Aeronaut 30 and Luminary 15 for Travel? CPAP involved

[richosa]

Hello all,

This is my first post, and it probably seems kind of silly, but here goes. I am presently a very happy owner of an Aeronaut 45 in Coyote (how can you not but love that color?!). I like it a lot, and have used it for more terrestrial travel. As an aside, I have a Synapse 25 in Burnt Orange (and coyote pulls) which I was using for school, but just couldn't get on with it, so looks like my niece or nephew in college are getting a gift! I also have an Icon in Nebulous Grey that I use for my camera, and a Pop Tote in Nebulous Grey. You can kind of get my color way!

Anyhow, I have on order an Aeronaut 30 in Burnt Orange along with Coyote pulls, and a Luminary 15 in Nebulous Grey/Dawn. Am I thinking right on this: I have a CPAP Machine, and I really don't like its carrying case for travel. I have put it in checked baggage once or twice when I flew, and always sighed with relief when nothing happened (I know, not the best thing to do!). A friend of mine and I are thinking of travel to Lake Louise or elsewhere this summer, and I thought rather than fret about the ability to get the A45 in the cabin with me, to use instead an A30, putting my CPAP in the bottom of the L15, wires and tubing probably in the A30. I don't think there would be a hassle getting both on the plane, and the L15 would be great to walk around with (along with either the Pop Tote and/or the Icon. The real issue is making sure the CPAP is safe. It's a pain, but I need it.

Sorry for this being my first post, but Kat is probably sighing with relief that I am not inundating here with questions about this via email (yet!). Isn't she the best?!

Thanks for any and all assistance and insight.

Peace,
Rich

[G42]

This is my first post, and it probably seems kind of silly, but here goes.

Welcome to the Forums Rich! No silly questions or posts, it's why we're all here - to geek out about TB bags and various other things. There are quite a few folks who travel with CPAP machines that I'm sure will chime in.

And Kat is the bomb - I'm sure she'd be quite happy to answer any questions you have. All the Customer Service peeps at TB are incredibly nice and helpful

[aedifica]

Welcome, @richosa! I travel with a CPAP too--I hear you about it being a pain to travel with, but the benefit I get from it is worth the hassle.

Are you asking if the CPAP will fit in the L15 (depends on what model of CPAP you have), or if ditching the CPAP's own carrying case is a crazy idea (not at all!), or were you wondering something else?

[richosa]

Thanks for the kind welcome! I believe the CPAP will fit at the bottom. Just wondering how others have approached this situation. I am all ears!

[RosemaryOrchard]

One thing worth bearing in mind is that if the CPAP is in a bag on its own I believe it has to be allowed on board as a medical device in the US. That said, I don't have a CPAP and my knowledge on this subject comes from Reddit! So if you're short on space, you could always pop it into a Pop Tote or similar and carry it on an as "extra"? Though it's not ideal with juggling extra bags which may well be the problem you're trying to avoid...

[jessmakes]

I have a travel CPAP machine that fits in the end pocket of my A30 (I have a ResMed AirMini), so that's how I handle it personally. My home machine is a ResMed AirSense 10 and when I was flying with it (pre-AirMini), I kept it in it's travel case and carried it on as my allowed 3rd item (medical device exemption in the US). Those machines are so pricey that I'm not willing to chance it to checking it in a suitcase. If I was traveling with an A45, I would pack the CPAP in the main compartment, sandwiched between packing cubes for packing and stability, rather than it taking up so much room in an L15. That said, the CPAP may need advanced screening at TSA and having it in the middle of the bag can make things interesting - yay packing cubes! :-)

I'm not sure that answered the question, but that's how I deal with my machine.

[richosa]

Thanks @RosemaryOrchard! You are correct about me NOT wanting to deal with the hassle of the CPAP's own case.

Rich

[richosa]

@jessmakes, I am seriously considering the AirMini! Thanks for the reply!

[jessmakes]

@jessmakes, I am seriously considering the AirMini! Thanks for the reply!

I'm a big fan of it for traveling - it's not my preferred machine at home, but the size cannot be beat when traveling. My whole set up (the tubes/cords/machine/mask) will fit in a large snake charmer and it fits nicely in the end pocket. Definitely worth it as far as I'm concerned!

[richosa]

@jessmakes - Well, you convinced me...now to find where to buy that! Rich

[jessmakes]

@jessmakes - Well, you convinced me...now to find where to buy that! Rich

I got mine from cpap.com a few years ago, but if I were buying it now, I would probably go through thecpapshop.com as they have the option for a 30 day trial which is nice when you are laying out a lot of money for a machine that you haven't tried.

[richosa]

I got mine from cpap.com a few years ago, but if I were buying it now, I would probably go through thecpapshop.com as they have the option for a 30 day trial which is nice when you are laying out a lot of money for a machine that you haven't tried.

Thanks! Now I may have to purchase another Snake Charmer! I appreciate the information!

Rich

[richosa]

Update: Purchased the A30 in Burnt Orange and the L15 in Nebulous Grey. And thanks to @jessmakes, actually purchased the Mini CPAP, and fits perfectly in the large Snake Charmer. Thanks for all the advice and insights!
Rich