Which means I got to actually road test this difficult-to-buy cat carrier. It was expensive! More so because the actual makers of the bag wanted postage of over $70 and it is not available in Australia. The best postage I could find was $56, so I purchased through the pet travel store, making it cost a whopping US$142.35. But, with all my research, this was the bag that I wanted.
Unlike other soft travel bags, the SturdiBag had good reviews in some key areas:
-zippers have a closing device so clever cats can't open them
-a decent amount of mesh for ventilation
-no-one mentioned the mesh had ever been chewed/scratched through (competitor bags all had this problem)
-the shoulder strap was wide and padded, and the handles also kind to human hands
-the shoulder strap fixed to the bag at 4 points, meaning stability for a carried cat
-one top mesh panel has another zip that lets you put your hand in to pet your cat - a really good feature for anxious cats and cat parents alike, as I found today! (Note: cat can also get out of it).
-privacy flaps that velcro down, or roll up and velcro open, depending on how shy your cat is (or the weather)
-construction was sturdy and LIGHT
The good news is that the SturdiBag really is LIGHT! It is also sturdy and stable and easy to carry. I like it. Kato also likes it, and Ava played around in it because Kato was there. I actually left the bag open under our bed, and Kato just thought I'd made another great sleeping place. This is because there is also a lovely plush pillow as part of the base of the bag.
The PROBLEM with this, as I found today, was that the pillow is something for a cat to grip...think vet trying to get scared cat out of bag. But, I figure for vet trips, I can always take out the pillow, and pop in a folded towel. That way we can just slide out the towel, cat on top (the pillow is velcroed in). For a cat who doesn't mind the vet, there probably won't be a problem.
So, thus far, I'm quite in like with my SturdiBag (as are the cats).