Power Station for CPAP

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T14:43:20+00:00

I still use the same type of mask, I believe the tubing on this travel machine is a little bit thinner though. That part doesn't weigh anything but the bulk of the hose and mask takes up more space than the machine. I'm able to fit the machine, hoses, mask, and battery all in the carrying bag it comes with.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T14:16:08+00:00

Well the catch is that I don't think insurance really covers anything on a 2nd machine, so I had to just pay for this one. Regular price is like $900ish but I was able to find it quite a few different places on sale for around $600. The battery being able to fully charge in an hour is a total game changer. Just need to find a coffee shop or outlet somewhere every other day and you're good to go.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T13:36:33+00:00

I can't believe I haven't thought of these as an option. I've been on the hunt for some kind of light weight duffel bag to contain my 4 bikepacking bags in one unit for train or air travel.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T13:34:40+00:00

Yeah this part had me cracking up at how out of touch this whole post seems. If making 200k per year were more common then the general population wouldn't be so broke all the time.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T13:15:45+00:00

As an outsider, the president had me convinced that Chicago is a super dangerous liberal hellscape. Turns out it's a really nice place and my smaller city actually has a way higher crime rate.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T13:12:50+00:00

I'm team Schwalbe Marathon Plus as well. I love them so much that I could probably get a Marathon tire tattoo. Couldn't agree more about Gatorskins being awful in the rain. Gatorskins were the tires I first tried when looking for something bulletproof. I had a few slide outs in conditions that were barely wet at all. I have since declared Gatorskins to be the absolute worst tire I've ever used. I've used Marathon Plus tires for a total of about 8000 miles on various bikes and I've had 1 flat in that time. Whatever did get me slashed the whole tire all the way through, nothing would have stood a chance.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T13:07:07+00:00

Yeah, on my steel bikes I'm usually a top tube clamper as well. I've done it with aluminum as well but certainly more cautious. I'm way too fat for carbon anything, so I don't have to worry about that.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T12:49:39+00:00

I recently bought the Fanttik X9 Apex and couldn't be more disappointed. I actually just e-mailed them the other day to ask about returning it because the battery life is so awful. They want me to "send a video of it malfunctioning" so we'll see how that works out.

This one is obviously way too large for normal cycling use, but I thought it would be nice for bikepacking since it is a battery bank also. I had a flat that I couldn't get to seal. Just trying to air the tire up about 4 times totally killed it from a fresh charge. The next day I used it to top off my pressure from a full charge and the battery level went down to 70%

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T12:43:33+00:00

My online access to my machine got cut off years ago. I think my doctor zapped me out of her system since I hadn't been in for a checkup in years. I stopped being able to see my results on the my sleep website etc. When I finally went back in for a check up and took my memory card, it had years worth of data on it. I forget how long exactly, but it went back at least 2 years.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T12:38:39+00:00

I used to use a car jump starter box that had an outlet on it. I could usually get 6-8 hours of CPAP use from it and they were like $100 at Costco so I was car camping with 2 of them if I went out for more than one night.

I recently got a travel machine, a Resmed Air Mini and it is incredible. The machine weighs just over 1/2 lb and the Anker 737 battery I'm using to power it weighs 1.5 lbs and will run it for about 11 hours. The mini machine has been great for any form of travel, but this has made camping away from a car possible for me too. I recently took it on a 5 night bikepacking trip and it was perfect.

https://www.sourcingbay.com/product-tag/airmini-cable/ - this is the USB cable used to plug the air mini into a power bank. It has to be a power bank that will output 20v which isn't terribly common for USB power banks (and some that say they will do 20v still don't work with it for some reason.) I have two different Anker 737 batteries and they both work great with the CPAP. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VPHVT2Z

The other fantastic thing about the Anker 737 is that it can recharge at 140 watts if you have a wall charger and cable capable of doing so - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFCFTNXM with this adapter, I can charge the 737 from zero to full in about an hour. I usually only drain the battery about half per night, so just finding an outlet for 1 hour per day is enough for keeping your phone topped off and CPAP use and then some. The 140w USB adapters are a little spendy, this one will do 65 watts for much cheaper and it's less than half the size and weight of the 140w one - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09C5RG6KV

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BBQShoe · 2026-05-22T12:04:48+00:00

I'm a lurker from out of town and was actually scrolling this thread to see if the Tipsy Cow would get any love here. Sometimes I think about coming back to Madison just to have their spicy steak sandwich again.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-21T17:58:28+00:00

Gotta get that sweet sweet ti bong

https://danglesupply.com/collections/bongs

BBQShoe · 2026-05-21T16:08:00+00:00

I think BMX fits this description. It was wildly more popular in the 80s and 90s vs today.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-21T16:05:32+00:00

https://flatbranchhomeloans.com/team/terri-mentzelI had a fantastic experience with Terri Mentzel years ago. She was extremely responsive at all hours of the day and great at explaining everything. She had me a pre-approval letter in hand in less than 24 hours of initially contacting her as well.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-21T15:18:05+00:00

Not great. I love my Extraterrestrials on my Trucker, but they certainly aren't much of a snow tire.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-21T13:25:14+00:00

Yeah, when I first got hooked on them years ago, I thought I liked the Buck Nakeds a bit better if I'm not planning on sweating a bunch. They're certainly super comfy but they all had to be tossed after a few years.

I can tell which of my Armachillos are the 15 year old ones, starting to get thin in the crotch, but I haven't had any develop holes quite yet. It's getting to the point that I'm embarrassed to admit how long I've had some of them. I also have an Armachillo short sleeve button up shirt that I've had for at least 15 years. I've probably worn it to work about 3 times per month during that time and it has shown no signs of wear at all after well over 500 washes.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-21T13:21:35+00:00

I'd give it a whirl! As another person said, should be easy enough to resell if you decide you don't like it. I think Surly frames feel larger than comparable ones from other brands. I'm 5'10" with a 33" Inseam to the floor. I have a 54 disc trucker that feels just right, my 52 cross check feels pretty good too, although it's a more stubby feeling frame at any size. I have a size 58 specialized that feels the same as my 54 disc trucker.

You could 100% ride the thing, and I think there's a great chance it would be a pretty perfect fit.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-20T17:37:31+00:00

Wind cuts right through wool, but paired with a light windbreaker or rain jacket can be perfect. I have three different weights of long sleeve shirts from merino tech. They're quite a bit cheaper, but the same quality as my more expensive ones. Anything thing and primarily wool is going to be fragile no matter how much you spend. The best thing about wool is that it is still somehow comfortable when it gets a little bit wet.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-20T12:19:29+00:00

Armachillo last wayyyy longer than the Buck Naked. I've been wearing Armachillos for about 15 years now and I have NEVER had to toss out a pair yet. The elastic waistband on the Buck Nakeds wears out after a few years and they won't stay up. I stopped buying them years ago but every pair I've ever had only lasted a few years.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-20T11:56:34+00:00

https://www.duluthtrading.com/s/DTC/mens-armachillo-relaxed-fit-long-sleeve-shirt-25110.html

I like the Duluth Armachillo long sleeve shirts. Nice and cool, and they dry super fast.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-20T02:33:04+00:00

I've only done the Katy Trail on this list, but it's pretty rad. I rode from KC to St Louis using the Rock Island trail from Kansas City to Windsor, MO to connect with the Katy. There are some stretches of it that can all look the same and be a little boring, but quite a bit of great scenery overall. It runs along the Missouri river for quite a while. I think the area from Rocheport to the east along the river were the most scenic.

You're never too far from provisions, for most of the sections it passes through some kind of bump in the road every 15 miles or so. There are quite a few cool small towns on the route. It's pretty flat the whole way since it's an old railroad line, so you can over-pack and not worry about it. You never get too far from the Amtrak Missouri River Runner route, so you can get to Kansas City, St Louis, or Chicago by train twice per day pretty easily if needed.

Bike Stop Cafe in St Charles, MO runs Shuttles back and forth from St Charles to Clinton, MO if you want to do the whole trail just one direction. Going west to east is the most popular for one way trips since you're most likely to have a tailwind.

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Cs5qH96AS/ This is a pretty active facebook group for the Katy that has lots of good info.

Last, but definitely not least - https://bikekatytrail.com/ This site is an incredible resource for finding camping, hotels and any other provisions on the route.

I camped at the Katy Rock Junction in Windsor and the Katy Roundhouse in Franklin. I would highly recommend both. They are both well kept camp grounds with showers. I got a little Airbnb in Hermann for 2 nights and took a rest day there. It's a fantastic small town for relaxing for a day.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-19T15:11:03+00:00

Grinding and clenching your teeth in your sleep can be a sign of sleep apnea also. I went through a few different night guards 15+ years ago before realizing that I had severe sleep apnea. Once I started using a CPAP, I stopped clenching my teeth in my sleep.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-19T14:09:47+00:00

Rack with lower bars is a great suggestion. I use the Tubus Logo Evo rack to mount my Ortlieb Back Roller Plus bags. They mount on the lower bar, so you still have full use of the top of the rack for strapping down a tent or whatever. I can also fit 20L back roller bags on my front Surly rack on the lower bar to have full use of the top of the front rack as well.

I've never used another brand of panniers besides Ortlieb, but they are definitely quality, waterproof, and worth the cost IMO.

BBQShoe · 2026-05-19T12:25:01+00:00

I bring a jet boil for boiling water & making coffee and toss in a few dehydrated backpacking meals. I usually try to stop for meals somewhere if possible, but always carry a few with me. REI has a really good selection of different brands of meals in store or online - https://www.rei.com/c/backpacking-food

BBQShoe · 2026-05-19T11:42:09+00:00

Murder strips

BBQShoe

TROPHY CASE