Bergan Voyager Pet Carrier Small Purple 12" x 8" x 17"

I've had 2 of these carriers for about 2 years now, and they are durable, well-constructed, and look nice!

This carrier is a great size for my cats (approximately 12 and 15 lbs), but not sure if I would use it if they were much larger. My cats like most aren't fond of traveling, but the removeable/washable cushion and all of the visual and tactile access points (the mesh and the zippers) allowing you to interact with your pet, especially if the animal is stressed, makes me feel like I'm giving them the best and most comfortable experience I can. And I appreciate all of the pockets it provides -- I usually pack treats and toys and the pockets are also helpful for paperwork/new tags, etc. that I get at the vet's office too, so I can keep my hands free.

One of my cats loves to hang out in her carrier all the time at home, and when we need to take her to the vet she goes inside without a problem, so for her I will always use this carrier and love it! With my other cat, it is a struggle to get her into the carrier every time, and I think I'll have to try carriers that are less stressful to load her into.

For our purpose: taking the cat to a quick trip to the vet, it was great, and it seems it would be great as a travel carrier too.

Here is how I would compare both:
Price: Zampa is about half the cost.
Size and form: pretty comparable. Our cats weigh around 12 lbs, and we can only carry one cat in each. They fit pretty snuggly, which in our case was good.
Materials: The Zampa smells very strongly like plastic, the Bergan doesn't. In addition, the Bergan comes with a nice, removable fleece bed, while the Zampa comes with a plastic coated removable base that is slippery and not very pleasant to the touch (we solved this by putting a towel on top).
Durability: Hard to say. They only see occasional use. My hunch is that the Bergan will be more durable.
Convenience: They both fold compactly for storage. They both include a removable padded shoulder strap in addition to the carrying straps.

Conclusion:
If you think you'll use the carrier frequently or really dislike plastic smell, I would go with the Bergan. Otherwise, for half the price, the Zampa is a pretty decent option.

I bought this in LARGE (not large with wheels), Black.
I bought three soft carriers on the same day including this one. It is great quality and more "standard", plain, and more versatile than the others that I got.

SIZE/WEIGHT:
- It's called Large but look at the measurements to determine if it'll work for your pet, because although the carrier itself may be called "large", it won't fit a "large" dog. It's still cat sized, but a bit taller.
- However, my other carriers only carry 12 or 15 pounds. This carries 22 pounds! It's perfect for my 14lb dog (a rat terrier chihuahua mix). It's also a perfect roomy carrier for my 7lb chihuahua.
- Before you go giving it 1 star for being "too small" for you, maybe check the measurements so you know what size it is before you order it?? Size large is 19 inches long, 13 inches tall, and 10 inches wide. The internal dimensions are just slightly smaller.
- It is airline-approved for any airline I've ever heard of... check your airline's carry-on sizes just to be sure.

OPENINGS & WINDOWS:
- Airiness is where this one excels my other ones. There is so much ventilation, as you can probably see from the pics. All sides have large vents.
- As far as openings go, one short side opens, and the other short side opens halfway so they can stick their head out.
- The openings have little buckle clips so you can secure them!
- There's a little zipper opening on one of the long side, the perfect size to stick your hand in to comfort your pet. That came in handy when I took my terrified dog to the vet...

OTHER FEATURES:
- Pockets: Two small mesh pocket, size for leash and poop bag holder and a few other small things like that. Another small velcro-top pocket for something thin and small like a phone or folded papers.
- Seatbelt straps: There are two velcro straps that secure a seatbelt for safety, which was essential to me.
- Bottom pad is removable, and two parts: one hard structural plastic part, and an attached soft bed-like part on top of that. It velcros to the carrier so it doesn't shift in use.
- A little ID card on the straps, like a luggage tag.

OTHER NOTES:
- Doesn't have a leash-like strap with collar clip like many other carriers do. Doesn't matter to me, but to others it may.
- The carrying handles are comfy, and so is the shoulder strap.
- There was no gross factory smell to it out of the box, but it was a little smushed to one side at first - no big deal though.
- There are no care tags attached to the carrier... I don't see any reason it couldn't be washed with soap and water by hand, and the "bed" insert can be taken out and thrown in a washing machine.

Only cons: No care tags, no leash strap to hook to their collar. Neither of those things really affect me.

MY pics were taken with my 7lb chihuahua. He's got a baby blanket in there and there's plenty of room behind him; he's just scooched forward.

One of our two cats has issues (SURPRISE!) and seems to be incredibly sensitive to change, which, really, is any state other than her lying belly-up in the master bedroom bed, so I was blown away when this carrier turned out to be the ultimate transportation solution. Previously I'd borrowed an old plastic carrier with "visibility" holes on the upper section, and she'd meow and yowl the entire way to the vet. Then one day I didn't have that carrier to borrow, and quickly bought one of those cardboard carriers from the pets store as a one-day solution—and it was awful. This cat was so traumatized and stressed from that cardboard carrier (which has ZERO visibility) that she spent the next few days after the vet visit throwing up all over the place. (If there were a Xanax for cats...) That said, no more cardboard box.

We bought this carrier before moving so we could transport the cats, and like I said, I was blown away. I put Stress-Cat into the carrier, essentially with no struggle on her part, zipped up and secured the door flap, and that was that. She didn't make a peep. Just sat calmly and looked out onto the world from every possible angle because the visibility from this carrier is AMAZING. I know because I stuck me head into it once. Clearly, the visibility factor helped in terms of Stress-Cat, because suddenly things were all groovy. Sometimes I'll put the carrier out and the cats will just hang out in it. Would recommend.

When vacationing in California, I came across a young cat that desperately needed a home. She was a high-strung, distrustful, black cat - three strikes making a swift adoption from a shelter very unlikely. Unfortunately, the person looking for a home for her could not find a rescue or no-kill shelter with any room to take her. It was likely she was going to be euthanized. So, with 48 hours to go, I ordered this carrier, my friend took the cat to her vet for a health check, and bought the cat a ticket on the flight. This came the next day, in time for our flight. It was quite small, but so was the cat so it was the rights size. I particularly liked the small zipper so that I could pet her without opening the carrier (she didn't know me yet - if she'd gotten out, it would have been like a comedy routine to get her back in). The good news is that she is now happy and playful, and has adjusted very well to her new home.

I don't actually recommend traveling across the country with a cat. It's unpleasant for everyone. But if you have to do it, this carrier will make it easier.