# What supplies do you carry and how to you keep them organized?

**URL:** <https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986>\
**Category:** Gear\
**Created:** [September 14, 2018, 6:36pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986 "2018-09-14T18:36:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/83 "2018-10-22T04:48:41Z")

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> [@Nickyghaleb](#):
>
> Don’t see your test strips… you have them in there?? Or are they in you _other_ bag that’s off-screen. The big one with all the important stuff?

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fudiabetes/original/2X/2/2099061e9070fcdc4fcd9b3e5d3a0adca4ff8ec4.jpeg)

Custom vial for the strips. Much smaller. 😉

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**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/84 "2018-10-22T04:49:51Z")

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🤣

You are too much.

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**Author:** ![Jen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/jen/32/4777_2.png) [@Jen](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Jen)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 5:24am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/85 "2018-10-22T05:24:12Z")

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Question for the t:slim folks (@Chris, @Thomas) related to the this thread somewhat…can you pre-fill cartridges (that you plan to use within 24-48 hours)? If I have \<50 or so units left in my pump (Ping), I’ll often pre-fill a cartridge and bring it with me so that it’s easy to change quickly when it runs out (also convenient for the middle of the night). I’m probably going to switch to the t:slim and am hoping I’ll be able to do the same…

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**Author:** ![Chris](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/chris/32/382_2.png) [@Chris](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Chris)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 5:53am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/86 "2018-10-22T05:53:08Z")

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We have never done it i.e. carried a full cartridge around, but it is possible. In fact, when you do a cartridge change, you fill the cartridge then plug it into the pump, so filling it 5 minutes before, or the day before should be no problem. I will have my lab rat try this tomorrow when he needs to do a cartridge change.

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**Author:** ![Thomas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/thomas/32/1719_2.png) [@Thomas](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Thomas)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 11:12am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/87 "2018-10-22T11:12:50Z")

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Completely agree with Chris’s answer.

We do not typically run the insulin empty. If it looks too low until morning then we would change it out before going to sleep. We change at 3 days. When it is time to change then we change.

A few times, I extracted the leftover insulin from the cartridge and adding it to the new one. I was only doing this every other site change.

@Jen - Were you able to get the simulator for the t:slim to work?

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**Author:** ![Jen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/jen/32/4777_2.png) [@Jen](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Jen)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/88 "2018-10-22T14:06:47Z")

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> [@Thomas](#):
>
> @Jen - Were you able to get the simulator for the t:slim to work?

Nope, it’s still not available in the Canadian App Store.

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**Author:** ![mike\_g](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@mike\_g](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/mike_g)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/89 "2018-10-23T17:19:37Z")

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Well, my trusty “free"style promise case gave up the ghost after years of faithful service, so I picked up a Maxpedition Mini (0256) pocket organizer. Here it is in action, with two pens, a meter, a day’s worth of strips (in a OneTouch vial…about only good use for OneTouch), a few pen needles, a couple syringes, and some swabs. It measures 4x6x1 inches, but loaded like this, it probably is 1.5” thick.

![outside](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fudiabetes/original/2X/c/cc0500ab7711c654444599b75f208def56b22372.jpeg) ![inside](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fudiabetes/original/2X/a/a2fb46bac736df7f3d800ae789cc29643c87adbc.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 5:41pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/90 "2018-10-23T17:41:04Z")

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> [@mike\_g](#):
>
> I picked up a Maxpedition Mini (0256) pocket organizer

Looks like a nice fit for your stuff!

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**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/91 "2018-10-23T18:06:25Z")

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> [@mike\_g](#):
>
> picked up a Maxpedition Mini (0256)

I have had my eye on one for a while! What do you think of the fit and finish, and how adequate do you find it with respect to packaging vs content ratio?

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**Author:** ![bkh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@bkh](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/bkh)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/92 "2018-10-23T19:51:40Z")

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> [@Jen](#):
>
> Question for the t:slim folks (@Chris, @Thomas) related to the this thread somewhat…can you pre-fill cartridges (that you plan to use within 24-48 hours)? If I have \<50 or so units left in my pump (Ping), I’ll often pre-fill a cartridge and bring it with me so that it’s easy to change quickly when it runs out (also convenient for the middle of the night). I’m probably going to switch to the t:slim and am hoping I’ll be able to do the same…

Another option may be to carry an insulin vial and the t:slim filling syringe. I routinely refilled t:slim cartridges twice, getting about 5 to 6 days from each fill, to reduce my cartridge use to about 2 per month. (I did this to save luer-lock t:slim cartridges for use with my preferred infusion sets.)

Given that I could use a single cartridge for a couple weeks, I see no harm in pre-filling a cartridge and carrying it for later use. (Of course keep in clean in a baggie or something.)

By the way, if you hate the noisy beeping while priming the tube at cartridge change time, just hold a finger over those 6 tiny speaker holes that are on the back of the pump, near the edge farthest away from the tube.

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**Author:** ![mike\_g](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@mike\_g](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/mike_g)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/93 "2018-10-23T20:45:54Z")

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@ Michel,

I’ve only had it a day so far, so preliminary thoughts:

It seems fairly heavy duty, case itself and straps are stiffer than I’d anticipated. I like the variety of pocket and webbing options, permitting packing a few different ways. It seems to tolerate a bit of over stuffing - at this point, its about 1.8" thick when I close it. (I do plan to move to a bit smaller strip vial, it is still too big for my taste, although it handles it fine). Tags say it is teflon treated fabric, so that’s probably good.

WRT packaging vs. content: do you mean the retail packaging of the case itself? Or do you mean “how much of that case is usable storage?” or something else?

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**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/94 "2018-10-23T20:48:16Z")

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> [@mike\_g](#):
>
> do you mean the retail packaging of the case itself? Or do you mean “how much of that case is usable storage?” or something else?

Sorry for being unclear! I meant: how much of the case volume is usable storage vs. the material of the case itself? Sometimes, cases are engineered so heavily that the case itself ends up being a majority of the volume 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mike\_g](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@mike\_g](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/mike_g)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/95 "2018-10-23T20:59:48Z")

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No problem. It appears like not much excess bulk, at all. Fabric is fairly stiff, but thin. There is no padding that I can discern. Not much wasted space, to me. Hopefully, the ruggedness is built into the fabric, stitching, and especially the zipper: this seems to be true.

It is close to being stuffed full. I plan to add in a few rolls of smarties or a partial roll of glucose tabs, too. Normally, I carry sugar separately, but nice to have in the case.

My old case had about 1/4" of foam on both sides of the case, which might be nice for carrying vials, I suppose, but added 1/2" to the case thickness. Plus, the webbing was weak, as well as the light nylon fabric comprising the interior pouches.

A video review of use of the Maxpedition Mini as diabetic case, if you haven’t seen it: [Diabetic EDC](http://www.healerdiabetes.com/my-diabetic-edc-maxpedition-mini/)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:48am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/96 "2018-10-24T02:48:43Z")

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> [@mike\_g](#):
>
> It is close to being stuffed full. I plan to add in a few rolls of smarties or a partial roll of glucose tabs, too. Normally, I carry sugar separately, but nice to have in the case.

Have you ever thought about a smaller meter for when you leave the house? You can stick with the bigger one at home, and when you travel, take a FreeStyle Lite or a Contour Next (or even one of the ReliOn Micro’s you sent me, I can send you one back if you want a smaller one! 🙂).

That would save you some space.

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**Author:** ![mike\_g](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@mike\_g](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/mike_g)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/97 "2018-10-24T04:02:26Z")

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Good idea. I do have a contour next one meter, which will fit perfectly. I switched to a tiny vial which came with an old BD meter, about half inch diameter.

As an aside: I’m amazed at how big the test strip vials are! Lots of wasted space.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 4:38am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/98 "2018-10-24T04:38:10Z")

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> [@mike\_g](#):
>
> As an aside: I’m amazed at how big the test strip vials are! Lots of wasted space

I bought a bunch of these 2 dram vials and have used them for many years. The strips fit great and the vials are much smaller. Get 2 dram with the push top.

You can get them here or I can send you some if you want.

> **[10 Dram (37 ml) Clear Glass Vials - YDV36](https://www.berlinpackaging.com/10-dram-37-ml-clear-glass-vials-ydv36/)**
>
> Our Clear Glass Vial are in-stock and ready to ship. Buy in bulk and save with wholesale pricing!

You can see the vial in the picture here:  
[what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/15)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mike\_g](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@mike\_g](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/mike_g)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 11:13am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/99 "2018-10-24T11:13:46Z")

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Thanks for the link, Eric. That will come in handy,

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:15pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/100 "2018-10-24T14:15:51Z")

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> [@Eric](#):
>
> The strips fit great and the vials are much smaller. Get 2 dram with the push top.

How many strips does one vial hold?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/101 "2018-10-24T14:52:59Z")

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> [@Beacher](#):
>
> How many strips does one vial hold?

It depends on the type of strip, but with FreeStyle strips it holds 45.

If you put more than 45 in there, it starts to get packed tight and makes them harder to remove. Probably 40 strips would be a better maximum for normal use.

Here it is loaded with 45, and shown with the FreeStyle vial for comparison:

![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fudiabetes/original/2X/2/2399a4e2f7072eb6b4adc2e69a167226c110549d.jpeg)

![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fudiabetes/original/2X/2/21f051e504743c13dacce00bcb663bab1c8050b0.jpeg)

It is glass, but it is pretty durable for drops. Not completely unbreakable, but mine have survived drops before.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Thomas](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/thomas/32/1719_2.png) [@Thomas](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Thomas)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/what-supplies-do-you-carry-and-how-to-you-keep-them-organized/4986/102 "2018-10-24T15:08:09Z")

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> [@mike\_g](#):
>
> As an aside: I’m amazed at how big the test strip vials are! Lots of wasted space.

Room to fit a finger and attempt to pull out a single strip without spilling the entire container.

Perhaps?

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