The Ultimate Off-Road Wheelchair

The RipChair 3.0 may be the most extreme accessible off-road vehicle ever manufactured! Geoff and Michael Howe have a history of building over-the-top modes of transportation. They rose to fame in 2001 with the development of the Ripsaw. This unmanned ground vehicle was purchased by the U.S. Military making them the youngest duo to ever receive a government defense contract. The brothers also designed and manufactured the first unmanned fire truck, which today is used to combat out of control wildfires. From there, the Howes were given a reality television show on the discovery channel, in which they built vehicles and robots straight from their imagination.

In 2010 the original design for the RipChair, which they describe as the ultimate power chair upgrade, came from their television show. The Howe brothers received so much interest from the public that they started working on a model they could bring to the market. Their third version of the Ripchair was just released and it has some serious upgrades. It fits almost any wheelchair and comes standard with a power tie down locking system. This version is completely customizable with multiple color options and has several available hand control set-ups. Additional packages include gun and fishing pole racks as well as a 5,000 pound winch. The Ripchair 3.0 can reach speeds of up to 17 mph and climb hills as steep as 60°!

In 2012 the Howe brothers formed Outdoors Again, an organization dedicated to building the world’s first outdoor recreation facility designed specifically for wheelchair users. The group has gone on several outings including concerts, football games and ice fishing while they continue to chase their dream of building the inclusion reserve. They have even participated with the Make-A-Wish foundation, when they gave 12 year old Florian full access to their facilities in  Waterboro, Maine.

Congratulations to the Howes on their latest design, and we look forward to seeing what they will dream up next!