Best Roto Molded Kennel

airmedic1

airmedic1

Active member
Are they all the same? Is one better than the other? I'm looking at Ruff Land, Dakota and Gunner. Gunner kennels are significantly higher, are they that much better? What does everyone think?
 
I went with a Cabela's intermediate size kennel and put a momarsh cot in it and I couldn't be happier for a fraction of the cost. It sits behind the passenger seat of my truck. Came with keys to lock it, tie downs, and a safety bar that is removable to prevent accidental opening.
 
If you will be carrying kennel in and out of motels and need them to fit in a back seat...Ruffland is hard to beat. If crash ratings are important and it's going to be strapped down in the back of the truck, then Gunner is better built for that.
 
I have a ruffland and a Dakota 283, both are great portable crates. The Dakota is significantly more stout than the Ruffland, and not that much heavier. The Dakota also has a drain that makes it easier to wash out the crate. The ruffland "either way" opening door while not as solid is nice.
For similar pricing the Dakota is by far my favorite.
I have a buddy who won a gunner, he says every gunner should come with a forklift.... He leaves it in the basement
 
I have a lucky duck and 2 rufflands. The Lucky Duck stays in the back of truck it’s a large. Heavier than the intermediate rufflands that I have. Better built than the ruffland and some nicer features but bulky and harder to move for my older beat up body.

The Rufflands I was able to get at a very substantial discount or I probably would have bought the medium Lucky Duck instead of the rufflands. Not really familiar with the other brands. I had a Patriot 2 dog box for years until my son inherited it a few years ago.
 
I have 2 Gunners, intermediate and large, both fit perfectly in my 2500 bed. No complaints about them, we sit on em have used the intermediate for a dog hide duck hunting.
 
Central Minnesota Retriever Club had a gunner kennel in a raffle this weekend so I got to look one over closely. The door is better than what Rufland, or Dakota offer. It has a nice drain just like the Dakota, no drain on a Ruffland. The tie down points while different from a Dakota offer very similar convenience and strength, the Ruffland tie down points are somewhat more versatile but require additional parts and are not nearly as stout. I think the gunner only comes in olive drab versus multiple color choices with the other two. The Gunner is still weigh to heavy in comparison.
I will stay with my original opinion, while the gunner is very nice it is a bit over done for me. From a functionality and price standpoint the Dakota is the way to go.
 
I was forwarded this on another board: "Standing Stone kennels did a crate comparison a year or two ago. It was very informative". Watch Here
I was set to buy the Dakota until I watched the video showing how the door could be pushed out and a dog could get its paw stuck. My GSP can get into enough trouble so I'm going to pass on the Dakota.
 
airmedic1 said:
I was forwarded this on another board: "Standing Stone kennels did a crate comparison a year or two ago. It was very informative". Watch Here
I was set to buy the Dakota until I watched the video showing how the door could be pushed out and a dog could get its paw stuck. My GSP can get into enough trouble so I'm going to pass on the Dakota.
Click to expand...
I just watched it, that was before the door redesign.
I don't have a dog in the fight but I'd try to find someone who has one and decide for yourself
 
Interesting, another person told me they had redesigned their door and the video is 3 years old but I hope my concern for the design in the video can be appreciated.
 
Gunner owner/user here. I went through the same thing you are now and went with Gunner. The cost was higher, but the build of the kennel is so much more than Ruffland. It fits in the back seat area of my Sierra and is a tank went locked down in the bed of the truck. The door, door frame, and kennel composition is just better.
 
I have Gunner intermediate and a large, I know I will never have to buy another kennel as long as I live. The large is a PITA to move, but I leave them in the old 2010 sub.
 
Dakota x 2 for me. I have two wirehairs, one about 65 lbs and the other 59 lbs. The medium crate is perfect. I added the crate pad made by Dakota, and my dogs are happy. That said, I try to limit their time in that crate to <3 hrs.
 
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