Finding the right bag to hang on the back of your wheelchair can be as rewarding as discovering the perfect tool to let you tackle a new task. If you rely on a caregiver or third party to get items out of your backpack, knowing exactly which pouch an item is in and being able to easily instruct someone to find it will save time and make your life a great deal easier. If you have limited ability to access your own backpack, it’s all the more important that everything is right where you left it.  

When you consider that a lot of people’s first glimpse of you is from behind, as a wheelchair user — especially a power wheelchair user — your bag is kind of like your butt. Using a bag that looks smart can be a good indicator that you’ve got your act together and mean business.  

South Korea’s Feeldom understands this and has worked with wheelchair users to build a line of highly functional, elegant wheelchair bags. Feeldom offers a range of styles, and while some smaller bags are well suited for manual chairs, most of their offerings are for power chairs. They sent us four bags to review: the Chic Adaptable Square Tote Bag — Medium; the Star Deluxe Wheelchair Bag; the Feeldom Max Deluxe Wheelchair Bag — Medium; and the Jayu. To make sure we didn’t miss anything, we had at least two wheelchair users roll with each bag for a couple of weeks. Here are their thoughts: 

Chic Adaptable Square Tote Bag – Medium  

The best bang for your buck ($119) of the four that we tested, this bag’s slimmer profile allows it to be a true option for both manual and power chairs. Chic’s 12-liter capacity is half of the larger Feeldom Max Deluxe Medium, but it still feels spacious. “I was able to easily stuff my laptop and a few other items in the main compartment. The bag never felt bulky hanging off the back of my chair, and I didn’t have any issue with straps hitting my wheels like I often do with traditional backpacks,” said one tester, a manual wheelchair user with a 14-inch-wide chair. With one large zippered pocket, two smaller ones and stuff-able side pouches, the Chic doesn’t have as many options for compartmentalizing as Feeldom’s larger bags. “I could see using this as a great tote bag off my chair too,” said one tester.  

Jayu  

At 11 by 7.5 by 3.5 inches, the Jayu is more a tote or satchel than a wheelchair bag. Thanks to its customizable strap system, the Jayu can hang easily off the back of a manual chair, or be worn over the shoulder in front without getting in the way of pushing. “It looks slick centered on the back and was a nice upgrade from my old bag,” said one tester. The Jayu is not the bag for those with tons of gear, but its padded pouches can handle a tablet and all the materials you need for a study session or afternoon out. ($149.) 

Feeldom Max Deluxe Wheelchair Bag – Medium  

Feeldom’s website shows the Feeldom Max Deluxe Wheelchair Bag on power and manual chairs, but our testers felt it is a little bulky for active manual chair use. This model has a potentially overwhelming nine compartments, but as one tester pointed out, “They’re setup in a way where it’s easy to tell them apart and find what you’re looking for, even if you’re reaching behind yourself.” One quad reviewer appreciated how easy it was to direct her caregiver exactly where she wanted. At 16 by 16 by 6 inches, the bag could work for an overnight or short trip as much as day-to-day use, and should fit on the majority of power chairs. ($169 for medium, $199 for large.) 

Star Deluxe Wheelchair  

The Star rolls the line between wheelchair bag and full-on luggage. Its all-in design looks to solve all your needs, even some you may not have been aware of. Six outer pouches and three inner pouches give you a whopping 30 liters of storage, more than enough for all your electronics, medical gear, a change of clothes and more. Two tall, zippered side pouches offer ideal places to carry oxygen or other bulky bottles, but can expand to a problematic width of 17-19 inches. “If you’re considering this bag, make sure your chair is wide enough to handle it,” said one tester. Upside: It should be able to hold smaller ventilators and medical devices. Downside: Our testers found the Star drew a lot of unwanted attention in public, and one tester said it took time to adjust to the depth and weight while driving. ($279.)  

Ranging from $119-$279, Feeldom’s bags are more expensive than backpack-maker JanSport’s new adaptive designs ($70), but offer significantly more function and space for heavy-duty users. The ballistic nylon material and sturdy construction look to last, and did well in rain and snow. With the exception of the Chic, the zippers on all the bags have easy-to-hook rings and glide smoothly, hopefully staving off jammed zipper battles. Feeldom also makes a variety of additional straps that are compatible with all bags.  

All of our testers came away impressed by the overall quality of the bags and the obvious amount of thought that went into the design process. The only real issues raised were the size and pricing. If you are a power chair user with a lot of gear, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more practical adaptive bag, and Feeldom offers plenty of options at different price points that seem fair. The Jayu and Chic are nice options for all wheelchair users looking for fashionable, functional solutions. Check out all their offerings and find out more at feeldomlife.com.