Ruff Maxx Kennel, 36-Inch, 50-70 lb

Very good and lightweight for air travel

I bought this crate for shipping my 70lb Malamute/Shepherd from Seattle to Hawaii. It worked perfectly, got him to me safe and sound, and turns out to be a great on-the-go carrier as well.In researching carriers I decided to go with a bigger than necessary carrier as my dog is fluffy and tall. This way he would pass muster at the airport. The carrier was delivered timely and without a problem. It was even easily assembled by my not quite mechanically inclined father. The carrier is solidly molded plastic with metal screws and plastic nuts that hold the two halves together. There are two screws at the door (one on each side), three along each side, and two in the back. The screws also have a square neck at their base allowing them to 'lock' into the bottom half of the carrier and not unscrew themselves in transit. There are full panels of large vents on all three sides (*back included*) on the top half of the carrier. I went with this style mainly because my dog is a bit of an escape artist and I read reviews of the other 'set-in' wire vents being popped out. It is also one of the few large carriers that has venting in the back to be IATA compliant. The door is a simple squeeze type lock, that rotates on a single stationary rod. The metal rods protrude into small molded cavities for each contact point (not just a hole) making it nice and secure. There are also pre-drilled zip-tie holes to even more securely lock the door. They even got these right putting one hole on each side at the top corners of the door, one on each side on the bottom corners of the door, and one on each side in the middle of the door sides and staggered it so one side zips to the top half of the carrier, and the other zips to the bottom half. They also have pre-drilled airplane tie down holes in the corners of the lip where two halves meet. The bottom of the carrier has a raised center area creating an approximately 2 inch border "moat" around the outer edge of the crate bottom that helps pool any fluids away from the dog should they be unable to control themselves on the scary flight. It does not come with a carry handle on the top of the carrier (it's too heavy to carry like that) but does have built in carry grips on the sides of the carrier. The camouflage color is actually subtle and not obnoxious at all. The bottom half is solid dark green. I am very pleased with the carrier and definitely recommend it for your pet transport needs.Oh, the only down side. For travel purposes it does not come with food/water bowls, or required 'live animal' stickers. But those are easily found here on Amazon, or at your local pet store.

Is not shipped in a box. Was dusty on arrival and some very light wear and tear. A new item, but not shiny brand new... Good quality. Sturdy. Perfect to transport my 70 lb dog to Germany. He loves this crate - just enough room for him to stand and turn around. We were also able to fit it into our rental car (dismantled) - a Toyota Auris.

The kennel came in ahead of delivery date. The box was a lot bigger than I thought but the contents came in good condition. The price was fantastic for the product and quality. It is very easy to assemble and is actually fairly easy to carry. I have a 65 lb yellow lab and this size crate is perfect for her. She has enough space to stand up, turn around and lie down comfortably inside. The crate is also well-ventilated. I can't wait to take my dog with us to the Bahamas!!

It is the perfect kennel. A couple of little niggles is that the door only opens left to right. Like the Furrari models that PetMate discontinued, those doors swung both ways. Also the curved bottom of the entrance way should be flat.