How do you keep insulin cool during travel? any experience with frio bags?
We don't travel anywhere which is more than 5-6 hours away for fear of losing potency of insulin vials.What ways are advisable for longer duration travel and keeping insulin safe and potent? presently, we use frozen coolant packs during travel and keep pen, insulin cartridge and glucagon in that pack (containing coolant). Heard about frio packs but never used it.
We stayed in a hotel for Spring Break in Arizona and put the insulin in the fridge thinking it would be safe only to wake up to fozen insulin. We were from Canada and only had enough to get home using Fast Acting the last few days...it was scary. Pharmacies down there wanted us to go see a USA doctor in order to get a prescription.....They also said they would sell one vial of NPH for $100.00 US....here we pay $100.00 Cdn for 5 vials. Next time we are taking enough to be outside the fridge and what does not get used up will be discarded after the 30 day limit.
I took Eric and Eric's insulin vial — which was nearing the end of its 28-day lifespan — on a trip to Pennsylvania. We traveled by car 7 hours, with the insulin in a small insulated lunchbox that had a coldpack on the bottom (below the insulin) and another above it. The insulin was still plenty cold when we reached our destination, and the cold packs were only slightly thawed. We had brought two spare cold packs with us and we tossed those in the freezer as soon as we got there, and left the vial in the lunchbox with the packs we'd had in there in the first place. By morning, the packs were noticeably softer but still very cold, and the insulin vial was still cold too. We swapped out the cold packs for the frozen ones, put the thawed ones in the freezer, and stuck the lunchbox in a corner away from windows/sunlight before going about our day. Did this routine 3 days running and had no loss of potency at all. By the time we got home, the vial we'd taken with us was in its last day of "official" potency so we threw it out and opened a new one the next day.
Now, this WAS Pennsylvania, and it was nowhere near as hot as, say, Florida or Arizona would've been. But it was still plenty hot, 80 to 90 degrees each day, albeit cooler at night. I would imagine that your 5-hour trip would be okay using the same routine, particularly if you were using a freshly opened vial. Insulin can be unstable at high heat, it's true, but if you take steps to keep it cool, it will be fine for a couple of days. I'm not sure I would have wanted to be away any longer than I was, knowing that the vial had already been open for 3 weeks,
We use Frio’s all the time, they work great. In summer on the boat for my daughters pump, days of travel for vials. Just resoak every couple of days. We also just pop them in the mini fridge in hotels. we too have had it frozen in hotel fridges, we even had a frio freeze but the insulin was still perfect. Love them!
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Just borrowed a friend's frio, came home and placed an order for one. Sold!
Do people keep their pump in a Frio pouch if they are planning on lying by the pool for hours? I have never heard of Frio until now and just wondering if people have found it necessary? They sound good but I never noticed an issue before but then again my bloods do tend to go crazy on holidays which I have always attributed to excess food and alcohol, but I never really put much thought into the heat, doh!
I traveled to Africa and lived out in the bush for three weeks in the heat. I used Frio packs and my insulin was fine as were my test strips. It keeps the insulin at room temp, not refrigerator cold. But I was out in the sun all day every day and I had no problems nor any problems on the two days of travel it took for me to get there.
When I hike in hot weather, I put my pump in a Frio pump pack for the day and wear it on my waistband. The pump stays incredibly cool.
When I travel, I never use anything other that Frio packs. I would never take a chance with hotel refrigerators for fear it might freeze or I might forget it. I did read of one T1 who puts one of her shoes in the refrigerator along with her insulin and then she is guaranteed to remember it.
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That’s a great idea with the shoe, hilarious but genius! I think I’ll look into one of those Frio pouches for pump though instead of trying to keep my pump in my beach bag under the sun lounger. Not such a cool look when you forget and end up dragging a beach bag with you as strut your stuff toward the pool 
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I use Frios for traveling, have never had an insulin issue, and I work in a part of Australia that is well over 42 degrees (Celcius - well over 100 F) every day during summer. My pump just sits on my waistband, as usual, no insulation. Have not had an issue in the 17 or so years I’ve worked there.
Have also traveled through Africa in summer, and a heatwave in Uzbekistan. Frios did the job splendidly. I’ve needed to replace a couple, due to mould, but generally they last a good many years.
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Frios are awesome! If you will be in a hotel for multiple days, I put a glass of water in the fridge for a few hours. If the water doesn’t freeze, you are good to go.
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I’m a fan of Frios as well and will use them when I need to keep in-use insulin no warmer than, say, 80 degrees. It’s great for on a sunny beach or a daytrip in hot weather. But Frios won’t approach refrigeration temperature. When I travel with unoened insulin I use this small cooling bag that I’ve tested to hold insulin between 46 - 54 degrees for 24 hours in an 80 degree room. It was unopened except for an instant read thermometer being snuck in. I purchased two extra cooling packs and do the switchout once a day. I’ve taken this in carry-on, through TSA checks, and not had any issues. https://www.amazon.com/Goldwheat-Portable-Insulin-Diabetic-Organizer/dp/B01E3MS782/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1496924060&sr=8-2&keywords=insulin%2Bcooling%2Bcase&th=1
Good advice here with the Frios. I never worry about refrigeration. I always keep my insulin out of direct sunlight and never leave it in a vehicle - the greenhouse effect could pre-cook a nice sized roast on a hot day 