The evolution of our wheelchair storage bag

[SueM in MN]

9 years ago, my daughter had Mitrofanoff surgery, which created a stoma (opening) with a tube that goes from her abdomen into her bladder. This valved stoma allows us to insert a urinary catheter into the stoma every 3.5 to 4 hours to drain urine. It’s a pretty interesting surgery - they use the appendix as the tube.
If you want more info, this link has a basic definition and other links with a lot of details.

We now need to carry equipment with us to catheterize her. At first we used straight catheters and a bottle to collect the urine. Many people drain the catheter right into the toilet, but because of positioning, that wasn’t possible for us.
This is the first bag we used - a large lunch container attached underneath her wheelchair on its side. I attached different straps to the bag and hooked them with carabiners to zip ties attached to the wheelchair frame.


It worked well for our purposes, but Security always wanted us to remove it from the wheelchair. We did leave it empty until we got into a park, but because of the dark interior, they felt they could not assure it was empty.
We were usually able to get in with it attached to her wheelchair, but it was time consuming.

The next bag was more acceptable to Security, since it could be opened completely. It started out as a compartment from a hanging closet shoe storage container. I covered the nylon cloth sides of it with silver vinyl and added a front piece that could be Velcro’d open or shut. It was attached with loops that hooked to carabiners attached to the wheelchair tubing with zip ties.
It was nice because it was very open. We went thru Security with it open and empty and filled it up after Security.
It also folded flat in a suitcase for air travel.

 

[SueM in MN]

For the first few WDW trips, we used a straight catheter and bottle for collecting urine. Then, we discovered all-in-one catheter sets, which include the catheter attached to a collection bag! Very compact, easy to use and sterile.
We can store more than enough in a small lunch bag, so we didn’t need a big place to put them.
She does have a backpack on her wheelchair where they could go, but it’s much easier to get them out from the front when in a restroom




When she got a new wheelchair, her old underseat storage container wouldn’t work.
The old wheelchair had a lot of tubes and open areas where we could attach zip ties. Her new wheelchair has a frame with a lot less tubes. I tried different ways to modify the silver bag, but just couldn’t get it to work

 

[SueM in MN]

I had to rethink the underseat bag to fit the new wheelchair, so really started from scratch. I knew I wanted it to be lightweight and also easy to see it was empty when we went thru Security. I also wanted it to be washable and at least somewhat water resistant - going thru puddles in a wheelchair does splash.
I started with an IKEA polyester shopping bag and trial and errored it to securely attach to the wheelchair with Velcro. A panel on the back attaches over the back tubing of the wheelchair and is not in the way for using the vehicle tie down loops built into her wheelchair.
Two straps come around the front and Velcro onto the frame at the front of the seat. It is quite secure and holds a lot!
Best of all, the entire top folds back, so we can show Security at the parks that it is empty (We carry the stuff that will go into the bag and put it in after Security)



A couple negatives:
- I ran out of IKEA bag fabric, so the top is made of a knit fabric, so it’s not water resistant
- I put Velcro along the back and one side of the top. The other side is attached and the front is not; so it opens like a flap. Easy to open, but piddly to get the Velcro all lined up to close
- because of the shape of the original IKEA bag and running out of material, some parts were kind of McGuivered together.

But, it worked well for our purposes and was easy to get thru Security.

 

[mamabunny]

It really is a very clever solution; I have never seen anything similar.

I think that under-seat storage that is useful for me will remain elusive, at least for now because of my personal (in)ability to reach down between my legs/feet now. Since one of my travel companions (usually my adult daughter) carries my "stuff" through in a backpack anyway, we just hang that off the back of the chair; I would have to have assistance with it regardless of whether it was under the seat or hanging off the back.

On our last trip up to Branson to see the leaves start to turn, and go shopping (hey, at least there is a Disney Store *outlet* LOL) we found that standard stroller hooks worked really well with existing bags (like a backpack or tote bag) and made it pretty quick and easy to get bags on and off the back of the chair. I did also find that a slim tote bag (like the Vera Bradley Small "Vera" tote) would work on the arm of the chair; I like any bag on my chair to be secured so that someone can't just grab it and run - they will have to take me with them!

Our daughter also bought me a Vera Bradley diaper bag that has a generous removable shoulder strap, but also comes with its own stroller hooks. It fits nicely across the back, and the insulated bottle pockets work great for grown-up water bottles too! Overall, it works really well as a chairback bag.

I have long wished for a storage *drawer* under my chair, that I could rotate to open on whatever side was best at moment!

 

[SueM in MN]

It really is a very clever solution; I have never seen anything similar…..

On our last trip up to Branson to see the leaves start to turn, and go shopping (hey, at least there is a Disney Store *outlet* LOL) we found that standard stroller hooks worked really well with existing bags (like a backpack or tote bag) and made it pretty quick and easy to get bags on and off the back of the chair. I did also find that a slim tote bag (like the Vera Bradley Small "Vera" tote) would work on the arm of the chair; I like any bag on my chair to be secured so that someone can't just grab it and run - they will have to take me with them!

Our daughter also bought me a Vera Bradley diaper bag that has a generous removable shoulder strap, but also comes with its own stroller hooks. It fits nicely across the back, and the insulated bottle pockets work great for grown-up water bottles too! Overall, it works really well as a chairback bag.

I have long wished for a storage *drawer* under my chair, that I could rotate to open on whatever side was best at moment!

Thank you.
I have used Think King hooks on my daughter’s wheelchair for many years. We bought this kind with with ‘clippy hooks’ about a year ago and really like them. Someone trying to just grab her backpack will find it’s attached.
I sewed loops on the top of her backpack, underneath the shoulder straps. The smaller, thinner loops fasten it more easily to the hooks than the backpack shoulder straps. Also, the loops allowed me to hang the wheelchair at a height that works better for us.


Amazon does have a variety of shelves or baskets for underneath a wheelchair seat
like this or like this one.


They sort of influenced my ideas, but I didn’t find any that would work work well for us. One reason is that many of them are designed to attach to more tubing than her wheelchair has. Another reason is that most are designed for ‘standard size’ wheelchairs with 18 - 20 inch wide seats. She is a very small adult and her seat is only 14 inches wide, so most of them are too wide.
I also looked at this bag which is meant for right under the wheelchair seat and is shown on the same kind/brand of wheelchair she has.
If she was independently accessing the bag, it might be great. But, its not quite big enough for what we need to carry and it looks like it might swing a lot and get annoying.
Plus, it would need to be removed for Security

 

[SueM in MN]

under wheelchair bag 4.0

The cat material is 2 IKEA foldable shopping bags that I cut up to use as fabric. That fabric is water resistant and washable. It is lined with white ripstop nylon and fastens into the chair with Velcro on the back bar and straps on the front frame.
It also has an exposed zipper on the top from front to back and the bottom half of the front opening has elastic and an adjustable string to cinch it shut.
It is big enough to hold her catheterization supplies, a poncho and an umbrella with some space left over.


This bag should work really well. The top zipper means I can open it totally to show Security that it’s empty. And, the white interior and thin materials mean light can get thru.
We carry in the smaller black bag with catheter supplies and put that bag in after going thru Security.
We will not have it on for air travel - it folds pretty small and flat to go into a carry on bag and be easily put on when we get to our destination

 

[iuki]

under wheelchair bag 4.0

The cat material is 2 IKEA foldable shopping bags that I cut up to use as fabric. That fabric is water resistant and washable. It is lined with white ripstop nylon and fastens into the chair with Velcro on the back bar and straps on the front frame.
It also has an exposed zipper on the top from front to back and the bottom half of the front opening has elastic and an adjustable string to cinch it shut.
It is big enough to hold her catheterization supplies, a poncho and an umbrella with some space left over.
View attachment 716547
View attachment 716548View attachment 716549View attachment 716550
This bag should work really well. The top zipper means I can open it totally to show Security that it’s empty. And, the white interior and thin materials mean light can get thru.
We carry in the smaller black bag with catheter supplies and put that bag in after going thru Security.
We will not have it on for air travel - it folds pretty small and flat to go into a carry on bag and be easily put on when we get to our destination
View attachment 716551

I am so impressed with your skills. They say everyone has a special talent. I’ll be 76 next month and still looking for mine.