Review: Bag Carrier

Item
Pick-up bag carrier

Brand
Eddie Bauer for Pets

Price
around $5

Features

This pick-up bag carrier, which is approximately the size of a can of soda, features two large pockets, a fabric loop-through to fit it to a leash, and a plastic snap at the top.

The design is fairly simple. The main body of the dispenser consists of one large pocket, which closes with a Velcro flap at the top, and has an elastic opening at the bottom. It does not come with any bags nor are there "refill" bags offered for it - you use it with the bags of your choice. I use biodegradable MuttMitts. I can fit about five or six bags into the pouch. Getting to them is easy - just pull them out through the elastic end.

The smaller pocket on the front of the carrier will fit small items, such as your house key or cell phone. It will fit a small folding-type phone, such as my Sprint phone, without problems. It's not quite large enough to fit a standard American-size ID or driver's license, though.

The carrier attaches to dog leashes by means of a fabric loop on the back. The loop appears to be designed to fit 1" wide dog leashes, leaving pet owners with narrower leashes (such as the standard 3/4 inch leash shown to the right) with a bit of a conundrum.

The carrier has a black plastic snap at the top, and I'm not quite sure what the purpose for this snap is. It may be either to attach items to - such as your key chain - or to attach the carrier more securely to your leash. As the buckle is fairly small and most leashes don't have a D-ring in the handle to which things may be attached, I would assume its purpose is attaching your keys.

Flaws & Problems

The most obvious flaw of this item is the quality of construction. The material is fairly thin and flimsy, and the manufacture is not very clean - strings and threads hanging out everywhere. I don't expect the plastic snap to last very long, either. However, at $5 this item is pretty much disposable. It would be nice to see a higher-quality version (even if it's more expensive) on the market for extended / long-term use.

The way the carrier attaches to a leash needs to be improved. Even on a 1" wide leash, which is what it appears to have been designed for, the carrier tends to slide unless it is fastened to the hand loop at the end of the leash. There really is no way of fastening it to the end of the leash, so a little bit of creativity is required from users.

Verdict

This is a useful little item, especially for those summertime walks when dog owners may not have lots of pockets to put their pick-up bags, cell phone, and house keys. I'm keeping mine on the leash hanger by the door, and slip it onto my leashes as needed when going out to a walk. I do like that my cell phone fits into the front pocket - that's very useful.