Sherpa Original Deluxe Travel Pet Carrier, Airline Approved - Black, Large

This carrier worked perfectly for flying my 14-year old, 16-pound Westie from San Diego to Milwaukee (and back) during the Thanksgiving holiday. We flew US Airways and despite the large size being slightly bigger than required dimensions, we had zero problems whatsoever. Here are a few answers to questions I had before flying that may help ease your concerns: 1. US Air did not check that he could stand up or turn around 2. It was tight, but he could, in fact, stand up and turn around 3. US Air did not check any health certificates- all I had to do each way was sign a short form that the person at the counter filled out on my behalf. Although I was very nervous about getting turned away due to the size of the carrier, I acted like we had done this a million times (unlike the woman in line next to me with a dog that did not stop barking/squealing for the entire 15 min I was next to her). We both had a large Sherpa carrier and we both got through. 4. The strap is extremely sturdy and my dog felt comfortable with me holding him through the airport 5. I brought a blanket with me to cover the carrier in case it didn't fit completely under the seat. The carrier DID fit with a little squishing and maneuvering, but since the flight atttendants on some of the flights were very strict, I used it to be able to pull the carrier out from under the seat mid-flight and give my little guy some reassuring pats on the head. The blanket was also helpful when my late night flight had all the lights on- I wanted my dog to sleep and be relaxed, so I covered the holes. When it got very warm mid-flight, I threw him a few ice cubes to rehydrate. 6. TRAINING: To get my Westie ready for his first flight, I bought the carrier about 2 weeks before. The first day or two, I motioned with treats and he walked in himself. I left the top open so he wouldn't feel claustrophobic. Once he was comfortable with the "box" (as we called it), I started closing the front door and placing him in the top hole (again, always with treats). I didn't let him walk out on his own after this part of the training; I wanted him to know that once he was in his box, he couldn't leave without me taking him out. Once he became comfortable sitting in the box, I put a treat on the bottom and as soon as he put his head down to get it, I zipped the lid and let him enjoy his treat in there. I expected him to freak out the first time (my dog is not well-trained by any means; he will not even sit on command most days), but he stayed calm, so after about 5 minutes of me sitting by his box, I picked it up, did a few laps around the apartment, went down the elevator, loaded him up in the car and took a short drive to the pet store. He didn't mind at all. After I saw that, we toned down the training to every couple of days. Some nights after work, I would put him in his box (always through the top and always with a treat before the lid was closed) and put him at my feet while I watched TV for an hour or two. I would never walk away from the box and occasionally gave him reassuring pats or words of encouragement every 30 mins or so. Due to time constraints, we never trained for staying in the box longer than 2 hours, despite us having about a 7 hour trip time with the layovers. A few training tips: buy soft treats and use VERY tiny pieces. Especially at the beginning, you will likely be going through quite a few treats, so the smaller, the better. You don't want your dog throwing up in there (or expecting large treats on the plane!) Also, never give in to your dog if he/she tries to bite its way out of the bag. Stop the behavior and do not let it out of the carrier until the behavior has stopped and some time has passed. This is not fun to deal with mid-flight, so stop the behavior before you get in the air. 7. To help with his ears popping, I brought several nylabones on the plane (the pocket on the carrier is perfect for a few treats, a collapsible water bowl, a potty pad for layovers if you don't have time to take your dog out between flights, and a Kindle for yourself). During takeoff, I handed him a bone (I put PB on them so he would lick and bite) as I pet him. He's used to car rides, so this didn't phase him much. 8. Every so often throughout the flight, I would unzip a tiny hole (he did want to escape, so I had to be careful) and give him a small piece of treat to check on him. 9. The mesh on this carrier is STURDY. My dog has a bite similar to a pitbull, and the determination of a 6 year old trying to reach a giant piece of candy that was put just out of reach, so when he started trying to eat his way out of the carrier during the last 30 mins of the flight, every scenario of him running through the aisles like a mad man started running through my head. Luckily, however, the mesh held up and we landed safely shortly thereafter. I was left with a bruised hand due to the struggle, but the bag was just fine. 10. Day of flight: check in with plenty of time to spare. This is not the time to add stress. Once your bags are checked in and your dog has the "ok" to fly, check out the security line. If it's short, I recommend walking out of the airport and giving your dog some last-minute fresh air, one last bathroom stop, and a moment for the vet-recommended Benadryl to kick in. When the time comes to go through security, you'll put the carrier through (I also had a backpack with the blanket tied to it and a large coat) and carry your dog through the x-ray machine. I put my dog back in the carrier at this point, but if your dog's leash is easily accessible, you could probably get away with walking it on its leash to the gate (at least that seemed to be the case at SAN, PHX & MKE). You'll want to be one of the last to board (you won't have luggage, so carry on space won't be a concern). If you have a layover, check out potty areas ahead of time. Few airports have potty areas behind security (SAN is one), so you'll need to know what your options are and if you'll have time. During our short layover, I had planned to take my dog to the bathroom stall and lay out a potty pad. Since he had just gone about 90 min prior however, we spent our 20 mins between flights with his head poking out of the carrier while he observed the craziness of Thanksgiving travel. If I could do this again, I would have taken him on a quick walk in the airport to burn off some energy. All in all, flying with my Westie was much less stressful for him than boarding. The large Sherpa was great and I would highly recommend it. The only thing I would change would be adding mesh on the top of the carrier, but not a big deal.

Qualifier- For me, the purpose of buying this bag was strictly to transport my dog as carry-on in cabin on a plane. I have no intention to use this as a regular crate for daily or frequent use. The collapsible soft sides are perfect to squish to fit tight spaces that it was intended for. Nice bag, I bought the large one for my 15.8 lb dog. It has a soft fleecy fake sheepskin floor mounted on a 1/8" or 3/16" rigid board, so your pet has a solid floor. I have used it on three flights so far, seems to hold up well. Zipper fits tight, zips tight. Small flat pocket on the side for treats, poop bags and I fit in some flat folded paper towels in case there is a leak (from my dog). It fits well under any of the seats of a Boeing 737-400. The first two photos were taken on a brand new 737-800 on Southwest in a 3-aisle-3 configuration, I'm sitting in the window seat. My 10 year old daughter wanted to have our 15.8 lb long haired dachshund in front of her, but he started to fuss a bit mid flight, so I moved the bag under the seat in front of me which is a window seat. The middle seat has the most foot room with slightly more generous width between the bench seat support. The window seat has the least room due to the curvature of the fuselage eating back into the floor space. I also flew on an older Air Canada Airbus A319, (photo 3 and photo 7) and that time it was an aisle seat, also not a problem. I wear size 9 shoes, 145 lbs and 5'8" so not that big, your mileage, as they say, may vary, especially if you have a big guy sitting next to you. I believe the aisle seat also offers the best ventilation / air circulation. The foot traffic may keep you pet more entertained, at the very least. Photo 4 shows how the top zippers open and your pet can have a look around. If he's not too squirrelly it allows the head to look around and still keep most of the body in there. Photo 5 and 6 I took to show that carrying around a 22lb bag-of-dog (the bag itself weighs around 4.7 lbs) plus all your other stuff through long airports runs does get taxing quickly and I had some success mounting it on my rolley carry on.

THEa absolutely most amazing, well thought out, pet carrier. It is utter perfection. The quality of the material, removable Sherpa lining (my cat had diarrhea on a plane and thanks to the removable liner I was able to quickly clean it in the bathroom with just hand soap...like brilliant true pet owners thought of every horrific pet scenario haha). And it collapses easily but is sturdy enough to not wear down. It bounces right back even after hours under a cramped airplane seat. Super easy to clean as well and most of all the mesh is super strong and has survived (with literally NO damage) despite my cats repeated attempts to scratch her way out. And the little zipper pouch in the back stores a lot. If it wasn't for this carrier, I would have sp much hell to pay while traveling with my cat(it has survived 20 airplane trips since 2020) and is still in near perfect condition. Just the BEST

Update: This is STILL an amazing carrier and worth every bit of the $27 I paid back in 6/2017 from Amazon. I needed another one (have 2 Ragdolls now which will get really big and need this carrier for each one). Went to buy it from Amazon just 2 months later and it's $79 (available from third-party seller only now). Way over twice the price?? I had to get it from another pet products website to get the original price of less than $30. So if you're looking at this for the first time, beware. It's a really nice carrier, but for $80, look elsewhere. This is a great carrier! It's large enough for a big male Ragdoll cat. Even has a little ring inside which I figured was to hang a toy from and a zippered compartment in the back for medicine or anything else your pet may need during the trip. It folds "semi" flat for storage which is nice too. It looks like a black leather carrier, very chic! The handles snap together at the top and are comfortable to carry and the longer strap is a nice plus, especially if you want to hang it around your back car seat headrests for extra security. BUT it also has a strap on one side for your seatbelt to go through...they thought of everything! It comes with a hard covered board to make it stiff on the bottom, plus a comfy pad for your kitty to lay on which is washable (just in case)! Has mesh screens around both sides and front so kitty can see watch everything but still feel safe inside it (top/back are covered). Most important, it opens with zippers from the top or front for those picky kitties that don't like to walk into a carrier because they know they are going to the vet (and you can lock the zippers if needed). We don't use it for airplane travel (our kitties fend for themselves when we're away on weekend trips) but I believe this one can be used, especially since it will "squish" a little at the top to fit under airline seats. I cannot think of anything about this carrier that's not perfect. I believe this carrier will last many years, probably the last one we will ever need. I did a LOT of research on cat carriers for really big cats (which our 2 Ragdolls are), and this one was perfect! You can easily fit 2 or 3 kittens in it or ONE REALLY BIG RAGDOLL CAT! haha!

This is a tale of the 3 bears & traveling by plane with a little doggie for the first time. The first carrier I ordered was too small, the second too big, but this one was just right for my 8-pound chihuahua. Also, it did not arrive smelling like chemicals (as one of the others did). The Sherpa size is perfect, and when baited with baby carrots, my doggie likes it just fine. A primary reason for choosing the Sherpa was its "guaranteed on board" feature. We'll see how that works out. Suggestions for design improvements that may or may not be important to other buyers: 1) add a loop connecting the two zipper pulls that close the top flap. It would be much easier to pull one thing, rather than two separate zipper pulls; I only have 2 hands. 2) add another exterior pocket. The one pocket is a good size, but this traveler would appreciate another, iPad size please. 3) include an interior tether. Its absence is inexplicable; the ring for a tether is there. 4) provide a better attachment arrangement to keep the fluffy cushion in place. I added long elastic bands at either end so my doggie wouldn't displace the cushion from its board. 5) color options would be nice. Black is so, boringly black.

I spent FOREVER worrying about how I was going to fly my smaller Corgi. I didn't think any of the bags would fit him, without it looking like I completely crammed him in there. He is on the smaller side for a Corgi, but he is still a larger than most dogs that fly in cabin. He is 22 lbs, 17.5 inches long (tail to shoulder), and about 10 inches tall. I looked at and researched all of the different travel bags out there. I thought he wouldn't fit in this bag, so I wanted to get the extra large SturdiBag, since it seems to be one of the largest travel bags available. That bag definitely pushes the airline size requirements, and although I've heard of people traveling with it, I was scared to risk getting turned away by the airline. I also looked at the large SturdiBag, but ended up getting this because it is essentially the same size, but has an extra inch of length. My Corgi actually likes getting into this bag. I got him used to it with treats, left it open, and he gets into it even without being asked. He can stand up, and turn around in it, but it is a bit of a squeeze. He doesn't seem to mind at all, though. He can lay down just fine...curled up a bit. He doesn't have room to fully stretch out, but travel purposes, that's alright. It's wayyy better than putting him in cargo. The top opens, so you can let your dog poke his/her head out in the airport, which is nice. It also seems pretty durable...good zippers, straps, etc. Overall, I like the bag. I haven't taken a flight with it yet, but of the numerous reviews I read for it (on several different websites), I have not read any that mention that an airline turned them away with this bag. All say that it fit under the seat rather easily. It is only about an inch longer and taller than the medium bag, which is approved by all major airlines. Even if your airline requirements are smaller in dimension than this bag, it does squish down quite a bit to accommodate that. I'm not worried about it fitting. I've taken this bag in the car, and I'm thinking that it will be a great bag for subway travel once I move. We will see how the flight goes.

Great carrier! - Very well ventilated with enough viewing scope for the pet inside which was critical in our case as my dog is not comfortable at all in enclosed spaces - The flexible frame is very important coz even though the Large size carrier exceeds allowable dimensions on most flights, the flexible frame allows to adjust to fit below the plane seat - The look is simple and classy and carrier is pretty light weighted - The chain on top is extremely vital as I could have my dog pop his head out from inside while I carry him or even during the flight to check on him. Not all carriers have this design. I have a 15lb Shih Tzu that fit well in this carrier. He couldnt fit in the Medium size carrier from another brand that we ordered first. We flew our dog for the first time ever in cabin couple weeks ago through WestJet! As over-worrying first timers, we went to the Westjet counter at the airport a day before the flight to confirm with them if the carrier size is ok (dimensions of the Large size exceeded limit for WestJet). They readily said it should be fine although they didnt measure the size. Tips for flying: - Have your dog get accustomed to the carrier with positive reinforcement using treats and carring them around in it as early as possible before the flight. We got the carrier just 2-3 weeks earlier and although my dog didnt really seem to mind it but wasnt obsessed with being in the carrier either - My dog has never been crate trained really and is used to roam at free will from day one in the house so we were very nervous to fly as the rule is for the pet to be completely inside the carrier at all times in the flight - During the flight, we had to keep the chain on top open enough that he could pop his head out coz he wouldnt allow us to zip the chain completely, especially in the first 30 mins of flight as he was maybe getting used to the new setting. And the noise during take off can be overwhelming for anyone for the first time. Just pet them as needed. - None of the flight attendants in WestJet in our 4 flights total made any issue about the chain not zipped up completely. Also, during boarding they will come to you and give the standard instructions about flying with a pet in cabin - The pet will mostly sleep likely due to the plane buzzing noise. Make sure to tire your pet through long walks and runs on the day of the flight. It’s important. - We had to pet the dog constantly during initial period of the flights to make him comfortable and relaxed in the carrier - A lot of the ‘inconvenience’ caused by my dog in flight about trying to pop out a few times could be due to the fact that he was not too well. But mostly all pets will sleep shortly after the take off. - Make sure you obviously give very little to no water or food few hours before the flight and that they pee/poop before the flight as they’ll be relaxed - I gave my dog some Zen Licks Calming aid gel few hours before the flight. It did make him sleepy within an hour and probably helped him doze off. Dont try this for the first time on flight. Try it several times before so you know how your pet reacts to it - Research locations of pet relief areas at all the airport terminals that are in your itenirary. During layovers, its always a good idea to give a little water, walk them and stretch a bit in addition to allowing them to relieve themselves. We had a layover at Toronto Pearson airport Terminal 3. They have a nice pet relief zone outside the terminal and although it had synthetic grass, it was the best I could expect. - Do give a few treats across the flights if needed - This might be obvious but DO NOT put the carrier in the overhead storage bins! Its supposed to go below the seat in front of you. Make sure the flight attendant knows you have a pet if they unknowlingly ask you to put the bag in the carrier! Good Luck! It might seem overwhelming to fly a pet but in the end, it’ll be a memorable journey.

I found you guys reviews to be helpful while I shopped for this bag so here goes my two cents; My pup is stubborn and won't go in his bag without being bribed with treats. However, once inside he normally goes right to sleep. I put one of my worn T shirts in the carrier to comfort my pup during flights. I purchased the large bag for my 14 pound terrier. He fits great and has room to turn around and to lay down with his small teddy. This bag is a little large for the Few plane trips that we've taken but I think the medium and small bags would also be a tight fit. The airlines provide less and less leg room these days... The airline measurements are not always accurate to floor space. This bag is about the same as the airline online measurements. So, I thought I'd have plenty of room given this is a soft sided carrier. Not so much! I had to wiggle the bag to get it to the floor because the seats are so close together and then wiggle some more to get the bag under the seat. There was no leg room at all and the bag sticks out but I made it work. Luckily, I normally travel with a buddy so I was able to steal a little leg room from his seat. The flight attendants seemed to care less about the size of the bag while boarding BUT just to be safe I brought my small blanket and covered my legs and his carrier :-) I've only flown Frontier so far (with my pup) but the leg space is comparable to Spirit. The bag itself is great and well made. ***Update*** Me and the pup have been traveling a lot this past year so, I'd like to add a few airlines to the list: American, United, Virgin and several trips on Southwest! All of which worked out fine with this carrier. Southwest being my favorite for leg room. Also, me pup now loves seeing me pull his bag out of the closet as he knows he will be traveling with me. He even goes inside on his own to nap. Hope this helps!

Amazing quality and well worth the higher price. The back top has a spring that pushes down the carrier to fit under the seat on plane. Lots of room for my 6kg Chinese crested girlie. Haven't flown with it yet but don't expect any issues based on other reviews. Height is 29cm but with spring in top easily folds down to 23cm requirement by airline.

Perfekt för vår lilla hund.

This is actually my second purchase as I now have 2 cats. My first carrier, purchased over 8 years ago has been on multiple flights, trains, buses and taxis and is great and showing no signs of wear and tear. It is sturdy enough for travel whilst keeping my cat comfortable. I also particularly like the useful pocket at the back where I can keep the cat's passport and other useful items, as well as the fact it has a top and a front opening. The top opening is very useful to put the cats in and the front opening is the one I use to allow them to creep back in at the vet's office. One cat also like to nap in the carrier if I leave it out.

Excelente

Bueno producto de calidad 10/10. Calidad de materiales y perfecta Iara llevar a ti mascota debajo del asiento del avión, tren etc. Tiene una barra/arco de metal para que no se aplaste al transportar. Compra recomendada.