Cruising with Temperature-Sensitive Medication

Are you planing on cruising with temperature-sensitive medication? It takes some work. But it is possible.

Many of you know that I’m a Type 2 diabetic. My meds – and test strips – have absolute temperature requirements. And I’m not the only one! More and more new medications are coming out as injectables and are very sensitive to temperature.

So what’s a cruiser to do?

What Your Meds Require for Safe Storage

First off, you need to figure out your requirements:

How long do you anticipate being gone? An overnight or weekend trip is different from a week-long charter, which is different from carrying a 3-month supply. Be sure to add a sufficient buffer of extra days for weather delays or mechanical problems.

How much of what meds or other supplies does that mean you’ll need?

What – exactly – are the storage requirements for those items? For example, some insulins must be kept at 36⁰ to 46⁰ F. until open, then may be kept at “room temperature” for up to 30 days.

In this case, you need to check what “room temperature” is defined as . . . if it’s “under 86⁰ F.” (as it often is), and it’s tropical summer where you are with temps over 95⁰ F., you’re still going to have to keep it cooled once open.

Does Your Fridge Meet the Requirements

Next, check your existing refrigerator to see if it will meet your requirements:

You can check your existing refrigerator with a thermometer that records both the max and min, such as this one . I particularly like the ones with external readings – be sure to place the sensors where you’d be putting your meds. Try to check over several days and in weather similar to what you expect on your trip (summer temps are likely to be very different from winter).

Some boats have refrigerators that are very temperaturestable and will do just fine. In that case, no problem, other than making sure you have a backup plan should the refrigerator or its power supply go down. Of course, keep monitoring with that thermometer!

A much larger percentage of boat refrigerators simply aren’t that good at holding a temperature. Most don’t have a thermostat set in degrees, and temps can vary widely from one area of the fridge to another – and with the motion of the boat, your meds could slide from one place to another. Such a fridge might be okay for items with not-so-strict requirements, such as my test strips, which only have to be kept between 40⁰ and 80⁰ F.

If Your Fridge Doesn’t Suit Your Medication Needs

If your existing refrigerator won’t do what you need, here are a few ideas and tips:

Whatever system you choose, be sure you can monitor the temperature both for highs and lows.

Also be sure that the temperature cannot get too low. When I was looking for a solution for myself, I discovered that several so-called solutions simply kept chilling and chilling, with no cut off once the temperature reached the minimum acceptable temperature. In other words, my (extremely expensive) meds could be frozen and rendered useless.

What are the cooling parameters of the device? For example, something that will cool 50⁰ from the ambient temperature isn’t too good if your meds need to be below 46⁰ F. (that is a common temp restriction) and the temperature inside your boat is 103⁰ F. . . . it will only cool to 53⁰ F. – and that is assuming that it is working exactly according to spec.

Yeah, that’s another thing: allow a bit of leeway for cooling not to be as efficient as in the specs or temperatures to be higher than expected.

I don’t like the idea of using just a cooler and ice. The temperature is generally not stable enough; there is a risk of freezing meds; and meltwater could get into your meds.

Possible Products

Some products that I’ve found that may meet your needs (or at least give you ideas):

4ALLFAMILY Voyager AUTO Shut Off USB TSA Medication Cooler Travel Case Keeps Fridge Temp 36F-46F+ Biogel Ice Pack (Amazon)

Pros:

Designed as a medical cooler

36⁰ – 46⁰F. which is the correct temp range for many drugs (but if you need something else, it’s a “con”)

Automatic shutoff if temp gets too low

External temperature readout

USB power – but note that it takes 1.5 amps. Most USB outlets will provide this, but keep cords short to avoid voltage drops and carry an extra “fast charge” USB A->C cord in case your cord goes bad

Can be powered from an external power pack

Gel pack that can be frozen and used to cool contents if USB power not available (this provides cooling up to 59⁰F. from the ambient temperature for up to 28 hours at 95⁰F. ambient temperature)

Low power draw: less than 1A on a 12V system (10 watts)

Good for fly/boat trips (a charter, perhaps) – use the gel while flying then USB on boat

TSA approved

Cons:

Small size. Check the images in the listing to see how many containers of your specific meds it will hold

Cost

No cigarette lighter charge cord

Cannot cool more than 50⁰F. from the ambient temperature unless using gel and then it’s 59⁰F. max.

Read this review regarding power draw and cooling capability

IMPORTANT: 4ALLFAMILY (and other brands) makes several other models of medicine coolers but the others do NOT have the auto shutoff feature to keep medicines from freezing.

BODEGA 12 Volt Car Refrigerator, 9 Quart (8L) Small Car Fridge, Portable Refrigerator (5⁰F -68⁰F) (Amazon)

Pros:

Temperature can be set anywhere from 5⁰F to 68⁰F

9-Quart size

Cigarette lighter plug (or cut end off and hardwire it)

Mounting bracket for more secure installation (it’s a little topheavy otherwise)

Portability: about 20 pounds

Cost is less than the smaller container above

Cons:

Not officially for medical use

Power draw: 45 watts on max cool; 30 watts on eco setting (2.5 – 4 amps on 12V system) – by comparison, a 40 quart Engel draws about 3 amps but is considerably more expensive

Too large to take on a plane

Another possibility is to get a larger 12V fridge/freezer, such as an Engel, Dometic, or Whynter (all links are to Amazon). For this application, I don’t like the Engel as well as Dometic or Whynter as you can’t set a temperature on it. Whynter is the least expensive of the three, but also uses the most power.

With any of these, if you’re not needing to get in and out of it multiple times a day, you can make a cover using Reflectix and duct tape (leave the air vents uncovered) and cut down on the energy required quite a bit.

Back Up System

Think ahead of time as to what you’d do if your chosen system broke down or you lost power to it. In fact, think extra-hard on what the backup would be if you lost power not just to it but to everything. You need a backup idea that can work with no power from the main batteries. Of course, if you have a generator, you could run cooling from that (although it might be overkill). Maybe another boat could store it temporarily for you? Or a marina restaurant? A bag of ice (not ideal but better than nothing)?