Phoenix Instinct Compact – Wheelchair Accessory

* The photos published alongside this review have been supplied by the product manufacturer. *

Item Description:
A black carry-on sized suitcase with red accents that attaches to the back of a wheelchair. It has Omni wheels, which can roll in any direction.

Source of Item:
Phoenix Instinct

Diagnosis:
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) – Paraplegia

Personal Opinion:
The bag itself holds a great deal. The Compact bag can also piggy-back onto the full-size bag or can be used with the backpack, so there are lots of options if you have all three. Either way, I’m able to either have my lap free (yay!) or carry an additional bag on my lap.

Plus the airport staff love it! A non-advertised perk – I normally get bumped into by others in crowded airports when they don’t realise I’m there, or they stop suddenly in front of me. But because the wheels make a bit of noise (comparable to any suitcase) they can now hear me coming and get out of my way! Love it!

I could see if you had trouble with the internal rotation of your shoulders that it might be hard to clip the bags on. Plus it’s a little pricey, but I understand as it’s a custom made product for wheelchair users. There is always some kind of sale running at some point throughout each year, so keep your eye out for that if you are thinking about purchasing one!

To attach the bag to my chair I simply put the adapter under my cushion so the flat plate pokes out the back of my chair. I had to partially detach the fabric “modesty panel” on my chair, but it still covers me up. The suitcase then clips on to this bar in seconds! It took me a bit of practice to learn how much force and what angle I needed to clip it on, but I’m getting faster.