# Strong wire crate for travel



## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

I want to get a collapsible crate that we can take with us when we travel with Heidi. She has some separation anxiety (but much improved over when we first got her) and is a bit of an escape artist. She's never escaped from our airline-style crate, but she does know how to open some gate latches, so I feel like the most important thing is for the crate to be secure.

I'm looking at the Precision Great Crate (42 X 28 X 31) and the Midwest double or triple door crate (42 X 28 X 30), but I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations about which one is better (especially in the area of sturdiness).

I'd like it to fit in the back of a Honda CRV if possible (I need to measure the area to see if the above crates would fit). And if you know of any other good wire crates besides those two, I'd love to hear about them.

Thanks for any replies!


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

Midwest also makes a side by side crate for suv's. You can buy one or 2. I have 2 of them, collapsible, and sturdier than my reg. midwest crates.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I go to the hardware store and buy a bag of zip ties and a couple dog clips.

I use the zip ties all around the crate to make sure it's secure (cut the extra tie off so the dog can't pull on it) and use the dog clips to secure the door.

No dog is geting out of that!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I have a Precision Pet folding Suitcase crate (so far the ONLY true portable crate I've found in that when it opens, you don't need TWICE the space to unfold it like you do with other collapsible crates) and the wire guage looks/feels a good deal stronger than my "regular" Midwest crates that we use in the house. They used to be advertised on SitStay and there was a pic of a man and his Tervuren both standing on top of the crate.

The crate itself does not fit through the door of the car, however even bing a bit heavy/thick guage, I can easily slide it in flat, pull the top up, and hook the sides all by myself. When I collapse it, I push the door side in first, then the back. So when I'm reaching in the car, I pull up the top, grab the back side and push it hard enough that it opens and locks in place without me having to go around to the other side of the car, then pull up and lock the door side. The crate fits on the back seat. I used to anchor it to the childseat anchors behind the seat, but honestly because of the size of the car and the crate, there is no possible way the crate could roll or tip forward.

Here is a rescue dog being transported. We also have this black "dog hammock" that covers the back seat. I copied MRL's idea of building a platform between the edge of the back seat and the front seats, then put my dog hammock over that to keep the hair and mud off the actual seats, and then have my crate on that. However the crate does work fine without the platform, that's more for if all three dogs are riding free (terrible yes I know) so they aren't sliding off the seat. There's still some space on the back seat behind the front passenger seat.









Here's how it works









I really love this crate. I take it to dog shows as well (I have a $20 dolly cart I got from Ikea). It goes in and out of the car in 30 seconds. Not the lightest crate, but I'd rather have a sturdy crate with a good wire guage than a light crate.


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Thanks for all the great replies! In my searches, I also found the following websites, which were very useful (in case anyone's interested):

This one has reviews of cars, crates, etc., but the thing I really liked was that it had detailed measurements of the car interior (including drawings). It also had a Wire Crate Matrix that showed the dimensions of tons of crates.

http://www.cargodogs.com/

Wire Crate Matrix:

http://www.cargodogs.com/2008/05/wire-crate-matrix.htm

Unfortunately, the CR-V's shape doesn't really lend it to using a large crate unless you fold down the rear seats, which we kind of knew already.

If anyone else out there has a 2008 Honda CR-V, take a look at this URL. And be sure to click on the "Illustrated Dimensions" link under measurements for some great info on exactly how much room is in the cargo area of the CR-V:

http://www.cargodogs.com/2008/01/2008-honda-crv.htm


This one (Dogcars) also had some reviews. My CR-V got pretty low marks because of the curved shape of the car and the wheel wells that took away a lot of room for crates:

http://dogcars.com/

And this dog barrier looked neat and it's custom made for the CR-V, but it's a little too expensive to get both it and the wire crate (around $182 on eBay):

http://tinyurl.com/aek79s

Thanks again for the info. It's great to see pictures!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

If it has a back bench seat or seats all the way across, my crate would work. I put it on the seat, not with the seat folded or behind the seat (we have a car, smaller than a CRV).


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Liesje, do you have the large crate? I like the looks of it.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I use a 36" in the car for all my dogs. Might be a tad cramped for Coke, who is 26" tall, but it's perfect for my female GSD and plenty for my 5 month old pup. At home I use 42"s but in the car I don't want the dogs standing, turning, or pacing anyway so I use the 36" on the seat.

This is the back seat of the car, sans crate. I have to slide it in diagonally, then flop it down on the seat and open it up.









Kenya in the crate two summers ago


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Thanks, Liesje. Boy, that Kenya is such a pretty girl!


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