Petsfit Medium Bird Backpack Carrier with Adjustable Perch & Shade Cover - Anti-Pecking Design, 2-Level Height for Small Parrots - Perfect for Travel, Vet Visits & Outdoor Adventures (Blue)

I originally bought one of those carriers on here with the ugly patterns that are just bulky shoulder bags with mesh on each side and a perch inside. I wasn't satisfied with it at all, but it was the only bird carrier I could find that was easily portable and didn't cost $200-300 like Celltei carriers. I decided to just bite the bullet and buy a Celltei carrier for my bird, when I found this one. It looked excellent online and had good reviews, so I ordered one. I was skeptical about the quality of it because it just seemed too good to be true. My other searches for carriers other than Celltei brand (which are outrageously overpriced, like, come on, what makes your carrier worth over $200???) and the crappy one I bought before yielded nothing, so imagine how skeptical I was of this one when I found it.However, when it arrived and I unboxed it, I was amazed. It doesn't feel cheap or flimsy in any way. Unlike the ugly carrier I bought before, it looks good, not too different from a regular backpack. It also has shoulder straps, which the ugly carrier didn't have; it only had a crossbody strap, which made it too unstable when walking and shook my poor bird around when I was trying to take him out for a nice stroll at the park. I would have to hold it by the top handle constantly, which just ruined the experience for me, since it was really tiring.This carrier has a lot of versatility in how you carry it. You can wear it on your back like a backpack, over the shoulder like a messenger bag, or simply carry it by the top handle. I haven't tried it yet, but you could probably strap it to your front like a baby carrier, if you felt safer taking your bird out when you could keep an eye on the carrier or if you simply wanted to have your bird closer to interact with. One thing I didn't know about this bag when I ordered it is that it has the ability to be configured so that you can fasten a seatbelt through the straps on the back, like you would a child's carseat. The waist straps can be fastened into 2 extra buckles at the top for this feature. The instructions that come with it explain this. I was happy when I discovered this addition. I like to take my bird places, but I want to ensure that he is safe while traveling. You can put the shoulder strap over the headrest of one of your carseats and fasten the seatbelt through the straps on the back for a secure ride for your bird, while driving.All of the zippers on the carrier are high quality, not flimsy and breakable. You would have a very hard time breaking one of these zippers. The clear plastic window on the front of the carrier is very flexible but doesn't feel like it would be easily broken. I love the shades that you can roll over the front and sides if your bird needs sleep or privacy while traveling. The area for attaching a water bottle is an awesome addition, and the elastic straps for holding the bottle are very snug. My bird has a glass water bottle, and I don't worry at all about it slipping out of the straps of this bag. The food bowl also fits very snugly and securely. I like the drip tray and the removable grate that goes over it. It's extremely easy to clean. The included zipper pouch is super useful for carrying foods or prescriptions, and the mesh pocket on the side is great for treats. While out and about, the metal ventilation holes in the carrier are big enough that you could give your bird treats through them and not have to try unzipping the bag a little and risking your bird flying away. Also, another thing I didn't know when I ordered is that the carrier comes with a storage bag for storing the entire carrier, which is really nice. If you don't use it often, the bag can keep it from getting dusty and protect it from pests while in storage.When I first set the carrier up, I used a wet cloth soaked in bird safe sanitizing solution to wipe down the inside of the carrier and the perch. The material is smooth and very easy to wipe off. The drip tray slides in through one side and fits very tightly, so you don't have to worry about the tray moving around. The ventilation mesh feels to be of a good quality.That being said, I wouldn't recommend this for birds larger than a large conure or for aggressive chewers. The mesh is not made of metal, so a determined bird could probably chew through it. You should supervise your bird in this carrier before taking it outside. My bird (green cheek conure) doesn't chew anything very often, so I don't worry about him chewing through the mesh or plastic window and escaping. Still, that is one of my criticisms of this carrier; it would be better with a metal or tough plastic wire mesh. Even though it's very unlikely that my bird would ever chew through it, I would feel even more secure transporting him in it if the mesh were made of a stronger material.My only other suggestion for this carrier is that a toy hook inside would be great for preventing birds from getting extremely bored during travel. You could find a way to hang most toys inside, especially because the carrier has 4 ventilation holes across the top, but a dedicated toy hanger would still be nice.Overall, I love this carrier, and I'm so glad I found it so I could save potentially $200 on a quality bird carrier. I even got compliments on it the very first time I took my bird out in it. His first trip in this carrier was to the exotics vet for a check up, and the vet said this carrier was "really cool" and asked where I got it. Then, as I was leaving the office, a woman who was at the check out window complimented how neat it was. It really is an excellent carrier, and I highly recommend it to anyone with a smaller bird up to a bird around the size of a sun conure. It's not big enough for medium sized birds. However, I wouldn't recommend it for very small birds, like finches, because they could feasibly squeeze out of the ventilation holes. I also recommend getting some 3M Vetrap and wrapping the perch inside so that your bird can keep a good grip on it and not slide off.