DofE expedition

[Redkite]

My son is due to do a practice Duke of Edinburgh expedition in mid October (originally scheduled for next March/April so we are far from ready!). Can anyone recommend a suitable method of carrying his BG kit/hypo remedies/snacks so that they are conveniently to hand, rather than him needing to rummage in his massive rucksack whenever he needs to check his levels?

Also, overnight temperatures in mid October are likely to be chilly for campers! Any tips on how this might affect BG levels, and how to prevent batteries in meter from losing power in the cold?

 

[Dasroots]

In the rucksack there are normally side pockets he could make on of them for a his diabetes stuff. He could then let others in the team know what side his DM stuff is in.

Another idea is that he could ware a bumbag with his hypo stuff in that what I used to do when I went hiking.

Make sure the teachers have a spare metre. I would wrap it in socks if it's particularly cold.

 

[delb t]

Hi Redkite-H did the D of E thing - but pre Dx.Agree with the bumbag idea.Dont think the batteries will get too cold- H went ski ing in pretty cold conditions and the meter was just in inside pocket of ski jacket and was fine .I remember they do have a mighty lot to carry and a right trek what is he bringing to cook?

 

[Bloden]

I once slept in a house with no central heating in November and my meter got too cold, so I slept with it on my chest to keep it warm! A bum bag's a great idea for all his "need to get his hands on it quick" supplies. 🙂

 

[Sally71]

I was also going to suggest a bumbag, and put the test meter in the sleeping bag with him at night to prevent it getting too cold!

Hope he has a great time 🙂

 

[Annette]

A couple of years ago we went caravanning at the end of November. In the morning I woke up to test, the meter said ' Too cold. Please relocate to more ambient surroundings' (or words to that extent.) So I took it under the duvet for 5 mins and then tested, and it was fine. Point being, overnight it might get cold, so having it inside his sleeping bag is a good idea. And even if it does get cold, it recovers quite well. (But it takes longer to recover having been left in the sunshine inside the van on another occasion - that took a good half hour in the fridge before it would talk to me again 🙂 ) But during the day, its unlikely to get that cold, whether in a pocket of his rucksack or in a bumbag, unless we suddenly get an arctic freeze, and we had that, I suspect it would be cancelled!

 

[Copepod]

Don't use a bumbag, as that will make it difficult for rucksack hipbelt to fit properly, which is vital when carrying full camping kit. Side pockets of rucksack will be OK under most conditions. A breast pocket of a shirt or fleece top is ideal for keeping meter warm enough during day- I've had to use that even in summer sometimes. At night, keeping meter inside sleeping bag makes sense. I'd be equally concernded about keeping meter kit dry - a ziplock plastic food bag or a heavier duty velcro roll top bag for electronic kit would work.

 

[Redkite]

Thanks all. Good point Copepod re waterproof bags for the electronic stuff. Physically doing a BG test in the pouring rain is a challenge in itself as well!

 

[Northerner]

Thanks all. Good point Copepod re waterproof bags for the electronic stuff. Physically doing a BG test in the pouring rain is a challenge in itself as well!

I certainly find that tricky, if I'm out on a long run and my hands are wet and cold - hard to get blood sometimes or other times you get plenty but it gets instantly smeared over the finger by the rain! 😱

I used to have a jacket - one of the ones you pull over your head with no central zip - that had a zippable pouch over the belly. Very easy to store and retrieve things from it, and didn't interfere with the backpack when out hiking. 🙂