First of all, I want to say Shinja (Lil Sis) is an absolute and total doll!
her. She was so super helpful and has awesome customer service.
Second, please be patient as this review will have not only lots, and I mean LOTS of pictures, but I will also be comparing the Soho a lot to the KB Alex. My Small KB Alex carrier has been my first carrier, and I have very minimal complaints about it. It's been an awesome go to bag for Kaji and I. While I will still be enjoying my Alex bag, it's just time for a new one. On that note, I would love to introduce you all to my new carrier:
Things I absolutely love about this bag:
-Holds it's shape very well once it's zipped up. There is no collapsing on top of my baby. That means, more room for Kaji. My Alex tends to collapse a bit on top when it's all zippered up.
-The ventilation is awesome. There is no fear of this being a stuffy bag. I also splurged on the cooling pad. If it works well, we'll be using this a lot as it is summer. (and maybe getting a second, you know just in case
)
-Looks like it's going to be a great sneak sneak bag. As with any dog carrier disguised as a purse, it will of course look like a real hand bag, but there is just something odd to it. Like the KB. The privacy flaps that cover the mesh windows are the biggest giveaway that it is a dog carrier and not a purse. The odd shaped middle of the Jaraden is its giveaway. But as with the KB Alex, both bags don't stand out and scream "I HAVE A DOG IN HERE."
Always a good thing!
-It's wider!! You'll see by how much when I post the picture the the KB padding vs Jaraden. It's a wonderful difference. Wider = more room for Kaji!!
-The Jaraden has an extra shoulder strap which means, it turns into a cross body bag. So much better than my KB Alex. The shoulder straps on the Alex tend to slip off my shoulder A LOT and it's annoying. Also, I have free hands with a cross body. Free hands for:
SHOPPING!! Or for the jet setter yorkies and their humans. Makes traveling to, from, and in the airport much more pleasant. Which brings me to....
-It's airline approved!! Always an awesome bonus. With the added room compared to my small KB Alex, (which is also airline approved) it should make for some awesome comfortable trips. Can't wait to travel again with Kaji.
Now the cons....
Not that many. In fact there are only two.
-Safety strap. Two things I don't like about it. It's long. A little too long for the bag. It's also made of elastic. A stretchy safety strap doesn't give me much confidence. I much prefer the safety strap on my Alex bag. It's made of the same thick material as the shoulder strap. There's no way Kaji is going anywhere with that large clasp and sturdy strap of the KB. (although, I do think it's a smidge too long)
-The padding. Now, this could be that the issue isn't so much the padding, as it is that I am the proud owner of a larger yorkie. He doesn't qualify for the Teapot Club, but he is at the top of the Yorkie standard. The padding is a nice quality, my issue doesn't lie there, it's the size of it. It's THICK. It steals way to much room away from Kaji. It would work best with someone who has a teenier yorkie. Not one who is 12-13 inches from the floor to the tip of his head. Once I pull out the padding, the Jaraden is a dream carrier again.
Many more pictures to come!