Camping with Diabetes

Let's get one thing clear right off the bat: I'm a Scout. When I say camping, I do not mean staying in a trailer with heat/air conditioning and having a microwave where its easy to heat up frozen food with carb counts. That is called glamping.

I'm talking about sleeping in a tent, where the weather doesn't cooperate and you can't adjust it with a switch. I'm talking about cooking food over the campfire, doing your business in the woods (or an outhouse if you're lucky), and unplugging from social media. This is REAL camping!

I like to go camping because it is fun to disconnect form devices and reconnect with nature. It feels awesome to climb trees, go for a hike, take nature photos, and paint beautiful scenery. However, camping can be problematic when you live with T1diabetes. There are a few key things to remember.

Depending on what time of year you're camping, there are different things you might be doing. In my six years of Scouting and going to various camps, these are some of the activities I've taken part in:

skating

staying outside all day building snow shelters

sleeping in said snow shelters

running into random splash pads (or, as some people -- not mentioning names but *cough cough* I'm looking at you Michael *cough* -- call them: "water parks.")

climbing random things you encounter, such as trees and bales of hay

starting a flash-mob

participating in a day full of activities like canoeing, kayaking, swimming, rock climbing, archery, and repelling.

encountering random petting zoos and playing with adorable creatures

horseback riding

eating sugary food

bike riding

high-ropes and low-ropes

Those are only a small portion of the wonderful things I've done at many-a-camp over the years, and I've had to be careful doing each one because diabetes makes them a tad bit more difficult.

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Please keep in mind that I am just sharing my own experiences and that my suggestions should not be considered professional medical advice, as I am not a doctor in any way, shape, or form.

Let's get to it!

Skating, Climbing, and Participating in Active Activities

Skating is pretty simple to take care of. The combination of the exercise and the cold usually makes my BGs drop FAST, but most of the time I can prevent that by having a long-lasting carb snack twenty minutes before going on the ice. Additionally, I use decreased temporary basal rates two-three hours before we go skating. This method -- eating extra food and taking less insulin -- usually helps me to keep my BGs in check during most active-exercise-type activities.

Rapid Temperature Changes

I can't speak for everyone, but rapid changes of temperature -- or even just being in extreme hot or extreme cold for long periods of time -- always has unpredictable effects on my BGs. I either go really low or really high. So being outside in the cold of winter all day or being outside in the heat of summer all day really messes me up. Additionally, rapid changes of temperature always mess me up. Like going into really cold water a splash pad or really warm water in a hot tub. As I usually can't tell whether the temperature will send me high or low, the best I can do is just be ready to correct with both extra low snacks and extra insulin.

Sleeping In a Snow Shelter

Sleeping a snow shelter is a truly unique experience, but it's one that you must prepare for adequately. For me, staying out in the cold all night keeps my BGs lower, so I use a decreased temporary basal setting and have a high-carb snack before going to bed. Additionally, I make sure that I have all my emergency supplies outside with me so they're close if I need them during the night.

For General Camping Safety

Whatever you're doing out in the wilderness, always bring tons of extra supplies (it's always best to be safe than sorry) and make sure you're prepared for the temperature, exercise, and activities of the camp!

And make sure you have fun 🙂!

Thanks for reading this post of That Stupid Pancreas!



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