While living in Italy this past fall I decided to adopt a small rescue dog (6 lb Maltese). I knew I would be returning to the States and had some friends that would be coming to visit from there, so I decided to look into airline-approved pet carriers. I wanted to get something "from home" instead of looking through the small shops with limited choices in the small Italian town where I was living. The extensive options available online with hundreds of reviews provided a wealth to choose from. I started by doing my standard "travel pet carrier review" search through Google to see what kinds of articles would pop up, and ran into the usual list of "top ten" or "top five" articles. The disappointing thing about the majority of these articles is that they relied on websites like Amazon (or other articles!) to compile their lists. None of these articles tried the products out on their own, but just compiled a list of best sellers, briefly glanced through reviews, and put together their suggestions. Lame. I can do that! I would think that with a product that is so essential to the comfort and safety of canine and feline companions-in-transition, there would be more out there. Well, perhaps there is, somewhere.
Several big names appeared across these articles, including two that interested me: the Sherpa Deluxe and the Bergan Comfort carriers. Both were reasonably priced, and the Sherpa had thousands of happy reviewers. However, one name that didn't really show up in any articles or searches had been suggested to me by word of mouth. Beware the word of mouth! It will be hard to get a product out of your mind that someone else has suggested personally, even if they haven't tried it themselves. Despite all the glowing reviews and the excellent price tag on these other options, in the end, I couldn't get the idea of this other product out of my mind. I shelled out three times the cost of these well-reviewed items on this other product, and all I can say now is, I'm glad I did. I've never seen the Sherpa or Bergan in person, so I can't attest to how they would have handled. But my entire experience with my chosen product was so good that the high price tag was worth it.
So what did I go with and why? Well, the lady from the adoption society had heard of this carrier called the Sleepypod. Someone, probably a friend from the States, had recommended it to her. She'd admired the product through their website and had petitioned the company to sell their products in Europe (unsuccessfully, to this point). After checking out their beautiful website and reading the few articles and reviews I could find, I was sold. Was it the turquoise color option? Or the metro-look offering a carrier I could carry around town as well as onto the tarmac? There were several reasons the Sleepypod Atom won out. Ultimately what mattered to me was the quality of construction and long-term durability, the privacy of the pet, the multi-functionality of the product in various situations, and its ease of use for travel. The color was certainly a bonus, though!
Manufacturer: Sleepypod
Product: Sleepypod Atom
Purchase Date: October 28, 2016
Purchase Location: Amazon.com
Online Retail Value: $101.74
Review:
Let's start with my dog. Her name is Fedora. She's six years old and until I bought her home she had spent her life in a kennel making puppies. Her previous surroundings, I imagine, included lots of other dogs and a limited horizon. Bringing her home was a complete life change for her. Now she found herself spending nearly twenty-four hours a day with one human, with every aspect of life catered to her whim (well, it seems like it anyway). She's a tiny dog, not even 6 lbs in weight, but she's long. Trying to get her to cooperate to measure is nearly impossible, but she came in around 16" from nose to rear, depending on her stance. To try and test her dimensions, I placed her in a tote bag that was similar in floor print to some of the carriers I was looking at and noticed how tall she stood and how easily she turned around. This wasn't foolproof, but it was helpful in getting an idea for bag dimensions. I was concerned initially by the reviews that talked about their pets sweating nearly to death in the Sleepypod Atom and its constricting small size, but there were also good reviews. There were many good reviews for the Atom's big brother, the Air. But this seemed like it would be overkill size-wise for Fedora, and carrying around any more weight or bulk than necessary is undesirable for my weak arms and shoulders (yes, I'm a wimp). As she just seemed to fit the dimensions of the bag, I placed the order and hoped for the best. And it was the best!
The bag came via the bottom of my friend's carry on, it packs up that small. She had over a week in Italy and only brought a carry on, and she made room to bring a pet carrier. That's friendship. But really, the bag did pack up flat and small, which was part of its selling point knowing they would have limited room in their luggage. I unpacked it and immediately fell in love with the beautiful color (there are several gorgeous colors to choose from, including a rich chocolate that was my second choice). I decided to go with visibility so that I wouldn't "lose" my dog. I don't know how I would ever lose her. When she's in her bag she's on my shoulder or my lap. But just in case, I wanted that bright color to be a clear reminder to me that I have my dog along. The fuzzy removable insert at the bottom of the bag was very soft and inserted with velcro at the bottom for easy removal. The zippers move around freely, even around the awkward curves, and the reinforced handle across the top props the bag open when closed and makes it easy to grab quickly for picking up. The shoulder strap seems ergonomically placed for wearing across the body, but it often ends up just on one shoulder as well and works there too. The construction is sturdy and the materials are high quality. I was instantly pleased with the carrier "out of the box" and ready to put it to Fedora.
Fedora approved. Once the bag was set up on the ground with the top completely open, she came over to sniff. She climbed in. She has the shortest little legs and has to kick once or twice to get her back legs up and over the opening, but she makes it (she has almost no muscle mass in her hind legs, poor thing). She turned around, laid down with her chin on the opening, and made herself comfortable. She was clearly pleased with her new "home" and has since turned this bag into her safe spot. When I place it on the floor, she hops in as soon as she sees me putting on shoes and coat. She knows that if she's in the bag, she gets to come along. Even if we're just around home, if she's feeling uncertain, she climbs in and watches unfamiliar activity from safety. It makes me so happy to see her in the bag and know she feels comfortable and relaxed in it.
To prepare her for the big international trip, I took her out and about in the bag for a month to get her used to the bag. I took her in the bag on the local transit bus to the vet, I used it to walk her around town and into various stores and restaurants (an okay thing in Italy), and then we advanced to the train. No problem. With the top open and the bag on my lap, she'd sit for hours without fidgeting and with only an occasional growl at strangers with the audacity to sit next to her mom. Even with the negative vet associations, the bag still represented security and getting to accompany me. Even with the jostling as I ran to catch a train or hurried across town to catch my bus, she would rather be in the bag than stuck at home.
How about my comfort? Clearly my dog thinks the bag is her second home. But for me, comfort is also important. As mentioned above, I have little upper body strength and the Sleepypod ads with the tall goddess hiking around with her dog slung at her waist while wearing high-heeled boots made me nearly fall on the floor laughing. I don't do high heels, for one. However, the bag is surprisingly comfortable. It carries Fedora easily at my hip, the straps are adjustable for height, and when I need to lift her 6 pounds off my shoulder I can raise her weight a bit with my non-carrying shoulder's hand. I carried her through a several hour walking and shopping tour of Milan and while it made my shoulder a bit sore, we survived.
Organization is superb on this thing, it has been very well thought out. The pockets all make the bag very convenient as well. I can slip her collapsible silicone food and water bowls into the side pockets, along with treats, dry food in a ziplock, a couple of pee pads, and most importantly, her documents. I never worried about the documents (her EU pet passport, export certificate for Italy, vet book, etc.) slipping out of the bag, even though the side pocket is only secured by a small velcro. The bag was always upright even during the international trip, and her things were secure. We also traveled with three of her toys shoved in one of the small back pockets and her retractable leash in the other. Since she took up the place of my personal carry on item, it was good that I didn't have to worry about storing her stuff in my own carry on.
Best of all, I love the harness attachment inside the bag. I can slip her in and she has to stay in the bag, mostly. There were a couple of times while she rode on top of my carry on as we walked through the Milan airport that she thought it would be a good idea to leap out of her bag. I don't know what possessed her (I'd recommend a four-wheeled carry on that you can roll beside you instead of two wheeler like I had that required her to ride behind me). When she jumped, I felt a jolt and turned to find her hanging from her bag. But she didn't crash to the floor and get run over, the harness clip held. I was able to quickly rescue her and put her back in her bag. I wouldn't ever leave her clipped in when the bag was completely closed, because she'd often twist around and choke herself, but it worked well under supervision.
Also best of all? The ability to leave a front or back flap open. She was completely calm in her travels as long as a flap was open for her to rest her head on and peer out. She was nervous anytime I closed it, barking and scratching at the enclosure, but I could stick a hand in and calm her down, feeding her treats or bits of dog food. We never did achieve complete quiet with the flaps completely closed, but I didn't have to leave her that long at any point because she was quiet with a flap open. People were surprised that it was her first time flying, and fortunately they were more amused by her small yips during the nine hour Atlantic leg than annoyed.
I appreciate the clean-ability of the bag as well. During the flights and in the airports I'd stick the bag on the floor of the toilets to invite her out to use her pee pad. She would hop right out, use the pad, and then I'd place her back in the bag and zip it up. All those nasty bathroom floor germs will wipe right off. I was also able to easily wipe down the interior after our flight. She has excellent bladder control and never pottied inside the bag. I had initially lined it with a pee pad but she thought that was ridiculous and scratched it all into one corner so I crossed my fingers and left her just on the black fuzz of the bottom. She did fine!
Over all? I'm completely pleased with this purchase and feel that it was money well spent. It was a big initial expense, but I feel I have a product that will last a long time and many trips. Fedora is easy to carry around with me on the town, and the bag doesn't look like a typical mesh pet carrier. She can hide in the dark depths if she's scared and get away from noise and people. This was important to me, and a big difference from the all-mesh bags. The airflow is reduced, and she did pant a bit during the trip, but I think from nerves as much as heat. I placed the bag on my lap with the vent blowing air on her whenever I thought she was getting overheated.
Pros:
- Quality, sturdy construction and materials
- Comfortable for the pet and the human
- Fun colors!
- Easy to clean
- Internal harness clip
- Organizational pockets
Cons:
- High price
- Limited air circulation
Photos:
