Journey UPWalker Premium Lite – The Original Upright Walker – Premium, Lightweight Adjustable Upright Rollator Walker with Narrow Build, Motion Sensor Lights, & Seat for Seniors

I have "severe end-stage knee osteoarthritis" according to my orthopedic doctor. My doc tells me that I qualified for knee replacement back several years ago. I know that knee replacement is in my future. But I want to get the most out of my "factory installed" knees before I go that route. So instead of undergoing knee replacement, I run-walk marathons. Really. Exercise is actually good for arthritic joints if you can tolerate it - the movement pushes blood and synovial joint fluids into the joint itself, helping to keep them lubricated naturally. And the more natural lubrication we can get into our joints, the less pain and stiffness we will have to endure. Alot of people don't realize it, but the knees do not have blood vessels that carry blood into the knee joint itself the way that most other body parts do - these joints must rely instead on our movements to push the needed blood and lubricants inside them. (That is why we older folks tend to get stiff overnight, or any time we haven't been moving around much - we NEED movement to keep our joints well lubricated and to keep from feeling stiff in a way that younger folks do not. Surprisingly, movement actually works better than Granny Clampett's "rumatiz" medicine for relief from those stiff joints, LOL!) For the fourth time in as many years, I will be run-walking 100 miles over the Labor Day weekend, as a participant in an ultra-marathon down in Manchester, Tennessee (A Race for The Ages ultra-marathon). (Note that a full marathon is only 26.2 miles, so I will be doing the distance of almost 4 full marathons, back to back, in a single race over a single weekend). This race is unique in that it is actually designed to be "elderly run-walker friendly," unlike most ultra-marathons that are geared towards young, elite runners. Over half of the race participants, in any given year, are over age 60 - and several are over 80! The older you are, the more time you are given on the course to complete your miles - each race participant is given one hour on the track for every year they have been alive. I will be 65 on Labor Day, so I will be allowed 65 official hours on the race track to accomplish my miles. The oldest race participant last year was 85 years old, so he was given 85 official hours to run or walk his miles. This race is unique in that it actually tries to level the playing field between those blessed with young, healthy bodies and those who are older and beginning to break down. Because the race is "elderly friendly," one of the ways it is different from other races is that it allows the use of walking aids for those race participants who have documented medical need for that kind of equipment. In previous years, I have done my 100 miles with only a walking cane during the later miles. But my knees are getting worse over time. So that is why I got this walker. Can you imagine how much pain I would be in, if I had to hunch over a regular type walker mile after mile, hour after hour, as I slowly ran-walked 100 very long miles in the southern heat? Instead, I will be doing most of the race this year with my new UpWalker. I have been training with it for several weeks now, as I prepare for the big race. My longest session thus far using the UpWalker is about 6 hours of continual run-walking on a paved walking path in a local city park. I will need to use it alot longer - and for many more miles - than that practice session, once I get to Tennessee for the big race. For the most part, it has performed excellently thus far. It can get a bit unstable if you roll it on large, loose rocks, but that is to be expected. Most people would never do that, but some city parking lots can be paved with large, loose gravel found loose on top of the paved surface, so I tried my UpWalker on that kind of surface, just to see what would happen. I didn't have a problem controlling the walker on that parking lot, but I could see where someone who was weaker than myself might have problems. I was pleasantly surprised with just how easy the thing is to manuever. There are alot of curves along the walking path that we will use for our race in Manchester, and I am expecting it to handle those fine, even when I am hot and tired. There are several curbs along the route we use for the race, and I will lift the walker over the curbs when I encounter them. I don't anticipate problems with that. The only time that its weight can pose a problem (for this small, 65 year old lady) is getting it into and out of the trunk of a car. So I stick mine into the area between the front and back seats of my Toyota Camry, and find that a bit easier to do. My husband - on the other hand - has no trouble getting the walker in and out of the trunk. Best I can tell from my practice sessions with this UpWalker, it should help me to do my 100 miles with alot less knee pain this year. It performs so well that I can even run using it!

This thing is really great. I’ve been scared for years about days when I’m super wobbly or have a lower body injury. My right wrist can’t take any weight & my left shoulder is a problem too. Not only does this solve that but it also lets me stand straight so I’m not triggering major pain in my back or neck that would happen with a regular walker. Plus I was worried how I’d carry things if I was injured. This solves that, not only with the cup holder & bag, but a plate or tray fits really well on the seat. It’s super well designed, really sturdy and really easy to make all of the adjustments to make it fit me personally. The packaging was clever & made it easy to get out. The very few things I had to do to set it up were easy. The big wheels have no trouble going up & down over thin & thick rugs, or dog toys as it turns out too! Though it does make a loud thump going back from rug to wood/tile floor, which freaks my dog out a little and might be anproblem if you have downstairs neighbors. The turning radius is pretty tight. The only issue is that it is wide. I can take it everywhere in my house except the bathroom doorway, and that’s OK. I know it’s expensive, but if you can afford it, it’s a terrific aide, so comfortable to use. And for me it means not living in fear anymore. That’s huge.

As indicated in the vendor's write up, it's a little heavy to haul around if you are a bit on the frail side, so do consider that. In my case I have two issues that we wanted to address with this walker. One, I seem to have developed a propensity for falling down these days due to age and the myriad of drugs I take to keep me going. So when I'm having a period of "dropsy," we set up the walker and that gives me more than enough stability to do what I need to do around the house. I have had other walkers that I had to stoop over to use that weighed as much or more than this one that I could not/would not use. If you are of reasonable strength (not necessarily great) or have a helpmate that is, it's easy enough to shorten up, fold up, and stick in the car. In our family my wife is not very strong and I'm not very healthy (COPD) but I can fold this thing up when I need to. One main reason we purchased this is for when I make a trip to see my docs at the VA. That requires lots and lots of walking, and I don't have the breath to do that all the time. They have wheelchairs of course but my wife is tasked with pushing it around and stooping over to do that is not all that easy for her. This walker allows me to stay upright and in control most of the time and when I do need to take a break, sit down and she can wheel me wherever we're trying to go. I don't care for the bag that comes with it as it is supposed to mount right where my nose is if I'm sitting down. But my wife figured out a place to stuff it where it doesn't create a problem so all is good now. So it serves several important purposes in our family for where we're at currently. It was easy to set up and is quite mobile when put together according to their instructions and even better when you release the locks on the rear wheels so they can go around in circles freely as well.

Really fast and efficient customer service, the seller is professional then you can find among the best products here.

Still unpacked as I was waiting for snow to melt and I would be able to use it outside as it is too large for my home. Unsure if my legs will allow me to walk distances so I am considering donating it to our local hospital.

It takes a while to adjust to steering - I found it too light - I added some weight to it and made adjustments, works ok now but walk with it in reverse when needed - haven't tested it on any terrain. Too expensive.