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Travel Bags & Carry Cases
CPAP bags and cases protect your device while you travel and keep it tidy at home. The bag that came with your CPAP is fine at home, but for travelling many patients prefer a dedicated bag: tougher, water resistant, or with separate compartments for the accessories.
The catalogue is being expanded at VivaRespire. Official ResMed bags (AirSense 11, AirMini) and third-party travel bags are on the way. See also our travel batteries.
Our catalog Travel Bags & Carry Cases
The CPAP bag is not a detail. It is what protects a medical device while you move around, keeps the accessories in order, and makes the difference between a calm trip and a luggage nightmare. Every CPAP comes with a bag, but for regular travellers a dedicated one changes things.
This category will gradually cover the official bags (ResMed, Philips) and third-party travel bags that fit any brand: rigid foam, water-resistant cases, bags with accessory compartments.
When is a dedicated CPAP bag worth it?
- Regular travel: if you leave more than once a month, a tough bag with compartments avoids damage and saves time at security.
- A discreet bag: some patients prefer something that looks ordinary rather than an identifiable medical case. Useful on business trips, with the caveat explained below.
- Room for accessories: the original bag has no space for a travel battery, a spare tube or a full kit. A larger bag lets you carry everything in one piece of luggage.
- Water resistance: if you camp, travel by boat, or simply risk rain, a water-repellent bag protects the device. Moisture inside the electronics means a breakdown.
- A second travel device: for a separate travel CPAP, typically the ResMed AirMini, a dedicated compact pouch is ideal.
How to choose a CPAP travel bag
- Dimensions: the bag has to take the device, the tube, the mask, the power supply, the filters and, where applicable, the battery. A useful reference: the AirSense 11 with its humidifier measures about 25.9 × 13.9 × 10 cm and weighs a little over a kilo. Check the bag's internal dimensions before buying.
- Cabin format: for flying, aim for cabin-compatible dimensions. The most widespread standard is 55 × 40 × 20 cm, but it varies from airline to airline.
- Protection: reinforced internal foam to absorb knocks.
- Compartments: a mask pocket, a tube pocket, an accessory pocket. It keeps things apart and makes it easy to take the device out at security.
- Carrying: a shoulder strap or a backpack rather than a plain handle as soon as the journey gets longer.
- Medical identification: a "medical equipment" label and a letter from your sleep physician smooth the way through security and support your request to the airline.
Flying with your CPAP
Most airlines accept CPAP equipment in addition to the cabin baggage allowance, as medical equipment. But this is neither automatic nor universal: the rules differ between airlines, and some require a declaration before departure. Do not travel assuming it will be granted.
- Tell the airline when you book, or at the latest a few days before, and get written confirmation where you can.
- Carry a letter from your sleep physician and keep it to hand, not at the bottom of the bag.
- At security you will be asked to take the device out for the X-ray, as with a laptop.
- To use the CPAP on board you need the airline's agreement and a suitable battery: travel batteries stay below the 100 Wh threshold, above which the airline has to approve it. See our travel batteries.
- Empty the humidifier chamber before the flight, or a leak is guaranteed.
Brands and models coming to the catalogue
- Official ResMed AirSense 11 bag: the original bag, as a replacement.
- Official ResMed AirMini bag: a compact pouch for the travel CPAP.
- Third-party travel bags: tougher, water repellent, with accessory compartments.
- Rigid cases: for transport that is exposed to knocks.
See also: travel batteries and CPAP devices, including the AirMini for travel.
Frequently asked questions: Travel Bags & Carry Cases
Is the original ResMed bag enough for travelling?
For a weekend or a short trip, yes: it protects the device and holds the basic accessories. For frequent or longer trips, a dedicated bag with compartments is far more practical. The original bag has no room for a travel battery or a full accessory kit.
Does the CPAP bag count as cabin baggage on a plane?
Usually not: most airlines accept CPAP equipment in addition to the cabin allowance, as medical equipment. But this is not a universal rule, and the conditions vary between airlines. The habit that avoids a bad surprise: tell the airline before departure, ask for written confirmation, and travel with a letter from your sleep physician. At security, take the device out for the scan, as with a laptop.
Can the CPAP bag go in the hold?
Technically yes, but it is strongly discouraged. Three risks: knocks during loading, theft, and loss, bearing in mind that compensation for checked baggage is capped and generally does not cover the real value of a medical device. Keep your CPAP in the cabin. If you genuinely have no choice, use a rigid case and declare the device as fragile medical equipment at check-in.
What size should a cabin CPAP bag be?
The most widespread cabin standard is 55 × 40 × 20 cm, but it varies by airline, so check yours. For comfort, start from the size of the device: the AirSense 11 with humidifier is about 25.9 × 13.9 × 10 cm. A bag of roughly 35 × 30 × 20 cm leaves room for the device, the tube, the mask, the accessories and a battery, without being bulky.
Backpack, shoulder strap or handle: which one?
It depends on the use. A plain handle: short trips, carrying by car. A shoulder strap: the best travel compromise, it frees your hands at the airport. A backpack: ideal on long journeys or if you are carrying other luggage, because it spreads the weight. An AirSense 11 with its battery and accessories comes to around two kilos, and at that weight your back stays the most comfortable option over time.
Do you need a waterproof bag?
For ordinary travel, a water-repellent fabric or a rain cover is enough. A genuinely waterproof bag, with a stated protection rating, makes sense if you camp regularly, travel by boat, or cross very humid regions. Beware the false sense of security: shutting a still-damp device inside a waterproof bag keeps the moisture against the electronics. Always dry the device before putting it away.
How should the tube and humidifier be packed?
Coil the tube in wide loops, never folded sharply: a folded tube keeps the kink. Put it in its own compartment so it does not crush anything. For the humidifier, always empty the water before transport, or a leak is guaranteed. If it stays clipped to the device, plan for a bag with reinforced foam, since the assembly is bulkier. For one to three nights, plenty of patients leave the humidifier at home and sleep without humidification.
Are there discreet CPAP bags?
Yes, several third-party brands offer bags that look like a laptop case or an ordinary travel bag, with no visible medical marking. Handy for anyone who would rather not advertise their treatment. The trade-off: without medical identification, an airline may treat the bag as ordinary cabin baggage and count it against your allowance. The compromise: a discreet bag, with the medical letter in the outside pocket, to hand at boarding.