Brinkmann Pet Smart Space Carrier, Small

So innovative and spacious. My puppy and I love that this carrying case - it can pop out to add additional space to make an on-the-go crate. It's nice and cozy.

It would be nice for a very nice dog, but for my ferrets it was very easy to destroy. It was a lot smaller than I had expected and hard to fold up. I hate giving it a bad review, but I had a bad experience with it. It may be good for animals other than ferrets though.

I purchased the SMALL Brinkmann Smart Space pet carrier with Flex Room feature. After being overwhelmed with all the choices in carriers, I decided on this bag primarily because of the Flex Room feature. This pet carrier was intended for flying home with our 10-wk-old Shih Tzu puppy, with the option to open the "smart space" during the layovers. This was my very first time flying with a pet and I was plenty nervous about how the airline would react to our choice. Nobody seemed to notice. I was also concerned about having to carry the bag and overstraining my back. I ended up purchasing a small cart/dolley because, for me, everything is better with wheels when I travel. :D The dolley folded flat and easily fit in the overhead bin and more bags could even be placed on top.First, the good news: What I liked about this carrier.> Materials: Durable water-resistant polyester backing stayed dry with a DryFur Pet Carrier Insert Pad. (The small size fit perfectly over the faux fleece bottom covered with another piddle pad.)> External pockets: I expecially liked the long side pocket that occurs when the flex room portion of the bag is undone and folded away. Plenty of room for treats, leash, harness and small toys. There is a puffy back pocket (zippered on 3 sides) that I used to carry a collapsible silicone bowl. I don't remember if I used the smaller side pocket.> Padded handle: This was very comfortable in my hand and the velcro portion made it easy to keep the handles together with a folder-over velcro "wrap."> Zipper Lock system: I appreciated the hinge-type "lanyard" clip, which is quicker than a screw-type, for quick attachment thru the zipper pulls. This was convenient to use and kept me from worrying that the puppy would work his way out - which he almost did when I did not have it fully zipped or secured to the hinged clip thingy. In addition, the zippers were smooth and had nice-sized pulls to grab.> The size: I did not have any trouble with fitting this carrier under the AA window seat on one of their smaller planes; I still had room for my feet. I am only 5'4" so a person with longer legs might have to keep a foot on either side, but I believe would still be comfortable.What I didn't like about this carrier:The exception to all these positives is that the two end zippers - located inside the bag near the top of the perpendicular short sides - are subject to separating. Two small rods are attached/removed thru these zippers so the bag can fold flat for storage. (The also have rubber tips on the ends to prevent them from poking thru during normal wear. I had a problem with one side; the zipper would not connect the teeth correctly nor make / keep a secure closure. I even tried duct taping over the broken zipper to keep it together, but it must not have been *real* ducT tape because it would not stay attached to the bag material. This defect made me nervous about its ability to stay "girdered" enough to prevent crushing my puppy. It fit just fine (length labeled to be 16 inches, width 11"), so its height (labeled to be 10") was not an issue with this airline, and I didn't have to fuss much with it other than to make sure the duct tape was attached over the bad zipper as well as it could (or would) stick.> Interior leash tether - I did not use this as it seemed like a possible choking hazard for a small puppy moving around and going back and forth inside.> Faux fleece pads: The bottom fleece pad was fine, as mentioned above. The side-fitting fleece pad (which covers the Flex Room side when broken down) was rather iffy in its ability to stay upright; but perhaps this can be attributed to the failure of the perpendicular side rod to stay intact in the zippered channel and, thus, keep the shape rectangular.Remarkably, I did not have the opportunity to actually utilize the Flex Room during my flights. There was not enough time to set it up between flights. I did set it up before flying, however, and let the puppy get used to the bag before its use. He seemed to love it and was a real trooper while traveling (except when his ears plugged during flight). He even jumps in it now that we are home and the top door is left open. Too bad it's defective and we are returning it.

BIG Complaint: When the fold out space if zipped close and you are carrying the carrier, the top isn't ridged at all, meaning it crushed the animal inside. it's fine as long as your aren't carrying it. Will not use again until I can find a way to keep the top from folding in on itsself.Folds out easily, lots of room for kitty.

I had to return this item. The measurements on amazon made it seem like the item could fit under the seats of the airplane I was going on. When I received the item, the description on the packaging was very clear that the item was much too large (by 2-3 inches). I took it out of the packaging and measured it just in case though. Sadly, it really was too large.I thought the item was very good quality so I'm disappointed it didn't work.

My kittens loved this! I put it on my bed when they were very tiny to keep them secure. The top zips open and when I am not using it to take them to the doctor, they go in and out of it and jump out the top. They love this. Thanks

This carrier is much smaller than expected. I had to return this because my cat would not be able to fit in it comfortably for a 2 hour car ride.

I purchased on recommendation of a friend. Have not used for actual pet transport as yet.Appears to be well constructed - interesting concept & well thought out design. Including built in zipper locks!Things I do not like:* Requires both hands to zip/unzip end doors as they as used to hold the sturdier fame work of the top/sides/bottom "square". I am unlikely to use either of the end doors for this reason, will use top door to take animal in & out.* Requires opening/expanding "pop out" from inside of carrier. There is framework to hold up the mesh structure, but you must push it into place & secure w/ the Velcro strips from the inside. It you have a wiggly &/or eager pet, it is likely that you will need to remove it from the carrier while doing this.