MidWest iCrate Double Door Folding Crate.

The Gavler Review.

MidWest iCrate Double Door Review: The Crate Everyone Actually Buys

The MidWest iCrate Double Door Folding Crate sits at number one on our Best Dog Crates list with a 9.1, and it earns that spot the boring way: it is the crate that shows up, unprompted, across vet office recommendations, rescue adoption packets, and trainer supply lists. There is nothing clever about the design — a folding steel-wire box with two doors, a slide-out tray, and a divider panel — and that plainness is exactly the point. Buy it unless you are outfitting a known chewer or escape artist, in which case a reinforced crate is worth the extra money. For the overwhelming majority of dogs and owners, this is the correct default purchase.

What it actually is

The iCrate is a folding wire crate available across five sizes, from 22 inches up to 48 inches for giant breeds, at a price around $45. It sets up and folds down without tools — the walls unfold and lock into a rigid box shape in seconds, and it collapses flat again for storage or transport. Two doors, front and side, each with slide-bolt latches, mean you can place the crate against a wall or in a corner without losing easy access.

The feature that separates it from a generic wire box is the included divider panel. Slid into place, it shrinks the usable interior for a puppy, then gets moved back — or removed — as the dog grows into the full-size crate. That single piece of hardware is why owners buy one iCrate instead of three crates over a dog's first year, and it is the detail that shows up again and again in why trainers and rescues default to this exact crate.

In use

The category's core promise — a crate that a new owner can assemble in a driveway parking lot without a manual — is where the iCrate does its quiet work. The two-door layout matters more in practice than it sounds on paper: a side door lets you tuck the crate into a corner and still load a dog from the front, while a front-only crate forces awkward placement decisions in small apartments. The slide-out plastic tray makes cleanup a wipe-down job rather than a project, which matters the first time a puppy has an accident overnight.

Reviewers converge on the same read. Wirecutter calls it "the crate we recommend for most dogs — affordable, proven, and easy to set up." Reviewed describes it as "a widely recommended folding wire crate that covers the basics without fuss." GearJunkie frames it as "a go-to first crate for new owners thanks to its price and grow-with-your-puppy divider." None of these are enthusiast raves about premium materials — they are practical endorsements of a product that does the fundamental job reliably, which is exactly the right bar for a crate most dogs will spend years in.

Where it shines

• The divider changes the math on a puppy purchase. Buying "the right size for adulthood" and shrinking it down beats buying a cheap starter crate and replacing it twice. This is the single biggest reason the iCrate keeps showing up on vet and rescue recommendation lists.
• Two doors solve real placement problems. A front-and-side door layout means the crate fits into more rooms and more furniture arrangements than a single-door design, without a redesign of the whole space around it.
• Tool-free fold-flat design. No hardware, no assembly instructions needed. It collapses to a manageable, near-flat shape for a move, a car trip, or off-season storage — a genuine convenience a rigid plastic kennel can't match.
• Price leaves room in the budget elsewhere. At $45, the iCrate frees up money for a proper crate pad, a cover, or a divider-adjacent training plan — which matters more to most first-time owners than a nicer-looking box.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

This is the right default crate for most dogs, not the toughest crate money can buy, and the honest reasons to look elsewhere are specific:

• You have a known chewer or escape artist. The wire gauge and pan are built for normal daily use, not for a dog that tests the crate physically. A determined dog can bend thin wire over time, and the plastic pan can flex under sustained pressure. If that describes your dog, a reinforced option is worth the extra spend.
• You want it to look good in a living room. The powder-coat wire finish is functional, not stylish. If the crate needs to double as furniture in a shared living space, a design-forward option is the better fit.
• You're crating the largest breeds long-term. The largest sizes are where the budget-tier compromises — pan flex, thinner wire — show up most; giant-breed owners planning years of daily use may want to weigh a sturdier build.

How it compares

On its own list, the closest comparison is nearly a mirror image: the Frisco Fold & Carry Double Door Wire Crate at number three is Chewy's house-brand answer to the same formula — folding double-door wire, included divider, slide-out tray — often priced a few dollars lower. The two are close enough in daily use that the honest advice is to buy whichever is cheaper the week you shop; Frisco's six-size ladder is a marginal fit advantage, but it doesn't change the fundamental trade-offs.

For owners who want a genuine step up rather than a lateral one, the Diggs Revol Collapsible Dog Crate at number two is the design-forward alternative — reinforced diamond mesh, rounded corners, a ceiling hatch, and a one-hand collapse mechanism. It is real money — well above the iCrate's price, especially in larger sizes — but it is genuinely nicer to live with for owners who keep the crate in a shared space rather than a garage or laundry room.

The Gavler verdict

A 9.1, and the number reflects consensus, not excitement. The iCrate isn't the toughest, prettiest, or most innovative crate on the list — it is the one that gets recommended by vets, rescues, and trainers because it reliably does the job at a price that removes cost as a reason not to crate-train a dog properly. The growing-puppy divider alone justifies the purchase for anyone bringing home a young dog. Buy it as the default; step up to the Diggs Revol only if aesthetics matter enough to pay for them, or to a reinforced option like the Gunner G1 or Impact Collapsible if your dog is a chewer or escape artist. For everyone else, this is the crate to stop researching and just buy.

Common Questions

Is the MidWest iCrate worth it in 2026?

For most dogs, yes. It ranks first on Gavler's Best Dog Crates list with a 9.1, and the reasoning is simple: it is the default recommendation across vet, rescue, and trainer guides because it does the job at a price that leaves room in the budget for a good mat or bed. The trade-off is that it is a budget wire crate, so the pan can flex and a determined chewer can bend thin wire over time.

What size iCrate should I buy for a puppy?

Buy the crate sized for your dog's adult weight, then use the included divider panel to shrink the usable space while the dog is small. That is the entire point of the divider — it lets a puppy have just enough room to stand, turn, and lie down without so much extra space that a corner becomes a bathroom, and you only ever buy one crate instead of upgrading twice as the dog grows.

MidWest iCrate or Frisco Fold & Carry — which double-door crate should I buy?

They are close enough to be a coin flip. Both are folding double-door wire crates with a divider and a slide-out tray, at essentially the same price point, with the same budget-tier caveats around thin wire and pan flex at the largest sizes. Frisco's edge is a six-size ladder versus the iCrate's five, plus frequent Chewy bundle pricing. Buy whichever is cheaper the week you shop; the daily-use experience is nearly identical.

Is the iCrate strong enough for an escape artist or a heavy chewer?

Not really — that is its clearest limit. The wire gauge and pan are built for durability under normal use, not for a dog that pushes, bends, or chews at the crate itself. If you are crating a known escape artist or a powerful chewer, a reinforced option like the Gunner G1 Kennel or Impact Collapsible Dog Crate on our Best Dog Crates list is the safer, if pricier, choice.