Best wheelchair for travel?

[dcsam]

I think it’s time to consider having my husband in a wheelchair while cruising.  He does have a Travelscoot, and it’s great for the airport and once we arrive to destination.  Not sure if we need to consider a power wheelchair or one that I can push.  He does prefer me to push him around while cruising - he doesn’t do as well navigating his scooter amongst crowds. 
Which brand of power or manual wheelchair would you suggest?

Thank you

[kokopelli-az]

Since you think you will be doing the pushing, have you considered a transport chair instead of a wheelchair?    My husband has had a great transport chair for several years.    We use it at the airport, hotel and to the pier (where he picks up his mobility scooter).    It's very sturdy and with the smaller wheels, it fits more easily into taxis.   

 

There are many, but here's the one he has (highly rated!):   

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016JDBSM/?th=1

 

If you have a mobility store near you, you might take a look at what they carry so you can test drive models and see which one fits best.    Make sure it is sturdy and the seat is wide enough if your husband is larger.  (My husband's is the larger model.)  

[dcsam]

Thank you.  We do have a transfer chair, but it needs replacing.  Just checking on options.  

[VirginiaIsForCruisers]

I have a Fold and Go powerchair.  I love it. You can put it in freewheel mode so you can push him or you can put it in power mode where he would use the joystick to navigate, which would be helpful in some situations, like getting on and off the ship. If you go with a powerchair, please have him practice at home, the joystick takes some getting used to.

[dcsam]

Thank you.  I’ll take a look at the Fold & Go.

[dappledumpling]

On 1/31/2023 at 4:42 PM, dcsam said:

Thank you.  I’ll take a look at the Fold & Go.

Very similiar is the eagle HD.. I bought that one for my wife. The back wheels are a little larger which helps in port if a little off road is needed. Agree the joystick can require some getting use too.

 

We went to seaworld to get my wife use to the joystick.. Not overly crowded but great practice.. Malls work well too

 

Happy cruising

 

[happy42cruise]

We have a Porto mobility power chair that we really like but it is not light.  We just got off a cruise & it worked really well for us.  If we needed to get somewhere faster I would put the chair on manual & push it but for elevators I would have the power on so that I could rush to the elevator & hold the door open until my husband could motor over. Otherwise the doors would close before we could get to them (they always seemed to be at the furthest point away).  There are lots of choices so I would recommend going to a mobility store or 2 & try them out.  Good luck!

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 2/5/2023 at 2:46 AM, happy42cruise said:

We have a Porto mobility power chair that we really like but it is not light.  We just got off a cruise & it worked really well for us.  If we needed to get somewhere faster I would put the chair on manual & push it but for elevators I would have the power on so that I could rush to the elevator & hold the door open until my husband could motor over. Otherwise the doors would close before we could get to them (they always seemed to be at the furthest point away).  There are lots of choices so I would recommend going to a mobility store or 2 & try them out.  Good luck!

i was going to mention them too mainly because they have the option to put the joystick on the chair back so that a caregiver can operate the chair and not have to push it!   My biggest complaint is that the safety back casters interfere with pushing it down or up a curb.

 

to the op a power chair has a smaller turning radius than a scooter, but there is a learning curve to converting to the chair.  I can now turn around even in a narrow elevator!  

[NightOne]

Can anyone show me a better option than https://www.foldandgowheelchairs.com/  ?

 

[Cajuntraveler]

On 1/28/2023 at 10:05 AM, kokopelli-az said:

Since you think you will be doing the pushing, have you considered a transport chair instead of a wheelchair?    My husband has had a great transport chair for several years.    We use it at the airport, hotel and to the pier (where he picks up his mobility scooter).    It's very sturdy and with the smaller wheels, it fits more easily into taxis.   

 

There are many, but here's the one he has (highly rated!):   

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016JDBSM/?th=1

 

If you have a mobility store near you, you might take a look at what they carry so you can test drive models and see which one fits best.    Make sure it is sturdy and the seat is wide enough if your husband is larger.  (My husband's is the larger model.)  

My husband had a recent back injury and may still need a wheelchair for our April cruise. He uses a transport chair for anything other than very short distances. My concern is pushing him in the transport chair on carpeted ship halls. (I have some back issues too, so have to be careful.)  Have you had any trouble pushing your husband around the ship? We are driving to the port, so no airport issues.  The transport chair is light enough for me to pick up, but I can't handle the weight of a full size wheelchair.

[kokopelli-az]

7 minutes ago, Cajuntraveler said:

My husband had a recent back injury and may still need a wheelchair for our April cruise. He uses a transport chair for anything other than very short distances. My concern is pushing him in the transport chair on carpeted ship halls. (I have some back issues too, so have to be careful.)  Have you had any trouble pushing your husband around the ship? We are driving to the port, so no airport issues.  The transport chair is light enough for me to pick up, but I can't handle the weight of a full size wheelchair.

Pushing a transport chair is definitely a little harder on carpeting than hard surface.

 

However, my husband rents a mobility scooter to use once we're on the ship (it is waiting in our stateroom for him).   So fortunately I don't have to push him in the transport chair very much around the ship.   He uses the transport chair everywhere up until we get to the stateroom, then much to his joy, the mobilty scooter is waiting for him.  

 

Have you considered bringing his TravelScoot on the cruise to use?   Or bringing his TravelScoot and then renting a wheelchair or a transport chair to use on the cruise (the chair would be in your room waiting for him)?

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 2/13/2023 at 2:54 PM, NightOne said:

Can anyone show me a better option than https://www.foldandgowheelchairs.com/  ?

 

It sort of depends upon what features are Important to you. I recently saw a featherlite that seemed to do most slopes and was substantially lighter.  It also won’t carry the weight either of the two last mentioned do.  The problem I with the Porto mobility is that the tip over safety wheels in the back keep you from manually rolling your wheelchair up a curb steps. 
 

it looks like neither has a way to lock the chair closed for easy carrying or lifting.  
 

i assume your suggestion has rms that left, but neither will go under a dining table. 
 

The weights are similar depending on model, mine is supposed to be 50lb I’m not sure that’s with batteries.