Customer Reviews

Midwest Canine Camper Double Door Soft Sided Crate, 43 Inches by 28 Inches by 32 Inches

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We purchased this crate (48x31x35) thru Amazon.com about 3 years ago and again 1 year ago (would you believe that someone actually walked off with it?) and each of them, within just 1 year, had rods snapping or bending.

This issue is easily "fixed" by jamming pvc pipe into the corners to support the roof and I have had no complaints since.

If the rods were less fragile, it would nearly perfect as the cage keeps the hair contained and it fit in the back of our Suburban quite nicely. Having our 2 black labs within a cage in the back of the truck made it much easier to control them while the hatch is open (packing or just fresh air) and allows us to pack bags around the cage (not so easy to do when there was a separator bar that they would just knock down).

No we cannot see out the back, but generally if the dogs are with us, so is all our gear for a family of 5, so I cannot see out of the back anyway.

In our previous SUV (where we just used a divider), the hair seemed permanently attached to the roof liner, and now, there is never a hair outside the cage and we have a white SUV with light interior.

It is heaver than I anticipated, but still easier to transport than the metal crate and easier on the interior of the truck and tent.

I do miss being able to stack items on top of the cage when camping (when we brought the metal cage).

This model (25"L by 18"W by 21"H) is just barely big enough for my 50lb dog to curl up in, but I bought it for a 16lb cat to travel from NYC to Texas in the cab of a truck with me and the afore mentioned 50lb dog. It was as good as that situation could have possibly been, and the product performed well.

In Texas we added a Boarder Collie puppy to the family, and it has become both his bed and his training crate. I open two sides when we're around so it's more like a bed, then I just zip the bed closed to make a crate when he's unattended.

The material has proven very durable: it's been attacked by a bad@$$ cat for 1800 miles and for 3 weeks by a teething puppy, and it has not been penetrated.

Very good product. Well constructed using good quality material. My dog refuses to jump up into the back of our adventure mobile until his green camper is properly in place. It's his personal comfort zone.

Purchased this for our Great Dane before a 12 day camping trip and it was perfect. The convenience of being a lightweight, breakdown crate was immeasureable! We used it for transport and for when we put him inside the trailer while we were gone for a couple of hours and it definitely served its purpose. Would not recommend for dogs that are restless or chewers, as it is not a hard sided crate. Our lazy boy loves to just sleep while inside, so it worked great for our use!

I now own 2 of these crates. I have avoided soft sided crates because of what I've seen as difficulty in setting them up, carrying them, transporting them and lack of safety for my dogs. This crate has changed my opinion of soft sided crates. I love the pockets on the sides, the way I can leave the sides open or close them, the two doors, and being able to stake them down. My dogs go in willingly and appear to feel secure in them. They're lightweight, very easy to put up and attractive. More colors would be good.

This size crate was recommeded for Beagles and Cocker Spaniels. I think Midwest is crazy and consistantly thinks dogs are twice the typical size for their breed. I got this crate for car use with my (small) German Shepherd, who is more than three times the size of the typical Beagle, and this crate is plenty big for her. The problem is that the crate blocks my view out the back, so I can't use it in the car the way I had intended. The crate seems pretty durable for a nylon enclosure and even the "mesh" windows are heavy and sturdy-looking. I don't think the ventilation in this crate would be particularly good with it zipped shut/ nylon flaps down. Because my dog has destroyed hard crates in the past, I would never leave her in this crate unsupervised. However, for travel, it is a lot lighter and easier to move around/set up than a heavy wire crate or a huge bulky plastic crate. It folds down very small and fits nicely in the trunk, taking up minimal space.

Great product! Lightweight, durable and well constructed. The product took a couple of days to air out a faint chemical smell but now it is gone. Great for weekend travel in hotels - no more lugging around the full sized vari-kennel!

Looking for a portable crate for traveling with our medium-size (45 lbs) Portuguese Water Dog, decided to try this Midwest item, having had good success with their folding metal crates. This model arrived promptly, but during the very first test setup indoors one of the zippers used to assemble the fabric structure ripped out at a corner -- an obvious stress point. In addition, as other purchasers have noted, the corner supports are quite thin, so the structure shakes and seems insecure. Even with the weather flaps raised, the interior is dark and poorly ventilated. Given the poor engineering and our dog's penchant for chewing, we did not even try to put him in it and sent it back to Amazon for a refund. I would add that while it has a nice carrying case, it is quite large and heavy due to the one-piece wood floor needed for structural support. It may weigh more and take up more space when folded than a comparably-sided wire crate. After seeing it, my impression is that a smaller wire crate would work as well or better by providing good ventilation and less feeling of confinement. If shade or weather protection were needed, a fabric cover for a wire crate would serve the purpose and take up less room when packing.

We really like this crate--our retriever/shepherd is happy that she can see us and still have her private time. Even though it folds down and has a carrier, when we're in the middle of getting everyone out of the house and into the car, it just seems like too many steps on top of all the other things we're moving. Plus, who wants to set it back up when you're inside the back of the car, or on the ground--especially if it's raining or snowing? So, if you buy the 43 X 28 crate, just know that it will BARELY fit through your doorways and it will probably take two people to lug it down steps or put it into the car. You can do it with one person, but it's really awkward. Otherwise, we love this crate--it's lightweight and more attractive than those plastic crates.

My dog loves all the ventilation and room for water and food. It's fairly easy to set up and the stake downs are great for our tradewinds in Hawaii. I love the color, the velcro and the numerous pockets.
Although the crate is a bit heavy to carry, my only concern is the board and fleece color. During certain times of the year we can get a real downpour where the ground will get real soggy and or the water may be able to seep into the crate. How does the board actually weather this? I thought it may have been better to find a different material such as some hard plastic instead of a wood. Also in Hawaii we have red dirt so I covered the white fleece with an addtional throw rug from Wal Mart. The crate is well loved and a great cozy den for my dog. It only took about a week and a half for my dog to train in it and be at home. The hardest part is when I have to move to a different area when I train. My dog has to stay where she is. The newer crates pop out like an umbrella so that when your training they can literally go anywhere.