In 2012, we needed a pet carrier for Amber, we were looking for something small and easy to carry. We went to numerous pet shops to search for a suitable pet carrier, but they were either too small and uncomfortable, or way overpriced. We initially shortlisted one unknown brand at pet lovers selling for $90 plus, the carrier looked presentable and good from outside but when we opened it up we found that the cushion and stitches inside was badly designed.
Finally we browsed the internet and saw was attracted by this brand, Sleepypod Pet Carrier, it seemed they received great reviews for their first standard sized carrier and now they made one for small dogs and cats. We had the chance to look inside at the quality and size, at first i was afraid that Amber would not fit in when she grows into an adult but judging at the weight of up to 3.5kg for dogs, we decided to give it a go! Even if Amber grows up to over 3.5 kg and couldn't fit in we thought it should be about time we changed to a new carrier.
Upon opening the carrier, we could see that it spacious, especially the width. Amber do not have to worry about getting too fat because the width was 2 times her size! There was also a platform cushion with sponge zipped inside, it was good because if there were any accidents we could just unzip the cushion and wash it. The bag entrance for dog's head to look out was also made nicely, we could unzip it slightly and fold it in so that Amber's head can come out without feeling uncomfortable. Most carriers would have the dog's neck touching the zip but Sleepypod Atom's design managed to prevent that.
The bag itself was made to be unzipped all the way to the back so that one can easily place their dog in if the main entrance was too small, there was also a plastic leash built inside to hook onto Amber's collar so that she won't fall off if she attempted to jump out. However i felt that the built-in-leash could have been made better, i would have expected a stainless steel material instead of plastic.
As for my personal perspective of the bag, i loved that there are 2 pockets at the sides of the bag, i could slot in things that i have to bring for Amber, for example using the left pocket for food/treats and right pocket for pee pads/vet documents. For the comfort of the carrier, i find that the strap that is to be sling-ed onto my shoulders could be made better, it seemed stressful on the shoulders after carrying for a long period of time due to the thin padding. The bag itself already has some weight, about 1.5 kg plus Amber's 2.5 kg with some other items could add up to around 4 kg, with the cheaply made strap it just made things a little harder. However, i can say that the bag itself is very durable, even with a 5 kg dog inside it wouldn't be a problem. For the see through area, there is a front and back, where i can cover one side with a black plastic board provided and Amber could watch from the other side. It was made well for countries that doesn't encourage pets on places like public transport and shopping malls, i could easily cover the back with the black plastic board and place my hand in front so that other people will not suspect. There is a slot for fastening the buckle on cars, it is also airplane approved. There are 5 colors to choose from which looked really nice, 3 bright and vibrant colors, 2 simple ones.
Conclusion:
This is a good investment on a high quality carrier for small dogs. We do hope that one day Sleepypod could come up with something that is not only small like Sleepypod Atom, but also comfortable for carrying.
Comfort:
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Handling:
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Quality:
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