Which Travel CPAP Machine should I get? + a few other questions

Hi all,
I am trying to decide between several Travel CPAP devices and I wanted to know which one you all think is best? This is an important decision that's gonna cost me about a thousand dollars, so I don't wanna make a decision I will regret. That's why I'm making this decision slowly.

These are the four I'm considering, from this CPAP supplier webpage which is located near me:

https://shop.cpappal.com/en_us/product- ... 9975706be3

The choices are:

1. Resmed AirMini
2. Philipps Dreamstation Go
3. Z2 Auto
4. Apex XT Auto Travel

They are all portable sized and look small as you can see. The cheapest one is XT Auto Travel. It seems to be new since I haven't seen it before. Is it advisable to get the cheapest one? Will that compromise the quality or effectiveness of the device? Are they all pretty much the same?

Anyway, those are the four I narrowed down. Which do you all think is best?

I also have a related few side questions too.

1. The manufacturer told me Wisp mask was the best. Do you all agree?

2. What kind of mask is best? I see there's one that covers the nose and mouth with a plastic triangle piece, and another that just covers the nose with the triangle piece, and another that just has two plugs that go into your nose. Which is better and why? The one that just plugs into your nose without covering it looks the most comfortable. The ones that cover your mouth and nose look restrictive and less comfortable. Am I right?

3. Will the mask last a long time if you clean it and wash it regularly? How often does it have to be washed? Can you just rinse it with water? Does it have to be changed every year? Or can it be used longer as long as it isn't broken?

4. How important is the humidifier? The Dreamstation Go has a humidifier you have to buy separately, which is not cheap. Does that really matter? Some also say that Travel CPAP's don't have good humidifiers so they should not be used for everyday use at home. Is that true? If you drink water or fluids before bedtime, then you should have plenty of fluids in your body right? Why do you need a humidifier? To prevent your mouth from going dry? Shouldn't drinking water be enough to prevent that?

5. Do you need to use distilled water for the humidifier tray? Or is filtered water enough? What about tap water?

Thanks for reading this post, and sorry if these are newbie questions that were asked before.

It sounds like you haven't used CPAP before. Starting off with a travel machine is probably a mistake.

Travel machines make a lot of compromises; features, functions, data-capability, mask options, cost, noise, humidifiers etc.

For many, humidifiers are essential to CPAP success.

WWu777 wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 05, 2020 3:58 pm

Why do you need a humidifier? To prevent your mouth from going dry? Shouldn't drinking water be enough to prevent that?

No...has nothing to do with the mouth and everything to do with the nasal mucosa.
Google "cpap rhinitis" and start reading. There is a medical reason that humidifiers are so often advised.
Drinking water isn't the fix either.
Some people need added moisture...some people need a little or a lot or maybe even none but it all depends on what YOUR OWN nasal mucosa needs to be happy. If you live in a rain forest environment you might not need any added moisture.
If you live in air conditioned environment you might need a lot because air conditioning removes moisture from the air.

The humidifier is not used to hydrate the oral cavity (mouth)....it's use to hydrate the nasal cavity.

Btw, it looks like there is a 5th choice now. In another thread here, I read that Resmed Airsense 10 For Her is highly recommended for a Travel CPAP device as well, even though it's not classified as a Travel CPAP. It still looks small and fairly portable, not too big or bulky. Here's what it looks like on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAiQaUe6VmE

What do you all think? Is that one better than the other four Travel CPAP's I listed above?

WWu777 wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 05, 2020 4:40 pm

Btw, it looks like there is a 5th choice now. In another thread here, I read that Resmed Airsense 10 For Her is highly recommended for a Travel CPAP device as well, even though it's not classified as a Travel CPAP. It still looks small and fairly portable, not too big or bulky. Here's what it looks like on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAiQaUe6VmE

What do you all think? Is that one better than the other four Travel CPAP's I listed above?

The "for her" model is exactly the same size as all the other ResMed machines

Dog Slobber wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 05, 2020 4:12 pm

It sounds like you haven't used CPAP before. Starting off with a travel machine is probably a mistake.

Travel machines make a lot of compromises; features, functions, data-capability, mask options, cost, noise, humidifiers etc.

For many, humidifiers are essential to CPAP success.

I rented a CPAP machine for a month before. It was nice. But I heard it takes weeks or months of regular use before you start feeling a difference or benefit right?

Some travelers told me their Travel CPAP works fine for them. I guess it depends.

The experts on YouTube said Dreamstation Go is the only Travel CPAP they recommend for regular use. Because it has a good humidifier.

What about the Airsense 10? That one still looks fairly portable and not too big, could be put into a luggage and not take up too much room. It's close to travel size and yet is good for everyday use right? Do you recommend that?

Here's what the Apex XT Auto Travel CPAP machine looks like. See the videos of it below. Wow it looks very small, and it's half the price of the others too. What do you all think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xb4OtxRCac

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9PTKoMKylA

First, I would NOT consider either the Airsense 10 Autoset or Airsense 10 Autoset for Her a travel machine. I use the for Her, my husband uses the regular. That said, when we (used to, prepandemic ) travel, my husband takes his Airsense 10 with him. I bought myself an Airmini to travel with after I ran into a problem in an international airport (they counted my CPAP in my carryon allowance, caused me all kind of problems!) Now my itty bitty Airmini, which packs into a lunchbox, can fit into my purse/backpack/carryon, whichever I am using that particular trip, if need be! For that convenience, I give up humidification, which I always use at home (hubby never uses humidification, never has). I am able to use my preferred Bleep mask with my Airmini (I hacked the hose). Prepandemic, we traveled internationally 2-4 times per year, 2-3+ weeks at a time, and a number of times domestically. Travel, unfortunately, is not on the cards for us any time soon.

Masks are totally personal preference. What fits your face and is comfortable won't necessarily work for someone else. I tried upwards of 15 masks before the Bleep came out and I FINALLY found one that works for me. I do have to say, the Wisp is the only mask that I could not even tolerate for one night...I don't think I made it 2 hours with that one. I HATED it! But others love it. If you have a good DME, you can try several masks until you find one. I do and tried about 8-10 my first month.

Good luck!

Check this out. I noticed something else. The Airsense 10 machine's humidifier case doesn't increase its size. But the Dreamstation Go and Apex XT machines double in size when you attach the humidifier. That's a drawback. See this intro video here about the Airsense 10. It looks fairly compact and should be easy to carry. Do you think this is better than the Travel CPAP"s above? I think the humidifier comes with the Airsense 10 too, whereas with other machines you have to buy it separately. Those are things to consider too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxTBzi0mi14

Yes...the AirSense 10 models have the humidifier built in so no need for a separate device to take up added space.

You may not need the humidifier part of things but it's a lot better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
When nasal mucosa get unhappy...they will make your life miserable for days.

booksfan wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 05, 2020 5:44 pm

First, I would NOT consider either the Airsense 10 Autoset or Airsense 10 Autoset for Her a travel machine. I use the for Her, my husband uses the regular. That said, when we (used to, prepandemic ) travel, my husband takes his Airsense 10 with him. I bought myself an Airmini to travel with after I ran into a problem in an international airport (they counted my CPAP in my carryon allowance, caused me all kind of problems!) Now my itty bitty Airmini, which packs into a lunchbox, can fit into my purse/backpack/carryon, whichever I am using that particular trip, if need be! For that convenience, I give up humidification, which I always use at home (hubby never uses humidification, never has). I am able to use my preferred Bleep mask with my Airmini (I hacked the hose). Prepandemic, we traveled internationally 2-4 times per year, 2-3+ weeks at a time, and a number of times domestically. Travel, unfortunately, is not on the cards for us any time soon.

Masks are totally personal preference. What fits your face and is comfortable won't necessarily work for someone else. I tried upwards of 15 masks before the Bleep came out and I FINALLY found one that works for me. I do have to say, the Wisp is the only mask that I could not even tolerate for one night...I don't think I made it 2 hours with that one. I HATED it! But others love it. If you have a good DME, you can try several masks until you find one. I do and tried about 8-10 my first month.

Good luck!

But what if you just bring the Airsense 10 and put it in the check in luggage? Then it wouldn't be a problem right? Would you still recommend it as a travel CPAP then? I assume you want to bring it on the plane to use it while you sleep right? I can't sleep on planes anyway, so I probably wouldn't need to bring it with my carry on luggage. I'd just put it with the check in luggage.

Btw, is it ok to put a CPAP machine in your check in luggage? It's not like a laptop where they tell you you should put it in your carry on luggage right?

I also heard that you should be able to bring it as a carry on now, since it's listed as a medical device.

If I'm a man, I should get the Airsense 10, the black one right? Not the Airsense 10 For Her right? It seems some men are using the For Her one. Why? Is there an advantage for men to use it too? Isn't is calibrated for women's breathing?

booksfan wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 05, 2020 5:44 pm

I do have to say, the Wisp is the only mask that I could not even tolerate for one night...I don't think I made it 2 hours with that one. I HATED it!

I made it all of 90 minutes with the Wisp. Longest 90 minutes of my life too. Thought for sure it must have been close to 5 hours with the damn thing before off it came and the old mask (I think Swift FX or P10 back then as it was some years ago when the Wisp was first released) went back on and I went back to sleep. Next morning...used the software and saw 90 minutes was all I had before the change.

But some folks swear by it...me, I just swear at it.

WWu777 wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:53 pm

But what if you just bring the Airsense 10 and put it in the check in luggage? Then it wouldn't be a problem right?

NO!! do you really want to take the chance the idiots in baggage handling WON'T lose your cpap?

sure, you show up at your destination without a change of underwear, no big deal. you go to the local whatever store and buy new.

whatcha gonna do if they lose your cpap?

zonker wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 05, 2020 7:22 pm

WWu777 wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 05, 2020 6:53 pm

But what if you just bring the Airsense 10 and put it in the check in luggage? Then it wouldn't be a problem right?

NO!! do you really want to take the chance the idiots in baggage handling WON'T lose your cpap?

sure, you show up at your destination without a change of underwear, no big deal. you go to the local whatever store and buy new.

whatcha gonna do if they lose your cpap?

Very unwise to check cpap--carry on ONLY!
Baggage handlers are rather poorly paid, and have been known
to take it out on valuable items foolishly entrusted to them.
Google "United Breaks Guitars".
This really happened.

Quick question:

If I'm in bed with a partner, or if I'm sleeping in a dorm at a backpacker hostel with others in the same room, will the CPAP completely stop my snoring so that my sleep is soundless to everyone in the room? Will I still snore a little with CPAP on me or not at all? What about loud choking sounds I make while gasping for air during sleep apnea? Does CPAP eliminate that completely? Or will a little of that still happen? Do your bed partners say that your sleep is soundless when using CPAP?

Thanks.