The first time I put a transport dog in the back of my Outback, I used a borrowed cardboard vet carrier. It slid on the cloth seat, tipped when I took a turn, and made a noise every time the dog moved. I spent more attention on the box than on the road. That is why I bought the Sherpa Original Deluxe. I am Gail Brandvold, 58, a retired school bus dispatcher in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. For five years I have driven one rescue transport leg a month for a small Wisconsin rescue, on the second Saturday, about 90 miles down I-94 from Eau Claire to a truck stop in Tomah. I bought the Sherpa on Amazon with my own money in the second week of April, seven months ago.
The carrier is the Large, 19 x 11.75 x 11.5 inches, 3 pounds, and the listing says it fits pets up to 22 pounds. My terrier mix Scout is 6, 18 pounds, and gets restless in the car. She usually rides on the back seat hammock in her harness, clipped in. The Sherpa rides on the hammock, rear passenger side, only when a small transport dog under 22 pounds or a cat is aboard. Otherwise it sits on a shelf in the garage. Scout also goes to the vet in it. I have never flown with a dog, so airline approval is only what the listing says. Check with your airline before you count on it.
The carrier that fits my back seat and my vet runs
The Sherpa Original Deluxe is soft-sided, 19 x 11.75 x 11.5 inches, 3 pounds, and the listing says it fits pets up to 22 pounds. It has a spring wire frame, a padded top handle, a detachable strap, and a liner. I have used it for seven months for transport handoffs and vet visits. Scout is 18 pounds and she fills the Large.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →The spring wire frame gives when the seat back does
The feature I notice first is the spring wire frame. The listing says the rear end of the carrier can be pushed down several inches, and that matters in a back seat. My Outback has a slight angle where the seat cushion meets the seat back. A rigid box wants to perch on the edge. The Sherpa settles into the seat because the frame gives a little. I put it on the hammock, rear passenger side, and it stays put for the whole leg. That one detail is why I stopped borrowing the cardboard carrier.
It fits the rear footwell when the back seat is full
Some transport days I have a folded crate in the cargo area and a dog on the hammock. The Sherpa still has to go somewhere. At 19 inches long and 11.75 wide, it drops into the rear footwell without blocking the seat. I do not drive with a dog in the footwell. That is only where the empty carrier rides between stops. When a small dog is aboard, the carrier goes up on the hammock and the dog goes inside. The size is the reason this works. A hard carrier the same length would not tuck in the same way.
The padded top handle gets a nervous dog out clean
At the Tomah truck stop I lift the carrier out by the padded top handle and hand it to the next driver. The handle is the part that makes this quick. I do not have to reach under the carrier or tip it. The dog stays inside, the liner stays under the dog, and I keep one hand free for the leash. The listing includes a liner, and I use it every time. It is the difference between a clean handoff and a scramble on the pavement.
The shoulder strap frees a hand at the vet door
The carrier comes with a detachable carrying strap. I use it when I have to walk from the parking lot to the vet door with Scout inside. The strap goes over my shoulder and leaves one hand for the leash and one for the door. It is not a magic comfort fix. With an 18-pound dog inside, the strap gets heavy after a few minutes. For the 40 feet from the Outback to the clinic door, it is the right tool. For a long walk, I carry it by the top handle instead.
The liner catches the mess you actually get
I have never had a disaster in the carrier. What I get is ordinary mess: road grit on the paws, a little drool, hair on the liner. The liner comes out and goes in the wash, and the carrier is ready for the next leg. That is the whole reason I keep using it. A borrowed cardboard carrier soaks up a smell and never gives it back. The Sherpa has a washable liner and a soft-sided body I can wipe down. That is not glamorous. It is the reason the carrier does not get relegated to the garage shelf after one trip.
It doubles as Scout's vet carrier
Scout is 18 pounds and gets restless in the car. She rides on the hammock in her harness for transport days. On a vet day, she goes in the Sherpa. The carrier is 19 x 11.75 x 11.5 inches and the listing says it fits pets up to 22 pounds. Scout fills it. There is not a lot of room left over. That is fine for a vet visit, and it tells me the 22-pound limit is real. If your dog is close to that limit, measure before you buy. A carrier that is tight is harder to lift and harder for the dog to settle in.
It slides onto a garage shelf without a dedicated corner
The carrier lives on a shelf in my garage most weeks. It does not need a dedicated corner. The soft-sided body and the spring wire frame let it press down enough to slide onto a shelf, and the whole thing weighs 3 pounds per the listing. I can carry it out to the Outback with one hand. That matters because I am 58 and I am not looking for a carrier that fights me before the dog is even in the car. A hard carrier stays a hard carrier. This one gets out of the way.
It keeps a small transport dog off the hammock straps
The hammock has straps and seams. A small dog can get a foot caught if it is restless. When I have a transport dog under 22 pounds, I put it in the Sherpa on the rear passenger side of the hammock. The dog is contained, the hammock is still under the carrier, and I am not watching a foot. The listing calls the carrier airline approved and Guaranteed On Board. I have never flown with a dog. If you are flying, call your airline and confirm the size and the rules before you count on that.
It gives a cat or a small dog a quiet place at a rest stop
On a transport leg, the handoff is not the only stop. I stop once at a rest area, and I do not take a dog out around moving trucks. The Sherpa stays on the hammock with the doors closed. If I have a calm cat or a small dog, the carrier gives it a place to wait while I stand at the back door. I never leave a dog alone in a parked car. I do not open the carrier unless I have a leash on the dog and both feet on the ground.
It is the carrier I hand to another driver without a lecture
The last reason is the one that made me write this. At the Tomah handoff, I have about two minutes to move a dog, a leash, and a bowl from my Outback to another volunteer's vehicle. The Sherpa has a padded handle, a detachable strap, a liner, and a spring wire frame that fits a back seat. I can show another driver how to lift it in one sentence. That is what I want in a transport carrier. Not a list of features. A carrier that does not need a demonstration.
What I'd Skip
If your dog is near 22 pounds, I would skip the Large Sherpa and look at the next size up if the listing has one. Scout is 18 pounds and she fills it. The listing says up to 22 pounds, but a dog that is 21 pounds and stiff is not going to have an easy time. I would also skip it if you want a carrier for a dog that chews. The soft sides are not a chew guard. And I would skip any plan that puts the carrier in the front seat. Dogs ride in the back seat. I do not call any carrier crash proof. I use the Sherpa as a carrier, not as a safety seat.
Scout is 18 pounds and she fills the Large. The 22-pound limit on the listing is not a suggestion.
Start with the carrier that does the boring jobs
If you drive a dog to the vet, or you take one transport leg a month, you do not need a carrier that looks like luggage. You need one that fits the back seat, lifts by the handle, and has a liner you can wash. The Sherpa does that for me. Measure your dog's weight against the listing before you order, and check your airline if you plan to fly.
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