Petmate
Sky Kennel
- Pro: Meets IATA's 2025 kennel standard
- Pro: Flight kit: stickers, cup, liner
- Con: No handle above the 28 in size
Buying guide · Dogs · Travel
The best travel dog crates for flights and road trips
Maybe it's the back seat on the way to the lake, or a cargo hold after you've handed your dog over at the airline desk and walked away. Either way, your dog spends hours in a box you chose, and you won't be able to check on them for most of it. So the box has to do the looking after: room to stand and turn, a door that stays shut, and a crate that stays where you put it.
Petmate
All Purpose Vari Kennel
- Pro: Every size secures in a vehicle
- Pro: 28 in weighs 10 lb, Sky's 12.5 lb
- Con: No handle on the 32, 36 and 40 in
Petmate
E-Z Load Two Door Dog & Cat Kennel
- Pro: Top door to lower your dog in
- Pro: Light: 3.8 lb (19 in), 6.43 lb (24 in)
- Con: Only for dogs up to 15 lb
Before you buy a travel crate
A travel crate needs to give your dog room to settle, and it needs to stay in place on the road or in the plane's cargo hold. Here's what to check on any listing.
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The inside length and height
Inside, your dog needs space to stand, sit, stretch out flat and turn in a circle. Find the inside size on the product page, because the number in a kennel's name is often its outside length.
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Built to the airline standard
If your dog will fly in the hold, the airline checks the kennel against the IATA Live Animals Regulations. Look for a kennel built to that standard, and then check your airline's own rules too.
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A way to strap it down in the car
A loose kennel slides around when you brake hard or take a sharp corner. Look for a handle or strap holes made for securing the kennel in a vehicle.
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A handle on the size you need
Small kennels are handy to carry from the car to the door, but big ones often skip the handle. Check that the size you need comes with one.
Our three picks, reviewed
Best in Show
Sky Kennel
Petmate
The Sky Kennel meets the airlines' pet travel standard and comes with the stickers and cup for the cargo hold. It's made for car travel too, so the same kennel works for flights and drives.
The Sky Kennel meets the 2025 pet travel rules from IATA, the airlines' trade group, and airlines follow those rules when pets fly as cargo. The rules go right down to where the vents sit: on the door, the sides and the back. Each airline adds its own rules too, so check with yours before you book.
In the box you get two Live Animal stickers, ID stickers, a food and water cup and a pad that soaks up spills. It's built for car trips as well, so the same kennel does the airport run and the flight.
Sizes run from 21 inches, for dogs up to 15 pounds, to 48 inches, for dogs of 90 to 125 pounds. Choose the size by your dog's length, using the formula in the questions below, and treat weight as a check. You get a handle only on the 21 and 28 inch sizes, and at 51.5 pounds empty, the biggest one is heavy to lift on your own.
Pick it if
- Your dog will fly in the cargo hold
- You want one kennel for flights and drives
- Your dog is over 90 lb
Skip it if
- You only drive, and your dog is 90 lb or less
- Your dog won't walk in through a front door
Best for road trips
All Purpose Vari Kennel
Petmate
When you brake hard in the car, the kennel has to stay put. Every Vari size, for dogs up to 90 pounds, has a handle or tie-down holes made to hold it in place in a car.
A kennel that isn't strapped down can slide or shift if you stop suddenly, and every Vari size is built to be tied down. On the 19, 24 and 28 inch sizes, the handle on top does double duty, for carrying and for strapping the kennel down in the car. The 32, 36 and 40 inch sizes have no handle, but they do have holes for tie-down straps.
Inside, the 24 inch measures 21.5 inches long and suits dogs of 10 to 20 pounds, and it weighs 5 pounds empty. You squeeze the latch to open the door, and there are holes for zip ties, so a couple of zip ties can hold it shut on the road. The floor has a built-in moat that keeps your dog dry.
It meets most airline rules with the wing nuts and bolts that come with it, but ask your airline before you book. For the car, we'd take it over the Sky Kennel, because its small sizes are lighter. The 19 inch weighs 3.05 pounds and the 24 inch weighs 5 pounds, while the smallest Sky Kennel weighs 6.27 pounds.
Pick it if
- Your trips are mostly by car
- Your dog weighs 90 lb or less
Skip it if
- Your dog weighs over 90 lb
- Your dog won't walk in through a front door
Best for small dogs who won't walk in
E-Z Load Two Door Dog & Cat Kennel
Petmate
Pushing a stiff-legged little dog through a front door is a bad start to any trip. The E-Z Load lets you lower them in from the top instead.
Some small dogs stop dead at a kennel door and won't go in. The E-Z Load has a second door on top as well as the one at the front. That way you can pick your dog up and set them down inside through the roof.
It's made for dogs of 5 to 15 pounds and comes in two sizes. The 19 inch takes dogs up to 10 pounds and is 16.75 inches long inside. The 24 inch takes dogs up to 15 pounds and is 21 inches long inside. It's a mix of heavy plastic and steel wire, and it goes together easily.
It only comes in sizes for dogs up to 15 pounds, so a bigger dog needs the Vari or the Sky Kennel, and neither has a top door.
Pick it if
- Your dog weighs 5 to 15 lb
- Your dog plants their feet at a kennel door
Skip it if
- Your dog weighs more than 15 lb
- Your dog will fly in the cargo hold
Side by side
| Best in ShowSky Kennel | Best for road tripsAll Purpose Vari Kennel | Best for small dogs who won't walk inE-Z Load Two Door Dog & Cat Kennel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Flights and car trips | Car trips and training | Travel and training |
| Doors | Front door | Front door, squeeze latch | Front door and top door |
| Crate's own weight | 6.27 lb (21 in) to 51.5 lb (48 in) | 3.05 lb (19 in) to 31 lb (40 in) | 3.8 lb (19 in) to 6.43 lb (24 in) |
| Sizes | 21 in to 48 in | 19 in to 40 in | 19 in to 24 in |
| Your pet's size | Find yours → | Find yours → | Find yours → |
Our verdict
Buy the Sky Kennel if your dog might fly: it meets IATA's 2025 standard. If you only drive with a dog up to 90 lb, pick the Vari, or the E-Z Load if a small dog won't walk in.
Questions people ask
How big should a travel crate be for a flight? IATA’s pet travel guide has a formula for the smallest kennel your dog can fly in. The inside length should be your dog’s length, nose to tail base, plus half the distance from the floor to their elbow. A flat-faced breed, like a pug or a bulldog, needs a kennel 10 percent bigger.
How do I keep a crate safe in the car? Strap it down so it can’t slide when you brake, as the ASPCA’s travel tips advise. They also say a crate is the safest way for a dog to ride if there’s an accident. Before you choose a size, grab a soft tape measure and measure your dog for a crate.
How early should the crate come out before a trip? Start a few weeks ahead, or months if you can, so it feels like home. IATA’s guide gives the same advice, because a dog used to the crate handles the journey better.
