These are one of my pet peeves as the zipper quality can turn a fantastic carrier into a loser very fast. When the zipper breaks at the airport or even in your car your carrier of choice becomes basically worthless. Make sure the brand you are looking at includes hi quality zippers from a reputable zipper brand. My totes are all designed with only premium brand zippers, and I improve and upgrade them often as new and better versions come along including the automatic self locking zippers which cannot be opened from inside that are used on this tote. Its much better than the old style unreliable and fragile clasps.

About 18 months ago I switched my entire line up of carriers to self locking zippers. Self locking zippers are zippers which are designed in a way that they cannot be pushed open from the inside of the bag. I switched the entire line from the older style locking clasps as I found over a long period of time that the clasps in both metal and plastic were fragile and not durable. The self locking zippers remove the need for clasps, and actually results in a much safer tote for pets, and users overwhelmingly prefer them as they do not have to rely on using the small unreliable clasps. The old style clasps simply do not meet my standards. I always focus firstly on pet safety and comfort, and the reason I switched all of the models to self locking zippers is exactly for that reason.

Soft Sided Pet Carriers by definition are frameless and are mostly only supported by thin steel wire running along the edges and sides of the tote. Keep in mind when you look over images in a listing on any product those will be taken to show off the product in the best possible way, and are often edited to improve the look of the product image. It is very hard to see differences in materials and structure in a product image, but all of my totes are designed with a very strong waterproof nylon material that is also used in the manufacture of military grade parachutes. The materials used help to avoid the sagging, wrinkled look and give the totes additional structure.

Lastly, but the most important feature. The pet tote you choose should have locking zippers and very strong mesh. They should have a leash tether to insure your pet can be secured while stressed during travels. They should have well designed and secure carrying straps. They should have a comfortable bedding pad. All of our tote designs include all of these and more. I also add a thick and plush faux fleece pad with a 1/4" plywood base for your pet's comfort and to give a strong, stable base to keep the tote from "sinking" under the weight of your pet.