BackPacker Plus

Fits into many vehicles. Main unit is very strong and sturdy; well thought-out.

In an effort to create a universal mounting system, the mounting system is extremely kludgey. Remote control wire is too short and mounts to moving part of backpacker.

david b. from hurricane, ut (caregiver)

Woman, age 68, unable to walk more than 20 feet.

Totally automatic

The spiral cord for the activation device is too short. Needs to be longer and/or have an accessible place to attach it when not in use.

flora p. from vill rica, ga

73 yrs old, COPD

Very heavy, should withstand rough treatment.

Very heavy, overloads minivan. Weight makes it more prone to battery and mechanical failure. Costs too much.

james a. from san antonio, tx

80 year old 100% disabled veteran hoping I can get the VA to pay part of the cost.

Ease of use

Not provided

carol h. from el paso, tx

Not provided

Read the reviews before buying and lift lives up my expectations with a few caveats. Strengths: Easy, simply to operate. Works well with Pride Go-Go 4 wheel Traveler. Easy on and off. The Backpacker Plus lift provides me with a renewed sense of freedom since I no longer have to depend on others to get my Pride scooter in and out of my minivan. My minivan still has room for 4 people. The multi-purpose battery pack keeps both my scooter and the lift charged off the cigarette lighter so that I have not had to have someone remove the battery from the scooter so I charge it indoors in the 5 weeks that the lift was installed. Spinlife and Pride stand behind the warranty and professional installation. I very satisfied with this product even with a few shortcomings(since a few engineering modifications can solve them).

Here are the weaknesses that I have found to date: 1. The cords (for battery pack and to the scooter) are long and there is really no method (except for one connector holder) provided to keep them safely out of the way of the lift arm. (Work Around: I ended up putting a cable tie on the battery pack cable and I used velcro to hold up the extra long cable for charging the scooter. ) 2. Manual tool for bringing lift into the car just doesn't work. After the scooter power cord got caught in the lift arm (which is why #1 is the 1st weakness), the battery pack/lift controller no longer worked. Using the manual tool per directions for 45 minutes in 91 deg heat, I had two blisters, I had moved the lift less than an inch and I had to call my husband to bring a cordless power drill to get the lift back into the car. Really recommend that this be re-looked at from an engineering stand point. Even using the cordless drill and the bits/parts provided it was not an easy task or a very workable solution. And we only had to bring the lift horizontally into the minivan. For long trips, I now carry the cordless drill. 3. Noise level inside my 2004 Freestar minivan (from the lift and the scooter creaking and metal on metal rubbing) at times and depending on road conditions can be unpleasant since it is not possible to travel only on new smooth asphalt. I have had two people riding in the minivan at different times comment that the noise level from the combo was annoying. Still working on finding what the root cause is and a possible solution for this issue. Now the the cords are stowed more securely by the methods mentioned above and having a Pride repairman fix the lift controller/battery pack, I am again confident using the lift on trips by myself. I believe that both Pride and Spinlife are quality companies and that they will work to solve the above weaknesses.

eileen t. from carmel, in

Mid-60-ish retired engineer with walking and weight-lifting limitations who depends on a Pride Scooter for distance-walking.

Everything it is designed to do it does. Lots of room still left in back of our VW Routan. Like the fact that I can charge my scooter from the built in battery and not draining the van's battery.

Runs slow. Should have marker on lift to show what is the center of the lift to make it easier to get scooter in the center. Having lots of trouble with parts not being the right parts.

lee j. from appleton, wi

I am a 67 yr old COPD victim with emphysema & can't walk very far.

price

very poor installation instructions

cindy m. from zeeland, mi

quality product for the price

compact, ease of use

rattles

sherwood s. from sumter, sc

63 yoa; COPD,arthritis

It looks to be well built. I like the lift design better than Harmar. I don't worry about any web strap wearing out or coming loose. I also like the restraining strap arangement better. There is no possibility of forgetting to remove one of the straps or having one snag the chair and twist the lifting mechinism.

I would not say it is a weakness, however, I wonder how long the pump for the cylinder will last. Also, when lifting the chair the life makes a creeking noise like the metal or welds may be stressing. Also, when the platform completes it's cycle in lifting the chair, it does not always activate the horizontal traversing mechanism. If I wiggle the platform a little it will activate. It does not have that problem when the platform is empty. How does the microswitch need adjusting? Can I do it? If not, who in my area can?

jack h. from dayton, tx (caregiver)

Not provided

Can be used to lift different powerchairs without changing anything.

Very noisy while lifting chair

terry g. from lake linden, mi

Male, 62, Multiple Sclerosis

convenence; simplicity

needs to have option to be hard-wired to car's battery instead of separate charger.

michael l. from powder springs, ga (caregiver)

My dad is 89, a WW2 vet, and has practically lost all use of his legs. He's enjoying his new found mobility.

Works really doing the heavy lifting and makes my husband more mobile

It takes a long time to load and unload and the cords and seat strap get caught in the mechanism. Also it's a little noisy

mary c. from lehigh acres, fl (caregiver)

My Husband, 69 yrs old is a double amputee, I have pulmonary fibrosis and hypertension as well as RA. I can't lift and he can't help.