Friday, September 7, 2012

Keeping Kewl With ClimaPak



As a mom of a Type 1 diabetic, one of the most challenging problems can be keeping my daughter's insulin at the proper temperature.

When I heard about the brand new ClimaPak by Kewl Innovations, I immediately wanted to try their system out! We've tried ice packs and insulated bags before, but they've never been very good at keeping insulin temperature regulated while out and about.

Kewl Innovations sent me the ClimaPak Bundle for review along with some fun goodies. Check out their "Kewl" message fan in this video I made:



I was very impressed with the ClimaPak right from the start. It holds either two vials of insulin, a pen and a vial, or two pens. In our case, we have an insulin pen for the day and a vial of long-lasting insulin for the evening. (Please note that pen caps must be removed in order for the pen to be stored in the ClimaPak.)

We mostly need the ClimaPak for the daytime insulin (the Novalog pen), but being able to put our long-acting Lantus vial in there as well on overnight trips is especially handy.

Not only is the ClimaPak portable, but it doesn't require electricity, and the battery life is very long (3 to 5 days on a single charge). So if we're out walking around all day in Central Park in NYC on vacation, we don't have to worry about the battery dying.



The ClimaPak bundle comes with a wall charger, car charger and USB charger and it includes an additional lithium-ion battery back as well as the regular battery. So we can charge our system on our many, long road trips...a definite perk!

Without any fans or noise, ClimaPak will control the temperature of the insulin in both hot and cold environments. There is a programmable LCD display that shows you what temperature the ClimaPak is at.

It maintains a range of 44-86 degrees depending on which temperature you select on the system. If your insulin requires a storage temperature of around 75 degrees for example, you just program that into the ClimaPak and you're all set!

You can't input a specific temperature, however. Instead, there are 2 range settings:
 
I 86 - Your medication will be kept between 44°F-86°F
I 77 - Your medication will be kept between 44°F-77°F
 

 



The system fits into a large purse, tote, laptop bag or backpack. I carry it in my purse for Natalie since it's a little too big for her diabetes bag (which is fairly small).

There are programmable alarms to remind you when the next dose of insulin is due, but we don't use those since we don't have a set schedule for eating or dosing.

(EDIT/CORRECTION FROM CLIMAPAK: "ClimaPak doesn't have a reminder for next dose. Rather, there is timer you can use for tracking your last dose. That way if you are ever in doubt about when your last dose was, you just look at the timer." I am seeking further clarification on this since their literature states,"programmable alarms.")

(EDIT/CLARIFICATION FROM CLIMAPAK #2: "Programmable just refers to the option to have the alarm sound turn on and off, also you have a few ways to respond to alarms if you ever get them. You can silence the alarm or clear it all together depending on your preference.")




I am so thrilled to have finally found a way to keep my daughter's insulin at the proper temperature! It helps us to be more active while having one less thing to worry about. And that's very "kewl" in my book!

The regular ClimaPak is $199 and the ClimaPak Bundle is $249. Worth every penny, in my opinion! Right now, there is a limited-time promotion for $25 off either one. Simply enter BACK2SKEWL at checkout to receive the discount.

You can check out the write-up Kewl Innovations posted about my daughter and me here. And purchase and/or learn more about ClimaPak here.

Be sure to follow them on Twitter and like their Facebook page as well. Stay kewl!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary ClimaPak Bundle system to facilitate this review, but opinions expressed on this site are never influenced by comp products.
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