If you're living with insulin-dependent diabetes and frequently on the move, mastering the art of keeping your insulin cool and properly stored is vital for your well-being, especially in India’s varied and often high temperatures.
Insulin is highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations. It must be stored refrigerated between 2°C and 8°C before use, and kept cool below 25°C once opened. Failure to maintain these temperatures can lead to spoiled insulin, disrupting your travel and health plans.
Whether you’re commuting in a busy city, heading to the office, travelling across India, or simply stepping out for the day, having a reliable way to keep your insulin cool is crucial, particularly during the hot summer months.
But what are the best cooling packs to use for insulin? Should you opt for ice packs or gel packs? Let's break down the different options.
Related article: How to Travel With Insulin That Needs Refrigeration or Cooling!
Different Cooling Pack Options for Insulin in India
With India’s often intense heat and unpredictable power supply in some regions, keeping your insulin properly cooled while you're on the move is absolutely essential.
Whether you're commuting in Delhi traffic or heading on a long journey by train or flight, an insulated cooler bag or travel case becomes your first line of defence to protect your insulin from heat damage.
But what should you pack inside to keep your insulin cool? When choosing cooling packs for insulin storage during travel, you've got a few choices:
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Traditional Ice Packs: These are straightforward-just water in a plastic bag. While they're easy to use and find in most Indian households or chemist shops, they can freeze your insulin if they touch directly, tend to get a bit messy as they thaw, and can lead to inconsistent temperatures inside your cooler bag.
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Gel Packs: A much more dependable option, these packs are filled with a gel that helps keep a steady temperature, which is much better for keeping medical use.
- Phase Change Materials (PCMs): Specially designed to absorb and release heat as they melt and solidify, PCMs offer an excellent way to keep your medication cool.
Choosing the right type also depends on how long you'll be travelling and your specific insulin storage needs. Each type has its pros and cons, so it's all about what works best for your situation.
Traditional Ice Packs
These are the simplest option-just water sealed in a plastic container. They're budget-friendly and do the job if you are left with no choice. However, there are downsides:
- Risk of Freezing: If they touch your insulin directly, ice packs can freeze it. Insulin should never be frozen!
- Messy When Thawed: As they thaw, ice packs can drip and create a soggy mess inside your cooler, while also upping the humidity, which isn't great for your insulin.
- Unreliable Temperatures: Ice packs tend to cause temperature swings, which are not ideal for temperature-sensitive medicines.
- Airport Security Checks: At Indian airports (and international ones too), cooling packs must be completely frozen at the time of security checks, which can be a challenge during long flights or layovers, when your cold pack might start to thaw.
Gel Packs: A Great Cooling Option!
Gel packs are a more modern and highly effective cooling pack option for travelling with insulin.
The gel packs made by 4AllFamily India, known as the Buddy Biogel Cooling Packs, are housed in sturdy plastic and filled with a refrigerant Biogel alongside an eco-friendly phase-changing material (PCM).
They are crafted specifically for medical purposes and are perfect for transporting insulin and other temperature-sensitive medications like Ozempic, Mounjaro, Victoza, or Trulicity. They can also be reused many times, making them a good investment for frequent travellers.
Here are some of the benefits they provide over ice packs:
- Longer Cooling Time: In specialised medical-grade coolers, gel packs can keep insulin cold for up to 33 hours and below 25°C for over 48 hours, ideal for long train journeys, overnight travel, or areas with unreliable electricity.
- Safe for Insulin: The Biogel used in these packs freezes at 2°C, above insulin's freezing point, so it won’t damage your medicine even if the packs are in direct contact.
- Leak-Proof Design: Unlike ice packs, these don’t melt into puddles. The casing is strong and sealed to prevent leaks.
- Temperature Stability: Gel packs maintain a steady temperature with minimal fluctuation, which is essential for insulin’s effectiveness.
- Approved for Air Travel in India: The Buddy Biogel packs meet all airport standards for air travel within India, the UK, Europe, and beyond allowing you to pass through airport security with your insulin smoothly and without delay.
4AllFamily's Buddy Biogel Insulin Cool Packs are available in Small, Medium, and Big sizes. They are compatible with the following insulin cooling cases:
- The RxCoolers Max Portable Medical Fridge
- The RxCoolers Mini Fridge for Insulin
- The Voyager Portable Insulin Cooler
- The Explorer Travel Cooling Case
- The Nomad Ice Box for Medicine
- The Rambler Small Ice Pack Case
Innovative Insulin Cool Packs with Hydrogel Crystals
The most advanced cooling pack option for insulin on the market is the cold pack featuring water-absorbent hydrogel crystals, like those in 4AllFamily India's Chillers Insulin Pouch Coolers.
These aren't your typical cooling packs. Packed with jelly-like, water-retaining crystals, they harness the cooling powers of water evaporation to reduce temperatures effectively.
Here's why they're often preferred by frequent travellers with insulin:
- Easy Activation: Just submerge the cool pouch in water to activate the cooling crystals. There's no need to freeze them before use.
- Long-Lasting Cooling: Once activated, these insulin cool packs can keep your insulin cool for more than 45 hours. To reactivate, simply re-soak them in water.
- Infinite Reusability: These eco-friendly cold packs can be reused endlessly with just water, delivering excellent value and cutting down on waste.
- Airport Security Ready: The Chillers Cool Pouches meet Indian, UK, EU, and International airport regulations for carry-on luggage, ensuring smooth passage through airport security when travelling with your insulin.
Important Note: The Chillers Insulin Pouch Coolers are designed for maintaining insulin at cool room temperatures, below 25°C. They are not suitable for carrying insulin that needs to be refrigerated. If your insulin needs to be transported at fridge temperature, please consider our other insulin cooling options!
We'd Love to Hear Your Thoughts
What's your go-to cooling pack when you're travelling with insulin? Got any clever tips or burning questions about keeping your insulin cool and correctly stored whilst you're out and about?
Share your experiences or questions in the comments below to lend a hand to fellow travellers with diabetes!
