My Son-in-Law has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and now has to inject himself, all his medicine has to be kept cool in a fridge at home, he also has a small portable needle box for safe disposal.
We camp on average 7 or 8 weekends a season for a max 3 days only staying on small non EHU sites, they all have free block freezing with no limits on how many times you use it.
Does any one think that a small freezer box/ blocks would be man enough for the job, or might we have to go down the route of a small gas run camping fridge?.
Any help from you wise people out who are faced with the same situation whilst camping would be well appreciated
Remember, there is no such thing as bad weather………. only ill prepared campers !!
My husband has type 1 diabetes, although he doesnt come camping with me all the time. I use the cool box with the freezer blocks and the insulin in a seal tight box like you we very rarely go camping for longer than 5 days and we have never had a problem. Biggest problem is remembering to take the medicine in the first place and blood monitoring kit, setting up a tent and taking it down uses up a lot of energy especially the size of our tent so plenty of glucose type snacks available if required in a hurry as quite often we are in the middle of nowhere with now local shops open. I also carry Hypostop/glucagon injection for emergencies and a spare insulin pen in the car. Other than that just carry on as normal.
There must be hundreds, if not thousands of diabetic campers out there and the internet is well covered by diabetic websites.
Good as this website is, (and as a diabetic myself, albeit a type 2) I do feel that you would get a more medically formed opinion if you put this question to a diabetic website.
My diabetes first arose while on a camping trip and so I am very aware of the dangers of being away from home and in the camping environment if things go wrong and diabetes is the cause.
So I take great care to make sure everything is correct and only then can I get down to enjoying my break.
Hi my daughter ( 11yr old ) is type 1 , we go for 3 days max and always put the insulin in a cool box .Never had a problem , always go with a full cartridge in the pen and usually you dont need the insulin in the cool box . We take insulin for obvious reasons as she might loose the pen !!
She is now on an insulin pump ( heaven !! no more 6/7 injections a day and less to cart around with us ) then again we take a spare insulin pen in case she misplaces the pump !!
If you are in doubt ask your diabetic team at your local hospital , but we have not had any problems ,
regards Ian
Go for it..., cool box should be OK, take spare insulin & kit as extra. Find out before you go where is the nearest doctor & hospital is, also what the mobile signal like in the area you are camping, then go off a have a nice time, enjoy.
My son (aged 3) is type 1 diabetic. We have just been on our first camping trip and just took the two pens and needles and kept it all in the first aid kit ( don't need to refridgerate insulin in the pen) and made sure that the pen was full and that was that. We put the used needles in a sealable tupperware box well out of reach and disposed of them into sharps box when we got home. No problems!
My Son-in-Law has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and now has to inject himself, all his medicine has to be kept cool in a fridge at home, he also has a small portable needle box for safe disposal.
We camp on average 7 or 8 weekends a season for a max 3 days only staying on small non EHU sites, they all have free block freezing with no limits on how many times you use it.
Does any one think that a small freezer box/ blocks would be man enough for the job, or might we have to go down the route of a small gas run camping fridge?.
Any help from you wise people out who are faced with the same situation whilst camping would be well appreciated
Remember, there is no such thing as bad weather………. only ill prepared campers !!
DH has had type 1 diabetes for a few years now and has always found the salad box in the fridge is the ideal place to store insulin so that is the temperature we try to aim for when camping . It is perfectly doable with a normal coolbox and ice packs or but be careful not to overcool it. Once insulin is too warm or too cold, it wont work anymore as it is a hormone.
Putting the insulin in a plastic box is a good idea so it doesnt come into direct contact with the ice packs but if you are really worried about keeping it at the right temperature then you could get one of these
Hello, Just spoken to my partner who is type 1 and has been for 13 years and he says as long as the reserve medicine is store in a cool place, the pen that your son is currently using does not have to be kept in the fridge. In fact he says that if you do use it straight from the fridge it stings... so he always keeps his current pen in a bag with him and usually a spare in the car.... then the rest are kept in the fridge. He has been camping with me, with no problems. Hope this helps.
I am type 1 diabetic and second fairybelles post. Reserve medicine should be kept cool, epi pen at room temperature(ish). In the fridge insulin is good for approx 3 months, out of the fridge about a month. Keep some dextrose tablets or lucozade close at hand (or some dairy milk ) in case your sugars drop, and monitor your levels before and after meals, as activities and fresh air can effect my sugar levels sometimes. I have lived with it for 7 years and it does not stop me doing anything, I go to the gym, I do judo four times a week, I camp and sneak the odd beer here and there, just make sure you keep fit, eat healthy and you will keep it in check I keep all my kit in an insulated sandwich bag and take twice as much insulin, needles and test strips than I would expect to use.
Hope this works. I am a diabetic specialist nurse and I also advise on foreign travel. As previous posts have said, the insulin that is in use should not be kept in the fridge but at room temperature.
I have recommended the above for keeping the spare insulin cool and every one has returned having had no problems with their insulin.
The main thing is to remember to test more frequently when doing something different, especially the first time.
------------- Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.
Many Thanks to you good people out there with your advice, my Son-in-Law is a lot happier now, he has been given splendid care and help by his Doctor and Diabetic nurse.
The only problem was neither of them had experience of camping, just a wealth of knowledge of diabetes, so I thought the best place to come was here for PRACTICAL advice, this has been given by you kind people, and he now feels very confident of his 1st camping trip with us next B/H weekend.
Once again, Many Thanks.
Remember, there is no such thing as bad weather……only ill prepared campers !!
A bit of a late reply but I thought I would add my 2p anyway! :-)
I have been a type 1 diabetic for over 20 years. In that time I have camped here in the UK amost year-round - the only month I haven't camped in has been February. I have also trekked through the Canadian Shield, travelling by canoe and sleeping in tents by the canoe at night. I have cycled through the South of France on mulit-day trips in very hot weather. I also have cycled up Mont Ventoux in France on the same holiday. It was hard and hot! In fact, I have made a bit of an effort to not allow my diabetes to stop me from doing any outdoor adventure I set my mind to.
I tell you these things not to brag but to point out that on all of these adventures I have never once worried about the temperature my insulin is kept at! Insulin is very robust stuff and it doesn't "go off" easily. In fact, as pointed out above, the current bottle of insulin or pen you are using should ideally be kept at room temperature - otherwise it can sting when you use it. Insulin will keep happily in temperatures up to the high 20's for at least a month. Pack it sensibly and it will keep happily on you camping holiday no problem.
To be honest, when doing any kind of outdoor activity, like camping, keeping your insulin fresh is the least of your worries. More inportant is to keep on top of your blood glucose. All of the activity involved moving stuff and putting up or taking down a tent is exercise and it will have an impact of your blood suger. It is very easy to go hypo if you are not careful. Test frequently and keep an easily absorbed form of glucose such as an energy drink close by and you'll be fine. You can never test too often.
Have fun camping an tell your son-in-law there's nothing he can't do. It just might take a bit more planning!
Your point about testing your Blood/Glucose is equally true for both 1 and 2 type diabetics. Perhaps less acute in type 2 but equally important to keep an eye on this.
Camping and caravanning can be strenuious, a fact often ignored in the excitement of setting up in a new location and meeting up a talking with our new neighbours.
Just be aware of of your need to test and enjoy yourself.
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Topic: Camping and Diabetes, Help required
) in case your sugars drop, and monitor your levels before and after meals, as activities and fresh air can effect my sugar levels sometimes. I have lived with it for 7 years and it does not stop me doing anything, I go to the gym, I do judo four times a week, I camp and sneak the odd beer here and there, just make sure you keep fit, eat healthy and you will keep it in check 
I keep all my kit in an insulated sandwich bag and take twice as much insulin, needles and test strips than I would expect to use.
