini version of the P10 and N20 as well as the Bleep using the Zephair adapter. I found that the AirMini is definitely noisier than the AirCurve or AirSense. When using the 'AirMini' masks, there's a bit more noise from the housing for the HumidX cartridge (regardless of whether the cartridge is used or not). I found that using the Zephair and Bleep was not too bad. I then purchased a Q-Lite muffler and tried that with the Bleep and found that to be the quietest. Still noisier than normal, but I think it will be acceptable for trips. When using the Zephair adapter, you cannot use the HumidX and basically do not get any benefit of humidity and/or heat, but I found that it does not bother me.

If all goes well with a few more nights of trial, I am going to keep the AirMini and use it with the Zephair adapter, Q-lite muffler, and Bleep. Note that the AirMini is not a BiPap (like my Aircurve), but I have become used to using the AirCurve with a PS of 3, which is very similar to EPR 3 on the AirMini. (not exact, but close enough for me!).

Hope this helps... Let me know if you have any questions....

Yes, this helps a lot. Thank you!

I know they have their air mini version that is very similar to the regular version with the exception of the hose. Are the nasal pillows interchangeable between the regular P 10 and the air mini version of P 10? I considered buying the mini n30 and wondered if the cushions were the same for both versions.

I would think if that allowed me to use the humidifier that might be a way to go.

lynninnj · Post by **lynninnj** » Sat Sep 03, 2022 5:10 pm

MizLizzie wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 03, 2022 4:10 pm
I have had the the Air Mini for about five years and I love it. No matter trip length, I travel light, carry-on only, and hauling my beloved but big machine was definitely slowin’ my roll. I have used the humidifier pods that Resmed makes but they are expensive and I don’t seem to need much humidification. I did try some off brand pods with good reviews but I couldn’t get the humidifier compartment to screw snuggly shut. YMMV, but for me, the Mini was money very well spent. Good luck.

Thank you for this.

Did you use their version of the masks for the mini? I’m just wondering if getting the N 30 that I normally use but for the mini is the right way to go if I can put it together with a new cushion from my regular masks anytime I need to freshen it up.

Do you normally use a humidifier at night?

Thanks for the information

SleepyDwarf123 · Post by **SleepyDwarf123** » Sat Sep 03, 2022 5:41 pm

lynninnj wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 03, 2022 4:38 pm

SleepyDwarf123 wrote: ↑
Sat Sep 03, 2022 3:33 pm

Yes, this helps a lot. Thank you!

I know they have their air mini version that is very similar to the regular version with the exception of the hose. Are the nasal pillows interchangeable between the regular P 10 and the air mini version of P 10? I considered buying the mini n30 and wondered if the cushions were the same for both versions.

I would think if that allowed me to use the humidifier that might be a way to go.

It appears that the regular P10 cushions do fit the AirMini P10. The rest of the mask is a bit different as the exhaust mesh is closed off to push the exhale air through the humid x

Best Travel machines

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