In mid July I received an email notifying me that I was selected to receive a ClimaPak made by Kewl Innovations. I was thrilled to be chosen to try a new product that I feel there is a great need for.

I received my ClimaPak on Monday July 30th. Kewl Innovations expedited shipping due to our fast approaching cross-country travels to our new home.

I received:

• ClimaPak device with USB charger and battery
• Additional lithium-ion battery back
• Auto charger

I charged each battery for 8 hours. I loaded a Lantus pen and vial of Novalog. It took me a bit to figure out how to load the Lantus pen. A small oversight allowed the unit to be sent to me (one of the first ever sent out) without an owners manual. Thus, it took me a moment to realize that the insulin pens have to be loaded without a cap. Of course the fact that I didn’t need the manual to determine this is a testament to the ease of use with the ClimaPak device – in my opinion. A quick message to the Kewl Innovations and I received the owner’s manual via email for future use. 

The first battery lasted over 5 days despite leaving the unit in a hot car and in direct sunlight. (The product manual suggests not doing the above two things but honestly I wanted to truly test the product.)

The unit never allowed the insulin to be out of temperature range while left in a vehicle for nearly an hour in 111 degree outside heat. The unit did alert me to temperature out of range after being in direct sunlight for an hour. However, the unit only went out of range by 2 degrees. Still very impressive.

So how about some bullet points – everyone loves bullet points.

Things that are very Kewl:

• Simple to use and program
• True to its word – keeps insulin at a proper temperature despite being left in high temperatures that would have normally rendered insulin useless. Keeps insulin at proper temperature despite being placed in a freezer (yes I did do that).
• Batteries last at least 5 days each and can be charged using a car charger with USB. I have not tried my portable battery charger with the unit yet but I suspect it will charge the unit batteries just fine. If so – I should be able to get nearly 20 days worth of battery life without having access to electricity.
• Easily transported – fits in my kids backpacks, Camelbacks, and my purse (ok I do admit I have a large purse)

Concerns:

• While the unit only weighs 1.8 ounces it will add weight to a backpack. With two boys in cub scouts and a daughter in girl scouts we camp frequently. Many of the campsites require a good hike in and out so additional weight is a concern. However, that being said – there have been a couple of camping trips in which the temperature dipped below freezing – rendering insulin outside my kids pumps useless.  I am not aware of another product that will keep insulin warm in cold temps.

Just so you know –

I was chosen to be one of the first users of ClimaPak during their pre-launch campaign. Thus, I did receive my unit at no cost with the following requests from Kewl Innovations:

• Share my honest opinions about ClimaPak via conversations with friends and followers online
• Provide feedback to Kewl Innovations about the product
• MOST IMPORTANT: Be myself – no script provided – what I say is totally up to me.
• Be Honest – Share my honest opinions, not a sales pitch just say how the product worked for me.

I am thrilled to be one of the first to try the ClimaPak and look forward to many adventures with CP. I will share any additional thoughts we have in future posts, twitter updates and Facebook updates.