My mobility journey

[boxydan]

Thought I would share my journey to get advice and perhaps offer insight to others.

I am about 167 kg/370 lb/26+ st. I do ok with the basic walking around the house but I get issues with extended distances. Big box shops can be iffy at times. Things are complicated by asthma and ankle/toe injuries. The ankle issues are from younger years of thinking I was Wayne Gretzky but being more of a hippo on skates.

I love travelling around the world and in many of the places I go, public transport and walking are vital. This causes me some difficulties. Starting with pwoerchairs/scooters was to address this.

I just got back from my third trip each of about 6 weeks in length since November having visited USA, Germany, Qatar, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. In these I have taken two different powerchairs on 25 flights on planes as small as the CRJ all the way up to the 777.

I have purchased off the shelf products from Pride (614HD) and Merits (Atlantis/P710). I can feel the vets here snickering at this.

With little knowledge, my battery experiences have been less than ideal. Recently while travelling, I swapped out the AGM Group 24 batteries in the Merits with drop in replacement LiFePO4 boxes showing 12v 100Ah while in Japan. I had no issues other than being stuck with a 2A charger while there. During one of my transits, I dropped my 6A charger in an airport from a bar height in the lounge. Before returning, I swapped back the batteries not sure of lithium on board airplanes at that high capacity.

The 2 x 12v 100Ah LiFePO4 are being kept at a friend's and since I spend most overseas time in Japan it is not a horrible solution.

Now I have returned home and the chair crippled home with me. I have ordered some MK 75Ah gel batteries that have yet to arrive as replacements for my AGM.

Seeing this board, I am jealous of the amount of knowledge and ability I don't have. I have an engineering degree but not in this stuff. I did my one course in each of the other areas - electrical, civil, materials, etc... but I am well suited for making huge oil refineries produce their optimally - not this kind of stuff.

So first - help!
Second - help!
Third - feel free to ask questions.
Fourth - as far as what I can provide is probably more of the ability to get around the world with my limitations. I am happy to give any insight I can. I like to get around with as little assistance as possible. I like taking public transport from the airports into the cities. I like getting in and out of places that were built for a different age. Yes I have caused damage in my chair to some things along the way that I have had to pay for - recently the mirror in an elevator. Nonetheless I still want to get around and experience things.

[martin007]

Traveling the way you describe is very expensive...

[boxydan]

Traveling the way you describe is very expensive...

I don't think it is expensive. But perhaps our budgets are different. I spend a lot of time investigating travelling within a budget.

[Burgerman]

You can stand and walk? You probably have the right chairs. You are using them as scooters. You dont need rehab chairs etc.

Although the merits chair with a weedy controller could likely be improved. And then programmed. But then you wil liely get issues with the drop in lithium batteries if you ask them for more current. So not really sure what to advise. Weight and batteries dont really go hand in hand.

[boxydan]

Yes I can stand and walk. Don’t need rehab chair. I hesitate with the scooter as they are not as nimble in some places. The nice thing about the 614HD is the mid wheel drive has a good turning radius. In a city like Tokyo that is good. That helps when using public transit there.

Probably will just pick up the drop in Li batteries when I go there and struggle with the lead batteries elsewhere.

[shirley_hkg]

I love travelling around the world and in many of the places I go, public transport and walking are vital. . …

I like to get around with as little assistance as possible. I like taking public transport from the airports into the cities. I like getting in and out of places that were built for a different age. .

This is exactly my cup of tea . Strolling on streets of various cities/countries is a lovely experience.

Will stop by Hamburg for 2-3 days in early October. Any advice on where to get around ?
May you share your information here please :
https://www.wheelchairdriver.com/board/ ... =5&t=11868

[benjamin]

Does the Jazzy have a fold down seat? I had a Pronto M91 with a standard seat as my first chair in 2012. It’s definitely easier to travel with than the Permobil M3 I use for airline travel (I have traveled with the F5 as well). For one it’s much lighter and two seat height makes it easier to handle on CRJ, ERJ, A220 (fka C-Series), Boeing 717 and S80 (RIP). Two there are fewer things at risk of being damaged that you would remove like seat cushion, headrest, smartphone holder in my case.

Only suggestion is having your chairs info on a laminated or page protector with info on basic operation, where to lift, free wheel release, etc. I primarily fly AA domestically (US) and have flown DL, El Al, BA, Swiss, BA abroad and have generally had good experiences. Just need to make sure you thoroughly inspect and test all the functionalities before leaving the airport. Their repairs liaisons aren’t great to deal with but I definitely find Global Repair Group better than Scootaround.


It seems you don’t want a rehab chair but I would suggest trying a Permobil M300HD. You may feel the seating functions are unnecessary but I can tell you when I was semi ambulatory and got my first rehab chair the comfort, suspension and overall ride quality made a world of difference. You may want to try it and see because especially after a day of traveling, traversing a new place in a chair you can get fatigued after a few hours and the added comfort and functionality may make you more productive and active.Not sure where you are located and how readily you could obtain a CRT grade chair but I would suggest giving it a try.

[benjamin]

Hoping to fly QANTAS A380 at year end. Supposedly they have good disability assistance and assistive device handling. Hopefully that extends to their ops at DFW.