Best Dog Crates
Four crates judged on what decides whether a dog uses one: the size math, and whether the material matches the dog in front of you.
By Marin Okafor, editor, dog gear and nutrition labels
Published Sep 4, 2026 · 10 min read
- Crates & Carriers
- 4 products compared
In this guide
A crate is not one product. It is four different pieces of equipment that happen to share a name, and the mistake that wastes the most money in this category is buying the wrong one for the job rather than a bad example of the right one.
A wire crate is for a house, foldable, ventilated, and cheap enough that sizing it wrong is not a disaster. A heavy-duty steel crate is for a dog that has already proven a wire crate is not enough, either by bending the door or by clearing the latch. A plastic travel kennel is what an airline will actually accept, and the requirement is specific rather than a suggestion. A soft-sided crate is for a dog who is already calm about the whole idea and just needs somewhere to lie down at a relative's house or a competition venue. Buying the fourth kind for a dog that needs the second is how a crate becomes a story about a vet bill.
What decides the purchase
Size, to the inch, not to the breed name. The sizing rule is the same across every format below: the dog has to stand without ducking, turn around without folding, and lie flat without curling. Bigger is not generous, it is worse, because a crate with spare room stops feeling like a den and starts feeling like a room the dog can use one end of as a bathroom. The Riney Canine Health Center at Cornell frames the crate as a management tool that works because it mimics a den, and a den that is actually a small room stops doing that job.
Material follows the dog's behavior, not the owner's taste. A wire crate holds a dog that is not actively trying to leave it. Nothing about wire construction resists sustained pressure on a latch or a seam, and a dog that paws, bites or body-checks the door on a schedule will eventually find the weak point. That is a behavior problem a stronger crate manages, not one it fixes: a dog anxious enough to injure itself against a crate door needs the separation anxiety protocol before it needs steel.
Airline-approved is a checklist, not an adjective. A crate marketed as "airline approved" with no IATA reference on the box is a marketing phrase. The real requirement covers ventilation on at least three sides, a rigid handle-free top and bottom that will not deform under the dog's weight, a door that latches on all four sides rather than a single pin, and enough interior height for the dog to stand at full extension including the ears. Confirm any specific airline's cargo policy directly before flying, since carriers vary breed restrictions and container specs on top of the IATA baseline.
Crash protection is a separate question from containment. A crate that holds a dog does not necessarily hold in a wreck. The Center for Pet Safety's testing covers vehicle restraints and travel carriers rather than every wire crate on the market, so treat a crate secured in cargo space as containment, not restraint, unless the specific model has published crash data.
The picks
$61.93
Price checked Sep 4, 2026
MidWest iCrate 36-Inch Double Door Folding Dog Crate
The standard for a reason. Two doors mean it can sit against a wall or in a corner without blocking access, the divider panel lets it grow with a puppy instead of being replaced twice, and the leak-proof tray is the difference between a mess that wipes up and one that soaks the floor underneath. It folds flat in seconds for storage or a car trip. It is wire, so it manages a settled dog rather than an escape artist, and that is the correct dog for this crate.
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- Format
- Wire, double door, folding
- Rated for
- 41-70lb dogs (36in length)
- Included
- Divider panel, leak-proof plastic tray
- Assembly
- Folds flat, no tools
What works
- Two doors, so placement in a room is not dictated by the crate
- Divider panel adjusts the interior as a puppy grows
- Removable tray makes accidents a wipe-down instead of a wash cycle
- Widely stocked, so a replacement tray or part is easy to find
What to know
- A determined chewer or escape artist gets through the latch or the wire eventually
- No published crash-test data for vehicle use
- Bare wire floor without the tray liner is uncomfortable for a dog to lie on directly
$154.99
Price checked Sep 4, 2026
MidWest Ultima Pro Heavy-Duty 42-Inch Dog Crate
This is the crate to buy after a wire crate has failed, not instead of one. The steel gauge is heavier throughout and the latch system uses multiple points rather than a single pin, which is what actually stops a dog that has learned to hit a door with its shoulder. It is a large, heavy piece of furniture at this size, and it costs roughly two and a half times the standard iCrate for that reason. Buying it as a first crate for a dog with no escape history is paying for a problem the dog does not have.
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- Format
- Wire, double door, heavy-gauge steel
- Rated for
- Large breeds (42in length)
- Latch
- Multi-point, reinforced
- Weight
- Substantially heavier than a standard wire crate of the same length
What works
- Reinforced steel and multi-point latches resist the pressure that defeats a standard wire crate
- Still foldable despite the heavier build
- Double door placement, same flexibility as the standard iCrate
What to know
- Expensive relative to a standard wire crate
- Heavy enough that moving it between rooms is a two-person job
- Overkill, and unnecessary cost, for a dog with no history of testing a crate
Petmate Sky Kennel for Air Travel
Petmate states this model is built to IATA Live Animal Regulations, with ventilation on three sides, a rigid shell and a four-point locking door, which covers the baseline checklist above rather than just claiming to. That baseline is necessary, not sufficient: the airline itself still sets the final word on breed restrictions, snub-nosed policies and container dimensions, so confirm directly with the specific carrier before booking. Outside of travel, the enclosed plastic shell also works as a quieter, more den-like alternative to wire for a dog that settles better without an open view of the room, at the cost of the ventilation and easy hose-down cleaning a wire crate offers. Petmate does not publish a price on the manufacturer page, so check the live listing.
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- Format
- Rigid plastic, top-and-bottom halves
- Rated for
- Dogs up to 15lb (21in size)
- Compliance
- Built to IATA Live Animal Regulations, per manufacturer
- Door
- Four-point locking
What works
- Enclosed shell reads as more den-like to a dog that dislikes an open view
- Meets the IATA structural baseline for air travel
- Rigid construction holds its shape under stacking or handling
What to know
- Airline breed and size restrictions sit on top of IATA baseline compliance and vary by carrier
- Only sized for dogs up to 15lb
- Less ventilation and harder to hose down than a wire crate
$105.99
Price checked Sep 4, 2026
EliteField 3-Door Folding Soft Dog Crate
Three mesh doors give sightlines and airflow from almost any angle, and the whole thing folds into its own carrying bag light enough to sling over a shoulder, which the wire and plastic options above cannot do. That portability is also the limit: soft mesh does not resist a dog that scratches, bites or leans on it with any real force, so this is a crate for a dog with a settled relationship to being crated already, not a training tool for one that is still learning.
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- Format
- Soft-sided, steel frame, 3 mesh doors
- Dimensions
- 36in L x 24in W x 28in H
- Included
- Removable washable cover, fleece bed
- Portability
- Folds into carrying bag
What works
- Far lighter and more portable than a wire or plastic crate at a similar size
- Three doors give more placement and access options than a single-entry soft crate
- Cover and bed are both washable
What to know
- No real resistance to a dog that scratches, chews or leans on the mesh
- Not a training tool for a dog that has not already accepted crating
- No structural protection in a vehicle in the way a rigid crate offers
Comparing all four
| Crate | Material | Size shown | Best for | Escape resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MidWest iCrate | Wire, folding | 36in (41-70lb) | Everyday house crate | Low to moderate |
| MidWest Ultima Pro | Heavy-gauge steel | 42in (large breeds) | Proven escape artists | High |
| Petmate Sky Kennel | Rigid plastic | 21in (up to 15lb) | Air travel, den-style | Moderate to high |
| EliteField soft crate | Soft mesh, steel frame | 36in L x 24in W x 28in H | Travel for a settled dog | Low |
Whichever crate fits the dog, the equipment only works if the dog agrees to use it. Hardware solves the container half of this; teaching a dog that a crate is not a punishment solves the half that actually determines whether it gets used past the first week. And if the plan involves a car ride longer than the trip to the vet, what the independent crash tests actually found is worth reading before assuming any crate doubles as a restraint.
Questions people actually ask
Questions people actually ask
What size crate does my dog actually need?
Measure the dog standing (floor to the top of the head, plus a few inches) and lying fully stretched out nose to tail, then buy the smallest crate that clears both measurements. A crate with a divider panel lets one purchase cover a growing puppy instead of needing a size upgrade every few months.
Is a wire crate or a plastic crate better?
Neither is universally better; they solve different problems. Wire ventilates well, folds flat and is easy to hose down, which suits most house dogs. Plastic reads as more den-like and is what most airlines require for cargo travel, at the cost of airflow and easy cleaning.
Can a soft-sided crate replace a wire crate for daily use?
Only for a dog that is already calm and reliable about being crated. Soft mesh has no resistance to scratching, chewing or leaning, so it is a travel and destination tool for a settled dog rather than a training crate for one still learning the routine.
Does 'airline approved' guarantee an airline will accept the crate?
No. It means the crate meets the IATA structural baseline (ventilation, rigid shell, four-point door). Individual airlines add their own rules on breed, total weight and container dimensions, so confirm with the specific carrier before booking rather than relying on the label alone.
Sources
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Who wrote this
Marin Okafor
Editor, dog gear and nutrition labels
Marin Okafor edits PetGearSearch and writes the dog side of it: food, beds, crates, carriers, grooming tools, and the pet insurance policies that pay for the rest. The ingredient panel and the AAFCO statement get read before a single review does, because that back-of-bag paragraph is where two apparently identical foods stop being identical.
The standard
How this guide was built
- The full product specification, ingredient panel or material spec, read end to end rather than summarised from a retail listing.
- The veterinary and regulatory guidance that applies to the category, cited by name and linked — AAFCO nutrient profiles, WSAVA manufacturer guidelines, the VOHC accepted-product list.
- Aggregated owner reviews at volume across retailers, read for the pattern rather than the anecdote, with deliberate attention to the one-star reports where the failure modes live.
- Every price checked against the live listing on the date printed beside it.