LapStacker relaunches wheelchair carrying system

Seth McBride, New Mobility April 10, 2024

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

Once the device is installed, you pull out the webbing loops mounted on either side of your chair, stretching them over the items on your lap and clipping the buckles together. Finger loops and a magnetic buckle make it easy to operate for people with limited hand function. When not in use, the straps retract out of your way at your sides.

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

The LapStacker XD attaches to power wheelchairs.

The journey to marketable product took a lot longer. LapStacker originally launched via Kickstarter in 2019. That first run made Brown rethink the design to make installation easier on a wide variety of wheelchairs. Brown says the resulting LapStacker Flex for manual wheelchairs is lighter weight and mounts on most wheelchairs in five minutes. He also offers a power wheelchair version, the LapStacker XD, which is compatible with Permobil, Quickie and Quantum chairs.

LapStackers ship worldwide. The Flex retails for $119 and the XD for $149. For more info, go to the LapStacker website, and look for an upcoming review on newmobility.com.

Source New Mobility