So you want to go camping, but your child uses machines or oxygen at night. How do you get power?
My first suggestion is to camp in a place that has power. There are lots of campgrounds that have power. If you or someone is planning a trip this should be a top priority. Tell the organizers they need to choose a location with power.
This may not always work out...but it makes life easier if it does.
I will split the rest of this article into 2 categories: Camping in an organized campground versus wilderness camping.
Power when camping in an organized campground
Organized campgrounds will usually make you turn off a generator at 10 PM.
1. Often the camp host will have actual power (not generator) to their trailer spot or there will be power at the group site. You can ask the camp host beforehand if they will let you run a long extension cord for your child's machines. I have had them often say yes.
2. You can put the generator far away from the camp sites and run a long extension cord back to your camp. Ask your camp host beforehand. Make sure to tell them it is for medical needs.
3. You can buy a deep cycle marine battery (boat battery) and an inverter that hooks directly to the battery. These are both available at the Walmart Tire center. You will need to check power requirements of your machines and the power of the battery and inverter. Inverters come in different power sizes. Then you would need to charge up the battery with a generator during the day (when you can run the generator) and use the battery at night (since batteries are silent). You can buy reliable and cheap generators at Harbor Freight.
4. There are solar powered devices. Once again you will need to check how much power you need and how much the device puts off. A solar panel by itself will not help unless all of your machines have batteries. If all of your machines have batteries then you can charge them with the solar panel during the day and run them at night. If your machines do not have batteries then you need a solar panel and a battery. There are many solar devices on the market. I have been looking at one called "Goal Zero". It comes in different sizes. It is a solar panel and battery in one. It is pricey, but looks awesome. They are available online or at REI.
5. For oxygen you can bring tanks instead of the concentrator. Just make sure to calculate if you would need to change out the tank in the middle of the night. If so, you may want to bring E tanks instead of D because they are larger. There are approximate usage times on the side of each tank based on your flow rate. You can also ask homecare to help you calculate this.
6. You can borrow a portable oxygen concentrator from your homecare. It is free and you don't need an extra RX to borrow it. You just need to call homecare in advance and reserve it. The portable oxygen concentrator has a battery. You can also get extra batteries. (I don't know how many extras you could get). So you may need to charge the portable concentrator during the day and run it using it's battery during the night. To charge the battery during the day you could #1) use a generator #2) use your car's built in inverter (double check that it puts out enough power) #3) buy a cigarette lighter inverter (check power before hand) #4) buy an inverter that hooks to a deep cycle marine battery (as described in #2 above) ***note: If using your car to charge things, make sure that the car is running so you don't kill the battery. You may also need some extra gas for the car
7. How far away from homecare will you be? Could you bring half of the tanks needed and make a day trip into town to swap out your tanks halfway through your trip. (Unlikely I know...but it can't hurt to look into all options)
Power while wilderness camping
In addition to suggestions 2-7 above you can do the following
1. You can run a generator at any time of day or night. They sell cheap and reliable generators at Harbor Freight.
What suggestions do you have for camping when you need power? What has been successful or bombed? Please comment below.
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