How I Keep Insulin Cool While Backpacking in Hot Countries

I landed in Bangkok carrying a 20-litre bag full of insulin, needles and sensors, then walked into heat that felt capable of cooking the entire lot before I reached the hostel.

My first thoughts were melodramatic to say the least: What if the insulin stops working? What if I lose it? How do I replace five months of medication abroad?

Once I arrived, the problem became more manageable. Most hostels had some form of fridge and I carried FRIO cooling wallets for travel days. For weeks, that combination worked across Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, including temperatures above 40 degrees.

Then came the Fanta incident.

Using fridges in hostels

Refrigerated storage can be useful for unopened insulin, but hostel fridges are not medical fridges. Temperatures vary, freezer compartments are badly marked and staff may move items.

During the Ha Giang Loop, staff moved my five-month insulin supply from the fridge into the freezer to create space for a Fanta can. When I returned, the insulin was frozen and had to be replaced.

I had kept roughly one week’s supply with me, which gave me enough time to reach Hanoi and arrange replacements. That backup turned a major problem into an extremely stressful inconvenience rather than the end of the trip.

How I used FRIO wallets

FRIO wallets use water evaporation rather than ice packs or electricity. The maker describes them as keeping medication within approximately 18–26°C for at least 45 hours in specific test conditions. That is a cool room-temperature range, not refrigerator temperature.

I used them for in-use insulin during long buses, motorbike loops and jungle treks. I reactivated them with water as needed and made sure air could circulate around the outer wallet so evaporation could work.

They removed my dependence on electricity during travel days and avoided placing insulin directly against frozen ice packs. They did not remove the need to follow the storage instructions for my exact insulin, particularly for unopened supplies carried over several months.

The lesson was not that fridges are bad or cooling wallets solve everything. It was that no single storage method deserves my entire supply and blind faith.

My full travel packing list includes the cooling equipment and backups I take abroad. It is free, partly because replacing frozen insulin was expensive enough.