Frio Wallet - over soaked?

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pawprint91

pawprint91

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Sorry if this is a daft question, but how bulky should a frio wallet be when it’s been soaked in water? Mine seems to have gone extra bulky and the outside of my pens are coming out slightly damp. (It’s stored inside in a warmish room, but out of direct sunlight).

I used it on Friday morning and it was fine over the weekend - as 45 hours+ had passed when I wanted to re soak, I did it for 10 mins again, but it seems to have swelled up to much more than it was before and makes a damp sound when squashed. It does still fit in the outer pouch though. It is keeping the insulin cool, but as I mentioned, the pens are coming out damp. I just want to check I’ve not damaged it by over soaking!
 
pawprint91 said:
It is keeping the insulin cool, but as I mentioned, the pens are coming out damp. I just want to check I’ve not damaged it by over soaking!
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It's harmless. You do want to squeeze them a bit so they're not dripping with water, but damp is expected. That's why they also sell the inserts so you can keep the pens in them dry. Though that's not critical either.
 
I oversoaked mine last year before my first holiday abroad since the pandemic. I had it in my head you soaked them overnight. Maybe I was thinking about chickpeas! It blew up like a football. 😱 I just kept squeezing it with a towel but it literally took weeks to go back to normal. On Googling it after the event, it says about 20 minutes max! Ah well, it made us laugh.
 
I tend to soak it for about 10 min max then give it a little squeeze and leave it on the draining board for a couple of hours then put it in the pouch (i do tend to refresh it later in the day when its gone cooler so that the pens aren't out in the heat). Sometimes the outer pen seems very slightly damp but not overly so.
 
Thanks everyone!
 
helli said:
I think the biggest problem I have had with over-ballooning my Frio pouch was trouble getting the pens in because it had become so "inflated" that the pocket had been taken up by Frio expansion.
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That’s exactly what happened to me. 🙄
 
My first one, after 5 or 6 years annual outings, refused to absorb water when I came to use it again the following year - it actually felt like it was full of grit, then wet grit without the grit So I lobbed it and treated myself to new replacements, God knows if those - in a bedroom drawer out of the sun for well over a decade - would still work!
 
trophywench said:
God knows if those - in a bedroom drawer out of the sun for well over a decade - would still work!
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They do wear out, yes. The normal function involves the crystals absorbing water and then releasing it gradually, and presumably that involves some degradation. I think it's recommended that you store them sealed in the bag after drying them completely.
 
I’ll be rolling mine out again when I’m in a tent next week.

Thanks for the timely reminder!
 
I find that the first time I use mine each year it needs to be soaked for at least an hour before it's absorbed enough water for the crystals to swell up again and not just feel like grit, but after that it's ten minutes a time. But yes, I have oversoaked mine too - easy to go away for ten minutes and then remember it twenty minutes later!
 
I've been using 2 Frio pouches in Spain. I was not great at keeping track of when I soaked them, so I wasn't probably following the 45h recommendations. Anyway, as I didn't leave them too long and they seemed still "inflated" I intended to refresh them for just 2 or 3 minutes. I say I intended...every single time I remembered 20 minutes or so later 😳

I'm glad to read is not damaging them. However I had the same problem as some of you mentioned: the 2-pen pouch was so swollen it barely fitted one pen. I have a 4-pen pouch now for travel supplies but seems a bit overkill using that to carry just one pen in my handbag day to day
:D
 
Ive over-soaked and over-inflated mine several times... It does go gritty when dry, but recovers well with a small amount (200ml?) of water overnight. To dry , I peg it up side ways , to stop the 'grit' all sinking to the end
To keep the contents dry I always use two zip lock plastic bags, one inside the other.😎
 
What ever you do don't inflate them before going through airport security. I had a nightmare once because it was a clear liquid inside a gel which could not be seen. I also kept them in a plastic bag for travelling.... took me ages to get the musty smell out.
 
Piglet said:
What ever you do don't inflate them before going through airport security. I had a nightmare once because it was a clear liquid inside a gel which could not be seen. I also kept them in a plastic bag for travelling.... took me ages to get the musty smell out.
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Do you mean the insulin was a clear liquid inside a gel, or the crystals themselves? Surely the whole point of them is to keep insulin cool whilst travelling, can't see the crystals/gel being a problem but I don't travel often so could be very, very wrong!!
 
The gel is clear inside the wallet. Clear liquids became a problem when the Shoe bomber had a clear liquid hidden in his shoe which when added to another substance made an explosive device........ Not a good idea on a plane. ......This is the reason we are not allowed to take items larger than 100ml in hand luggage and things in clear bags......
 
Piglet said:
The gel is clear inside the wallet. Clear liquids became a problem when the Shoe bomber had a clear liquid hidden in his shoe which when added to another substance made an explosive device........ Not a good idea on a plane. ......This is the reason we are not allowed to take items larger than 100ml in hand luggage and things in clear bags......
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So I can’t take a frio wallet through security? I’m surprised at this - thanks for letting me know!
 
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