Choosing the Best Wheelchair Bags

There are a wide variety of wheelchair bags designed to suit every ability and personal taste. The most common wheelchair bags are the backpacks, which hook onto the back of a wheelchair via loops or buckles. However, there are many wheelchair users who find a backpack cumbersome or difficult to reach into, and that makes using them a moot point.

For those users who prefer something different, there are a wide variety of wheelchair bags that allow you to configure the storage and transport of your important items. Whether you need a bag to carry the remote control around the house or a wheelchair bag suitable for travel to distant lands, there are many models on the market vying for your attention.

The Best of the Wheelchair Bags

One of the leaders in wheelchair bags is a company called Adaptable Designs. They offer a wide variety of packs, pouches and under seat packs that make life easier for anyone in a wheelchair. Here are a few of their most popular and useful items:

• The 6”x20” MVP pouch not only attaches to the arm of your wheelchair, but also fits on your scooter, bedrail and more. The expandable pouch doesn’t hold much more than the basics, but that’s the point—consider “MVP” to mean “most valuable property.”
• The slim Sidekick Pouch is a 12.25”x7” pouch that fits on the arm of your wheelchair. It is perfect for holding notebooks, pens, snacks, magazines, and even that wayward television remote.
• The Wallaby Pouch is a nice size at 8.5”x6.5”x2.5”. It fits under the seat and on the arm of most wheelchairs and scooters. The single compartment is perfect for storing larger items and offers mobility-friendly zippers.
• The Cargo Net for wheelchairs is a perfect way to carry larger things with you around the house. The net is 13.75”x26” and features a zippered pocket that measures 11”x5.75”. It attaches with straps to the wheelchair frame and provides the perfect space to store lightweight jackets, magazines and the like.
• The large Under Wheelchair Pack has a main compartment that measures 14.25”x12”x4.5” and seals with Velcro. The gusseted material prevents items from falling out of the smaller front compartment. A little heavier than other bags, this needs to be connected to a rigid frame for maximum security.

If none of those options work for you, consider these:

Nova offers Mobility Saddle Bags in original colors and prints. The bag offers one large compartment with a zipper and several smaller places to hold essentials, such as cell phones, lip balm and the like. The bag can be attached to your wheelchair or removed and taken along by a helper as a purse or day bag.

The Fleece Wheelchair Armrest and Pouch by the Home Health Superstore provides soft, cozy comfort for arms while offering a nice-sized pouch for magazines, books and other essentials. The armrest attaches securely and when the pouches have something in them, they don’t slide around like some armrests do.

The Cramer Decker Medical Cylinder Wheelchair Bag offers an attractive way to carry your oxygen tank with all the accessories. This wheelchair bag attaches securely with four straps, unlike many of the competitors who offer only two straps to hold this very valuable piece of medical equipment. It includes a zippered window to see the oxygen levels, a neat hole for the cannula, an additional space at the bottom to hold personal items, and large, easy-to-use zipper pulls.

The Carry-All Wheelchair Bag by Ableware is a one-stop shop for all your carrying needs. This bag has one generous 14”x14”x4” compartment that is good for books, groceries and other supplies. Heavy-duty and waterproof with a rigid bottom liner for support, this is the king of wheelchair bags.

Points to Ponder

Choose your wheelchair bag wisely. If you have many things to carry around, opt for a larger bag that can handle all that you want to take with you. An armrest bag might be a nice, compact item, but if you enjoy reading long books, you need something that can handle the weight.

If you have many small items to keep handy, such as reading glasses, lip balm and lotions, a wheelchair bag with small compartments can keep it all in one place. If you have several large things to carry, such as a jacket on rainy days or medical accessories, consider a wheelchair bag with one large compartment to make it easier to reach in and pull items out as you need them.

The Best of the Bags

For those who want plenty of little nooks and crannies in which to store small items, the Mobility Saddle Bag by Nova is a sure bet. In addition to having all the space you need for the tiny incidentals you collect throughout the day, it is offered in a wide variety of cheerful designs.

If you want the convenience of those smaller compartments but a larger bag altogether, consider the Under Wheelchair Pack by Adaptable Designs. This bag turns unused space under your wheelchair seat into a valuable storage solution. The gusseted pouches make it easy to pull items out yet help assure they stay right where you want them in the meantime.

For simple convenience, the Sidekick Pouch by Adaptable Designs just might be the perfect bag. With multiple compartments and a comfortable fit on the armrest, the Sidekick offers “stock it and forget it” kind of convenience.

Don’t hesitate to test out numerous bags until you find the one that is right for you. All wheelchair users and their particular needs are unique, so what works for your best friend’s wheelchair might not work at all for yours. Pinpoint what you need most out of a bag – will you use it for travel? Around the house? For carrying specific items? – and then shop accordingly. Finally, there is no doubt that quality and price matter, but keep in mind that the best bag for you might not always be the most expensive one.