We’ve just been introduced to the Loop Lock and it’s something we won’t be travelling without it in future. The strange thing is, I’d have never thought to go out and buy one and yet it makes total sense for us.
Sometimes when we travel we’ve been so keen for BJ to access experiences that we’ve taken risks. Ordinarily we are cautious with security but when we travel we are often faced with a choice, miss out by being cautious or hope for the best. I hate to say it, we’ve often hoped for the best.
Riding a carriage in Central Park is a perfect example. I booked a carriage ride before we arrived in New York and enquired where we could leave BJ’s chair while doing the ride. I was told the driver would have “somewhere”. I’d always dreamed of riding in a carriage through Central Park and nothing was going to get in the way. When we arrived for the ride the driver knew nothing about securing the wheelchair and asked a street vendor to mind it for us. By then the kids were excited to get going and there seemed no choice. To say I was nervous is an understatement. Leaving a wheelchair in the middle of busy New York seems like madness especially at the beginning of our trip. We’d have been absolutely lost without it for the following 3 weeks but with no alternative, we left it. We had a wonderful carriage ride and when we rounded the corner on our return and I saw the wheelchair still sitting beside the vendor’s cart I was extremely relieved. This isn’t a one-off – because BJ can transfer out of his chair we often leave it behind. If you missed it, you can read about our wonderful tour of Central Park here.
When I was doing a blog for Blue Badge about insuring mobility equipment (you can catch up on that blog here) they mentioned the Loop Lock had been especially designed to be easy to use and a way to secure scooters and other equipment. They popped one in the mail for us to try and I can honestly say we won’t leave home without it.
At only 500 grams the lock is light weight but we’ve determined when we travel we’ll be attaching it to BJ’s wheelchair so it won’t take up any luggage space and will be always handy when we need it. The lock is super easy to use with a double sided key and 2 metres in length it’s flexible to use in a variety of situations. I asked Hubby to do a demo for a short video to show how easy it is.
Last November I read a story about a wheelchair user who was training and had his $9000 wheelchair taken by thieves while he was out using his hand cycle. Here’s a little bit about what he had to say and what proved a good reminder to us to lock up BJ’s chair –
“My friends had to carry me around until I could get to my old chair,” he said.
“At first I thought it was a joke but then I had to get my car towed back to Melbourne as my keys were in my chair.”
It cost him more than $1000 to get his car towed and the theft has left him having to use an unsuitable wheelchair.” He had to start a crowd funding campaign to replace the chair.
You can read the full story here
You can read more about the Loop Lock here
This is not a sponsored post. We received a Loop Lock but there was no expectation we would write about it. I’m sharing our experience because we can see great benefits.
