Suncast Deluxe Portable Pet Carrier with Handle, Taupe/Blue, 24" x 17.5" x 18.5"

This is a really nice pet crate. We did not buy it for transport; we keep our Beagle in it when we are not home. It does not take up as much space as other crates because it does not have the flange all around it most crates have. The back panel is the same metal construction as the front door panel allowing more light in and she can easily look out it. The bottom is not liquid tight (it has a few holes in it) as other reviews have stated, but our dog is house/crate trained and we have a crate bed in it. It does take some effort to assemble. Some of the pieces must be "flexed" to assemble, but the directions were fairly straight forward. It does include a 2 compartment food/water dish and a name plate, but we do not use either. The construction appears adequate, but the back panel and door panel metal "wiring" is thinner than on some other crates, Our Beagle is well behaved and does not have anxiety separation so this is not an issue. The metal appears to be enamel coated instead of galvanized, so it looks nicer and should not rust as easily. All in all, this is one of the nicest crates I've seen and it occupies less space than similar crates with the same internal dimensions.

I am very happy with this carrier. The primary reason I purchased this particular carrier was because of the dimensions. My dog's previous carrier was cloth and collapsible, and the internal tubular frame broke down, but we3 wanted to use the "double mattress" bedding from that carrier. The Suncast PCS2417 had basically the same dimensions as the collapsible carrier so we ordered it. It has worked out very well. This crate is all plastic except for the front and back and snaps together (and apart) fairly easily. It is strong, yet lightweight. There are two storage compartments on the top and the attachable food/water bowls fit in one compartment nicely. There is a name plate and nice lettering provided so that the carrier can be personalized with your dog's name. So this is one of those times when we actually received more than we were looking for.

A hard-sided carrier with one door.It ships flat, and assembles in a few moments. Assembly is slow/cumbersome enough that it's not something I'd want to do while out at the Vet's (not a collapsible carrier), but is suitably easy for storing it between uses. The door is not removable while the carrier is assembled.Things that could be improved:* Fairly heavy even empty. Needs a second handle for stability when carrying it loaded.* No easy way to seatbelt it in. Needs a couple of loops for seatbelting.* No blanket or pad included, and no way to secure one to the floor. A pad that Velcros to the bottom would be nice.* Make the door removable, or at least have a latch to hold it back when loading/unloading a possibly struggling furry friend.Although sized for dogs, I picked this one (after it showed up on a search for cat carriers) for my two cats, so I would have a convenient way to transport them both at once if there's need, or to allow extra comfort for one. It's always good to have an evacuation plan for all your family members. Most cat carriers I found here all seem be airline-sized bags that are so small the cat can't stand up (and can barely turn around). Or are simple plastic crates. Or are expensive. This one was the rare combination of sturdy, large, well-priced, and well-reviewed.Although it's more basic than I had hoped (see above), still Recommended for a modestly priced mid-sized hard carrier.

We bought these based on the reviews here because we wanted something more lightweight than our Vari/Sky Kennels for travel to the veterinarian. Because we have 20+ lbs Norwegian Forest Cats, each Vari Kennel weighs more than 40 lbs when loaded with one cat.For short trips to the vet or light car travel, these Suncast crates are fine. We did secure the bottom latches with zip ties because it might be too easy to catch the latches and have the bottom fall out.We like the very straight sides (vs. the wider sides of the Vari/Sky Kennels) and the top that unlatches so that the vet can fish out our fraidy cat, though the Vari/Sky Kennel latches are just as easy to unlatch. In both instances, when the top is removed the wire swing door falls out. With the Suncast kennel it has the added fiddly bits of 6 wire up-rights to put into place to secure the top, again. With Vari Kennels there are only 2 wire uprights to re-seat the wire door when re-attaching the kennel tops.We also like that both ends of the Suncast kennel are wire grids (not obvious from the product photos) even though we cover the carrier with a towel to help cut down on the opera during the car ride to the vet. The double ended wire grids are a convenience and make it easier for us to lift the towel from either end to check on our precious cargo.While the lidded storage areas on the crate top and the clip-on plastic bowl for the wire door might be handy for long trips, we'll never use them. Why not? We prefer for long road trips the larger full wire crates with fabric covers and screw on stainless steel bowls that come in all sizes. We don't feed our animals out of plastic, ever. But, these Suncast kennels break down flat for storage so they'll be super handy for moving animals from car to hotel room and back again.Sturdy enough for airline travel - never. We can't believe that they're even rated for airline travel. They're simply not Vari Kennels/Sky kennels. If you're planning to use these for commercial airline purposes, you'll be disappointed.Don't skimp on a kennel for an airline trip. Only Vari/Sky Kennels are sturdy enough to withstand whatever baggage handling might happen for a poor pet who has to travel this way. Although we never check our animals and prefer cross country road trips, instead, for those who must transport animals via commercial airlines, please don't buy this Suncast kennel.