The Phoenix Instinct Compact designer (and Phoenix Instinct’s founder), Andrew Solrance, is best known for the Carbon Black wheelchair. His talents didn’t stop there, with the Pheonix Instinct bag collection being another in the stable of his designs. What is the Phoenix Instinct bag? How is it designed for wheelchair users to have a wheel along suitcase?
Phoenix Instinct Compact Bag Specification
The Phoenix Instinct bag is 42cm W X 56cm L x 25cm H / (16.5″ x 22″ x 9.8″). It holds 4kg over about what I’d estimate to be 25-30 litres, which in this case is about three-four nights worth of clothing, depending on the person. It also has a padded piece, whilst designed for an small SLR camera, would easily hold some small, more fragile, medical kit if needed.
The Phoenix Instinct connects using a connection adapter that sits under the seat. Even though the bar is carbon fibre, the grip on the bag is plastic and that means it could break. Fortunately, Phoenix Instinct sell parts. I should point out that I found the parts to be very robust.
The bag has plenty of grab points, with handles all over. The zips have cloth tags which are big enough to grab in your fist or to add some longer tags. These are great if you are tetraplegic, enabling some grip regardless of your dexterity. There are also several clip tags, so in theory you can also attach a small bag or tripod. I didn’t try this though. The bag is only available in one colour set (at time of writing).
Wheelchair Connection
The Phoenix Instinct connects the bag to the wheelchair using a plate underneath the cushion. Despite the instructions suggesting it connects to straps under the seat canvas, it’s actually recommended to place it under your cushion, as I later found out.
The bag is fitted with a clip that goes over the bar and attaches tightly at the rear. This means that when you attach it, it’s a two handed approach. You connect the bag by levering the bag on to the bar, pulling it down using the grab points.
Whilst I tested this with a manual wheelchair, I know that it would be a little harder to use this with a powerchair that has tilt-in-space recline functions at the same time, especially if that powerchair is mid wheel drive. That said, I know it would work with a rear-wheel drive wheelchair easily.
Moving around with a Phoenix Instinct Compact
The weight is reasonably well distributed on the plate which means that it’s not difficult to wheel along. I only filled it with a couple of nights clothing, which means it wasn’t too heavy.I did notice that the bag itself was loud. This is because the omnidirectional wheels are not flush in their housing. It does mean that it rattles as it moves along. It is especially noticeable if you move through an open plan office – one colleague remarked to me that it sounded like a motorbike outside the window.
The noise is offset by the convenience, with the Phoenix Instinct bag moving easily around. The wheels make it so easy to reposition the bag according to where you need it. This is an especially useful feature on a train, when it can often be a race against time to remove the case and park safely before the train moves off.
I also took this bag on a plane, which showed how it fitted neatly into the overhead bins, along with my jacket and wheelchair cushion. This is a big bonus given how many airlines with penalise customers, regardless of the reason, for taking hold luggage.
Phoenix Instinct Accessories
I took the Phoenix Instinct Compact Bag out with my Smart Drive and Frontwheel attached at the same time. I found that the Smart Drive was not impeded by the Phoenix Instinct Compact Bag. This was really helpful, as it meant that I could coast around stations and airports.
I also found that because of it’s location, I could still access the pocket on the seat back of my wheelchair, although I couldn’t use my standard sized rucksack at the same time. I don’t know if that was because of the position of either bag though.
What did I make of the bag?
The Phoenix Instinct compact bag is a great short break bag that gives a wheelchair user an alternative to carrying a case on the front of their wheelchair or on the knee. It adds to your independence, whilst also looking unoffensive or standing out from other cases – exactly what most people want.
Where this bag lets you down is the noise of the wheels on some surfaces and the very tight clip on to the bracket. This doesn’t detract too much from a great compact bag, although is something you should bear in mind.
Would I spend the full RRP on this bag? Probably not. They have regular sales though, which makes the price a lot closer to bags that are not designed specifically for wheelchair users and it is that which makes my score slightly higher as a result.
Other great things include the reasonably priced replacement parts and the integration with the other bags in the range. Phoenix Instinct have really thought about their customers. Given the price of the bag (and knowing how much other cases can be), offering self-fit replacement parts gives a lot larger brand value – which is why if I was buying any bag after lockdown, it’ll be this one first.
