Camping With A CPAP: Part 2

I was sitting at my campsite minding my own business when a couple ADV bikes rolled by. I died with jealousy. OK, I didn’t actually fall out of my lawn chair and croak; but I sure felt it. I was struck with deep longing. It’s pathetic really, my life is pretty good and yet there’s always something you aren’t doing that you wish you were. I’ve been behind the eight ball for a while but I have camped from motorcycle and will surely be able once again. I’m feeling healthy and already have the equipment. Alas, my trusty Yamaha TW200 (Honey Badger) has been neglected almost a year and a half. Same with my road bikes; including an old Honda PC800 which is uniquely suited for and was purchased for the purpose of “motocamping”.

Glancing at their bikes like a creepy stalker, I thought of my huge battery and the delicate CPAP. The mass and volume hold me back from motocamping. But it’s solvable logistics. I just need to adapt. Many (most?) campsites have AC power; this being a “normal campground” calibrated for “normal” Americans. Dorks who still use a tent (like me) are the dwindling minority. Perhaps I could forgo the battery pack and pay an extra $10 for a site with AC?

I made a promise to myself. If this night with the CPAP went well, I’d come back with my mild Honda PC800 and an extension cord. I’d do it! As. Soon. As. Possible.

I got a fire going but the bratwurst were nowhere to be found. Shit! Did I leave meat to rot in the kitchen? Did they fly off the tailgate? To waste food is a horrible sin! Plus I was hungry. I looked at the mustard and bag of buns. Dammit! (Update: No brats were harmed in the writing of this story. Mrs. Curmudgeon found them on the kitchen table and put them back in the fridge.)

The food on my menu was AWOL but past me had prepared for just such a situation. I picked through my chuckbox looking for “backup food”. I found a can of Vienna sausages and a small can of baked beans. Beans and dogs would be fine. Then I realized the sausages expired in 2024. No! I don’t really trust canned mini-hotdog meat and two years expired is just too sketchy. For the greater safety of all humanity I disposed of the can.

I still had options. Should I eat my last MRE? Then I found a Mountain House buried in the box! I boiled water and re-hydrated it. It tasted… adequate. Completely not awful. It was absolutely digestible. The calories were usable.

I figured I could do better than that. In the recesses of the chuckbox I found a half sleeve of Ritz crackers. I crushed them up and tossed them in. Dinner went from “meh” to “quite tasty”. Amazing transformation!

I’d probably overworked myself hiking because the second beer had me tipsy. That’s OK. It had been a busy day and it only made sense to be fried at the end of it. Making sure I wasn’t dehydrated, I sat by the fire for hours in the dark; drinking water and soda. I felt the recharge of mental batteries. I was too tired for deep thoughts. I indulged in an audio book. I’d borrowed it (electronically), downloaded it to my Kindle, and routed it to noise canceling headphones I use with my tractor (via Bluetooth). It was too much technology, but it did work.

The CPAP lurked in my mind. Some people like them. Some people hate them. I think mine saved my damn life. I’m ever so grateful they exist. Unfortunately, I take the gadget way too seriously. I fear to break the spell it cast when it dragged my ass up from the ground.

Back to logistics, there are special CPAP batteries. They’re small and meant for the purpose. There are special CPAPs. They’re also small and meant to easily travel. They also consume less power.

I don’t have either. But I have all the power I need for two days. With intelligent management I should be able to extend that. Experimentation with the power setup was one of this trip’s goals.

A CPAP’s main power consumption is an air pump (duh), but a close second is a water reservoir which is heated to add humidity, and right behind that is a hose that’s also heated. It’s easy to turn off the humidifier and the hose. This is said to reduce load on the battery. It makes sense that it would.

I chickened out. The settings I’ve been using work from a health standpoint. I’m reluctant to explore the CPAP’s limits lest they are discovered to be my limits.

I ruminated on the situation. I wondered how “clean” the AC on those campsite outlets were? Could the best short term solution be an extension cord?

The night got dark. I like sitting quietly in the dark. It was just me and my thoughts, a lantern on low, and a small fire. It’s a time of oneness with nature. A moment to ponder infinity. Instead of spiritual revelation I got a raccoon. Some days are like that.

More in part 3.