A collapsible dog crate can be a godsend. If you travel with your dog regularly and they’re used to sleeping in a crate at night, having a foldable option you can bring along makes things easier for both you and your pup.
Dog sport enthusiasts will also often use collapsible dog crates at trials for agility, scent work, dock diving, and rally to keep their dog contained (and rested) while they wait for their turn to compete.
Whether you’re going on a trip or taking your dog to do something fun, a collapsible, portable dog crate will give your pup a designated place to rest while you’re on-the-go.
Traits We Want in a Collapsible Dog Crate
Ease of use: A collapsible dog crate should be easy to take down and put up. Ideally, one person should be able to do the setup, take down, and transport of the crate. The best collapsible crates can be assembled in 2-3 minutes or less.
Easy to clean: Collapsible dog crates should also be easy to clean. Since they’ll be traveling with you in most cases, collapsible crates will likely get dirtier than their stationary counterparts that stay in the home, so washable materials are best.
Portability: A collapsible dog crate should fold down to a size that’s easy to get in and out of a car. Bonus points go to crates that have carrying handles or other features that make them easy to transport.
Size range: All sizes of dogs can benefit from collapsible crates, so we gave extra points to options with large size ranges, so you can travel with your Chihuahua or your Great Dane.
Before you pick a collapsible crate for your furry friend, make sure you’ve brushed up on crate training techniques with your dog trainer and have measured your dog to find the right size crate for them.
The Best Collapsible Dog Crates
| Whole Dog Journal Rating | Product and Maker | Price | Sizes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Midwest Lifestages Double Door Folding Dog Crate | Starting at $39 | 3.5 paws Midwest Lifestages Double Door Folding Dog Crate Starting at $39 22”, 24”, 30”, 36”, 42”, 48” This folding wire crate isn’t perfect, but it’s fairly durable, decently easy to put up and take down, and is budget friendly. While it isn’t the easiest to transport, it’s workable. | This folding wire crate isn’t perfect, but it’s fairly durable, decently easy to put up and take down, and is budget friendly. While it isn’t the easiest to transport, it’s workable. |
| Impact Collapsible Dog Crate | Starting at $764 | 30”, 34”, 40”, 40”+, 48”, 54” | This crate is incredibly durable and easy to set up and take down, but it’s heavier and more expensive than other options on this list. |
| EliteField 3 Door Folding Soft Crate | Starting at $55 | 20”, 24”, 30”, 36”, 42” | The EliteField 3 Door crate comes with built-in door covers, so you don’t need to bring an extra sheet or blanket to cover your dog. It’s also washable and comes with a handy carrying bag and a fleece crate pad. |
| Diggs Revol Dog Crate | Starting at $500 | Small (28.5”), Medium (34.6”), Intermediate (421.2”), Large (45.3”) | Revol Dog Crate folds down and sets up in seconds and has two doors, but it’s heavy, expensive, and has a few other minor quirks that eliminated it from our list of winners. |
| Orvis Hose-Off Folding Travel Crate | Starting at $160 | Small (31.2”), Medium (36”), Large (42”) | The Orvis Hose-Off crate is quite sturdy as a soft crate and comes with a plush fleece bed. It’s a bit heavier and bulkier than the EliteField option on this list and lacks some of the extra details the EliteField boasts. It’s also pricier. |
Best Collapsible Dog Crate: Midwest Lifestages Double Door Folding Dog Crate
Wire crates can be a pain, but there’s a reason they’re so popular. They’re durable enough to contain most dogs who are properly crate trained, are fairly quick and easy to assemble and disassemble (minus some occasional finger pinching), come in a huge variety of sizes, and are budget-friendly in comparison to other crate options.
The Midwest Lifestages Double Door Folding Dog Crate is one of the most popular dog crates on the market and it held up well during testing. It’s not so lightweight that dogs can easily escape from it, but it’s not so heavyweight that it’s a pain to move around. It folds down to a reasonable size but can be loud in the car due to rattling of the metal.
It has a front door and a side door so you can orient it in different ways and has a pan that can easily be pulled out and cleaned if needed. This crate also has a paw-blocking feature which prevents your dog from tampering with the door latch while they’re inside.
The Midwest Lifestages crate ranges from $39 to $84 depending on the size chosen, so it’s one of the sturdier yet still affordable collapsible dog crate options.
Despite the downsides, a wire crate is the best option for most families and most dogs, given their low cost, size ranges, and decent durability and portability.
Most Durable Collapsible Dog Crate: Impact Collapsible Dog Crate
If your dog is sure to escape from (or destroy) a soft-sided or a wire crate, the Impact Collapsible Dog Crate is the way to go. This heavy-duty option is made of high-grade aluminum and is wildly sturdy. It also meets air travel guidelines for pet owners who may need to travel with their dog in the future and comes with a lifetime warranty.
This crate is fairly easy to set up—once you’ve learned to do it properly. The top of the crate, which needs to be unlatched and pulled straight up to assemble, is quite heavy. Those who aren’t strong or mobile may not be able to carry or assemble this crate comfortably by themselves.
When folded, the crate is fairly streamlined, though it’s bulkier and heavier than other crates on this list. It ranges from 28.5 pounds up to 70 pounds depending on the size chosen, so it’s not a lightweight option. However, it does come in a 54” size, making it one of the best large collapsible dog crate options on the market—ideal for owners of XL and giant breeds.
The Impact crate is very secure and even calming for many dogs. I use this crate when I take my Collie to dog shows and because of the more enclosed design, I find that she stays calmer and rests better than if she were in a crate she could fully see out of on all sides (like a wire crate). It features a lock on the front (with matching key), which I use if I’m going to be away from the crate for any period of time.
The biggest downside of this crate, aside from the weight, is the high price. It ranges from $764 up to $2,167, so it’s a huge investment.
Best Collapsible Soft Crate: EliteField 3 Door Folding Soft Crate
As someone who travels to dog sports events frequently, the EliteField 3 Door Folding Soft Crate is my favorite soft crate option. It’s lightweight, easy to assemble and disassemble, and completely washable. Both the inner bed cover and the crate cover itself can be put in the washing machine for easy cleaning.
My favorite features of this crate are the built-in door covers, which are great for dogs who settle more easily when their crates are covered. This crate also comes with a carrying bag that has a long shoulder strap on it, making it easy to bring along while traveling.
Like most soft crates, this isn’t the most durable crate option and shouldn’t be used for puppies or dogs who chew or escape their crates. Because it’s so lightweight, dogs who move around a lot could also potentially flip it over while they’re inside. A soft crate is best for dogs who are calm and well-acclimated to their crates and who won’t chew on fabric or zippers.
My one qualm about this crate is that the inner fleece bed it comes with isn’t the best quality. My dog tends to dig at bedding while she gets comfortable and the bed this crate came with has already seen some wear and tear from that. I usually bring along a second, more supportive bed to put in this crate, especially when I’m doing extended traveling with my dog.
Other Collapsible Dog Crates We Tested
Diggs Revol Dog Crate
I wanted to love the Diggs Revol Dog Crate. It has a variety of cool, useful features, like wheels for easy transport, wildly quick assembly/disassembly, and a side door that moves up and down garage style.
However, this crate is heavy, bulky, and inconvenient to travel with. When collapsed, there’s nothing that keeps it folded, so it can be a pain to move around. The wheels on the bottom, though a great idea, aren’t always super functional. They’re very small and prone to getting stuck in cracks or on rocks/other debris, and are very loud when used on hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt. The side door could also open/close smoother.
With a price range from $500 to $1,050, I’d expect some of these quirks to be ironed out.
Orvis Hose-Off Folding Travel Crate
When it comes to soft-sided, collapsible dog crates, the Orvis Hose-Off Folding Travel Crate is sturdier and feels a bit more well-made than the EliteField option, but it’s also bulkier, heavier, and more expensive. Despite having heavier, sturdier poles inside and thicker material, it still won’t contain a dog who wants to get out of a soft crate.
If your dog is well-behaved in a soft crate, the cheaper, lighter EliteField is a better value, and comes with extra features the Orvis model doesn’t have (like a carrying bag and built-in door covers).
