Camping and insulin

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mandy410

Mandy410

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
help!! Am relatively new to this diabetes lark, diagnosed 4 years ago, messed around with tablets for a while before docs realised I should be on insulin. Anyway, we camp in the summer and I'm not sure what to do with my insulin. The pens I'm using should be ok unless I'm in the tent and its really hot. How do I keep them cool enough that they don't go off but not so cool that they hurt to inject? Also, how on earth do I keep the pens that I'm not using cool? There's no / very little electricity supply where we're going but am thinking of buying a little travel fridge to take advantage of any electricity supply I can hook up to. I've had a look but a lot seem to have reviews that say things like, "not suitable for medication" or similar. Has anyone got any helpful suggestions of things you know have worked? Thank you 🙂
 
Hi. Have just bought a trio wallet. Hoping it will do part of the job. We're away for 17 days so will need to keep quite a few pens cool, awaiting use, thank you though.
 
Mandy410 said:
Hi. Have just bought a trio wallet. Hoping it will do part of the job. We're away for 17 days so will need to keep quite a few pens cool, awaiting use, thank you though.
Click to expand...
What insulin is it? Changing to a reusable pen and cartridges might be a better option, far less bulk to carry around and keep cool 🙂 One of our members uses a small metal vacuum flask to store the insulin in (filled with cold water) - keeps them safe from getting knocked about too 🙂
 
Hi Mandy as sue says a Frio wallet is the gadget. I went to Asia on my motorbike/camping & no electric for 10 days. Water is the only thing needed for a Frio bag. Enjoy !
 
Northerner said:
What insulin is it? Changing to a reusable pen and cartridges might be a better option, far less bulk to carry around and keep cool 🙂 One of our members uses a small metal vacuum flask to store the insulin in (filled with cold water) - keeps them safe from getting knocked about too 🙂
Click to expand...


That's a bit innovative. I would have never considered keeping my insulin in a flask of cold water. 30 odd years in and still picking stuff up, mainly on here 🙂
 
Nor me, but there again we never went abroad for years after I was diagnosed then when we could afford it again, they'd recently invented Frios so I had one. They don't last forever (the crystals inside eventually become dessicated and won't absorb the water!) so after about 10 years I replaced it with 'them' - a big one for spare cartridges and a two pen one for the in-use pens.

Other than that, we always took a coolbox camping anyway to keep milk butter cheese etc in cos sites usually offer to refreeze your blocks - so the insulin got wrapped in a thin scarf (like a chiffon one folded up and wrapped round) somewhere in that, not touching the freezer blocks.

Now we have a Moho it's a proper fridge (mains, 12v and gas) so it's no longer any prob.
 
I keep mind in a flask, made the most sense to me 🙂. We go camping all the time in our bongo and have never had a problem. Happy holidays 🙂
 
We either have coffee or boiling water in our flasks, Steph ! - or empty ones LOL
 
Where are you going camping, Mandy410? Backpacking? Car camping? Type of tent? Advice depends on details. I think Northerner may be referring to me in post #4 🙂
I'm just back from camping 2 nights in very sunny conditions by day, cool by night, in Grasmere, Lake District, asfirst aider for challenge walks. I kept my short acting insulin in my cargo trouser leg pockets and left long acting insulin pen in bumbag buried deep in kit bag (spare clothing acts as insulation) in back of car, which stays pretty cool if cover is pulled over. My insulation technique was so efficient, that an unopened 1 pint bottle of milk that I spotted in skip was still cool when I got home over 3 hours later - ideal for a cup of tea for me and treat for cat who'd had a lonely weekend. I didn't bother with any more fancy arrangements, as it was just 2 nights. I'll be doing same as this weekend when volunteering on trail races at Keswick Mountain Festival next weekend. If hotter / longer, I take a small 0.5 litre stainless steel vaccuum flask, and refill it with cool water about once evey 24 hours.That works because I use disposable cartridges in reusable pens.
 
Do you guys reckon the frio wallets keep insulin cold enough for long term? For example if I'm going to be away from the UK for 2 months and will have on/off access to fridges.

How long can insulin be out of the fridge if I don't plan on using it that month?

Thanks! 🙂
 
We travelled for six weeks and just used Frio bags when moving between places we were staying. Then had access to a fridge and stored then cartridges/ vials in there. The insulin was always either in a Frio bag or a fridge, and we still avoided leaving the Frio bag in the car and just carried it with us if leaving the car.
The insulin seemed to last well enough.
 
Insulin in my experience can survive higher temperatures on a temporary basis without any cooling. In my younger and more carefree (less) days I went inter-railing for over a month with my brother all around Europe. This was done on a budget so involved sleeping on trains, cheap hotels etc - no fridges and I didn't have frio wallets even if they existed then - all my insulin was simply chucked in my rucksack. This was in the early Summer and we went to some very hot places - Athens, Istanbul and plenty of equally warm European towns and cities. Never had an issue with it and it worked fine even when we got back.

When I hear of people throwing insulin away because 'the 28 days are up' - in the erm, scorching temperatures we have in this country, 🙄 well this to me seems a complete waste.
 
I tend to be a bit gung-ho with my insulin too, if I've been on holiday and it's been out of the fridge for a couple of weeks, I shove it back in when I get home, but I do keep an eye on my BG levels, and if they were surprisingly higher, I'd start a new cartridge just in case. So far, it's never happened, it's always been fine.
I should add, that there have been times when BG has been surprisingly higher and I've thought, 'Oh I must have compromised my insulin' but then I've given myself a correction dose out of the same cartridge, and it's brought it down fine, so I've readjusted my thoughts, to 'Oh, I guess that was Pilot error and I've eaten more carbs than I thought!'
 
Lauren95 said:
Do you guys reckon the frio wallets keep insulin cold enough for long term? For example if I'm going to be away from the UK for 2 months and will have on/off access to fridges.

How long can insulin be out of the fridge if I don't plan on using it that month?

Thanks! 🙂
Click to expand...
Frio wallets keep cool, but not as cool as fridge temp 4 - 8oC. They need to be able to evapourate to work, so can leak moisture into surrounding items. That's why I prefer a stainless steel vaccuum flask, which is sealed and also offers protection against knocks. A Frio wallet needs to be recharged with water, so it's no extra issue to replenish cool water (from cold tap or fridge - I've got cold water bars, restaurants, hotel / hostel kitchens etc all over Latin America, Morocco, Midde East etc) into flask. If my several week long trip to East Africa happens this year, I'll use my flask again. Best £5 I've ever spent, used for hot drinks for years before I got type 1 diabetes over 20 years ago 🙂

As other people have stated, from experiences before Frio pouches were even a twinkle in the eye of their inventor, insulin is tougher than the patient information leaflets state.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top