Features:

  • Durable 600 denier polyester offers featherlite construction.
  • Retractable privacy flaps on all mesh windows.
  • Seatbelt safety straps.
  • Zipper Security Clips a tether for safety and security included!
  • Flexible height design "smooshes" but retains pet carrier shape.
Satisfied customer!

Purchased this to fly CA to NC with my french bulldog, who checks in at a hefty 26#. I selected AA due to the lack of a weight limit on their website. We checked in with the ticketing agent with no issue (they did weigh him - dog plus carrier came in just at 30#). No problem with gate agent or flight attendants (everybody was great and asked about him). He was a tight fit under the seat but I pulled the bag out in flight so he could stretch out a bit. He slept the entire flight. Coming back, the ticketing agent was great (did not weigh him). The gate agent stopped me and pulled me out during boarding - wanted to know if I had paid for pet in cabin (of course I had). Then I had to talk to a different agent and prove that my pup could stand up, lay down, turn around, etc. and that the carrier would squish down. She seemed to accept and allowed me on the plane. We got on, and got settled, with pup tucked under seat. The first gate agent actually boarded the plane and came back to my seat to chastise me and tell me that she had 'never seen a carrier that big' and that she should make me deplane. The dog was clearly under the seat and not at all stressed, with plenty of room for egress if needed. A sweet flight attendant came to our rescue and advised the gate agent that she was okay with it and sent her away. I knew it was risky with his size, and after reading other reviews with the XL, but I took my chances. It was totally worth it, but I did have alternate plans both ways in case the airline had decided we couldn't fly. YMMV. Bag was well made, and made it easy (as possible) to tote 30lbs on my shoulder. I did trim the foam board by about 2 inches and removed the trimmed piece just before boarding the plane to allow it to appear to squish a little farther under the seat. Since the board compartment is the same size as the board, there was little loss of stability from it being in two pieces.

Great pet carrier

This is our 2nd SturdiBag. We originally purchased the Large and after 2 years our dog outgrew it and we got the larger XL to fit her. We have a 32lb French Bulldog. We have flown with her from Seattle to Tucson for the last 4 years for Thanksgiving vacation. This bag is "technically" too big for the airlines but the fact that the top squishes down makes it fit under the seat just fine. We've only flown Alaska Airlines and we've never had a single issue. We love the fact that our dog can stick her head out the top and it's got just enough room for her to turn around if she needs too. Everything in the carrier is machine washable. One of the fiberglass rods did break on our old bag. They offer replacement rods pretty cheap but I just wrapped it in some gaff tape. The arm strap is pretty comfortable especially considering that our dog is 32lbs. It really just looks like a duffle bag, not a pet carrier.

Great for Flying and Travel

I love this bag! I got it for my 26lb sheltie so I could take her with my to visit family across the country. After I got her acclimated to it prior to travel, she was comfortable in it. She backs into it fairly well and just lays down. The opening at the top was VERY nice. It helps that your pup has the option to stick her/his head out and look around. It also allows you to be able to pet your pup without opening up the carrier completely. The cushion is a nice touch of comfort, and the sturdy, foam board that goes in the bottom is nice as well; it helps keep your pup on a "level" surface whilst carrying the bag. I traveled United Airlines. We had pre-check for security, which was helpful. I didn't receive any questions or comments about the size of the bag or my dog the entire time. This review doesn't include the return flight, so I'll update this once we've taken the return flight. I definitely recommend this bag. It's great and flexible, so it fits under the seat on the plane. It's also discreet and doesn't draw too much attention (not that you should ever sneak a pet somewhere without making prior arrangements).

Delivers as Mentioned.

Great bag for travel. The ticketing agent had no questions or concerns and didn't address the size of the bag. I have a 24 Lb Beaglier and he fit in fine. I first ordered the Large but XL fit best. I flew by American Airlines. Side Note: Chicago O'Hare has indoor pet relief area located in the Rountanda of Terminal 3.

Cavapoo 18lbs flying international!! Sturdibag worked perfectly!

Hello, this is my very first product review and i'm posting it because i would hope it can help other people struggling to decide if to fly with their dog or not, which bag to buy.... I started to plan my international trip from NYC to Prague beginning August. I think I read all possible reviews to decide which pet carrier would be the best fit for my 18lbs Cavapoo. He is "light" but he is long :). Head to tail definitely 18'' and the high is i think around 12''. So i was going through all of the possible reviews and airlines regulations to decide which option was the best for me and him ... Not as easy as I thought, however thanks to the review posted for the Sturdibag by someone who flew with their cocker spaniel (review: The English Cocker Spaniel fits..), i decided to order the X LARGE Sturdi bag. My dog did fit perfectly in the bag, no doubts. The first bag I ordered was light blue. Than I exchanged it for the black because I realized that light blue will look bigger visually and as crazy as it might sound i thought it would be better to avoid having too much of attention ;). When i called Delta Airlines, i was told that the bag will be too big. This was when i first wanted to book him on the flight. I had to kinda fight back and explain that this bag is really flexible and people are flying with it. I got tons of explanations from the Delta Customer Service person that this is still too big for the aircraft A330-300. I asked for a manager. They told me they will add him but they need to inform me that he can be denied at the airport...I was scared hearing it, however, he was added on the flight. I received a phone call back the next day saying to call them back to confirm the measurements of the bag. I called back, this time i had someone else and i explained him again that the bag is flexible and it can go after the seat. I was really nervous that i will have to fight back again. However this time his answer was "not a problem" you are all set. I asked him your coworker told me I can be denied flying because the bag is too large? His reply was calming and re-insuring. He told me "no way" your bag is flexible. I thought I would go celebrate at this moment. I tested the bag, it is very flexible. The front part is more flexible than the back part. What I did is I removed the "wire" from the back bag to make it even more flexible. When I arrived to the airport, my dog was in the XL-LARGE, I bought the large and brought it with me just in case.....He fits in both but he was more comfy in the XLARGE. We arrived to the airport, they verified the bag, put a tag on the bag and we were ready to go :) From that moment, all TSA agents were happy seeing my dog, everyone was wishing us (or more him) a safe flight. It was a long 8h flight but we made it to Prague without one single problem. My dog tried to sleep the whole flight, I didn't move from him. We landed and I rushed out from the airport :))) such a relief! But this is how i was able to travel with him and now i know. So i can definitely recommend this bag if you have a "bigger" dog. I hope my review will help someone !! Good luck to everyone!

Highly recommend

I bought this about 3 years ago for my 2 cats weighing 11 and 15 lbs. It's been a perfect bag: lightweight, durable, comfortable to trasport both of my cats together and has a lot of ventilation. I use it for vet appts., road trips, and once for a 600+ mile move out of state. The cats were comfortable together in the bag for the trip and had plenty of room to move around. Most recently while fostering a mother cat and her 6 kittens, it was put on the floor along with beds, trees, and another carrier. The kittens often slept in it foregoing even the soft warm beds. Most important to me: it stood up to them trying to climb up the sides, playing on top, and jumping on it. After 2 mos. the carrier was still in perfect condition! There are zero pulls, teeth or scratch marks on the fabric and even with all of the climbing and sitting on its top, it's retained its shape. As I kept two of the kittens, I just had to buy another 😊 I highly recommend!

2 cats 1 extra large Sturdi bag and southwest flight

This was a great investment piece to buy for my cats. I have two 15 lbs cats, and I was able to fit both in this carrier and take them on southwest flight from California to Washington round trip. The extra large Sturdi bag gave the cats just enough room to stand up and be side by side. I was able to put them under the cabin seat which meant that the cats had to be lying down and the top of the bag had to be flex down. I sat in the middle seat because after a lot of research I found that the middle cabin seat will typically be larger. The only problem that I had with the bag is the Safety clip that is used to lock the zippers together so that the cats cat poke their heads through. Well my cats are very strong so they were able to break through it and almost chocked. But luckily the bag includes an additional safely 2 sided hook with a rope In between, so I used that to hook the two front zipper together. The bag itself is light weight, but carrying 30 lbs is still no fun, so if they could improve the design I would add wheels. But overall I was able to tough it through the airport no problem. I would also recommend clipping your cats nails, the screen can take damage but I wouldn't risk it. The extra large did stick out from under the cabin seat and the flight attendant did notice so I tried to re adjusting them the best I could to make it look like it was completely under the seat. I would say the bag stuck out about 1 or 2 inches...

The English Cocker Spaniel fits..

This is probably the first review I've ever written about a product I bought online, but I thought it would really help out a lot of people and lessen some of the stress that comes with flying with a dog in the first place. After an immense amount of consideration, anxiety, uncertainty, and searching all the pet carriers I could find, I finally decided to go with the XL Sturdibag and I'm extremely glad I did. We live in Italy, but I'm from New Jersey, and so I was traveling with my English Cocker Spaniel from Milan Malpensa Airport to Newark Airport for a vacation. My dog is probably the maximum size that could travel comfortably inside of this bag, and is probably the maximum that would even be allowed to fly in cabin. He is about 22" long (from chest to butt), 15" high (from the top of the shoulder to the floor), 6" wide (shoulder to shoulder), and weighs 11.3 kg. What made us so uncertain about him being able to fly in cabin with us was his height. The dog needs to be able to stand up inside the bag and turn around freely. The reason we went with the XL bag is because it is 16" high. According to acceptable airline dimensions for in-cabin pet carriers, this bag is technically too large. That was the reason why we were so nervous. However, considering the bag is flexible enough to lower down to 12", the bag was able to fit comfortably under the seat. I may have just been lucky this time around because in the airport no one really checked to see how the dog fit inside the bag, or if the bag was even too large to fit. I got more compliments on the bag than anything else. We got on the plane with no problems at all. He fit under the seat fine, and during the flight I even opened the front zipper for him to spread out more for the entire 9 hours of the flight. The carrier only needs to be under the seat for take-off and landing. Also during the flight I even took him out and put him on my lap for some time, just enough to stretch his legs. I did upgrade to an economy plus seat, but only because the bag is a bit long. I do not think it would be absolutely necessary to upgrade to economy plus, but I did it simply because it was my first time flying with the dog and I was unsure. Also, since my plane was not full, they blocked off the seat next to me considering I had the dog with me. The only downside I would say about this bag is that it becomes very heavy and difficult to carry the dog around in. But, I can't blame the bag, it's more because I put an 11kg dog inside of it. I just really have to recommend this bag to whomever is in the same situation I was. If you're in a bit of a predicament about which bag would be best to buy because you have "large-small" dog, this is definitely your answer.

After many hours of stress, this bag was perfect!

I stressed over and over about using a carrier to take my pug on a transatlantic flight. We recently moved overseas and had to leave our pup with my family until we were able to get all our documents in order. So, yesterday we had our flight, and used this bag (it's larger than airline standards) to fly our tall, muscular pug (all 25.6 pounds of him!) from Missouri to Germany. I think it all depends on your airline, but our first plane was an Embarer Jet, so it was cramped. The agent at the door told me that I would have to check my bag at the door, and when I told him it was a dog, he let me through. (I was really surprised!) I had to sit funny, but the carrier fit under my feet. (I didn't shove it under the seat, as I wanted to give my little guy some extra room. However, it did conform under the seat to fit, because we started out that way.) My dog had plenty of room to stand up and turn around, and lay down in. Our next flight from Washington DC to Frankfurt, was on a 777, and we upgraded to Economy Plus. If you have the option to upgrade, and your dog is as tall as ours, spend the extra money to do so. I stopped stressing on this flight, and enjoyed the trip. For 8 hours, our pug would sleep, or adjust. He never cried, whimpered, or anything. (This was his first airplane trip ever!) I think with the combination of airline flexibility, and easy of our journey, this bag was a must. I know that some people are stressing about traveling with their family companion as much as I was. Don't look any more. I know it's kind of expensive, but purchase this bag. It's strong, durable, and handled all 26 pounds of my pug with ease. Our pup started to get antsy right when we were leaving the Frankfurt airport, and started to dig, and the material held up. I recommend this product! (PS I went with black on the extra large carrier just so that I may have a little extra advantage with it looking smaller. I don't know if it helped, but I never was questioned while carrying it!)

Wow; this is a BIG carrier.

Wow; this is a BIG carrier. I fly 3-6 times a year, and my dog goes with me. This is about the limit for carrying on. If the entire top was not collapsible, it would never fit; but it does mold nicely to the under-seat dimensions every time. Be aware; it does fit much better under standard seats then the herringbone style; however. 1/2 the year American flies a 757 between ST Thomas and Miami and the other 1/2 a 737. This fits perfectly under the 737 seats--but the herringbone seats in the 757 are a bit tight in the footwell--making it tougher to stow the bag. Flight attendants are always fine with it, though--I have never had an issue.

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