Customer Reviews

Pet Gear I-GO2 Sport Roller Backpack for cats and dogs up to 10-pounds, Black

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After researching the pet carriers that were available, I chose this one because of it's features and price. The biggest problem with this carrier is the extendable handle is built into the bottom of where your pet lies, so there is this hard rod right in the middle of their bed. I felt that my dog would not have a chance at getting comfortable having to lay on this handle the whole flight. I ended up buying a carrier from Wal-mart for $15; it was roomier. It didn't have the rolling feature, which is something I really wanted, but my dog was quite comfortable and it was no big deal to carry the bag over my shoulder.

I purchased this carrier in June when I traveled to pick up my rescued Egyptian Mau kitten. We were going to have a very long trip home from his rescue site to my apartment, and I thought the features of this bag would be fantastic. Unfortunately, each and every "feature" was a failure...

1. Pockets to hold water or treats... These pockets aren't big enough to hold a flat envelope let alone a bottle of water or a package of treats.

2. Carrying features: The extendable handle is jerky, and doesn't always extend. It is also far too short for a person of average height to comfortably wheel. The backpack straps do not work as a backpack: they are too flimsy and narrow to actually use as a backpack. The loop handle at the top is too small for a hand to fit through. The only carrying option that works is the clip-on strap... which is very short, and doesn't allow the bag to go very low.

3. The bag says it has a strap that will go over the back of the seat to allow the bag to be raised. This does not work well in practice because the bottom of the bag is too flimsy to support an animal in the bag.

4. The tether will only attach to an animal's collar: this could be very dangerous and cause choking. I wasn't able to find a harness with a back hoop that would fit the clip on the tether.

5. The velcro patch to hold the cover down doesn't work.

There is more, but this is long enough. The durability of the bag is also not very good. We've used it for the initial long trip (and the kitten had a nice roomy fabric dog crate for most of the car trip, and was only in the carrier when we got out of the car), and a handful of vet visits. The bag is falling apart and has holes on the bottom where it rubs against the sidewalk because of the wheels.

I am very sorry that I purchased this item. I spent $40, and will now have to go and spend that much to get a new soft case for my cat.

I think overall this is a great idea, and something many pet owners are looking for. I love the versatility of the product, and the fact that it actually can hold at 15lb dog (barely) and still conform to most airline size regulations (the depth of 9inches means that when the carrier is placed under the seat it actually has room for your dog even in the smallest underseat compartments, whereas many other similar products smush down on the dog as soon as they go under the seat. the quality of the carrier did seem sub par, the handle is hard to retract and seems very rickity. and while the rolling feature is great the wheels should be sset more widely to prevent tipping over around corners (which I can assure you was a bit traumatic for my dog). Also the feet on the front(that stabilize the pack when used as a roller or just sitting on the ground) snapped off when I was trying to open out the carrier from it's shipping case. Overall a great idea, and I would love to see something like the product only done better and with good quality materials and craftsmanship, luckily I don't feel too ripped off since I found mine on Amazon for $30, though I am amazed that the retail price for this carrier is closer to $120! It's great if you don't expect it to last and can find it cheap, don't want to lug a dog through the airport over your shoulder, or just are having a hard time finding a carrier that conforms to TSA regulation and can fit a dog larger than 10 lbs.

I have flown with my cat one time since I got this carrier, and used it two other times to take her to the vet. My cat is 5 years old and weighs about 11 pounds. It's a tight fit -- she can turn around in it, but barely -- but I can't fault the carrier for that because I purposely got a small one in order to conform to airline regulations. It does meet the dimension criteria for fitting under the seat for every airline I've researched.

I can't say it's amazing, but it's gotten the job done. It doesn't appear to be very well-made, but it hasn't actually started to fall apart yet. The extendable handle isn't very long, but is long enough that a short person like me can pull it without having to stoop (I'm 5'4"). I don't think the handle would be long enough for a much taller person to pull it comfortably. The backpack straps are flimsy and useless, but I wouldn't use them anyway. (Having once before, with a different soft carrier, had the lovely experience of my cat peeing on the way to the airport, I don't think I'd want to carry her against my back.) So, since I paid money for it and it's basically functional, I'll keep using it until it falls apart.

My one real complaint is that it does not sit very sturdily in the upright position (i.e., the position shown in the photo), and this can cause it to fall over if you have an animal moving around in there. One time we were getting home from the vet and I let go of the handle to find my keys. Ten seconds later, the anxious kitty presumably was squirming and the whole thing fell over backward, which I felt TERRIBLE about (she was okay). Also, an awkward thing about flying with a roller-backpack pet carrier is that, when you've been pulling it in the upright position and then have to turn it on its side to push under the seat in the airplane, you can't exactly explain to the cat, "Okay, we're turning sideways now, so your floor is about to become your wall. Ready?" No matter how gradually and gently I try to shift her into the change of position, it always seems like I'm dumping her on her head a little bit. I think that would be the case with any roller-backpack pet carrier, though.

I brought my 10 lb cat on a 15 hour flight, when I moved to another country. The netting on three sides gave my cat adequate ventilation. The carrier is sturdy, yet lightweight, 4-5 lbs. It's nice looking, well designed and well-priced. The telescoping handle is plenty long enough for me at 5'7" and is more stable with two telescoping rods, rather than a single central rod. The wheels are larger than another carrier which I had ordered, then returned. I still use it as a rolling shopping bag or day pack.

I love that this is a rolling carrier, I really need it in all the mileage I have to put in on trekking around airports. It also fits under the airplane seat well. My 10-1/2# dog is a little crowded in it, but luckily she doesn't mind. On the down side, the "pad" on the bottom is a joke, and there is no pad on the back side (which is the bottom when it is under the seat). I bought a 11-1/2 x 22" foam pad and covered it with fleece, using the Velcro from the useless pad to hold it in. It made a wonderful pad. I also removed the interior "leash". One or two turns inside with that attached and my dog would have strangled herself. If the carrier would have come with the improvements I made, I would have rated it 5 stars.