Love to tent camp, but need a CPAP? Don’t let your machine keep you from enjoying the outdoors!
Here are six options for tent camping safely and comfortably when you need to use a CPAP machine.
- Stay at a campsite with electricity – Lots of sites offer electricity, and then all you need is an extension cord.
- Bring a generator – This would only work at a remote site, because generators tend to be loud and are usually not allowed at night in campgrounds.
- Plug into your car battery – However, you would have to run the car all night or risk depleting your battery!
- Purchase a CPAP battery kit – Available from Amazon and many other on-line sites. They’re priced from around $279 upwards and can run for up to 30 hours before needing a recharge. You just have to make sure the kit is compatible with your machine. (Many of them are also approved for use when flying internationally.)
- Rent a CPAP battery kit
- Get creative and DIY! Buy a deep cycle marine battery at an auto shop or Amazon. Then purchase the correct DC cable for your machine, as well as an adapter with alligator clips that fits over the cigarette lighter plug.
On all of the battery options, it’s recommended that you don’t use the heated humidifier on your CPAP, because it really sucks the power and reduces the battery life. You can have water in the humidifier without the heat on which turns it into a passive humidifier.
If your CPAP doesn’t have a DC outlet it will require an inverter. Be aware that inverters also shorten the battery life.
If you are planning on an extended camping trip you want to make sure to be able to recharge the battery. This can be done using your car or truck.
Now that your CPAP machine is taken care of, you may want to learn more about getting a comfortable mattress to sleep on while camping!
Want a Free Pillow?
Enter your name and email below. We’ll send you a promo code to get a free pillow, when you order any MattressInsider mattress!
You can power a CPAP with a 12V adapter and a car jump pack. It’s good for many days on a charge and a lot cheaper than a more compact CPAP battery kit.
That’s a really good suggestion Chris! Thank you! Do you have a recommended car jump pack?
I have the usual res med cpap machine….what is your suggestion for this… off grid/ car battery use type thing…. for one week.
Thanks,