Best suited for: Over the shoulder carrier
Also works for:
Quality: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
Overall rating: ★★★★★

This carrier is available on Amazon, from a vendor called How’s Your Dog, but it appears to be the product of a Chinese company called Loveabledog. I bought it because it looked promising: It’s priced high enough that it should be a good-quality product, and it was advertised as “fully collapsible,” which is interesting in itself but also suggested to me that it might flex enough to fit under an airplane seat. I have to…

The biggest Midwest and PetMate crates will work up to a point. The biggest Midwest crate is a good crate for daily home use but it’s not an airplane carrier. The Vari-Kennel Series 700 or Sky Kennel Series 700 crates are excellent airplane carriers, but they’re only so large — they’ll accommodate a young giant breed dog, but a full-grown giant breed dog that needs to travel by plane may well require a custom-made crate. Here’s one U.S. company that makes custom crates: PetRelocation.com. Take a look at their page about custom crates — it also includes “crate extension kits,”…

Best suited for: Over the shoulder carrier
Also works for: Stealth transport, people avoiding puppy bling
Quality: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
Overall rating: ★★★★★

I’ve been hearing good things about Kwigy-Bo bags, but I’ve been having a hard time finding some to look at in Seattle. Today I came across this messenger bag at Scraps, a local high-end dog store, and I liked what I saw. This is a solidly-constructed, good-quality carrier. At 18Lx6Wx11H, it’s large enough to hold most small dogs (though it’s too small for Chloe). It has three good-sized pockets…

Best suited for: Car carrier
Also works for: Over the shoulder carrier
Quality: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
Overall rating: ★★★★★

This is a really attractive, well-made product. At 19Lx11Wx12H, it’s far too large to work as an in-cabin airplane carrier (no matter what it says on the box), but that’s not its purpose. According to the manufacturer’s website, it’s meant to keep your pet comfortable and safe on car trips, and it will do that admirably.

Here’s why I like it. It has huge mesh ventilation panels and seat belt loops on both…

Best suited for: In-cabin airplane carrier (Small only, with warning)
Also works for: Over the shoulder carrier, car carrier
Quality: ★★★★★
Price: $$$$
Overall rating: ★★★★★

Amazon carries a lot of Bergan carriers, so I thought I’d take a look at their most appealing product, the Bergan Comfort Carrier. I ordered the Large size (19Lx10Wx13H), but for airplane use you’d want to order the Small (17Lx8Wx11.5H). That’s officially larger than most U.S. airlines’ maximums, but the carrier is very flexible, so it will actually work. It also looks trim, especially in black, so it…