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Cool Bag for Insulin
- Thread starter Cadrus
- Start date
- Status
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
One thing is to change over to reusable pens: the cartridges take up much less space than pens.
For keeping things reasonably cool I think we'd all recommend Frio. Modern insulin is pretty heat stable, so the 5-10 degree drop you can get with Frio's evaporative cooling is sufficient for most holidays. It's not going to save insulin if you try taking it on the beach and leave it in the sun, but for typical walking around in ~30C or so it's sufficient.
I too recommend Frio.
I bought mine more than 15 years ago and still use them if I am visiting somewhere hit. They have been great when I camped in places with no electricity such as Moroccan desert and Indian tea plantations.
If you are not going anywhere hot, you should not have to worry about keeping insulin cool. It survives fine out of the fridge for a few weeks.
Whatever you chose, make sure you do not use ice or ice blocks. Insulin is damages if it is kept near ice and gets too cold.
I also agree with @Bruce Stephens about reusable pens. They take up less space, are more robust and are less wasteful. It was a no brainer for me. Unless you have dexterity problems, they are easy to refill. I don’t understand why they are not the default.
You also mention “associated supplies”. Apart from insulin, are fine in the heat. In fact, blood glucose meters stop working if they get too cold.
I bought mine more than 15 years ago and still use them if I am visiting somewhere hit. They have been great when I camped in places with no electricity such as Moroccan desert and Indian tea plantations.
If you are not going anywhere hot, you should not have to worry about keeping insulin cool. It survives fine out of the fridge for a few weeks.
Whatever you chose, make sure you do not use ice or ice blocks. Insulin is damages if it is kept near ice and gets too cold.
I also agree with @Bruce Stephens about reusable pens. They take up less space, are more robust and are less wasteful. It was a no brainer for me. Unless you have dexterity problems, they are easy to refill. I don’t understand why they are not the default.
You also mention “associated supplies”. Apart from insulin, are fine in the heat. In fact, blood glucose meters stop working if they get too cold.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @Cadrus
Hope the switch to insulin goes well.
I'm another who has been impressed with Frio. I was camping at a festival last Summer, on a blisteringly hot weekend, and it was so reassuring to be able to feel that my store of insulin was being kept just nicely cool, with no risk from freezer blocks.
As others have said your in-use insulin is fine at most ambient temps for 28 days, but could cook in a hot car/tent whatever. Another long-term strategy I have used since diagnosis is a stainless 'soup flask', which I can leave open at night, and then seal shut and keep in the shade during the day with anything inside that I want to protect from extremes of heat variation. Can't use a Frio in there, as Frio needs circulating air to provide the evaporation, but pre-Frio it was very helpful when camping or to protect insulin that had to stay in a hot car while driving to a holiday destination.
Where are you planning to travel to?
Hope the switch to insulin goes well.
I'm another who has been impressed with Frio. I was camping at a festival last Summer, on a blisteringly hot weekend, and it was so reassuring to be able to feel that my store of insulin was being kept just nicely cool, with no risk from freezer blocks.
As others have said your in-use insulin is fine at most ambient temps for 28 days, but could cook in a hot car/tent whatever. Another long-term strategy I have used since diagnosis is a stainless 'soup flask', which I can leave open at night, and then seal shut and keep in the shade during the day with anything inside that I want to protect from extremes of heat variation. Can't use a Frio in there, as Frio needs circulating air to provide the evaporation, but pre-Frio it was very helpful when camping or to protect insulin that had to stay in a hot car while driving to a holiday destination.
Where are you planning to travel to?
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