shirley b.
Ordered this bag for flying to get a new puppy from the breeder. Heard horror stories about American Airlines giving people troubles about their carriers so went with Sherpa because they offer the Guarantee to Board and AA participated. Bag is very well made and has the "smoosh" option for fitting under the slightly shorter seats. We took the puppy & the crate to the ticket counter to get inspected & our pet ticket with our GTB forms Sherpa had for us to print out from online with our puppy & flight info on them. Told the AA clerk about it, she didnt even blink and eye gave us our pet ticket no issues at all, I stressed for nothing. Thanks sherpa. Also our pup rode comfortably all the way home & now we can use the carrier for safe transport in the car since it has a seat belt securing strap on it as well.
amyjuz
I was concerned this might be a little too big to fit under the seat, but it fit just fine. It does stick out a bit, but the plane we were in was not completely full so there was plenty of leg room. We loved that our pup had room to move (she is 15lb but long), and it was very sturdy. The way the zippers locked in place made it a little more difficult to zip, but allowed us to leave it open slightly so she could poke her head/nose out. Overall, I am very happy with this carrier.
Mandella
The medium was too small, which I could just tell from looking at it assembled, so we upgraded to the size large, which was perfect for my two little Yorkies.
I searched and searched online for ALLEGIANT AIRLINES APPROVED soft carriers and found NO reviews, which is why I wanted to specify in this one. They have some of the smallest requirements, so I was nervous. This fits comfortably under the plane seat in front of you. I could sneak my hand in the top pouch to give cuddles and treats to calm them but they loved the soft lining and were actually very relaxed.
That being said, we left them in it while we were driving and wanted them safe in the vehicle we were in. And much to my surprise, all of a sudden, I had two dogs OUT of the carrier, making their way to the front seat. They chewed/clawed right through it. Like - in minutes. Rendered it completely useless, so I had to buy another one for the trip home.
I am returning the smaller one since it was never used, but was irritated my dogs could get out of it in no time flat, since it can also be used for that purpose. Any repair I could have possibly done would’ve affected the integrity of the whole thing and that wasn’t a chance I was willing to take while in the airport and on the plane. I deducted stars because of the durability.
Carolyn
I'm in love with this carrier. I was in the process of upgrading our aged and old fashioned hard sided carriers for our 3 cats and a bunny. I originally purchased 2 of WOpet® Soft Sided Pet Carrier Comfortable Carrier Adjustable and Foldable Airline Approved Pet Travel Carriers to get started in the upgrade. It was ok. With Hurricane Matthew bearing down on us though, I realized we needed 2 more carriers NOW. For whatever reason, Amazon wasn't selling that one at the time (it is now) because it was "under review after requests from Amazon customers." Well, THANKS, because I like this one much better!
Even though this is just an inch or inch and a half bigger (based on product description) the additional space for your pet is exponential. My biggest pet is a 13 lb cat. Not exceptionally long. He was much more comfortable in this carrier with space to turn.
Even though this is black, it was airier and not as dark. I think the mesh windows were bigger.
The HUGE difference though is a much more stable and sturdy bottom. My cats felt secure and weren't sliding to the center when I lifted the carrier.
The straps and clasps are all very high quality. The Sherpa mat is fluffy and thick. Not a selling point for me, I just see it as a hair trapper. But I know some people would appreciate the extra thickness.
Jillian
I was searching for a carrier to use for transporting my 14 lb. cat from MD to CA by plane. The shortest flight I could find meant that he would be in the carrier for 10.5 hours from "door to door," so I wanted something that would be comfortable for him. I flew US airways and had no problem fitting this size carrier under the seat in front of me, even in one of the smaller sized planes I took from a local airport to a larger hub airport where we transferred to a larger plane. I really liked having a shoulder strap and the handle straps on top - the shoulder strap was helpful for walking through the airports because I could put it on my shoulder and hold the sides of the bag in front of me to stabilize it from bouncing as I walked. The pocket in the back was useful for storing some food, treats, and collapsable bowls for my cat so I could offer him food and water throughout the trip (though he was too worked up to either eat or drink, but my vet recommended offering it because "he would already be stressed enough that you don't want to make him hungry or thirsty too"). I really like that there are two entrance options, the one on the top was helpful for getting him into the carrier, while he likes to exit from the one in the front, which completely unzips so the door falls flat on the ground. The zipper access through here was also great because it made it easy for me to stick a hand in to pet him and calm him down throughout the trip. I like the liner on the bottom (if you buy replacements be sure they're the right size so the velcro matches the ones on the inside of the carrier properly), although I luckily didn't have to deal with any accidents in the carrier so I can't speak to the waterproof-ness of it, but I do think it made it more cozy for my cat. When he was sitting most compact in there he took up about 1/2 to 2/3 of the length of the carrier and about 4/5 of the width so it was the perfect size to allow him to sit comfortably plus have room for me to put a bowl of food and water without it being entirely in his face. Without food and water in there he could stretch out fully (and he is a long cat) but every time he's in it he's too nervous to relax that fully. He really liked being able to see out of the sides, both for the airplane trip and for visits to the Vet (so he can watch the other animals and people walking around). I would highly recommend this carrier for a larger cat, especially for a plane trip.
Diann
I purchased the Sherpa medium. We flew Southwest 737-700. This fit under the middle seat without and problems. Our puppy is between 11-12# and had plenty of room to move. Highly recommend!
Emily Ngo
After extensive research on flying dogs in a carrier, I found the perfect carrier. I was nervous that this would be too big to take my dog on as a carry on. I flew from Kansas City, MO to New York, NY (3 hour flight) with my corgi who has never flown before. The bag made it through security just fine (Southwest Airlines).
When testing different dog carriers at the pet store, my little guy would cry every time we put him in one. He actually did well on this flight and didn't whine too much. Had to train him before hand of course. We knew he would be using this carrier for more than just flights since we moved to NYC.
He does well with it now and rides on the train in it all the time. The carrier is sturdy and built with quality. Highly recommend it.
Derylin Francis
I am flying American currently and the LARGE size fit underneath the seat in front of me without much effort. It “squishes” down a bit so that is helpful. I spoke to many American personnel who also looked at the dog carrier and they did not have any issues or comments on the size of the carrier. This picture is on an A319 plane and I’m in an economy aisle seat. Writing this review because I was so worried about flying with the carrier but I recommend!!
Courtney Jankowski
Love this bag! I flew with a miniature dachshund on American Airlines. Was nervous about purchasing the large bag because it's not one of the guaranteed sizes but she's so long I wanted her to be comfortable. I had zero issues with American. They didn't weigh her or measure the bag on either of my flights and the bag fits under the seat PERFECTLY. On my flight home I had a seat with those 2 silver boxes underneath the seat in front of me and I panicked but the bag still fits if you turn it the other way fyi. They didn't have a problem with me pulling the bag out and unzipping the top while we were in the air either. The end pocket is handy for her leash and stuff for easy access. When you go thru TSA, I recommend detaching the hard bottom and collapsing the bag yourself before putting it thru the conveyor because TSA broke the hard bottom on mine trying to force in down.
Su
I used this carrier to bring my 9 weeks old Whippet puppy in cabin from Europe to the US. We had absolutely no problems bringing our dog on the plane with us (Lufthansa and United). Our puppy liked to be in the bag and slept through most of the flight (10hrs). Front and top zipper entrances are very well designed and sturdy. Carrying the carrier with the puppy inside was good, using either hand or shoulder strap. All in all I would recommend this bag. I am adding pictures for size reference of the carrier with our pup (4.5 kg at that time) to this review. When I researched for pet carriers, I found pictures with animals next to or inside the carrier very helpful.
A. Montoya
Great carrier. I decided to go with the large, we were able to fit our "thick" 27 lb. pug in with no issues flying Southwest. He had space to turn and lie down but I don't think a pet any larger would fit. For reference the little guy is 22 inches long (excluding tail) and 14 inches high. We did start training him to get in a few weeks before travel so that he'd be ok in there for a couple hours, this step is highly recommended. We did not see any zipper failure as some have experienced. The bed was very stiff but seemed comfortable, the carrier held its shape when carrying nicely.
Chris
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.
