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Always free. “For a tiny pet, you can't do better than the Sleepypod,” Dog Jaunt founder Mary-Alice Pomputius told us via email. It’s unsuitable for larger cats and taller small dog breeds, and it’s also more difficult to load your pet because it has only one entry point at the front of the carrier, compared with the Sherpa’s front and top-load capabilities. Other requirements set by the United States Department of Agriculture for travel carriers and crates include proper ventilation, adequate space—which varies by pet size—and no cracks or sharp protrusions that can harm your pet. “[My dog] Oscar likes it too—when we get to our final destination, he uses it as a makeshift dog house once he’s finished being social.”, And Dogster contributor Pamela Mitchell recalled in a blog post: “I have fond memories of those early trips with Dolly and have recommended her carrier … more than a few times to those flying with their pets.”. His recent work includes The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy, End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and an AT&T Audience Network original television series). But like most other soft carriers, it's not enough to restrain your pet in an accident—only the substantially more expensive Sleepypod fared notably better. In fact, the BarxBuddy is considerably more expensive than the top-rated dog whistles on pet ⦠I discussed travel safety with Lindsey A. Wolko, the founder of the Center for Pet Safety, which is an independent, consumer-safety organization that evaluates pet products. It has ventilation windows on the front, back, and one side of the pet carrier—with the pocket on the opposing side—for just over 200 square inches of ventilation, or 21 percent of the bag’s total surface area. The machine washable padded insert is soft and comfortable for a pet. The Sherpa’s packaging is labeled with a bright yellow badge that reads “AUTO SAFE.” But like most other carriers, it isn’t crashproof, and you shouldn’t let this labeling lull you into a false sense of security. Since joining us, she has recruited over 150 cats and dogs (and their owners) to test things. Though the Kurgo Wander has seat belt straps, as with the Sherpa and other general-purpose soft carriers, we wouldn’t recommend using them. Many pet carriers can droop while being lugged around: The bottom may bow, while the top collapses slightly when crushed under the walker’s armpit. SturdiBag Carrier showed promise with its larger size, thick egg-crate–style padding, and lifetime warranty, but it was too difficult to assemble. If you want to feed your cat or small dog when you’re out, the PetSafe 5-Meal Automatic Pet Feeder is accurate, affordable, and hard for a pet to break into. The ventilation windows cover three sides of the carrier, but they’re probably not located in the ideal spot for people who prefer to see their pets directly. But if you’re looking for a discreet way to travel with your furry friend, the lack of side windows and darker mesh may be just the thing. They’re also safer for your small pet: “You don’t have to worry about a dog’s collar getting accidently attached to a soft crate,” like you would with a hard-sided or metal one, noted Russell Hartstein, a certified pet behaviorist and trainer with 25 years of experience, and who’s the canine executive officer at Fun Paw Care in Los Angeles. It also lacks the thicker shell padding used in Sherpa’s and Sleepypod’s frames, which makes them more durable and more comfortable for the owner to carry. (Soft carriers are for pets weighing less than 20 pounds; those with heavier animals need a hard-sided crate.) Teafco Argo Aero Pet Carrier is the second-most durable-looking pet carrier, but also the shortest out of those tested—it’s just 8.5 inches tall in the small and 9.25 inches tall in the large, which would make for a tight fit for most pets. Its polyester shell is thinner and less resistant to abrasion than Sherpa’s, so we don’t expect it to hold up as well as for owners of destructive cats and dogs, and it comes in just one size, similar to the medium Sherpa pick, so smaller animals may have too much room to rattle around. They're also pretty much the only way to get a cat anywhere. However, also like most of the pet carriers tested (but not the runner-up Kurgo), the Sherpa’s bottom did bow a little when loaded to 15 pounds, which could mean it’ll become uncomfortable for your pet when you’re walking from place to place. Achieve the prestige and rewards that come from owning a business you will love! Tag us @target to show off your pets’ #TargetStyle. Jill Akers, a Kurgo spokesperson, confirmed over email that “this carrier should last many years and the stitching would be covered forever, no matter how old the product.” Indeed, the replacement bag held up just fine in our testing. Only two other bags we tested have lifetime warranties: SturdiBag and Pawfect Pets. If you do take the Sherpa in a car, Wolko recommends you put it on the floor behind the driver's seat. We focused on pet carriers that came within an inch or two of these dimensions and were available to accommodate medium-size small pets (around 15 pounds) over smaller carriers that came in just one size. And at 18.5 inches long in the small and 20 inches long in the large, it’s also too long to fit into most under-seat storage areas. The ends of the Sleepypod act as little wings that you can fold up at a 90-degree angle to shrink the carrier’s size, which makes it easier to fit it in tight spaces before expanding again to allow your pet the most space available. A long pocket gives you plenty of space to store treats. Fine admitted to us that airline personnel aren’t taking a measuring stick to the carrier, which Wirecutter staffers have noticed in their own travels with pets as well. So always do your research to determine the under-seat measurements your airline allows, especially for multi-leg flights. Learn more. I consulted with David Fine of Bark n Bag, pet travel blogger Mary ... and harder for your pet's collar to get caught in. “I consider all of Sleepypod’s carriers the best on the market in terms of design, safety, and ease of use,” explained Ingrid King, founder of ConsciousCat.net. The Litter-Robot III Open Air is the least bad, but we don't recommend one. (For road dogs, a Sherpa or Kurgo carrier and a CPS-certified car restraint harness will still be about $70 less than a Sleepypod.). Unlike the vast majority of pet carriers, the Sleepypod Air is certified by the Center for Pet Safety and passed its rigorous tensile and crash testing. Free shipping on purchases of $35+ and free store pickup. For example, Alaska Airlines posts different dimensions for hard-sided and soft-sided pet carriers because they “are the maximum sizes we can safely accommodate in the cabin,” noted Alaska spokesperson Bobbie Egan via email. So if you must take the Kurgo in the car, as with other soft carriers you should put it on the floor behind the driver's seat. The pocket on the medium-size carrier is one of the largest among tested pet carriers and measures 11 by 8 inches. As a lifelong pet owner, I’ve used several carriers over the years to lug my pets to the vet for checkups and across the country for family visits. Finally, we combed through hundreds of pages of product reviews across pet carrier manufacturing sites, as well as Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chewy, Jet, Overstock, Petco, Pet Guys, PetSmart, Walmart, and Wayfair. Others like it too: “It is every bit as durable as the original Sherpa I purchased 8 years ago,” wrote ChicagoNow’s pseudonymous pets blogger. Because training your dog not to bark requires more than just a cue like a dog whistle that implements a light, too, the BarxBuddy offers no real advantage over other whistles. At Horse Tack Company, we've been making both riders and horses tack happy since 1996. But it also has comparatively little ventilation, and is almost six times the price of our main pick. Eventually an accident is going to happen. The Sleepypod Air lets you fold up the corners to take up less space. PetEgo Jet Set Forma Frame has a built-in metal frame that keeps the bag from collapsing, but its rigid design makes it less comfortable to carry. Choose Order Pickup for your items. The medium Sherpa also has more ventilation windows than half of the carriers tested: 180 square inches, or just under 19 percent of the surface area of the walls and top. The nylon strap has the thickest padding of any pet carrier we tested, which makes it slightly more comfortable on your shoulders. Sherpa’s seams, like most of the pet carriers tested, held up well during our suspension (10 pounds of flour) and walking tests (15 pounds of flour). The Lion King is a cherished favorite and Simba has a heart that roars for Nala. Rover says pet parents often look to their favorite character in a book or movie to name their beloved furbaby. Then we cross-checked each pet carrier’s dimensions and compared it to an average of the airline under-seat measurements for five major US airlines: 17 inches long by 11 inches wide by 9 inches tall. They can prevent your dog from getting into mischief while traveling, keep them safe from busy roads and crowded sidewalks, and keep them calm on the go. Begin your free 4-week trial or pay $9.99 per delivery. Kurgo was quick to offer a replacement for stitching issues. It's 15 by 10 by 8.5 inches and can fit in tighter spaces than the medium or our runner-up pick, the Kurgo Wander, which is available in just one size. 1. Sleepypod’s products feature the company’s Pet Passenger Restraint System, which safely secures a pet during a sudden vehicle stop or front-end accident. The medium version of our pick (the size we tested) has openings that are larger than half of the carriers tested: There’s a top opening that is 15.5 by 7 inches, and the side opening is 11 by 10.5 inches, and is secured with dual locking zippers. Just because a carrier is marketed with a phrase like "airline approved" doesn't mean it will fit under an airplane seat. It’s a nice feature if you need more loading room than traditional carriers that only open from the top or front. It’s also one of three carriers with a zippable pocket for storing your pet’s essentials. I consulted with David Fine of Bark n Bag, pet travel blogger Mary-Alice Pomputius of Dog Jaunt, and Erin Terjesen of Sherpa Pet on how to select a carrier. The Sleepypod Air In-Cabin Pet Carrier is much more expensive than our other picks, but it's the only soft-sided pet carrier brand that's crash-test certified by the Center for Pet Safety, so it's worthwhile if you have a pet that spends a lot of time on the road, especially a cat. After interviewing seven pet travel experts, researching 28 pet carriers, and lugging eight of them around lower Manhattan over two weeks, we think the Sherpa Original Deluxe Carrier is the best soft-sided pet carrier for most cats and small dogs. Sleepypod’s frame is reinforced with a “semi-rigid plastic structure” which didn't fall or sag in our testing. Even getting your pet into the carrier is easier, thanks to its opening design that unzips in one long motion from front to tail. If you can’t find the Sherpa, or are deterred by the short warranty policies of most pet carriers, the Kurgo Wander Carrier is a solid choice. It’s one of two carriers tested that unzips in one long strip, from front to top to back. If your cat racks up a lot of miles in the car, the Sleepypod could be worth the considerable extra expense. As an animal shelter volunteer, I’ve also transported pets of all sizes for adoption events and vet visits, and have written columns about general pet safety. While all of our picks are suitable for air travel, public transit, and general lugging around, most pet carriers either haven't been crash-tested or failed independent crash tests. The shoulder strap’s thin padding also provides insufficient support, especially when lugging around heavier pets. We limited our search to fully enclosed, soft-sided pet carriers because they’re lighter and more insulated, the fabric shells and handle straps are more comfortable to maneuver when in transit, and they’re nicer to look at than a plastic hard-sided box. Sherpa and Sleepypod both have one-year limited warranties. Though hard-sided carriers are more durable and easier to clean, soft-sided carriers are typically lighter and more versatile, with carrying straps, pockets, and more entry points. They're more comfortable to tote with you and easier to fit beneath airplane or bus seats, and harder for your pet's collar to get caught in. Everything you need to help your pup settle in. In our tests it fit easily into our makeshift box, and measurements state it’ll fit under the seats of most airlines we looked at, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, and Virgin America, and its flexible frame means you can compress it down slightly if you need to. (Nylon is inherently stronger than polyester.) Then, when your order is ready, switch to curbside Drive Up in the Target app. Start your order. We made exceptions for pet carriers that had a stellar reputation or knockout features, such as high third-party safety ratings. The Sherpa comes in four colors—black, brown, gray, or plum—and three sizes for pets up to 22 pounds, though only the small and medium carriers (for pets up to 8 pounds and 16 pounds, respectively) are guaranteed to fit under airline seats. Sherpa also only offers a one-year limited warranty. Sleepypod Air has a large zippable pocket for storing your pet’s essentials. It also offers the least amount of ventilation (just under 11 percent) and is awkward to load and unload your pets into since it unzips in one long strip from front to bottom to back. *At the time of publishing, the price was $37. The small and medium sizes are great for air travel and public transit, though the included shoulder strap doesn’t provide much support while walking, and like almost all soft carriers, the Sherpa doesn't provide enough protection for your pet in a car crash. Pet Magasin Soft-Sided Pet Travel Carrier is one of the cheaper-looking pet carriers tested—and we found a dozen Amazon reviews over the last year highlighting durability issues on the mesh alone, which supports our wariness about the pet carrier’s lightweight construction. Advocate for cats provides complete protection against fleas, heartworm infection, roundworms, hookworms and ear mites. This is the only pet carrier tested that has a diagonal shoulder strap. Hanging the carriers with bags of flour inside to see if they deform. Some of the technologies we use are necessary for critical functions like security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and to make the site work correctly for browsing and transactions. If you frequently travel in cars with your pet, you should buy a crash-test–certified carrier like our upgrade pick or complement your carrier with a crash-certified restraint harness. Pet owners and writers love the Sleepypod Air. In reality, you can probably get away with an additional inch or two on your soft-sided pet carrier. That’s around 2 percent more ventilation than our Sherpa pick, but it’s almost twice as much ventilation as the Sleepypod, our upgrade pick. Keep your eyes & ears on furry family members while you’re away. Under-seat dimensions often vary by airline carrier and become more complicated when you throw in disparities between pet carrier type, class seats, and short-haul and long-haul flights. It comes in sizes that will fit under the seat on most airlines, has a flexible and durable frame, is tough enough for day-to-day use, features two points of entry for easier loading, and keeps your pet cool with its large ventilation windows. 5 of 20. It’s easier to load your pets into the Sherpa than most other carriers because it has both a top and a side opening. (Sherpa’s website, to the contrary, says it’s machine washable, and in our test we tossed it in the washing machine on a gentle cycle and it was fine.). Upgrade: Sleepypod Air In-Cabin Pet Carrier, Pet Magasin Soft-Sided Pet Travel Carrier, Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations handbook, AmazonBasics Soft-Sided Pet Travel Carrier, media relations director for Alaska Airlines, “Does Your State Require Dogs Be Harnessed in the Car?”, Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations, The Best Automatic Cat Litter Box (But We Don’t Recommend It), The Best Automatic Feeder for Cats and Small Dogs. © 2021 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company. Revolution is a safe and simple monthly topical medication used to protect your dog or cat from heartworms, fleas, and ear mites. She added that most pet carriers, including Sherpa, haven’t been independently tested due to testing costs and advertising restrictions for manufacturers. Plus, the windows are double-lined for added durability, which also means the windows are thicker and darker than most pet carriers tested, further limiting your view. If you don't have a car harness for your pet, Wolko recommends placing the carrier on the floor behind the front seat of your vehicle because it’s one of the safest locations for your pet, unless your carrier is designed to be belted into a seat and has passed crash tests, like our upgrade pick. She’s always excited to share photos of her pets—just ask her. But to date no one using a Sherpa carrier has been turned away at the gate or sought reimbursement, Sherpa’s spokesperson Erin Terjesen told us in an email. Sleepypod Air has a machine-washable padded insert, and an internal pocket at its base to house an electrical warming pad. The pet carrier’s ventilation windows are located along the strip, totaling just 125 square inches, or 11 percent, which is substantially less than Sherpa’s 19 percent. It only has a one-year limited warranty, similar to that of half the carriers we tested. The rods make the pet carrier more flexible, so it’s easier to squish it into a small space, like underneath the airplane seat in front of you. Become your own boss and make your own hours while working your âdream job!â Purchase a Bark Busters franchise and become part of one of the worldâs largest dog training companies and join one of the fastest growing industries today. Self-cleaning litter boxes are expensive and more work than they're worth. Getting the wings to stay up takes some effort—just make sure you bend them over a few times before your flight to work the seams into shape. The AmazonBasics Soft-Sided Pet Travel Carrier showed promise in our initial research because it is lightweight, is available in three sizes, and features four full sides of ventilation, which was more than any other carrier tested. It’s dome-shaped, and every time you use it, you have to insert three plastic rods into its frame to lift it into place, like a tent—multiple testers couldn’t get that last rod into place. If you don’t feel like carrying the bag, there’s a luggage strap to attach it to your rolling luggage, but it’s not a secure form of travel, so don't do that if your pet’s inside. Buy it at discounted prices from VetSupply and keep your pet healthy. You should check both; a chunkier miniature dachshund can weigh as much as a svelte Jack Russell terrier, but be only half as tall. What remained were eight pet carriers that met our criteria, all of which we brought in for testing: Kurgo Wander Carrier, Pawfect Pets Pet Travel Carrier, PetEgo Jet Set Forma Frame, Pet Magasin Soft-Sided Pet Travel Carrier, Sherpa Original Deluxe Carrier, Sleepypod Air In-Cabin Pet Carrier, SturdiBag Carrier, and Teafco Argo Aero Pet Carrier. The padded bed insert also doesn’t provide much support for your furry friend. The Kurgo's exterior shell is made of 600 denier polyester, which is thinner and less abrasion-resistant than Sherpa’s 420 denier nylon or Sleepypod’s 1680 denier nylon. If you do run into any issues, keep in mind Sherpa’s warranty isn’t as flexible as those of Kurgo, Pawfect Pets, or SturdiBag. It’s also difficult to place a pet inside because it’s lacking a top-entry point. Due to limited inventory, we couldn’t test the carrier in our preferred size, but will revisit testing when we update this guide. If you’re adopting a cat, you’ll need more than just a litter box and some food—here are the things you should have before you bring your kitty home. Sherpa Original Deluxe Carrier is a good carrier for everyday travel. Plenty of ventilation makes for a happy Sutton. For this guide, I spent more than 35 hours testing pet carriers. Carriers that fit under the seat in front of you are required by most airlines for pets small enough to take in the cabin, but they're useful for other travel situations, too. The Sleepypod is the only soft pet carrier certified by the Center for Pet Safety. We favored products that featured promising reviews over a long period of time. Do Not Sell My Personal Information - CA Resident Only.