Review: Sleepypod mobile pet bed & carrier with PPRS handilock

Welcome to the first product review of 2016!

It just takes one car accident to change the way you drive forever. One car accident and you will always think about what could've happened. One car accident that left both physical and emotional or mental scars. You might wonder why I'm writing about car accidents on Sandpiper Cat...but there is a good explanation.

Today's review is about a cat carrier that is car crash tested, the Sleepypod mobile pet bed and carrier. As a survivor of a terrible car accident, in which our car flipped over and rolled onto the roof, my family takes safety for both humans and animals very seriously. That day, December 2, 1995 is ingrained on our minds and forever will be a reminder to wear our seatbelts.

I always felt it was important that the cats traveled in the car to the vet as safely as possible. This notion has led me to try to buckle cat carriers into the car. It has never been an ideal set up and it does not keep them as safe as I would like them to be in the car. Enter the Sleepypod carrier, which is a two in one deal - because you're getting both a stylish cat bed and a durable carrier.

Sleepypod is a brand that understands that safety is a huge priority for pet lovers like my family. Sleepypod has crash-tested its entire line of pet carriers, for their safety test program.

Image used with permission of Sleeypod.

New to the Sleepypodcompany is the addition of their PPRS Handilock, which is the Pet Passenger Restraint System. The PPRS Handilock evolved due to tests done with Sleepypod and the Center for Pet Safety (CPS). The PPRS Handilock has been crash tested - all the crash tests are done with realistic crash test pet dummies.

"Sleepypod mobile pet bed with the PPRS Handilock was named a Top Performing Pet Carrier in a Subaru of America, Inc. and Center for Pet Safety collaborative study to test the effectiveness of pet carriers and crates in crash situations." My family drives Subaru cars, so we are thrilled that Subaru has been working with Sleepypod.

Image courtesy of Sleepypod.

Adding the PPRS Handilock to the Sleepypod mobile pet bed has truly increased the safety of your pets in the car. When using the Sleepypod with the PPRS Handilock, it was clear that our cat(s) were in the safest carrier they have ever traveled in before.

Image courtesy of Teri Thorsteinson.

Having traveled from New Jersey to Virginia with a cat on three separate occasions, I relish the idea of having a crash tested carrier in the car. Knowing that my cat is nestled safely into the comfort of their bed turned carrier, is bound to make for a more relaxing drive for both cat and owner.

Back in October 2015, we had to take our cat Brooke to the dental vet for surgery. It is about an hour long drive, which is much longer than her usual 10 minute drive to the vet. A few weeks before we went, we left out the Sleepypod carrier with the top detached, so Brooke and the other cats could use it as a bed.

Knowing that the carrier would smell like home, we zipped on the top portion of the carrier on the morning Brooke had her surgery. She fit very nicely into the Sleepypod, which was easy to get her into and place securely in the car.


We buckled in the carrier with the PPRS Handilock and off to the vet we went. Brooke subsequently had check ups after her surgery, and all of her rides to the vet were done with style and safety, in her Sleepypod!

At the vet, Brooke waits in her Sleepypod.

I cannot recommend the Sleepypods highly enough! We are all extremely impressed with the quality and durability of the Sleepypod carrier. The Sleepypod Mini, Sleepypod Air and Sleepypod Atom models are also approved for airline travel as well (the medium one pictured does not fit under most airline seats).

In addition to the wonderful work done by the people at Sleepypod, they have an "crash replacement program," in which they will replace your Sleepypod carrier if it has been in a car accident at no charge.