We'll be heading to Disney in just about a week now. My aunt with limited mobility is renting an
ECV. She also uses a cane for support when she walks (and she will be doing some walking whenever she can).
At first, we rented a regular ECV and she got a cane holder for it. But then, her family decided to rent a full-size SUV so that there were more options/faster options for getting around to some of the places they want to go. She called yesterday and changed her ECV to one that can be broken down. Unfortunately, they cannot provide a cane holder for that style. So, any good ideas for how to best handle the cane while a the parks. Anything we could buy ourselves to attach?
Hi, Christine.
I had the same issue of what to do with my cane (non-folding) when I bought my first portable mobility
scooter a very long time ago. I tried just carrying my cane between my legs, but it kept falling down when I wasn't paying attention. Then I had to get out of my chair and bend over to pick it up if it fell flat on the pavement or floor.
Back then, there were not the choices available except for a bulky, metal cane holder that attached to the rear hitch. This isn't the model I was looking at, but it is similar and was expensive, metal and too heavy for me to travel with unattached.
But my old Pride Mobility REVO's tiller, back then, didn't have a wrap-around handlebar like many of the tillers today. I found a simple way to attach my cane with this type of straight handlebar.
So I just used a thick rubber band to hold it on the handlebars. It was simple and it worked. You can see the rubber band on the right next to Mickey. I'm left-handed. I attached the Mickey Mouse Christmas Wreath with zip-ties. I didn't like using the zip-ties holding my cane.
Then I bought a larger mobility scooter with the wrap-around handlebar. I liked this kind of tiller and most owners do too. But I couldn't use the rubber band as easily. But this was over a decade later and more products were developed,
I bought one of those soft nylon cane holders that would use velcro to attach to the rear of the seat backrest. This isn't the same one, but it is similar, soft and packable. Mine just had one velcro strap that wrapped around the back seat from top to bottom without the side to side strap. I soon found out I didn't like getting out of the chair to remove a stuck cane because of the cane catching on the nylon material. I could usually reach back while sitting but not always.
Then I discovered this thin strip of velcro that had a hole on one end. I think these velcro straps were meant to be used to temporarily keep cables together and neat. But it worked for me because it stayed on the tiller handlebar and the extra velcro strip allowed me to wrap around my can and hold securely. This allowed me to attach it to the wrap-around handlebar so it wouldn't fall off and just stay wrapped around the wrap-around handlebar. The longer end of the velcro strip was used to hold my non-folding cane by simply wrapping the velcro strap around the non-folding cane. It could hold any cane and the bottom of the cane dangled or could touch the floorboard.
But then I found a folding cane that I liked with a soft handgrip and a wrist strap attached. I could put this on one of my mobility scooter's armrest using the cane's attached wrist holder, and now on my wheelchair's armrest.
I really like this because I can always see it and not turn around to reach on the back of my seat backrest. I just find that it meets my needs for ease of use. And it was easier to hang on a dining chair instead of falling off the table and just in the way.
Below are some other options for carrying multiple items.
I still have a velcro net on the back of my Fold and Go Heavy-Duty Wheelchair backrest to hold anything. Like my forearm crutches when I need them.
Of all my choices, I like the folding cane with the wrist strap or the small velcro strip to hold a cane to the tiller's handlebar. But I don't use the velcro strip anymore since I can just hang the folding cane on my armrest or dining table.
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