MAXOAK CPAP Battery Backup CPAP Power Bank. And Flying.

1. Is this the best battery backup to get for camping? Seems to have mostly positive reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N8G8C7/

2. Trying to understand the exact details of "not TSA approved" and "can't take on airplane". Does that mean I can't carry it on? And can't check it in? When I buy one they ship it to me on a truck? Or that cargo planes are okay with having devices with lithium batteries in their hold?

I'm planning some camping on Hawaii. Maybe I have to ship it there (however Amazon accomplishes that), then mail it (can I even mail it?) back home after?

You need to check with the individual airline re rules.

thx1138 wrote: ↑

Sat May 11, 2019 8:23 am

1. Is this the best battery backup to get for camping? Seems to have mostly positive reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N8G8C7/
...
I'm planning some camping on Hawaii.

Why does everyone always ask for the "Best Whatever"? If there was a "best" there would be no need for any other product, and yet, for almost any product there are a multitude of vendors vying for market share. If one was truly the "best" there would be little room for competition!

Frankly, the fact that this vendor doesn't actually state the watt-hour capacity for the pack would make me disqualify it on principle. I'm guessing its about 250 watt-hours, which would mean that there are numerous others for $200 to $300. But the real question is what do you mean by "camping"? If you mean camping near a car, then there are better alternatives. So, what type of camping? How many nights?

thx1138 wrote: ↑

Sat May 11, 2019 8:23 am

2. Trying to understand the exact details of "not TSA approved" and "can't take on airplane". Does that mean I can't carry it on? And can't check it in? When I buy one they ship it to me on a truck? Or that cargo planes are okay with having devices with lithium batteries in their hold?

Maybe I have to ship it there (however Amazon accomplishes that), then mail it (can I even mail it?) back home after?

As stated, you should consult with the airline, but avoid telling them your info or you'll be tagged as a medical liability. (I asked about carrying a cpap, not even using it, and got pulled aside at every gate on a long trip and questioned about my "life threatening disability"!) The general rule is a 100 watt-hour limit, though some airlines are up to 140 watt-hours. This is for carry on; and its not legal to check lithium batteries at all.

You could have the battery delivered on island, but shipping back have legal legal issues.

If you can use an AGM battery (cheap but heavy) you could buy it on island and just leave it there. Bring a small charger and some wires.

details of the system I use are in the thread listed in my sig - about 10 posts down

Says "LONGEST LASTING CPAP Battery Backup 297Wh".
Does anyone know of another commercial battery backup to recommend?

Found this one https://www.amazon.com/BEAUDENS-Portabl ... 07KPYSN3S/
But its 166 Watt-hours (Wh) and the limit for flying is 100 (sometimes 140).

Camping 3 nights, away from car. But maybe I can get something smaller and recharge it in the car each day.

When you go to order from Amazon and ship to Hawaii, it says they won't ship there.

Wish there was a CPAP that was powered by a SCUBA tank...

Maybe I could get 2 of these, give 1 to my wife, then wire them in series to power an AirCurve 10. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01337QXMA/

I'm ready to give up on this and just try sleeping without my machine for 3 nights. Seems like not enough people have CPAP, and want to fly to somewhere without AC, not enough to justify many or any turnkey products.

thx1138 wrote: ↑

Sat May 11, 2019 8:23 am

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074N8G8C7/

That's the one I have in my Wish list! It's 297W (corrected, posted without the "2" oops) too much capacity to be airline acceptable.

Might check with delivery services to see if anyone will deliver to Hawaii and their timeframe. Check with manufacturer too.

Need to read through CapnLoki's Choosing a Battery thread. (in his signature above). I think it says there and other places that 100Wh is max for airlines, must put in carry on bag. Not sure if I can bring 2 100Wh batteries in my carry on, or if I need to have my wife take 1, I take 1.

So... Resmed uses a proprietary DC power plug end, and an additional pin to send verification signal on 10 series. Not many ways around the $90 Resmed DC adapter. Well I'm gonna try this cheap alternative https://www.respshop.com/cpap-supplies/ ... p-593.html (I have an old s9 machine in addition to my AirCurve 10). (The s9 has a proprietary connector too I think).

Most of the information out there is about using deep-cycle lead-acid batteries. Not ideal for airplanes or for backpacking. But I'm going to try this TalentCell Rechargeable 72W 100WH 12V/8300mAh 9V/11000mAh 5V/20000mAh DC Output Lithium Ion Battery Pack https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01337QXMA/ It should be allowed in check-in luggage on plane. It should last 1 night maybe more.

Here's what Resmed says about battery power, though again they're all about the lead-acid https://www.resmed.com/us/dam/documents ... lo_eng.pdf

I'll eventually report back if it works.

thx1138 wrote: ↑

Sun May 12, 2019 6:12 am

Need to read through CapnLoki's Choosing a Battery thread. (in his signature above). I think it says there and other places that 100Wh is max for airlines, must put in carry on bag.

Not sure if I can bring 2 100Wh batteries in my carry on, or if I need to have my wife take 1, I take 1. With 2 it should be easy to make a wire that puts the 2 batteries in series, so the voltage adds, and gets 24v. Getting this into an AirCurve 10 should be simple. Just a matter of finding the right plugs and soldering up the wires correctly with the right polarities on all the plugs.

In theory you could just 1 of the batteries, and ResMed or homemade 12v to 24v adapter wiring setup. But might only last 1 night And no humidification or heated hose with any of this.

You should be able to take a spare in carry on, but it will be up to the TSA. Certainly you and you wife can each take one.

It occurred to me that you could get a "gently used" Respironics 560 for under $350. This would be much more efficient then your new ResMed, and could serve as a nice "beater" for travel and backup. This with two 100 watt-hour batteries could go 4 nights, depending on settings.

If you're on the humid side of the mountains, you could probably forgo humidity; you're certainly not going to be able to power it with a small lithium pack.

Thanks Cap'n, I didn't even know about the Respironics 560. Sounds like if I look at the specs the different generations draw different power. I'm actually thinking its time for the 11 series, been 5 years since the 10 series, and 5 more since the 9 series from Resmed. For a travel machine which models are the most energy efficient?

thx1138 wrote: ↑

Sun May 12, 2019 12:11 pm

Thanks Cap'n, I didn't even know about the Respironics 560. Sounds like if I look at the specs the different generations draw different power. I'm actually thinking its time for the 11 series, been 5 years since the 10 series, and 5 more since the 9 series from Resmed. For a travel machine which models are the most energy efficient?

Well, for my money, the 560 is the most efficient. It is a full size machine, perhaps dated, but many would argue just as good as the current offerings from ResMed and Respironics. All of the small travel machine seem to have a fatal flaw - mostly noise but also odd configuration and battery issues - and with their high price I've haven't found one that tempts me.

There are certainly other approaches - one user made a custom dc-dc converter to use cheap lithium packs to power a small machine (Z1) for a climb of Kilimanjaro. But for run of the mill travel and camping, a 560 is hard to beat.

thx1138 wrote: ↑

Sat May 11, 2019 9:10 pm

I'm ready to give up on this and just try sleeping without my machine for 3 nights. Seems like not enough people have CPAP, and want to fly to somewhere without AC, not enough to justify many or any turnkey products.

... and that's what I did. Camped out on Maui for 3 nights without my CPAP. There are no snakes on Maui, but I was sure snakebit for trying to get battery CPAP there:

- the cheap voltage converter had the proprietary ResMed S9 plug set up incorrectly
- can't bring Lithium Ion batteries in checked luggage (not sure about SLAB, but they're heavy)
- can't bring Lithium batteries with more than 100 watt hours in carry-on
- Amazon won't ship Lithium batteries to Hawaii

So I gave up. Seemed to sleep sort of okay on my side without CPAP for those 3 nights.