Jaraden Soho
 

First of all, I want to say Shinja (Lil Sis) is an absolute and total doll! :love: 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." :p 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. :D

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!

Love the dual ways the ventilation flaps can be folded.
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Kaji modeling his Soho bag. :) I love the contrast in colors between the burgundy inside and the silver outside.
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Love the details. Including this cute charm.
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Kaji's KB Alex Small. I think we have reached the size limit for this carrier. Just a warning, Kaji's hair makes his head look way bigger than it really is. It's partly the giant ego he has, but mostly it's the hair. ;) :p
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One more of the Jaraden. Love!!
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Cant's wait to try this. The new cooling pad.
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Jaraden padding (burgundy) KB Alex padding (black)
Attachment 372343 It's super thick!!! Attachment 372344

This is where the padding hits on the carrier.
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Look how roomy!
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Cool! So the cooling pad is made specifically for the carrier! The bag looks awesome and Kaji looks so handsome. If only Uni wouldn't scream everytime we went somewhere new.... needless to say, I don't use her carrier anymore.

ETA maybe just use the cooling pad and not the foam pad to give Kaji more room? And the elastic strap. When he's zipped in, is there really a need to be clipped in also? Do you ever have the top open and have him stick out his head? I think the strap would be just for that right?

Kaji- "Why do I always have to do what SHE wants to do.... What happened to dinner??"
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"Oh... HELLO!"
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Yorkie? What yorkie?
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"HELLO!!"
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See how wonderful this bag is. The flaps can be opened or you can open a little window for them to peek out safely. Kaji is large enough that he won't be crawling out of the window, but he can still peek out.

Right, which is why the strap was necessary in the Alex. If I want Kaji to have the option to peek out, I had have the bag zipped open. Even if I unzip a corner, Kaji learned to open it up all the way, making it necessary for me to make sure he was clipped in. With the Jaraden, he can't crawl away when I open the window. I'll probably end up tossing the padding (or using it in his house) and cutting off the strap.

"I can see!!"
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The bags on a 5'3" frame. Love this cross body option.
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Wow! Great review... got me thinkin', lol!

In your very first post, third pic, it looks like there's another flap that goes over the mesh windows? Is that right? So where does that go when the windows are exposed?

Yes very good and thorough review!

KB Alex Small VS Jaraden Soho
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I'm adding this picture just so you all can see why I keep calling these bags big. The Fossil bag in front is the absolute biggest bag I want to carry. I'm not a big bag person.
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Here is the final picture. Comparing of the straps.
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I stuck it in the pockets. It's completely removable.

Maybe you could crochet a skinny band to sew onto the restraining strap to make it a bit less stretchy? Add a tuck to make it shorter if that would better suit your needs?

I used to be a big bag person. Actually the Jaraden used to be my go-to size, and I'm an inch shorter than you! Now my bags are about twice as big as your Fossil bag. I used to put Uni in my regular purses. But sh'ed only go into the post office and places I'd only be in for a bit. She didn't cooperate.

Ah ha! Makes sense!

I think my best option will be to eliminate it altogether. I won't be walking around with the carrier open this way. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/att...en-soho-15.jpg
I'm sure some of you could, but not me. Kaji will jump out, even if off the ground and well... hang himself. (He's done it before with the KB)

I can open the top window like this http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/att...en-soho-18.jpg
It gives me the security I need, because Kaji can not jump out (he doesn't fit) but, it gives him the option to peek out if that's what he wants. Mostly he hides behind the mesh.

Looks like it would fit two little babies. What do you think?

Pam

For size reference, Kaji is 12-13 inches from floor to the top of his head, and 12 inches from base of neck to base of tail. If each baby was half his size, maybe smaller, yes I agree. It would fit two babies. But they would have to be really tiny. It's not that much bigger than a small Alex. I large Alex would be more comfortable though.

First off....I love love love this bag (and am also getting the silver.). Thanks for all of the pics! Kaji is A D O R A B L E!!!

P, I almost learned my lesson the hard way with Sugar. We were on an airplane and I was napping. I sort of heard something that caused me to open my eyes. There was Sugar standing outside of her bag, sort of dragging it behind her and out from under the seat :eek: She has figured out the zipper :rolleyes:

I also let her stick her head out of the KB, but after that incident, I NEVER want her 5 foot off the ground and not tethered in. Ever again........

In the above story, I neglected to point out that Sugar was tethered in. Can you IMAGINE if she wasn't???? She would have caused chaos running up and down the plane saying hello to everyone :eek:

Susi, if you plan to travel with Kaji in this bag, please don't remove the tether :eek: Or at the very least, replace it with the tether from your KB bag ( a shoe repair place could do this for you I believe), if you will no longer be using the KB bag.

I love the tether in the KB (even though my little escape artist chewed hers half off and I had to have it repaired :cool:)

Another random thought, Susi, can you use the bottom pad from the KB Alex, along with the cooling mat, to give Kaji enough space plus sufficient padding?

I'm sure you have already thought of this, since you sent me size comparison pics in both thickness and width. ;):):p

I'm excited to get my bag! I really hope I can use it for both pups, even if only around town for shorter duration trips. I have a large Alex that I can use for airline travel with both girls if I don't feel this bag is roomy enough for 3+ hours together.

You are hired!!:teethysmi I love the fact that you are thorough and told the good:thumbup::thumbup: and the bad:thumbdown

I do love :2hearts2: the soho too (I have the Lime Green one.. it matches a CF Lime green harness... aww not spoiled at all ) and I love the Kb.. :confused: sometime life gives you hard choices to make. lol

You made some good points :thinking: that I will post about in a second.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE:coolpics: all the pictures. kaji is such a cutie.so makes me want a little boy:cool:

thank you ... it was a PLEASURE to work with you and the most important thing is you LOVE the bag and are HAPPY with it!!!!!

Solutions to the teather problem
 

ok.. a possible solution to the "tether" problem that is easy.

What I noticed is the tether has a hook clip on both ends. It is attached to a d ring in the bottom of the bag. I took the tether off and by unclipping and fed it thorough the d ring.. then you can clip BOTH hooks onto Kaji..
that would be shorter and stronger.

Another solution would be to take the tether off... make another out of some shorter stronger fabric using the hooks.

3rd solution.. the bag has zipper pulls on both ends of the top.. they are also removable. You could use one of those in a pinch.

PLEASE do not put kaji in without a tether... yes it is possible that the one time the bag is open he jumps and runs it is better to have him dragging a bag by his harness ..should slow him down lol

You said you also like your kb.. so I wouldn't take that tether out yet.

Oh.. do you have a coupler or tether you use for the car??

All are fabulous solutions!! I honestly did not take a closer look at the bungee tether in side the bag. My first thought was of him jumping like he has in the KB. Now he would be bungee jumping. :rolleyes: if I double it, there is no where he could go. It's definitely stronger. Yay!! I'm happy with that idea. I'll still be using both bags, so I won't be removing anything from the KB. A girl has to have options right? :)

I was thinking of making him a pillow, or folding up a blanket. But you're right, I could use the KB padding in he Soho. The Alex padding is a little on the small side, making it a temporary solution. I'm sure I'll find something somewhere suitable for Kaji.

Lisa, I think you'll love this bag! It has double windows. One for Sugar Baby, and one for Curri Bee. They can both enjoy the scenery together. :)

I just thought of another option. www.chokefree.com sells the pawrider tether separately as an additional add on, don't they? Those are NICE and sturdy :thinking: :thinking: :thinking:

I'm sure you can come up with a perfect solution!! When you do, let me know! I will need that solution as well if I hope to jam 2 into my Soho :lol tears:lol tears

Knowing Curri, she will have to be right on top of Sugar and block her view (regardless of which window Sugar choses :cool:)

What a great review you did! And thank you! I am looking at one of these and I have the small KB. I was wanting to know how the two compared and you answered lots of my questions. Next, to measure Rosie and compare to Kaji's size. She is longer like Kaji too. I need to check her height because she weighs 6 pounds. I appreciate the great post.