The Ever-So Important Wheelchair Bag

When you become a wheelchair user, there a TON of things you need to get in order to make your everyday wheeling as comfortable and user-friendly as possible. The right seat, the right backrest, the right everything; oh and don’t forget the right wheelchair bag. The tote, the backpack, the purse, whenever you want to call it; having this item is a must.

The able-bodied world may think the topic of a wheelchair bag couldn’t be more boring, but it you use a wheelchair on a daily basis, you know how crazy important this seemingly blah object is. It carries so many important things. Being able to access it, get one without spending a fortune, and making sure it looks pretty cool, are some of the top things you need from a bag.

For some fresh ways to look at the wheelchair bag, from DIY to a clever way to get your bag out from behind you, check out three of some of our best wheelchair bag videos below.

Our first video comes from William Quinn from Lusby, MD.  A computer repair technician and wheelchair-user who’s created an awesome DIY wheelchair bag he’s decided to share with the world. In his 7 minute long how-to video, he shares how to make this necessary item for a manual wheelchair without spending a dime.

What’s great about this vid is that he’s extremely thorough. William is a seasoned  video-maker who’s made over 800 videos showing how to fix your own computer. It’s great. And all it takes to build your own wheelchair bag are four grommets, leftover cloth or vinyl, and some string. This little project shouldn’t take longer than an hour to make. Watch his how to make your own wheelchair bag video

This next video definitely gets filed under the, “Would You Actually Use This?” items, and we’re curious to hear what you think. Created by Elizabeth Montano for her Discovery and Innovation class at the University of New Mexico, she created what is essentially a movable arm that brings the backpack from behind the wheelchair-user to the front so they don’t have to reach behind them to get it.

Now when you think about it, this is a super smart attention. Why hasn’t anyone invented this before? The only problem is that it may be a bit big for some tastes. The plexiglass shield the arm is attached to is a bit high. Check out the video to see what we mean

A favorite of ours here at SPINALpedia who makes some really cool videos (we showed him opening a Coke bottle with his wheelchair), Jerry Diaz is a paraplegic from California who likes to stay active.  From loading his four-wheeler onto his trailer on his own to showing how he gets up when he falls, he shares it all.

And in his wheelchair bag video he shows the kind of wheelchair bag he uses on his manual wheelchair. Buying just a straightforward fanny pack from eBay, a North Face one for $45.00, he found that this fanny pack works great as a wheelchair bag. It has several little pockets, space for water bottle if that’s your thing, and it clips on/off making it super easy to get to if you have full hand movement. Watch his demo of his “North Face” wheelchair bag

Above all, the wheelchair bag needs to be perfect. It can be a long hunt to find the right one (God knows I’ve spent a lot of money on the wrong ones). Hopefully you don’t waste too much time or money like me. As you search always remember two very important things – try before you buy if possible, and always watch as many user-reviews videos before your purchase. Good luck, and happy hunting.

What kind of wheelchair bag do you swear by?

Watch the videos!

– DIY video showing how to make your own wheelchair bag

– A device still in research-mode that helps a wheelchair-user get their bag from the back of their chair

– Jerry Diaz showing off his fanny pack wheelchair bag