I'm so excited! My parents are taking us on a family trip this winter and this time it's to Belize and Honduras which was booked through an awesome promotion with the Princess Cruise Lines. With only a few days left to pack, I've been obsessed with making sure that I have all the right gear since this will be the first time that I will be in the deep ocean snorkeling while using an insulin pump and the Dexcom. To monitor my blood sugars while I'm in between hikes on the beach and jungles to get to the waters, I'm planning on wearing a Dexcom sensor and taking along one of my old Dexcom receivers just in case of water damage. Since I'm not exactly sure on how many meters deep the Transmitter for the Dexcom can handle, I'll be snorkeling mostly at the top surface of shallow waters for this trip.
Here is how I'm preparing to protect my expensive diabetes electronics and gear!
1. Patagonia 60L Bag: $119.00 - This duffel bag is water resistant and made for the rugged outdoors. It also has backpack straps attached to it so that you can carry it on your shoulders like a backpack. I'll be using this bag for my excursions to the beach and to our snorkeling and cave tubing sites. The water resistance is really appealing to me. Since there's a chance of downpours, it will help add extra precaution in keeping my valuable diabetes gear safe from the water! Admittedly, while I probably didn't need this bag, having played with it for a while, I'm absolutely in love and it is my new go to carry on bag.
Here is how I'm preparing to protect my expensive diabetes electronics and gear!
1. Patagonia 60L Bag: $119.00 - This duffel bag is water resistant and made for the rugged outdoors. It also has backpack straps attached to it so that you can carry it on your shoulders like a backpack. I'll be using this bag for my excursions to the beach and to our snorkeling and cave tubing sites. The water resistance is really appealing to me. Since there's a chance of downpours, it will help add extra precaution in keeping my valuable diabetes gear safe from the water! Admittedly, while I probably didn't need this bag, having played with it for a while, I'm absolutely in love and it is my new go to carry on bag.
2. Sea to Summit Dry Pack 4L: $12.95 - This is a completely water proof bag that can be taken cave tubing as well as snorkeling and boating. Just place your gear inside the pack, roll the top over on itself three times, and clasp. The clasp also has an extension which can either be tied to your body with a carabiner and rope or to your boat or tube. From the reviews I have read, this is the way to go to keep expensive gear dry.
3. Black Diamond Neutrino Wiregate Carabiner: $5.95 - I have two of these, which can be used to attach my dry pack to my body, boat, or tube. They're also pretty useful to attach water bottles or even water shoes to the outside of my bag.
4. E-Case eSeries 9 Case: $27.95 - I also have two of these. One will be carrying my Dexcom receiver which will then be placed into my dry pack. The other will be carrying pre-filled insulin syringes and my blood glucose meter and lancets. After looking over everything, I've decided that my insulin pump is too expensive to risk losing in the ocean or in a Mayan cave. So, for the days we are off the cruise ship, I'll be detaching from my pump and injecting insulin. This makes me extremely nervous but judging from all of the activity that we will be doing while I'm detached, I'm hoping my glucose stays within a relatively safe range.
5. Clif Kid ZFruit Rope: $0.50/each - I found these on sale (regular price $1.00/each) and picked up 10 of them. I love these to treat lows. They're easy to throw into a backpack or purse and, because of the way they are packaged, they are waterproof and can withstand accidental dips into a river or ocean and still be sanitarily eaten. Plus, they're pretty damn good.
6. Rafter Malibu Rubber Water Shoe: $13.95 - I found these on Amazon at a pretty good price. They were unavailable in any other store I went to mainly because in December, water shoes are out of season. I like these because you can walk in them like a tennis shoe, perfect for crossing river beds, but you can also swim with them or tube with them and they will dry quickly. I love these for the beach too where there can be hot sand or jagged shells and rocks (especially in certain places along the Mexican Riviera).
7. PMI Accessory Cord: $0.50 - This was basically given to me by one of the guys at REI. He suggested using it to tie in a cross section around my body and to secure my dry pack to the rope with the carabiner or to use it to secure my dry pack to my tube or boat with the carabiner. I'm not sure how long mine is but it basically is long enough for me to tie it in a messenger bag sling style across by body and arms and secure with a slip knot and then a double knot.
8. Pro Bar Organic Snack and/or Meal Bars: $1.50 each (regular price around $2.00-$3.00 each). From past cruises, I have learned that meals and snacks are not always prevalent on excursions off the ship. This means that with all of the activities you are doing, it's possible to not eat from 8am to as late as 2pm. It's also virtually impossible to pack yourself a sack lunch to take with you. So to make sure I'm not caught without any means of food, I bought several of these snack and meal bars to take with me off the ship. I also love the packaging of the bars as it will protect them from water. Also, they seem pretty durable as I've been carrying one around with me in my purse for the last few days and it hasn't crumbled apart on me yet.
9. Camelbak Groove Filter Bottle - 20fl: $14.93 (regular price $20.00). I love me some water! Especially when it comes with its own filtration system! Good for around 300 fills, this has become both my and Hubby's favorite water bottle. It even makes our sink water taste like Smart Water. Water bottles of any sort are essential for cruises as you can fill up on water as much as you want at any of the drink stations which eliminates having to bring your own bottled water onto a ship (if allowed) or buying overpriced bottled water on the ship itself. These water bottles are meant to be used with any water from safe filtration systems. And, while I trust a cruise ship's water filtration system as much as the next person, I take pleasure in knowing that I have an extra means of filtration for the water that's going into my body. The handle on the bottle's lid makes it easy to either carry in your hand or to clasp to your backpack, bag or clothing with a carabiner. I'll definitely be taking a filled bottle of water with me on all of my excursions!
3. Black Diamond Neutrino Wiregate Carabiner: $5.95 - I have two of these, which can be used to attach my dry pack to my body, boat, or tube. They're also pretty useful to attach water bottles or even water shoes to the outside of my bag.
4. E-Case eSeries 9 Case: $27.95 - I also have two of these. One will be carrying my Dexcom receiver which will then be placed into my dry pack. The other will be carrying pre-filled insulin syringes and my blood glucose meter and lancets. After looking over everything, I've decided that my insulin pump is too expensive to risk losing in the ocean or in a Mayan cave. So, for the days we are off the cruise ship, I'll be detaching from my pump and injecting insulin. This makes me extremely nervous but judging from all of the activity that we will be doing while I'm detached, I'm hoping my glucose stays within a relatively safe range.
5. Clif Kid ZFruit Rope: $0.50/each - I found these on sale (regular price $1.00/each) and picked up 10 of them. I love these to treat lows. They're easy to throw into a backpack or purse and, because of the way they are packaged, they are waterproof and can withstand accidental dips into a river or ocean and still be sanitarily eaten. Plus, they're pretty damn good.
6. Rafter Malibu Rubber Water Shoe: $13.95 - I found these on Amazon at a pretty good price. They were unavailable in any other store I went to mainly because in December, water shoes are out of season. I like these because you can walk in them like a tennis shoe, perfect for crossing river beds, but you can also swim with them or tube with them and they will dry quickly. I love these for the beach too where there can be hot sand or jagged shells and rocks (especially in certain places along the Mexican Riviera).
7. PMI Accessory Cord: $0.50 - This was basically given to me by one of the guys at REI. He suggested using it to tie in a cross section around my body and to secure my dry pack to the rope with the carabiner or to use it to secure my dry pack to my tube or boat with the carabiner. I'm not sure how long mine is but it basically is long enough for me to tie it in a messenger bag sling style across by body and arms and secure with a slip knot and then a double knot.
8. Pro Bar Organic Snack and/or Meal Bars: $1.50 each (regular price around $2.00-$3.00 each). From past cruises, I have learned that meals and snacks are not always prevalent on excursions off the ship. This means that with all of the activities you are doing, it's possible to not eat from 8am to as late as 2pm. It's also virtually impossible to pack yourself a sack lunch to take with you. So to make sure I'm not caught without any means of food, I bought several of these snack and meal bars to take with me off the ship. I also love the packaging of the bars as it will protect them from water. Also, they seem pretty durable as I've been carrying one around with me in my purse for the last few days and it hasn't crumbled apart on me yet.
9. Camelbak Groove Filter Bottle - 20fl: $14.93 (regular price $20.00). I love me some water! Especially when it comes with its own filtration system! Good for around 300 fills, this has become both my and Hubby's favorite water bottle. It even makes our sink water taste like Smart Water. Water bottles of any sort are essential for cruises as you can fill up on water as much as you want at any of the drink stations which eliminates having to bring your own bottled water onto a ship (if allowed) or buying overpriced bottled water on the ship itself. These water bottles are meant to be used with any water from safe filtration systems. And, while I trust a cruise ship's water filtration system as much as the next person, I take pleasure in knowing that I have an extra means of filtration for the water that's going into my body. The handle on the bottle's lid makes it easy to either carry in your hand or to clasp to your backpack, bag or clothing with a carabiner. I'll definitely be taking a filled bottle of water with me on all of my excursions!