Balaclava or similar to stop condensation?

[SarahB]

Now that temperatures are dropping I'm having problems with condensation in the mask when I'm camping. I hardly slept a wink on Friday night because of cold water dripping and trickling down my face all night from my breath hitting the cold mask. I'm sure that's the cause as I don't have a humidifier.

I can't stick my head into the sleeping bag as I'd end up with a damp bag which would be real trouble. I need some way of adding a barrier between my mask and the cold night air to stop condensation and prevent the vent icing over. Would a balaclava or a buff or even a dust mask or similar be the answer? I don't want to block the vent.

[LSAT]

Maybe..something LIKE this over the mask? https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywo ... q7yh1slq_e

[Pugsy]

You need some sort of cozy for your nasal cushion mask.
See what is available for nasal pillow masks to get an idea.
https://www.padacheek.com/PACSwiftII_Barrel_cozy.html

It's the moisture in your own exhaled breath that is doing the condensing. So you need to figure out how to put a coat on your nasal mask without covering the vent holes. Not an easy task for sure.
Unfortunately I don't know of any store bought cozies for nasal cushions. If you used the nasal pillow mask you can see what Padacheek offers and they do work. I have one myself.

[SarahB]

Back in the summer I had this problem to a lesser degree and attached some fleece fabric to the nasal mask and that helped a bit. Similar idea to the barrel cosy, I suppose. That didn't work this time unfortunately, with the weather being colder. I used double sided tape which only stuck to some parts of the mask, leaving quite a bit uncovered. I could make a cosy, I suppose, but I'd have to secure it so that it doesn't block the vents.

[blacknebula]

I made my own out of a small piece of fleece and some stick on Velcro dots.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=158691&p=1222513&hi ... y#p1222513

[SarahB]

Yes, that's what I've done, although a bit smaller. It helped slightly in the summer but no use when the temperatures are down at freezing.

[spmccord]

I read the title of this thread and wondered how a pastry was going to stop condensation!

[Gryphon]

Baklava vs Balaclava. One is a pastry the other is a skimask to keep your face and head warm.

[Gryphon]

I wonder if you could make something with "Fun foam" it's a thin foam like material that comes in sheets at hobby shops. Use it to form a mold around the mask leaving the ventports unobstructed. Then if you needed even more insulation you could attach fleece to the outer edges of the foam and pull it back. Making a sort of insulated mask hood.

Restwell,
Gryphon

[SarahB]

You need some sort of cozy for your nasal cushion mask.

It's the moisture in your own exhaled breath that is doing the condensing. So you need to figure out how to put a coat on your nasal mask without covering the vent holes. Not an easy task for sure.

Thanks Pugsy! That's exactly my understanding of the problem.

I tried contacting the Transcend suppliers who are usually very helpful and supportive but their suggestion was to use a heat moisture exchanger humidifier which traps moisture from exhaled breath which is then picked up by the incoming air passing over it so that it provides humidification. Surely the last thing I want is to recycle the moisture back into my mask! Also the relative humidity of the cold night air is going to be high anyway, and humidity is higher at ground level so I don't expect the air could hold much more moisture even if I wanted it to.

They didn't really know what to make of my query so they contacted the manufacturer who replied, "The heat from their own breath is creating the condensation. We have had people tell us that they have put their unit and hose in the sleeping bag with them. If the sleeping bag isn't big enough for that, they need to wrap the hose with a blanket or something to keep the hose warm."

I would be concerned to put the unit in my sleeping bag. How would it draw in fresh air in the confined space of a mummy bag which is drawn up tightly around my neck and head to keep in the warmth? How would it help prevent condensation in the mask which is still outside in the cold? They also suggest wrapping the hose 'to keep it warm'. But unless the air in the hose is already warm, the insulation won't make any difference. As far as I'm aware, the machine doesn't warm the air. Insulation only slows heat exchange so if the air in the hose is the same temperature as the air outside the hose, insulation is pointless. And in any case, the hose isn't the problem -it's the mask.

Would you agree?

[chunkyfrog]

Invest in an insulated tent.

[Jas_williams]

I was going to suggest at least running the hose through your sleeping bag it might need a hose sized hole to feed the hose in this will allow the air coming from the cpap and the hose to be warmed by your body heat, so there is less condensation as the air reaching the mask is warmer ?

[SarahB]

I was going to suggest at least running the hose through your sleeping bag it might need a hose sized hole to feed the hose in this will allow the air coming from the cpap and the hose to be warmed by your body heat, so there is less condensation as the air reaching the mask is warmer ?

I wondered about that. It might keep the mask a degree or so warmer.

[SarahB]

Invest in an insulated tent.

The only source of heat is me!

Next question: what about when I'm in a hammock?...

[chunkyfrog]

Sleeping alone in a tent--or so you told your parents?