Finding a pair of jeans that checks all the boxes for a wheelchair user can be difficult. Pants that fit well and hold up to extra wear and pulling, while allowing you to cath or tend to other needs — AND that look good and don’t break the bank — are few and far between.

Adaptive clothing company No Limbits has designed a line of pants that aims to address all of those issues and retails for a reasonable $75. Erica Cole, an amputee and the founder of No Limbits, says the company is committed to improving its products and growing its selection of offerings. She was kind enough to send us three pairs of their new pants to review, two for men and one for women. Here’s what our reviewers found.

Women’s Light Wash Wheelchair Pant

By Jenny Smith, C6-7

The first thing I noticed when I unpackaged the Women’s Light Wash Wheelchair Pant is that they are sturdy, good-quality denim made of 97.5% cotton and 2.5% spandex — definitely not a lightweight, stretchy denim wannabe. The legs are cut wide, and the seven belt loops are large and sturdy enough to assist in pulling up the pants. In addition, each side of the jeans has a 13-inch zipper embedded in the seam, including a zipper pull with a thumb loop. These jeans have four pockets: two at the waist and one on each thigh. There are no back pockets to cause skin breakdown. The front waist pockets sat nicely and didn’t bunch up. The pockets on each leg close with a zipper but don’t have a thumb hook, so as a C6-7 quad, I couldn’t open them and they lay flat on the legs.

I’m around 5 feet 9 inches tall, so I ordered a long length with a 34-inch inseam. Still, the jeans were barely long enough once I transferred to my chair. They aren’t tightly fitted through the hips. The waist is higher in front than I’m accustomed to in adaptive jeans, while riding a little low in back for seated pants.

The pant legs are wider than I’m used to after years of jeggings and bootcut jeans. I was afraid they’d look messy with my atrophied legs, but my 20-year-old personal care assistant assured me this was in style and they looked cute.

My first attempt to try on the jeans was unsuccessful. In my bed, with the jeans unzipped at the sides, I fed my legs through the stiff denim, then slowly worked the pants up to my hips. But the back of the pants folded under as I pulled them up. I rolled back and forth multiple times but couldn’t get the “flap” of material in place. So, I waited until I had a PCA at my house the following week.

Even with my PCA’s help, the jeans were not easy to get on. The back flap folded under again. But with a few rolls and an extra set of hands to pull the pants up, we got them in place. I tried closing the zippers myself, but it took time and effort. The metal pulling loops are small and the material is stiff. Over time, as the material breaks in, this may become easier.

By early afternoon, I found myself in a bind. With the higher waist and inflexible material, I needed to unzip the pants so I could access my Mitrofanoff stoma that sits below the waistline so I could cath. I tried unzipping the side zipper, and with some work, managed to get the zipper down several inches. For women who cath through the urethra, these pants could be a great option for easy-access cathing without the need to pull pants down completely. But once the zipper was down, I couldn’t pull it back up. I needed a fully functioning hand to hold the top of the waist together and another to pull up the zipper. So, I remained unzipped for the rest of the day. Thankfully, I was working from home, although even if I had been out, my shirt would have covered the small gap.

I recommend these if you like high-waisted jeans with wide legs made from sturdy denim. They could be a great fit for women with curvier hips and thighs for whom other adaptive jeans like Target’s Universal Thread bootcut jeans may not work.

I look for both fashion and function in my clothing. The No Limbits wheelchair pants passed the fashion test but failed in function for a C6-7 quad. At $75, they cost more than the average pair of jeans at Old Navy or Target, and more than twice as much as JCPenney’s newest adaptive jeans. But that price is on par with higher-end clothing lines. The quality and attention to detail are impressive. If the pants fit and work with your function, it’s money well spent.

Men’s Adaptive Wheelchair Pant

By Michael Franz, C6

Both pairs of No Limbits Adaptive Men’s Wheelchair Pants that I tried — the light denim and khaki — fit exactly as I hoped. I usually buy a 34-inch or 36-inch waist depending on the brand, so I got the 34-inch and they fit perfectly. I’m 6 feet 3 inches tall and usually get a 34-inch inseam, so I was a little concerned when I saw that the No Limbits pants’ longest inseam for a 34-inch waist was 32 inches, but the length was perfect. Both pairs of pants are made of high-quality material and fit better than any of the “regular” pants that I own.

No Limbits pants are designed with several features to address the needs of wheelchair users. My opinion on these features is mixed, so I will start with the good. The pants are made without back pockets to eliminate potential irritation points, which is nice, because I usually have a caregiver remove the pockets from pants that I buy. The belt loops are bigger and seem to be reinforced for easier adjustment and to hold up after repeated use. I appreciate this, as my caregivers and I have ripped several belt loops trying to adjust my pants over the years. Like some other adaptive pants that I have tried, the back is higher to provide better coverage when seated.

The most notable adaptive features of No Limbits pants are also the ones that I had the most problems with. The pants are designed with zippers that go from the waist to about the mid-thigh, and open for easier dressing and access for cathing. When unzipped, the No Limbits pants provide a large opening that made it much easier for my caregiver to cath me. However, the zippers may be more of a hinderance for other quads who cath independently, as they were very difficult for me to unzip. For one, the ring on the zipper was barely big enough for me to fit a finger in. Secondly, to pull up the zipper, you need to be able to pull the fabric tight while pulling the zipper closed. Without hand function, this was difficult to do. Another problem I had with the zippers is that the backrest of my wheelchair is contoured and wraps around right above my hips and waist, which is exactly where the zipper ends. This made it impossible to pull the zippers up while seated.

The No Limbits pants also have thigh pockets with zipper closures. The pockets themselves are nice to have and large enough for my iPhone and wallet, but the pull tab on the zippers did not have a ring, which made them impossible for me to open or close. Adding a ring here would be a simple solution to the problem.

Altogether, I think the No Limbits Adaptive Men’s Wheelchair Pant would be a great option for many. They look good, are well made and offer features that many wheelchair users would like. Unfortunately, because of my lack of hand function and the way my wheelchair is designed, they don’t work very well for me.