Going camping...

DreamStalker wrote:You do know that lightweight portable and foldable solar panels are available up to 60 watts right?

How expensive, how heavy, how big, how do you rig up a fixture to hold them at the proper orientation to the sun, are you in an area with sun all day long, are you camped in one spot all day long, what if it's cloudy for a few days, if you're out hiking, etc., will your expensive solar panels still be there when you get back, etc.?

67tony wrote:I'd love to charge it off the truck, with jumper cables, and wouldn't mind at all idling for 20 or 30 minutes. But, I have no idea how long it would take to fully recharge. Earlier in this thread it was suggested 3-4 hours! Plus, I think that an automotive alternator becomes fully functional at rpm's higher than idle.

Connected directly to the battery with good jumper cables, I suspect you'll get a pretty good charge in 20 to 30 minutes. Be sure and get a good connection between the jumper cable and the battery.

Current capacity may be a little less with the engine at idle, but it will probably be adequate.

There are some hints here about how to check the charge level with a voltmeter.

As Gumby says, try it out at home before the trip and see what works.

archangle wrote:

DreamStalker wrote:You do know that lightweight portable and foldable solar panels are available up to 60 watts right?

How expensive, how heavy, how big, how do you rig up a fixture to hold them at the proper orientation to the sun, are you in an area with sun all day long, are you camped in one spot all day long, what if it's cloudy for a few days, if you're out hiking, etc., will your expensive solar panels still be there when you get back, etc.?

Google is your friend.

http://www.ctsolar.com/backpackfoldingsolarpanels.aspx

archangle wrote:

67tony wrote:I'd love to charge it off the truck, with jumper cables, and wouldn't mind at all idling for 20 or 30 minutes. But, I have no idea how long it would take to fully recharge. Earlier in this thread it was suggested 3-4 hours! Plus, I think that an automotive alternator becomes fully functional at rpm's higher than idle.

Connected directly to the battery with good jumper cables, I suspect you'll get a pretty good charge in 20 to 30 minutes. Be sure and get a good connection between the jumper cable and the battery.

Current capacity may be a little less with the engine at idle, but it will probably be adequate.

There are some hints here about how to check the charge level with a voltmeter.

As Gumby says, try it out at home before the trip and see what works.

How expensive is the truck, how heavy, how big, are you in an area where there are roads for your truck, are you camped in one spot all day long, what if there's no gas near by, if you're out hiking, etc., will your expensive truck (and battery) still be there when you leave the keys in running truck, etc.?

Look I don't care how he decides to charge a battery for camping ... I have no idea where he goes camping or what type of camping or for how long he plans to camp or what his camping budget is. I don't sell solar panels nor do I sell trucks. I was just letting him know that there are lightweight portable solar panels available. If you have an ax to grind against solar energy, then so be it.

I would be more inclined to spend the money on a Jump Starter because you can use for things other than cpap.

Like jump a car, inflate a flat tire or beach balls, or charge small items like cell phones. Even power small things while camping. Not to mention it does have a small area lite on it so you can find you mask

o and there is NO ASSembly required = plug n play then sleep

The only other thing you need for cpap is a DC cable to fit you machine (which ever brand it is).

Or you can book a nice motel room, and enjoy the outdoors in the daytime.
Or even rent a camper with power.
Who wants to sleep on the ground, anyway?
Bugs, snakes, scorpions, mice, skunks, raccoons, and bears; oh, my!

DreamStalker wrote: If you have an ax to grind against solar energy, then so be it.

Solar panels are great if you properly size and price the system such that it works, and if the economics works out. Unfortunately, there's so much hype these days about solar such that lots of people don't realize that it takes a substantial, expensive, and probably impractical system for most campers.

Solar panels are impractical for 90% of the people who want to go CPAP camping.

When someone posts here that they want to go backpack camping with CPAP, someone usually posts about solar panels. You're not going to get a practical solar panel powered system for backpack CPAP camping for most people.

Those who advocate solar panel solutions where they are impractical do more harm for the cause of solar power than those who are outright against solar.

chunkyfrog wrote:Or you can book a nice motel room, and enjoy the outdoors in the daytime.
Or even rent a camper with power.
Who wants to sleep on the ground, anyway?
Bugs, snakes, scorpions, mice, skunks, raccoons, and bears; oh, my!

ALL great ideas...
I learned even before being dx'd w/OSA
That when I camp - sleep outside - I slept better
At the time I didn't know I had allergies, could that play a role?

Now
- he never said he would be sleeping on the ground
- and as mentioned camping invokes diff ideas for diff people.

However comma camping with a microwave IS NOT camping to me.

My idea of camping is a Holiday Inn with Black n White TV or is that too primitive?

Black and White----Horrors!
I'd rather squat over a hole in the ground.

chunkyfrog wrote:Black and White----Horrors!
I'd rather squat over a hole in the ground.

Can eye peek?

too primitive eh?

It will take 3 - 4 hours to completely charge a battery back up using your vehicle. In 20 - 30 minutes you can go from discharged to about 70% charged.

To save wear and tear on your vehicle, it may be better to pick up a "lunch box" generator that has the ability to also charge batteries. Less fuel used, less wear and tear on your vehicle. Also, additional power if needed. It looks like a win, win, win, at minimal cost.

Notice how we can ALL spend your money?

archangle wrote:

DreamStalker wrote: If you have an ax to grind against solar energy, then so be it.

Solar panels are great if you properly size and price the system such that it works, and if the economics works out. Unfortunately, there's so much hype these days about solar such that lots of people don't realize that it takes a substantial, expensive, and probably impractical system for most campers.

Solar panels are impractical for 90% of the people who want to go CPAP camping.

When someone posts here that they want to go backpack camping with CPAP, someone usually posts about solar panels. You're not going to get a practical solar panel powered system for backpack CPAP camping for most people.

Those who advocate solar panel solutions where they are impractical do more harm for the cause of solar power than those who are outright against solar.

Harmful ? ....

Impractical ? ...

I suppose lugging around a 60 lb battery for a few hours to locate your nearest truck in the wilderness and watch it charge for a few hours and then lugging it back to your camp isn't harmful or impractical.

You're one smart puppy ...

Thanks for all the discussion....the points conveyed have all been great. I've actually got a jumpstart-type battery pack, I'll have to look at its stats and capacity. I could also, as pointed out by somebody, plug it into my cigarette lighter and take a 20 minute drive once a day at 55 mph. That would seem to me (non-mechanical though I am...) to be a more efficient way to recharge.

DreamStalker, I didn't take anybody's comments as being an axe to grind. I did look into solar panels, and did notice that they have impressive capacity. However, to get one large enough, they seem to be in the $300-$400 range. Since I am only in this situation once a year I hate to drop that kind of cash.

The campground is on the west coast of Michigan, and we have a group that have been going for over 30 years now. Heck, my daughter spent part of her honeymoon there, she couldn't stand the thought of missing since she never has in her 30 year existence! We stay for a week to ten days, and sleep in a 23' hybrid-style trailer. The two fold-out canvas-covered beds on each end make it about 33' total length, and a slide-out for the couch and dinette gives it a nice roomy feel.

I'll test some of the ideas and report back with results. That is where the value of this forum lies, in my opinion, tossing out thoughts and knowledge for the betterment of those without experience in certain areas.

DreamStalker wrote:I suppose lugging around a 60 lb battery for a few hours to locate your nearest truck in the wilderness and watch it charge for a few hours and then lugging it back to your camp isn't harmful or impractical.

Beats the heck out of being a 2 day hike from help with a dead CPAP battery and an expensive solar charger that won't run it all night long.

For a lot of CPAPers, certain forms of camping may very well be impractical for them now.

Suggesting a poorly designed solution that is going to leave them in the middle of nowhere with a non-functional CPAP is not doing anyone any good.

Going on Safari with CPAP

There is no valid reason for anyone with a lifestyle that involves lots of outdoor activity and travel, even if it includes times spent in very primitive places, to stop, cut back, or change because they develop apnea and must use a CPAP-type device when they sleep. Camping with CPAP -- even backpacking into very primitive areas such as rainforest and desert regions and camping for several nights -- is quite possible and does not have to be expensive or a "big deal." I've used a CPAP machine nightly for over 10 years. For the first five of those I was a research biologist and spent some of my time doing field work in the tropics of Central & South America, Asia & Africa. This often necessitated hiking into and camping in areas that were far from any power grid for several days. I am now retired, but I continue to be an avid birder and active international naturalist and I continue to spend several months each year in primitive areas, as well as doing lots of camping in less exotic, though sometimes equally primitive areas here in the US. In all of that time I have never had an insoluble CPAP problem.

I use the simplest CPAP machines (very small & light, without humidifiers, sophisticated software, etc.) that can be run directly on a 12V DC power source. When "car-camping" I use a long cord and plug the CPAP into the vehicle's utility socket (aka cig. lighter). When I can't sleep in or near a vehicle, I use one of several 12V battery sources for power. If I need only one night, a rechargeable 12V, 9 or 12 amp-hour Lithium-ion battery (weighing 1 to 1.5 lb.) is ideal. 12V, 4.5 and 6.3 amp-hour Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery sets with chargers are presently available online (for example on ebay) for $20 to $40, and two (or more) of these can be linked to provide electricity for one (or more) nights. This kind of setup is packaged by CPAP sellers and runs $300-$400, but you can get the same thing by ordering the components online for $50-$80. The picture of a 12V 4.5A battery and charger is shown below. As a final option, a small, motorcycle-type sealed 12V battery (ca. 5lb.) is also an easy carry, and is also cheap.

For years I traveled internationally with a jump-starter equipped with a rechargeable 12V, 17 Amp-hour sealed, leakproof AGM battery. That battery type is exempt from both DOT and IATA restrictions and is, therefore, categorized as “non-dangerous” for air shipment purposes [UN number 2800, special provision A67]. I ALSO CARRIED LOTS OF DOCUMENTATION FOR IT. This occasionally resulted in hassles at airport security, but the documentation always got the battery through.

I also pack a complete backup CPAP unit, since repair and/or replacement is not readily available in many foreign venues, and I pack a 25 foot extension cord and a set of adaptor plugs for foreign electrical receptacles. For longer camping off the grid I buy a car-type 12V battery wherever I am and, if necessary, have it portered in; I only need 6 cm H2O, so a fully-charged 12V car battery runs my machine for seven nights. When I'm at high altitude and it's cold, I run the CPAP hose inside my sleeping bag to partially warm the incoming air.

Battery weight is the biggest problem, but with further development of Li-ion battery technology (and a big price reduction!) that will cease to be. But even now, no CPAP users who want to travel and camp should deprive themselves of that pleasure.