LapStacker Relaunches Wheelchair Carrying System

For wheelchair users, leaving things off your lap is part of the game, but a device from New Zealand inventor Mike Brown aims to change that. He lap stacker It is a retractable strap system that allows you to easily secure things on your lap.

Once the device is installed, remove the strap loops mounted on each side of your chair, stretching them over the items on your lap and attaching the buckles. Finger loops and magnetic buckle make it easy to use for people with limited manual functions. When not in use, the straps retract to the sides.

Brown came up with the idea while remodeling his house. He was pushing a tray of tools from his garage to his house when it fell off his lap, scattering screwdrivers and drills across the driveway. “He was so angry. It was very frustrating,” says Brown. “It was one of those moments where I thought: There has to be a better way to transport things.” He enlisted the help of a designer friend and they quickly came up with a working prototype using a seat belt mechanism.

The journey towards marketability product it took much longer. LapStacker was originally launched via Kickstarter in 2019. That first run caused Brown to reconsider the design to make it easier to install on a wide variety of wheelchairs. Brown says the resulting LapStacker Flex for manual wheelchairs is lighter and mounts to most wheelchairs in five minutes. It also offers an electric wheelchair version, the LapStackerXDwhich is compatible with Permobil, Quickie and Quantum chairs.

LapStackers ship worldwide. The Flex sells for $119 and the XD for $149. For more information, go to Lap Stacker Websiteand look for an upcoming review at newmobility.com.