My Every Day Carry (Part 1)

I wanted to start a series of posts covering some of the items I have on me at all times, or at least on my power chair. If you have ever been in a wheelchair, for even a short duration of time, you quickly learn that pant pockets are practically useless. Reason is being in a sitting position bends the pockets and makes it difficult to put items like a wallet or larger cell phones into them. So generally you'll see folks who use a wheelchair for mobility with some sort of bag. I think all but one of my wheelchair's i've had came from the factory with a bag on them. But those bags are mostly useless too, at least for me. My type IV Osteogenesis Imperfecta makes me very short in stature, thus short arms. A backpack style bag doesn't work very well for my personal items, although during family outings to the zoo or a theme park my chair quickly becomes a pack mule. Just last weekend I connected a wagon to my chair using a steel c-clamp and was pulling around three children, myself and a large backpack of various supplies; my wife and I have really learned to put my power chair to good use, and the kids enjoyed it!

Condor 127 Deployment Bag

So lets get started, I plan to review several items individually, including my chair itself. Today I want to start with my bag, as I feel it's the basis for everything i'm able to carry with me. I've tried many types of bags and with each wheelchair I have (A new one every 7 years or so, I keep them a long time) usually requires a new bag that will fit some place that's easily accessible for me. That said, I currently use a Condor 127 Deployment Bag. I've removed the shoulder strap seen in the picture and loop the clips around the arm rest so that it fits between myself and my seat cushion. It's also buckled to the armrest so it's concealed as well as secure. I've designated each pouch on the bag, there are four, for specific purposes.

Top down view of my Condor 127 bag

The main large center pouch carries miscellaneous items like pens, USB cables, and what I consider larger items, say a USB battery charger such as the one I carry; Anker Astro E5. That battery charger alone takes up over 50% of the space in the large pouch of the Condor 127, that said the largest compartment isn't very big. There is no pocket on the back of this bag so that part is against the arm of my chair (see image below). The pocket nearest me is just large enough to hold my wallet and securely zip shut. Security was very important to me as my wallet would be in the bag, luckily I am able move my seat cushion over a bit to add space for the bag to go between it and the arm rest. The pocket on the right hand side of the image holds utility items, like my flashlight and a mini-multitool, I plan to review those at a later date. Also the zipper pull string has a snap hook that I use to hold my car keys and anything else you might attach to a snap hook, in the past i've carried shopping bags and bluetooth speakers. The pouch on the left hand side is inaccessible for me, so I do not carry any items in it. To be honest I don't feel it's wasted space as i've never had a need to place anything in it. I just recently attached a J5 Tactical flashlight to the straps on the bag, i'm able to basically use it as a headlight in dark situations and so far it's worked quite well.

External view of my Condor bag

As you can see from the images this bag has seen better days. It's been with me everywhere I've gone since I purchased my current power chair in July of 2013. But it has held up very well, all things considered. I highly endorse this product for any wheelchair user, especially for the current price of $20.

A few points to consider when selecting a bag. You know you and your needs best, just because your chair comes with a bag (or doesn't) don't let that limit you. Examine your chairs configuration look at different areas you can attach a bag too. Don't be afraid to try different things and think outside the box. I went through about three different bags until I came across the Condor, including the bag from my previous power wheelchair. It just wouldn't work on the new one, there was no place for it to be easily accessed. Originally the Condor was on the outside of my chair, although not impractical it wasn't the best of options, if I left something unzipped items would fall out. One morning, while cleaning my chair it dawned on me that I could squeeze just enough room between the arm rest and the seat cushion for it, and well, the rest is history.

Thanks for reading, and I would love to read your comments on what bags you've tested and use.

Disclaimer: I personally purchased all the products mentioned in this post, I received no compensation to endorse them or link them.