The actual material is good and the two halves fit together fine, but my issue is with the top lid. The latching mechanism does not stay closed - there is a design tolerance issue with the engagement of the locking pin cylinder with its cut out. See the videos for more details. They have come undone with cat inside of the carrier before and I have had to hold the carrier from underneath to prevent the top lid from coming off. The top door needs to be redesigned.

Excellent pet carrier for the price. I was hesitant after some poor reviews but took a chance anyway. I am glad I did. Assembly is not difficult if one has common sense. No need for directions. The tricky part is assembling the door. Put the top and bottom of crate together on one side while slipping the fixed rods of the door into the holes. Then squeeze the door handle to pull those rods in and close the door. The space at the top and bottom of the door must slide over the tabs of the crate (Picture 1 and 2). Then secure the other side of the crate with the latches. After closing all the latches you can use the supplied screws to permanently hold top and bottom together (picture 3). I did this as it ensures the unit will not come apart accidentally. As far as the unit coming apart when carried from the handle goes, it sounds like user error. Be sure the top locks are secured and snapped in place (picture 4). I did this and loaded the crate with 15 pounds of weight plates and swung the unit around by the handle. It held up without any problem. I then placed my large cat ( 12 pounds) inside and she fit in comfortably. This is a great unit for the price if assembled correctly.

I had the same experience as all the other one-star reviewers who stated that the top door was not secure. I used this to take my small, elderly, 9-lb cat to the vet, and the mechanisms that keep the top secure kept popping into the upright (non-secure) position whenever I would use the top handle, and the plastic would bend under the weight of the carrier. I was so afraid that the top would break off and that my cat would fall and escape that I ended up carrying the carrier in front of me like a box. If you're looking for a sturdy, convenient carrier that will keep your pet safe, look elsewhere. Bummer-- I generally love AmazonBasics products.

We have an older cat and she has never liked any carrier. Getting her in and out of her old carrier was a nightmare for us and our cat. She's getting older and she's starting to have some medical issues which meant more trips to the vet. We just love our kitty and needed to find a better way to get her in and out of a carrier. We wanted something that keeps her as calm as possible while getting her in and out, it had to be safe, easily secured in our vehicle when we transport her and be as gentle on her as possible to and from the vet. When we saw the AmazonBasics 23-Inch Two-Door Top-Load Pet Kennel with the open top feature and so many great reviews we decide to give this a try. When it arrived I put it together which was very easy. I opened the top, door, put some soft towels and a t-shirt I wore inside to make her comfortable. Within a few minutes she walked in on her own with no incentives (treats) and took a nap. Ever since we got this carrier she sleeps in it everyday. Even after a trip to the vet she still goes in on her own and sleeps or just hangs out inside the carrier. I think its because of the open top, open door, she can see through the holes on the sides, and back which make her feel safe. At one point she spent so much time in the carrier that we had to call her repeatedly to get her to come out. After a few weeks she went back to being our very social kitty although she still sleeps and hangs out in her carrier everyday. I would recommend this carrier to family and friends. If you find this review helpful please like the review. Thank You! One other tip to get your dog or cat into the carrier or make them feel more secure in the carrier is to place a t-shirt or any other article of clothing that you and/or family members have worn overnight or for six or more hours in the carrier. By doing this your pet will smell your scent which will make them feel more secure. This work well with pets that need to be crated or placed in a room for periods of time, just like the carrier place any article of clothing that has been worn for six or more hours inside the crate/room.

There are two serious design flaws in this carrier:

(1) The top panel comes off when you carry something as light as a 5 pound puppy in it. Since the handle is attached to the panel, it spills the puppy out on to the ground from carrying height. I was lucky, and the carrier was very close to the ground when this happened. It was the first time that I used it, and I thought that I had made a mistake. Since then, I figured out that the pins in front come out with only a little weight in the carrier. This causes the contents of the crate to spill to the ground.

(2) The latches brake off. The carrier comes with screws. So, you can bolt the top and bottom together, but that defeats the purpose of having the top half easily slip off.

If you don't mind carrying this carrier from the bottom, and don't need to separate the top from the bottom, this carrier will probably suit your needs.