Recommendations for travel CPAP?

I will be traveling in Southeast Asia next year. The baggage limitations for air travel seem to be significantly lower than the last time I traveled and I would like to travel as light as possible. Any recommendations for a travel CPAP and/or experiences pros/cons using a travel CPAP as your primary? I have seen some ads flash by on Facebook for the Transcend Micro Auto Travel CPAP which only weighs .5 pounds as opposed to 2.75 pounds for the AirSense 10. It also has the ability to be powered by battery, but not sure how much more weight that would add. Appreciate your thoughts!

sleepingjoey wrote: ↑

Wed May 24, 2023 3:06 pm

The baggage limitations for air travel seem to be significantly lower than the last time I traveled

Do you know medical devices can be carried on board without counting against the carry-on limit?

When do you plan to use a battery?

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Wed May 24, 2023 3:57 pm

sleepingjoey wrote: ↑

Wed May 24, 2023 3:06 pm

The baggage limitations for air travel seem to be significantly lower than the last time I traveled

Do you know medical devices can be carried on board without counting against the carry-on limit?

When do you plan to use a battery?

Hi there! I know that is true for medical devices on U.S. Carriers, but international carriers, especially domestically within country, not necessarily. For instance, Air Asia's policy (which may not even be the most restrictive) says:

"The medical portable electronic device shall meet our cabin baggage policy" which is:

Each guest is allowed one piece of cabin baggage AND 1 laptop bag OR 1 handbag on-board with the total weight of both not exceeding 7kg (15 pounds). The main cabin baggage shall not exceed 56cm x 36cm x 23cm (22"x14"x9") including the handles, wheels, and side pockets. This baggage should also be able to fit under the seat in front of you or the overhead compartment. The 2nd item must not exceed 40cm x 30cm x 10cm (16"x12"x4"). This item must be able to fit under the seat in front of you. Important notice: Multiple items that are strapped, wrapped or tied together will not be counted as one piece of cabin baggage.

They do not give additional allowances for medical devices. So, if traveling with a laptop and a CPAP (neither of which I would really want to put in checked baggage which has it's own expense and weight restrictions), looking for ways to minimize weight and size are a priority.

Battery use is just an interesting concept as there are places I may go that regularly experience brown outs or power outages.

Do you need or use added moisture by utilizing the humidifier on your current machine?
How much is it needed?
Bear in mind that the 2 major complaints about those tiny travel machines are the noise level and the lack of adequate humidity.
The tiny travel machines either have no added moisture or can add only a small amount.
It all depends on what your nasal mucosa needs and wants.
The lack of adequate moisture would be deal breaker for me but other people don't need as much added moisture as I do.

Before spending a lot of time studying the tiny travel machines you might want to try your current machine with the humidifier turned off and see what/if anything happens to your nose.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Wed May 24, 2023 5:16 pm

Do you need or use added moisture by utilizing the humidifier on your current machine?
How much is it needed?
Bear in mind that the 2 major complaints about those tiny travel machines are the noise level and the lack of adequate humidity.
The tiny travel machines either have no added moisture or can add only a small amount.
It all depends on what your nasal mucosa needs and wants.
The lack of adequate moisture would be deal breaker for me but other people don't need as much added moisture as I do.

Before spending a lot of time studying the tiny travel machines you might want to try your current machine with the humidifier turned off and see what/if anything happens to your nose.

Thank you for the advice. I checked my machine and the humidifier is set to 1 out of a possible 8 highest...and that is living in the desert with low humidity, so I could definitely turn if off to see if I even notice a difference.

As for the noise, I can't imagine it being any louder than a regular machine, but maybe I could find a video or something to take a listen.

sleepingjoey wrote: ↑

Wed May 24, 2023 9:53 pm

As for the noise, I can't imagine it being any louder than a regular machine

The noise is definitely louder with a tiny travel machine when compared to "regular" machines.
Remember that there simply isn't that much sound abatement material in the travel machines....not much room in those tiny machines. Not everyone finds the noise to be a problem but that's been one of the main complaints from a lot of people.

Now if you live in the desert and get by with a very minimal setting for humidity you might be okay with that part but I would experiment with turning it off just to be sure.

And....wherever you buy the travel machine from make sure that you can return it if you end up hating it.
Some places offer returns and some don't.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Thu May 25, 2023 5:15 am

sleepingjoey wrote: ↑

Wed May 24, 2023 9:53 pm

As for the noise, I can't imagine it being any louder than a regular machine

The noise is definitely louder with a tiny travel machine when compared to "regular" machines.
Remember that there simply isn't that much sound abatement material in the travel machines....not much room in those tiny machines. Not everyone finds the noise to be a problem but that's been one of the main complaints from a lot of people.

Now if you live in the desert and get by with a very minimal setting for humidity you might be okay with that part but I would experiment with turning it off just to be sure.

And....wherever you buy the travel machine from make sure that you can return it if you end up hating it.
Some places offer returns and some don't.

All good things to keep in mind. Thank you for pointing them out. I did turn the humidifier off last night and didn't notice a difference, but will continue testing it for at least a week or so.

Good thing is I have time, even if I do end up returning a couple (after verifying the policy).